“I’m coming down!” called a voice from inside the house.
“There we go,” Britt said, relief washing over her face. “I’ll let you two—”
The woman stepped out of the house.
My jaw just about hit the floor when I laid eyes on her.
“Piper.”
The name fell out of my mouth, and immediately I felt as if I were in the middle of a strange dream.
It was her. It was really her.
“Valentino,” she said.
Piper looked as beautiful as she had five years ago—same gorgeous face, same stunning, curvy body. Her hair was a little different, shorter than it was when we’d met on the flight. Other than that, she was still the same woman.
We stood staring at one another for a long moment. It was clear that neither of us knew quite what to do.
“Wine!” Britt held up the bottle. “Why don’t I crack this open? Give you two a chance to get to know one another. Or, uh, to catch up?”
With that, Britt ducked into the house, leaving Piper and me alone.
“Hey, Maddie—see that stick down there in front of the car?” I asked. “Micklovessticks. Toss that around with him for a while and you’ll be his new best friend.”
Her eyes lit up, oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. “Yes! Come on, Mick!”
She and my pup bounded down the stairs. As I watched them descend, it hit me just who I was looking at.
That dark hair, those dark eyes, her age…
I couldn’t assume. Maybe I had her age wrong, or I was misremembering the date.
I pulled my eyes away from Maddie, planting them firmly on Piper.
I’d always prided myself on my ability to keep cool no matter what the situation. In that moment, however, having gone from thinking that I was merely going to introduce myself to my new neighbor, to learning that there was a chance I had a little girl, keeping cool was a near impossibility.
My legs felt weak beneath me, and my heart was pounding. I told myself once more that I didn’t know for sure if she was mine. All the same, I couldn’t shake the notion.
“Wine delivery!”
Britt was halfway out of the door, a glass of wine in each hand.
“Figured you guys would need them. I poured one in there for myself, so, uh, don’t worry about me.”
“Thanks, Britt.” Piper took the glasses and handed one over to me.
I wasted no time taking a sip.
“Looks like those two are fast friends,” I said, turning toward Mick and Maddie.
Maddie’s laughter—quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world—filled the air. She was on the front lawn kneeling in front of Mick, my dog covering her face in licks.
“Mick-man!” I called out, my booming voice carrying over the front lawn. “That’ll do!”
The dog obeyed me without a moment’s hesitation, stepping away from Maddie and sitting down, eagerly awaiting his next order.
“Play nice.”
