Why did she care so much, anyway? Two weeks ago the house was her refuge, her link to her childhood and her mom, a place of safety. Now it felt empty without Jaeger, just rooms and walls and stuff. Her home was in Jaeger’s arms; she felt grounded when she looked into his eyes, energized when he kissed her, connected to the universe when he loved her.
Wherever he was, that was where she wanted to be.
He didn’t feel the same.
Piper pushed her fist into her sternum and breathed through her mouth, physically pushing the painful emotions back. She would not cry, not now, but she acknowledged that she couldn’t live like this for much longer. She was falling apart. Worry was eating her from the inside out. It wasn’t good for her or for Ty.
She’d spent the last four nights not sleeping, trying to act normal around Ty, Ceri and Rainn, but falling apart when she was alone. She didn’t think she was fooling anyone. Ty had picked up on her stress. He was clingier than usual and a lot crankier. She’d wanted to leave him with Ceri earlier, but he’d refused to let Piper go, and she didn’t have the heart to leave him. It was as if he was also suffering from a bad case of missing Jaeger.
“Ma’am, I asked you a question. What is the nature of your business with Mr. Ballantyne?”
I love him but he doesn’t love me or our son? The words hovered on her lips, but she pulled them back. “It’s personal business.”
Johnson did not look convinced.
“It really is. I am—” God, what was she? His ex-lover, the mother of his child, his casual fling?
He was the only man she wanted in her life. He was the only man she could imagine in her life. Piper pushed her hands through her tangled curls and blew air over her bottom lip. Even if she told Johnson that, she doubted he’d believe her.
She looked like what she was—a frazzled single mother barely keeping her life together. A young woman wearing faded jeans, battered sneakers and a cinnamon knee-length trench coat. No makeup, eyes red from too many tears and minimal sleep.
“Ma’am. Can I see some identification?” Johnson asked, his voice low and patient.
“For the love of God,” Piper whimpered. Piper let go of the stroller and yanked her wallet out of her bag, slamming it onto the counter. Sending the implacable Johnson a narrow-eyed, you’re-high-on-my-hit-list look, she handed over her driver’s license and tapped her fingers as he typed her name into his database.
Johnson looked at the screen, frowned and looked at the screen again.
“Problem?” she asked, her tone sarcastic.
Johnson rubbed the back of his neck as he passed her license back to her.
“What?” Piper demanded. “Am I still on the kooks and crazies list?”
Déjà vu, Piper thought, feeling the walls of the lobby closing in on her. She’d been here before. Jaeger had, once again, restricted access to himself. She’d backed away once before, turned tail and run—a habit she’d carried over from her childhood. Instead of fighting her father, making him notice her, she’d retreated and allowed him to control the situation.
She wasn’t a child anymore.
She was done with running, slinking off, hiding out, trying not to rock the boat. She wanted a definitive answer about what Jaeger was planning, whether he intended to sue for custody or not. She wanted to know why he’d spoken to Simms, the lawyer dealing with Mick’s estate. What business did Jaeger have discussing her house? And why the hell hadn’t he taken her off the kooks and crazies list?
She was done with playing nice. Piper looked around and noticed the cameras in the corners of the lobby. Two, three, another over the door, all of them recording her interaction with Johnson. She’d bet a Kashmir Blue that there was a microphone picking up every word she uttered. “I want to leave a message for Jaeger, Johnson.”
Johnson reached for a message pad, but she shook her head. “I’m not an idiot. I know every move I make is being recorded.” Slapping her hands on her hips, Piper looked directly up into the camera above the desk, opening her mouth to blast him.
“I heard you are looking for me.”
* * *
“Hey, bud.” Jaeger dropped to his haunches in front of Ty, and a look of love crossed his face that liquefied Piper’s knees.