"Hey, Rach!" I open my front door to my favorite real estate guru. I have no idea how she does it; she's very young, well-connected, and known for finding people their ideal home or office in one trip. She did it with Cam when they found Healing Wings-the foundation she set up after she was raped a couple of years ago-and I know multiple people who sing her praises. "Hey, Pipes. If you're cool with it, I'm going to take pictures, get room dimensions, and get your townhouse information before we go see the houses I picked for you.""Sure. Do you need anything from us?" I ask walking back to the kitchen to finish loading the dishwasher."No, this won't take long. It's always easier to list a property I've spent a lot of time in."True to her word, Rachel finishes with the townhouse in less than thirty minutes and finds us still lingering in the kitchen."Do you guys want to see the specs on the houses we're going to look at before we leave?" She pulls a stack of papers from he
"Piper?" I can't find a damn thing in this house. I always thought having more space would make things easier, but my wife and I have very different ideas of where things should go. I lost every one of those arguments when we moved here. She stayed up all night unpacking after I went to bed, and, by default, got to establish the locations of items in the new house."Yeah?" she calls to me from across the house before appearing in the doorway to the master bedroom."Where's the aspirin?" My head is pounding and the frustration I'm feeling toward having to search for it is only exacerbating the problem.Walking toward me, she says, "Does your head still hurt? How long has this been going on now? Two days?" She continues past me to the closet at the end of the hall. "This makes day three, and yes, it still hurts."She hands me the bottle. "Do you think you should see a doctor?"Tapping two pills into my palm, I hand the bottle back to her. The rattling of the pills inside the
With my first client meeting me at six this morning, we arrive at the gym early, meaning I get to watch Piper. The definition starting to show in her arms and back is sexy as hell. It's not overly muscular, she's simply elongating what was already there. It's becoming leaner. I don't care if she ever works out. I didn't push her to come, but when she asked me to teach her, I have to admit it excited me. Seeing her doing it on her own makes me proud as hell. I enjoy watching men approach her-she's oblivious to her appeal, and therefore doesn't recognize they're flirtatious advances.She'll help people on machines, and if men ask her questions she doesn't know the answer to, she always comes to find me and bring me back to answer correctly. The look on a man's face when she shows up with me in tow, introducing me as her husband, is priceless. It never fails, she'll kiss me on the cheek, leaving me with the muscle head who doesn't need help and was simply hitting on my wife, while sh
I shouldn't have lied to her, but I don't want her worrying. One of us doing that's enough. She has plenty on her plate without thinking about how I feel. The truth is my head has continued to pound and has become a blinding migraine. I've never had a migraine before but based on what I just read on the Internet, I have to assume this is one. Sensitivity to light is an understatement; it's more like piercing daggers in my eyes over and over. If I throw up one more time, I may find my stomach in the toilet, but I refuse to bail on my clients. I won't allow Piper to carry any more of the financial load than she already does. If I'm not working with people, then I'm not earning any money. If I have idle time here, there's no paycheck.I'm on staff, so I get a free membership as does Piper. That includes unlimited classes. I don't use them, but she does. I also get health insurance, a huge plus because most gyms don't offer those types of benefits to their employees, but Core does. Th
My alarm blares through the silence signaling it's time to start the day. If I could reach it, I would throw it against a wall. Unfortunately, I have strategically placed it on the other side of the room to avoid such incidents. By the time I get up and cross the room to silence it, I refuse to allow myself the comfort of my bed again.With Moby at the gym on Tuesday mornings, I'm here alone. There's no one to ensure I don't oversleep, and while Cam loves me, she does not approve of anyone being late to work for any reason. She's a slave driver, but I love working with her almost as much as I love working at Healing Wings. Cam and Dax started the foundation after her attack. They wanted to provide a place for victims of sexual abuse to find the help they need for healing. It took them quite some time to get it up and running, but now the facility offers medical resources, mental health care, and music therapy to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. There's very few of us act
She's starting to freak me out. No, I don't feel normal, something's definitely off kilter, but I don't think it's cause for alarm. I can tell she's nervous, biting the side of her lip, but whatever's going on in that pretty little head of hers, she's not sharing. Piper's quiet for most of the ride, so I don't push. I understand my wife's fear. I get it. "Moby, when did you start feeling bad?""I've had a headache for a couple days.""Is that it? Just the headache?""I don't know. I guess. Last night I felt weird. There were a couple times I got really dizzy like I'd stood up too fast, but it passed as quickly as it came, so I didn't think much about it.""Anything else?" I hesitate-this is like the Spanish Inquisition. I know I'm about to piss her off, but she was sick. "Last night after you went to bed my hand started to tingle, kind of like it was asleep. I couldn't get it to stop."She glares at me, giving me serious stink eye, before turning back to the road. "Why
