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Chapter 24

VALENTINO

I woke at my usual six or so, opening my eyes slowly to see the sun streaming in through the half-opened blinds. My usual instinct would’ve been to get up, to throw off the covers and start my day, to decide if I wanted to begin my morning with a workout, or to put it off until afternoon after I’d gotten some work done.

That morning was different. That morning, I had the most beautiful woman in the world next to me in bed. Piper looked like something out of a dream, her gorgeous face peaceful, her chest rising and falling with each slow, restful breath. I noticed that she’d put on one of my T-shirts during the night, the black V-neck long enough to reach her thighs.

The sight of her next to me was enough to make me reconsider my plans. Silence from the rest of the house meant Maddie was still asleep too, and Mick could easily head out through his doggy door if need be.

So, instead of springing out of bed and starting my usual routine, I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs, slipped them on, then laid back down. I wrapped my arm around Piper and, though she was still sleeping, she curled

up next to me and laid her head on my chest.

There was no rush at all. In another hour, I'd roll out and wake Maddie, getting her ready for our pancake breakfast. Life was good, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I closed my eyes and drifted off once more.

* * *

“Oh, Val!”

A familiar voice called out to me.

“Get your butt out of bed and make some dang introductions!”

I was in a daze and rubbed my eyes as I tried to figure out what the hell was going on, who the voice belonged to.

The door flew open, the sound yanking me out of what tiredness remained as I sprang up to be greeted by the sight of...Mom?

“Karen!” my dad called out from the hall leading into the bedroom. “Don’t tell me you just stormed in there without knocking!”

“What?” Mom asked, shrugging as she stood at the end of my bed. “I’ve been texting him all morning with no response, and he didn’t even answer when I rang the doorbell. Now I’m supposed to wait for his lazy butt to get out of bed?”

“What’s going on?” Piper asked, her voice sleepy. She sat up, her eyes going wide with surprise as she took in the sight of my mom only feet away from her.

“Oh my goodness!” Mom said, a big smile on her face. “This is her? This is the famous Piper?”

I remembered right away why I’d made the decision to keep Maddie and Piper a secret from my parents for the time being. Mom wasn’t the type to sit around waiting for me to figure out the perfect time for introductions. Nope, she was far too strong-headed for that.

“Karen!” Dad called out again, as he stood at the entrance to the bedroom shaking his head, his big arms crossed over his chest. “Give the two some damn privacy!”

Piper turned her wide eyes to me, and in that moment I was so damn glad that we’d both decided to throw on some clothes in the middle of the night.

“Uh, Piper? I’d like you to meet John and Karen—my parents.”

Mom stuck out her hand, as if the circumstances were the most normal thing in the world.

“Pleased to meet you,” she said with the happy smile of someone who was getting what she wanted.

“Likewise,” Piper said with hesitation, taking Mom’s hand and shaking it. “Now, where’s that granddaughter of mine?”

* * *

The next half-hour passed in a whirlwind of introductions, Mom and Dad doting on little Maddie in just the way one would expect grandparents to do when meeting a long-lost grandchild. Mom barely gave Maddie time to get dressed for the day before covering her little face with kisses, Dad doing all he could to hold back the tears.

Through it all, I did my best to make sure that Mom and Dad didn’t spill the truth about who they were, exactly. As far as Maddie knew, they were just my mom and dad and that was it.

Our breakfast plans changed, with Mom insisting that she make her special blueberry ricotta pancakes for everyone. By the time we’d finally eased into the day, the whole group was down in the kitchen, Mom at the stove, Dad chatting away with Maddie, Piper and I trying to wrap our heads around the strange turn the day had taken.

“Alright!” Mom said, turning from the stove and sliding a few more pancakes off the griddle and onto Maddie’s plate. “Now that introductions have been made, we need to plan the next few weeks.”

Dad nodded. “That’s right. Not a chance we’re going right back on the road when we’ve got a little girl to spoil and spend time with.”

Maddie took another bite of her pancakes, eagerly wolfing them down. “Why do these taste different?” she asked.

“They’re made with ricotta!” Mom announced with pride.

“Ri...cotti?” Maddie tried to wrap her mouth around the strange, new word.

“Ricot-ta,” Dad said. “It’s an Italian cheese.” Her eyes lit up. “Like on pizza?”

“Sort of,” Piper said. “But sweeter.”

Maddie laughed, the idea of cheese in pancakes apparently amusing to her.

“They’re really good!”

“Glad you like them, cutie!” Mom said, hurrying around the counter to plant a kiss on Maddie’s forehead. “Because there’s tons more where those came from!”

“Listen,” Piper said after taking a sip of her coffee. “I’m sorry if I looked a little shocked when you first came in. I don’t want to give you the impression I'm not thrilled to meet you both, and to have you both meeting Maddie.”

“Thanks for taking it so well,” Dad said. “Karen can be a little... exuberant when it comes to family.”

“Can you blame me?” Mom asked. “Knowing we had a precious little thing like her waiting for us, we couldn’t wait another second!”

I glanced over at Piper and shrugged. Mom had a point.

Once Maddie had her plate full of pancakes, Mom finished dishing out the rest, clapping her hands together once it was done.

“Alright! So, let’s figure out these next few weeks.”

“Don’t go too crazy, Karen,” Dad said, his tone even and calm. While I'd gotten my looks from Mom, my even-tempered disposition was all Dad. “This little family has more than pancakes on its plate.”

“I know, I know,” Mom said. “All the same, we’ve got cousins and aunts and uncles to introduce, homes to visit, dinners to plan…all that good stuff! Not to mention, I’m sure you two are well into thinking about what kind of wedding you’re going to have.”

I nearly choked on my coffee. Piper and I shared another look, this one more concerned.

Mom picked up on this right away.

“Wait, you two are telling me that you haven’t even started talking about marriage?”

Sensing tension on the horizon, Dad spoke up. “Karen...”

“We’re still easing into this,” I said. I glanced over at Maddie. Thankfully, she was busy with her pancakes, only taking breaks from eating to wave to Mick in the backyard. “This is a unique situation with a lot that still needs to be figured out.”

"Who’s getting married?” Maddie asked.

I raised my palms, not wanting the situation to get too out of hand. “Mads, what do you think of taking your food outside?” Piper asked. “I

bet Mick would love a bite of pancakes.”

“OK!” Maddie grabbed her plate and headed out the door. Normally, I would’ve said something about not feeding Mick from the table. This was hardly a normal situation, however, and I was happy to get Maddie out of listening distance.

“Mom,” I said once the door was shut, and Maddie was seated at the patio table. “You need to cool out.”

“Or you could tell that sweet little girl that you’re her father and we’re her grandparents. Doesn’t she deserve to know?”

Dad formed his lips in a tight line the way he did when he agreed with Mom in spite of her lack of tact.

“She’s right. I understand completely that you two are still discussing matters. But at the end of the day, Maddie thinks she doesn’t have a father. Little does she know, he’s right here in front of her.”

Piper and I shared another look, one that suggested there was really no good reason to keep the information a secret any longer.

“How about this?” Mom began. “With all that’s going on, your father and I decided that we’re going to stay in town at least until the Fourth of July— that's three weeks from now.”

“And Maddie’s birthday,” Piper said. "Believe it or not.”

“There we go! Sounds like a perfect time to have this family celebrating.

Guys, you need to tell her. And the sooner, the better.” Mom was right. The only question was how.