Not ever.
Mine. She’s mine.
There’s that word again.
The only thing that matters now is her.
A whole week, just me and Piper?
The thought thrills me, makes me wanna tear right through the fly screen and just kiss her now.
Claim her on her own bed.
But I know better than to go all half-cocked.
I need to make sure a hundred and ten percent it’s what she really wants, not just what I feel she needs.
What we both need.
I’m not just after the sweet little valley between her legs. I want a queen, a partner. A mother to my children as well as a lover and best friend.
I make a silent exit after giving her her orders, feeling my hands shake for the first time in twenty years as I start my truck to leave.
Feeling like I’ve left something vital behind already.
Obvious once I get home to a big, empty house. The one thing missing is the only thing at the front of my mind, the center of every thought and heartbeat from now on.
Piper.
There’s a fridge full of food, and I reach for a cold, whole roasted chicken out of habit, breaking it up and setting it on a plate with some potato salad and sliced bread.
But chewing, trying to swallow, and feeling the food as it finds its way to my stomach does nothing for me.
It’s not what nourishes me anymore, it can’t.
It’ll keep me alive, sure. But it doesn’t do anything for me, not like a decent meal at the end of a long day used to.
Like it would’ve only just yesterday.
I can only replay events today with Piper in my mind as I eat.
Each mouthful, each hard swallow, and gulp of mineral water seems pointless without her here to share it with.
My buzzing cell breaks the moment, and without wiping my hands I curse under my breath, swiping greasy fingers on the screen as I try to answer the call.
“Piper?” I finally manage to answer, surprising even myself with just how quickly she’s become an obsession.
“Uh… no boss.” The familiar voice on the other end says, sounding a little confused.
It’s one of my supervisors. Mitch Wiggins. Ex-serviceman, but army. Not Marines.
I can’t hold that against him though, I’m an equal opportunity employer, despite his status of being just an army guy.
“Everything alright?” I have to ask, noting the time and remembering the ton of jobs I’m responsible for managing.
“All good, boss,” Mitch assures me. “Just letting you know we got those foundations set and smoothed. Dunno how you managed to get all that concrete at the last minute," he says with a tone of admiration.
“It’s what I do,” I answer dryly, urging him silently to get to the point.
“Anyhoo… I was just…” he stumbles, as I decide to use all my resources for our own gain from now on.
For mine and Piper’s.
“Mitch?” I butt in. “How would you like to be lead foreman for the next few weeks, starting… right now?” I tell him more than ask him.
“I’ll triple your hourly rate and you can have a company truck. I’ll review your work after two weeks and we can look at promoting you with performance bonuses,” I add, figuring why the hell not?
There’s only one place I wanna be from now on, and it ain’t on a construction site.
I’d rather be building a life of my own.
The life I’ve longed for, with a good woman by my side. Our kid in her belly.
There’s a long silence from Mitch, followed by his stammering answer.
“I… Uh… I… I dunno what to say, Mr. Bannon,” he finally manages.
People only call me Mr. Bannon when they’re kissing my ass or trying to avoid getting theirs kicked by yours truly.
“Just say yes and do the job I know you can, Mitch,” I order him curtly, making sure he understands I’m deadly serious before hanging up. Sending a few text messages I know will see he has everything required waiting for him at the site office by morning.
Army… They’re not all bad. They can hold the fort.
Until the Marines arrive that is.
I set my phone next to my half-empty plate, making a mental note to clean it up before I do the dishes.
My mouth feels less dry like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I can focus on the only project I want to do right now.
Everything else can be delegated to other people. It’s about time I took a step back from running everything like clockwork anyway.
Piper…
Piper…
Her name is more than just a word now.
It defines the feeling I have.
A feeling I’ve never known but heard all about from Rhys and a thousand other guys.
Guys who missed their sweethearts, wives, and partners whenever we served in active duty.
Thousands of miles away from home.
I never got it then, but I think I’m getting a better picture of how they felt now. She’s only half an hour’s drive away, but it feels like she’s on another planet unless she’s right here next to me.