The numbers on the screen don't mean anything to Moby, but two hundred and twenty-one over one hundred and sixty, my husband is actively stroking. I have never seen it firsthand, but my mother educated me for years after watching her mother die from repeat strokes. It never dawned on me those constant reminders of visual clues would come in handy-the slurred speech, facial distortion, motor function loss-I knew but hoped I was wrong. I wish now I was oblivious to the reality we're about to face, but I'm not. I'm all too aware of just how bad this truly is. In an instant, there's a flurry of people and alarms going off on the machines tracking my husband's heart. They quickly transfer him to a bed and start an IV. With only one of us allowed to go back to the room, my dad turns to leave.I grab his arm in panic. "Daddy, will you keep trying to call Moby's parents and Cam? She doesn't know I'm going to be late, so at this point, I think it's safe to tell her I won't be in at all. Be
I heard the words Piper said, but can't really wrap my mind around the possibility of a stroke. It didn't take a genius to notice the nurse didn't correct her assumption. I can't fathom how the hell I could be having a stroke. My head is throbbing, but I'm completely lucid. I'm young, in great shape, eat a healthy diet; this only happens to grossly obese people my age, not healthy, thirty-two-year-old men. My limited knowledge of stroke symptoms, patients, and the like is zilch, but the point is it shouldn't be me. I don't smoke, and I rarely drink. I just married my wife for the love of God. What the fuck is Piper going to do with what's left of me?Lying on this bed, unable to talk to my wife, the emotions seize me, Heather steps to my side. She doesn't speak. She places her hand on my forearm while we wait for the nurse to usher us in for the CT scan. The warmth of her touch grounds me and reminds me I'm not alone. When the doors finally open, signaling our turn, she gives me a ge
Six months ago, I moved back home. I thought things would be simple. I figured once I was physically back where I needed to be, everything else would just fall back into place. It didn't. It took work, lots of fucking work, and continues to take work daily.Emotionally, Piper was in a far worse place than any of us realized. She had developed abandonment issues and separation anxiety, not just with me but everyone she's close to. The great thing about working at a crisis center is the resources available to her. Just like Cam, Shelly has become her confidante. They meet a couple times a week, and together, we're all working on putting our relationships back together. It's a slow process and maybe one we'll work on for the rest of our lives. I'm just thankful to have the chance to do it. Whenever I see Shelly, I wonder if she comprehends just how many times she's really saved one of the Cooper boys' asses. Our journey through treatment is made a little more difficult in the last fe
Waking up, still wrapped in Moby's arms, his nose nestled near my ear, I stare out the same window that brought so much disdain yesterday, and wonder if it's possible the world has righted itself and is back on the correct axis.Twenty-four hours ago, the same sun shone through the same glass onto the same face, but its warmth did nothing other than start the repeat of another mundane, dismal day. Today it holds promise and wonder.I observe the clouds move as the light becomes brighter, not wanting to wake my sleeping husband, and instead opt to just enjoy the dawning of a new day.He begins to stir beside me, but I'm unable to tell if he's still in the throws of sleep or going to attempt to join me in the wake of the morning. He answers my unasked question by nudging his hard member against my butt, just letting me know he's there. His smile moves across my neck as he begins to scatter soft kisses over my skin.As his hands begin to wander, I tense in the apprehension of his
I don't have the energy for this. Between last night and today, I'm out of fuel to pretend like I give a shit anymore. I refuse to perpetuate a sham of happiness in my own home. I have no idea why Moby came back here, but if it's to rub my nose in how content he is, I wish he would've saved it for another day. Collapsing on the couch, I stuff my hands in my hoodie pockets, finding the little memento someone so graciously sent me. I haven't had time to really study it, but from the quick peeks I've taken, it's stunning. I rub my thumb over the inscription using it to soothe my weary soul.I watch in awe as Moby strolls across the room, not a single sign of the stroke visible. Whatever he's been doing for the last five weeks worked. He looks fantastic, and his confidence is soaring once again. I fight the attraction I feel seeing the man I married emerge again. It will only end in heartache. When he takes a seat across from me, I know this conversation is going to be more than I can
