Page 280 of Beyond the Blue Horizon
With her.
In that unseen place that could only belong to us.
Something I’d believed an impossibility.
But Piper had proven this world was so much bigger than penance. So much more than penalty.
And somehow, in the middle of it, I received this treasure.
We both rasped and wheezed, and she sagged in my arms as we came back down.
I brushed back the matted hair from her cheek and pressed my lips there. “I love you, Piper. With all of me.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled it around her, snuggling into my hold. “It was you all along. The one beyond the blue horizon I was always driving toward. Unsure where I belonged orifI could ever belong anywhere.”
Pulling her closer, I breathed in her sweet cherry scent. “You will always belong with me.”
Theo - Six Months Later
“This it?” I asked as Cash and I set the two mannequins in the middle of Ivy Threads.
Both Piper and Emery squealed, clapping their hands like school kids.
“This is going to be epic,” Emery peeped. She reached out and squeezed Piper’s hand. “I’m so excited.”
Joy flooded Piper’s expression, redness heating those cheeks.
Tomorrow they were unveiling Piper’s very own line of clothing.
“I can’t believe this is happening. That you’re trusting me with this.” She squeezed her hand back, the two of them so close they couldn’t be separated.
“Are you kidding me? Those clothes are going to fly off the racks. And probably off these mannequins.” Emery laughed, and Piper bit down on her bottom lip, still unable to believe that the dream that she’d lost was finally coming to fruition.
I stepped toward her, took her hand, and pulled her to me. My voice was rough as I murmured, “So damn proud of you.”
My girl fucking beamed. “I’m so happy.”
“Me, too, baby, me too.” I dropped a soft kiss to her forehead.
From the side, I could feel Cash roughing a hand over his head, irritation bleeding from his pores. “Listen, I gotta run.”
Concern wound through me.
Dude was always a recluse. Grumpy as fuck. Dodging invitations and skipping out as soon as he could. But he’d been unbearable the last couple weeks.
Something was up.
Something big.
Without saying anything else, he started for the door.
A frown sliced into my brow, and I angled my head toward him as I quietly muttered to Piper, “Give me a second.”
I turned and followed him out. I had to shout at his back as he rushed down the sidewalk. “What’s up with you, man?”
Not slowing, he gave a harsh shake of his head. “Nothin’.”
I kept tracking him. “Don’t give me that shit. I’ve known you for a long fuckin’ time, and something is up.”
