Page 70 of Reconcile
“We were idiots.”
“Best mistake I ever made.” He kisses me deeply, helping me get lost in him, my body quickly climbing to the highest peak.
That is, until I hear a familiar voice that makes my blood run cold. “Piper. Oh my God.”
I’m stunned as I freeze, and so does Sawyer. I look back over my shoulder. “Paisley.”
“I see not much has changed.” She stands at the edge of the pool, sporting her designer purse that’s slung over her arm, five-inch heels, and a pretty golden dress. “I’m sorry, I rang the doorbell, but you didn’t answer so I thought I’d check back here. You really should lock that gate.”
“Apparently,” Sawyer says through clenched teeth, his cock still buried inside me.
“What are you doing here, Paisley?”
“Can we talk? Please.” Paisley never says “please.” That’s new.
I look at Sawyer, worrying my bottom lip through my teeth. I wonder what he’s thinking. I’ve forgiven Sawyer, I have. But my sister? I’m not sure I can ever do that. Still, I heard Sawyer out, which was the best decision of my life.
“Can you wait inside?” I motion toward the patio door. “It’s unlocked too.”
She nods, and I hear her heels clicking on the pavement before the door slides open and then shuts. I look at Sawyer, who looks concerned but then grins. “Are we finishing this?”
I roll my eyes and shove him back from me and reluctantly say, “Later.”
He grins and pulls his trunks over his erection, lookingsonot happy. “You okay?”
I nod my head, pulling up my bikini bottoms and walking out of the pool to grab my top. After it’s securely in place, he moves to me, wrapping a towel around my shoulders. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to hear what she has to say.”
I sigh and look toward the house. Sawyer kisses my lips softly. “If you need me, I’m here.”
I don’t want to leave him, but I force myself to go inside where my sister is sitting at the table in the kitchen, waiting for me. “You look good, Piper.”
I stare at her, seeing she has aged well, which isn’t surprising. We have good physical genes even if the personalities embedded in our DNA are abhorrent. “What are you doing here?”
“Right to it, huh?” She looks nervous which is also strange for her. She tucks her hair behind her ear and straightens her back. “Okay. Mom told me you had a child.”
I look at her, shocked. Part of the deal with my parents was that I could tell no one about Audrey. I hadn’t minded because at the time, there was no one I wanted to know about her. I was appalled by almost everyone I knew. “She did?”
Her head nods in one quick motion. “She let it slip at the fundraiser we were at a few days ago. Too much champagne, I guess.” Her eyes meet mine, and I swear I see remorse in them. “I didn’t know, Piper.”
My throat is dry, and it nearly hurts when I say, “I didn’t want you to.”
She doesn’t look surprised. “I’m so sorry, Piper. I was such a cunt.”
I can’t argue, but it still surprises me. I take a seat across from her, my eyes wide with shock. “You knew I loved him. Even if you were doing it just to hurt Spencer, you knew. You could have found a better way.”
“You know about me and Spencer?”
I give a clipped nod, not wanting my sister to be in pain, despite everything. “I do. And you both deserve each other.”
“God, no. I don’t want him.” Her eyes are shiny, but that can’t be right. I don’t remember ever seeing my sister cry even when we were children. “I don’t want to be like her, Piper.”
Our mother. “I thought that was all you ever wanted.”
“Not anymore. God, I’ve watched her over the years, a woman I thought I admired, and I finally saw the emptiness in her. The gaping hole she’s been trying to fill with things and lovers young enough to be her sons. I don’t want to be her.” She wipes away a tear. “But I admire the hell out of you for getting out.”
I think my jaw hit the table. “You do?”
“I was awful to you. For our entire lives. The pressure of being the older sister crushing me and making me lash out, but it’s no excuse. And then I find out that you had the courage to not only have a child on your own, but to escape from our parents and their ways.”
