Ruin Me (49 page)

She’s wearing it because of me.

We all gather our bags and step towards the gate.

“Wait…” I reach out and wrap my fingers around her wrist. I feel her go tense at my touch, but she stops and turns to look at me while Shawn and Mandy continue forward.

“What is it?” she asks.

“You know what?” I mutter, staring into her perfect blue eyes. “Fuck this.”

She raises an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”

“Marry me.”

“What?” she repeats, frozen in place.

“Marry me, Piper. Here. Now, in Paris.”

“Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

She shakes her head. “No. That is a horrible idea, Kai.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“
Yes
, it is,” she says. “You don’t want marriage. You’ve said it before—”

I step closer to her. “There are a whole lot of things that I want and don’t want, Piper. That list changes every day, but there’s only one thing that I need and that’s you.”

“You don’t
need
me, Kai,” she says. “I actually think the last thing you need is me pissing you off all the time.”

“You are absolutely wrong about that.” I reach out to cup her cheek with one hand. She closes her eyes, reacting to my touch. “You are the most annoying, frustratingly stubborn, enraging, borderline psychotic
wench
I’ve ever met —” She shakes her head and breathes a laugh. “— but I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I refuse to even try.”

“Kai, our parents are married. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be in each other’s lives for a really long time.”

“That’s not good enough,” I say. “I want all of it — all of you. If this is what I have to do to get it, then I’ll do it.”

“Don’t do this because you think it’s what I want.”

“No, Piper.” I shake my head. “This is what
I
want. Believe me. I’ve never wanted anything this much before.” She stares back at me, still unconvinced. “If you don’t want this, too, then that’s fine. We’ll go home right now. But if you do, then I don’t want us to hesitate anymore. I don’t want to go another day without you being my wife.”

“Oh, jeez…” she chuckles. “The P-word and the W-word, all in one day.”

I pull her closer and wrap my arms around her. The familiar scent of her hair fills my nose and I inhale deep. Her hands rest on my lower back, warm and soft against me. “Pipes, we’re gonna fight,” I whisper to her. “We’re gonna argue. We’re probably going to spend a whole lot of time hating each other, but I love that. I love knowing that I can have the worst day of my life and you’ll still be lying next to me that night, no matter what happens.”

She chuckles and pulls her head back to face me. “Almost sounds too easy.”

“It won’t be.” I rest my forehead against hers. “But it’ll be worth it.”

She sighs and chews on her bottom lip. “This is insane,” she whispers.

I shrug. “It’s not the worst idea we’ve ever had.”

“Pretty damn close,” she smiles.

My steady hands hold her in place. “And…” I pause to feel the weight of the words before saying them out loud. “I want to meet this baby, Piper.”

She looks up at me with tears teasing her eyes. “Kai…”

“I didn’t realize it until I felt what it was like to almost lose it — to lose the both of you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more scared in my life.”

She lets a short smile touch her lips. “I think I know what you mean…” she says. “When I woke up in that hospital… my first thought was about it, or her or him —
whatever it is.
”

“Marry me, Piper Lynch. I won’t let you wake up alone ever again.”

A tear finally tumbles down her cheek. I wipe it away and she slowly nods. “Okay,” she whispers.

“Yeah?”

She nods faster. “Yes.”

I bend down and raise her up. She laughs, clinging to my body as I kiss her hard on the lips. “Thank you,” I say to her. “Thank you, thank you—”

“Thank
you
,” she says.

I kiss her again and she holds me tighter.

“See, Mandy? I told you.”

We look away from each other, realizing that we’re not actually alone in the crowded airport lobby. Mandy and Shawn stare back at us with smiling faces.

“I’m not sure why I ever doubted you, Shawn,” Mandy says. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and she grips his hand in her own.

I lower Piper to the floor and use my jacket as a shield to block their view as I kiss her again. “I love you, Piper Lynch,” I tell her.

“I love you, Kai Casablancas.”

I take her hand. “Come on…”

We turn around and walk towards the airport entrance.

“Hey, guys!” Shawn shouts after us. “Where you going? Our flight is that way.”

I twist around. “We’re getting married,” I shout back.

“Like…
now
?” he asks.

“Yes. Now.”

Mandy’s mouth drops. “Are you serious?” Shawn throws his duffel bag over his shoulder and starts to follow us. “What are you doing?” she asks him.

“Oh, I’m not missing this,” he says. “Come on.” He grabs her hand and pulls her along with him.

“O… kay,” she stutters out.

I look at Piper.

Piper
fucking
Lynch. The ice princess of Belle Academy. The very bane of my existence. The worst thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole damn life.

And then, she smiles.

Chapter 47

Epilogue

Piper

“Are you ready?”

I hear Kai’s voice, but nothing in the world can tear me away from her face. It’s so small and delicate. White, like a porcelain doll, but so full of life. Even now, while she’s sleeping, it moves.

“Piper?”

I don’t look away. “Hmm?” I push my fingertips through the small tuft of jet black hair on her head.

Kai leans over the thick hospital mattress. I feel his fingers beneath my chin. “Piper…” he says my name again and pulls my face up, forcing me to look at him.

“What?” I ask.