Knocking on the door to the dressing room to keep from startling her, she calls out to come in.Looking up from her hands, I find she already changed clothes and is back in her hoodie and jeans. It must be eighty degrees outside but I imagine with as little body fat as she's currently carrying around she likely stays cold. When she sees me, she stuffs her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt in an attempt to hide whatever she was focused on before I interrupted."Are you ready to go home?""Yeah, I'm just getting my stuff. Do you want to meet me there?""No, my car's already at the house. Dax picked me up there this afternoon."She's confused and doesn't understand this has been my plan since she walked out of the hospital. Well, right after Dax and I got into a screaming match, and he punched me in the face. After that, this became my plan.She doesn't resist or argue just rises to her feet, grabs her purse and garment bag. I take the dress from her, holding the door open
I've never been more thankful in my entire life that Piper and I eloped. I cannot imagine having corralled people the way we have been tonight. I realize it's a huge crowd, but we are people, not sheep. Every moment of the evening has been precisely planned by either Cam or her wedding guru, who seems more like a drill sergeant than an event coordinator. At the very least, there's no way I could possibly be sitting at another table.When guests begin to take their seats after the cocktail hour, I finally spot her. My heart breaks. Brooks was right. There's almost nothing left of my soul mate. She looks like a skeleton. The skin barely hangs on her body. This didn't all happen in the last month. Looking back, I knew she was losing weight-and not in a healthy way-but I was so consumed by my own turmoil I didn't recognize how serious things were. The last month has just about killed her. I doubt she weighs a hundred pounds. The constriction of my chest makes it hard to breathe. My on
"Brooks!" I chase after my brother the moment Piper's out of sight."Yeah, bro, what's up?""Did you not give her the gift?""Of course. Just like you told me to. Why?""She's cold. She won't even look at me. You guys promised me this was temporary. I've worked my ass off day in and day out trying to prove myself. Why's she brushing me off?" I'm trying not to blow a gasket, but I'm out of options. I don't have any more tricks up my sleeve. I played the only hand I have. For the last five weeks, I've worked out for grueling hours a day, each of my brothers and her friends adding something to the daily regime. I've been in the gym with my buddies and co-workers who've pushed me harder than I ever pushed when I was healthy. There've been days I worked out more than I slept. My muscles have ached, I've been tired as hell, but I stayed focused to show her how much I love her and that I'm committed as fuck. I haven't reached out one time, there've been nights I took my phone to
Helping grab all the bride's accouterments, we traipse inside, bogged down with more crap than any one person should have. Her hair and makeup are already done, I can't imagine what the hell is in her arsenal, but leave it to Cam to be prepared for any situation. "How do you want to do this, Cam?" Rachel asks after hanging the bags around the room."My mom's bringing in the flowers just before we walk, so really all we need to do is get dressed, right?"I'm just along for the ride. I'll do whatever I'm told."So you guys go ahead and change. I'll do what I can on my own but once I put the gown on you'll have to button it and lace it up."None of us, to my knowledge, have even seen Cam's dress. She's kept it a highly guarded secret, so unless it's made a debut in the last couple weeks, we're all in for a treat.Each of us busies ourselves with lingerie, pantyhose, dresses, and high heels. Every head in the room turns to the door when a knock comes.Sutton gasps when her s
Waking to the sun shining through the windows, the haze-filled rays warm my skin, the illusion of a beautiful day beaming in. I lie in bed, having stared out into the same creation day after day, I force myself to get up and brave the world. Showering, shaving, and donning the most comfortable clothes I believe I can get away with in the spa we're scheduled to meet Cam at, I put on a fake smile, grab my dress, and get in the car. Mentally trying to prepare myself to pretend I'm enjoying my time with my friends, I blast the radio, singing along to the hottest music I can find, but it does little to lighten my mood. The ride is over too quickly, and before I know it, I'm staring at the entrance, my Fish staring back at me. They're waiting for me to get out of the car to go in together. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Repeat.Grabbing the handle, I swing the car door open, plastering my face with a smile that swears I'm happy to be here. They greet me warmly. My girls seem to
The dress is better than anything I could've ever dreamed and so much prettier than the original. I haven't bothered mentioning it to Cam and doubt she'll notice when the time comes. I figure it's best not to acknowledge it, stressing her out even more than I assume she already is. She took yesterday and today off work and all of next week for their honeymoon, but I'll see her, and everyone else, tonight at the rehearsal dinner. I'm dreading the entire thing, which pains me. I've been looking forward to Cam's wedding for years, even though we didn't have a groom. Not just hers but all the Fish. I've wanted to watch my friends take the next step, open the next chapter in their lives, each of them. Somehow, the last year seems to have taken all that joy away, sucked it right out from under me. Not only is the joy no longer there but it's been replaced with apprehension and fear. My friends haven't talked to me since I left Moby, even though they all agreed it was what I needed to d