He laughs. “They’re waiting.”

“Oh…” I look down again. “They can wait a little longer, can’t they?”

He winces. “I’m pretty sure I saw the grandmothers setting up a battering ram in the hallway, so
no
.”

I smile once more at her face. “Okay…” I sigh. “But not for very long.”

“I’ll tell them you’re tired.”

“Thank you. You won’t be lying…” I chuckle. He kisses my forehead and pauses to slide this thumbs across her head before standing up. “Wait—” I say. “Do I look okay?”

“You look great,” he says without hesitation.

“Liar.”

He smiles and walks to the door. I listen as he pulls it open and pokes his head out into the hall. “They’re ready for you,” he says. He can barely step out of the way before the door bursts open and our family charges inside.

My mother and Ava split off and claim their places on each side of the bed next to us, their eyes locked on the baby’s face.

“Oh, my god!” Ava gasps. She covers her mouth. “She’s perfect…”

“You looked exactly like this…” my mother whispers.

“Yeah?” I ask. She nods. I look up to see Kai on the receiving end of multiple handshakes from our fathers, each one welcoming him into fatherhood. He glances at me and I laugh at him. Just behind them, Mandy and Shawn linger in the doorway.

“Okay, move over, everyone,” Mandy announces as she charges in. “Let me see her—” She stops at the foot of the bed and her jaw drops. “Awww!” She spins around and pulls Shawn down for a kiss. “I want one.”

His face turns white. “Umm…” he mutters.

“Give her here…” My mother opens her arms.

“No fair!” Ava snaps. “I want to hold her.”

“Ladies…” Hawthorne steps in behind my mother. “I’m sure everyone will get a turn.”

My mother pushes her hands closer to me. “Yes, but I’m Piper’s mother. I get first dibs.”

“But
I’m
Kai’s mother,” Ava argues. “I have just as much right to first dibs as you do.”

“How about…” I say. I look at my father and slowly extend my arms. “Dad, you go first.”

He takes a quick step forward to stand next to Ava. “I’d be honored, Piper,” he says. The room falls silent as I pass her off to him. He carefully cradles my daughter in his arms and I see a vision of the past in front of me. I look at my mother and she sees it, too. “We need to find you a tiny Belle Academy sweater, don’t we?” he asks her.

“Ahh, jeez…” I mutter.

“It’s never too early to get a child interested in education,” he says.

Kai shakes his head. “I can’t even try to think that far ahead right now…”

“Don’t blink, buddy,” Hawthorne tells him. “It’ll be here before you know it.”

Ava stares at the baby over my father’s shoulder. “Now,” she says, quickly wiping her eyes, “can we please find out what you’ve named the darn thing?”

Everyone chuckles and their eyes fall on me. Kai moves in closer to stand by me. “Paris,” I say. “We’ve named her Paris.”

“Oh…” Ava coos. “That’s
beautiful
.”

“Another P. No surprise there,” Hawthorne jokes.

My mother lays her hand on mine. “It suits her,” she says. I catch her look up at Kai and she shoots him a quick, knowing wink.

“Yeah,” he says, clearing his throat. “We thought so.”

“Who gets to hold her next?” Ava asks with impatience.

I hold up my hands. “I’ll let you guys fight it out,” I laugh. My mother, Ava, and Hawthorne converge on my father, each one looking to get quality time with their grandchild. Shawn and Mandy step around them to stand next to Kai as he takes my hand.

“Jeez, you look like crap,” Shawn says to me, smirking with delight.

“Shawn—”
Kai snaps.

I chuckle. “It’s fine. I know what he means.”

“Yeah she does,” Shawn quips.

“Just for the record,” Kai says, “I really dislike you two having inside jokes.”

“So…” Mandy leans in. “Did it hurt as much as they say it does? I’m asking
for a friend
.”

“Please tell her it’s awful,” Shawn begs. “Don’t encourage this.”

“It’s
awful
,” I answer, “but worth every second.”

Mandy beams. “Good to know.” She winks at Shawn and he glares at me.

I lay back against the thick pillow and stare across the room at the tiny bundle in my mother’s arms. “Every second…” I whisper.

“All right…” Kai announces. He steps away from the bed and holds out his hands. “Mommy and baby are exhausted and need some rest.”

My mother smiles as she lays the baby in his arms. She steps across the room to me and kisses my head. “I’ll be back in the morning,” she says. “I’m pretty sure we all will…”

“Damn right!” Ava shouts. “Oops— sorry. Don’t repeat that,” she tells the baby. She kisses her fingers as she passes by Kai towards the door.

“Goodnight, everybody,” I say as I wave to them.

They all pile outside and Kai closes the door behind them.

“Look at you,” I tell him.

“What?” he asks with a smile.

“All demanding and assertive,” I joke.

“Like a daddy?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah, like a daddy.”

He looks at his daughter in his arms. “Who’s your daddy, Paris?”

I stare at him. “Never say that
ever
again.”

Kai laughs and leans in to lay her in my arms. “Yeah, that felt weird.” He sits on the bed and throws his arm around me as he lies down beside us.

I rest my head on his shoulder. “She really is perfect, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” he whispers, “but I’m a little biased.”