Meant to Be

Excerpt:

Piper closed the lid of her laptop and rubbed her temples. The pounding in her head matched the pounding of the hammer outside. She reached for the bottle of ibuprofen that had taken up permanent residence on her desk and shook out four tablets.

After Jordan’s death, she had thrown herself into her work, but lately, it hadn’t been bringing the same fulfillment. She still loved her job. She was a women’s advocate at a women’s and children’s abuse shelter, and she would always find satisfaction in helping women or children get away from their abusive spouses or parents.

But she had slowly begun to realize that it couldn’t be her only source of happiness like it had been for the last thirteen months. She’d been exploring jobs for one of her clients today, despite it being Saturday, and even though she enjoyed doing research, a headache hadn’t taken too long to make its appearance.

Piper heard shouting coming from her backyard and pushed her feet into the carpet so that her desk chair rolled back and she could look out the back window. She couldn’t make out the words, but it was obvious that Nate was arguing with Luke about something. He shook his bald head along with the hammer in his hand, as if trying to make a point, and Piper found herself smiling. The two of them were both alphas and often butted heads about what should and what should not be done.

She scanned the backyard. The veranda was coming along somewhat slowly but nicely, and it would be done before fall. She was excited to see the conclusion, but it also brought a deep longing to the surface.

Jordan should have been the one outside, working with Nate. It had been Jordan’s idea in the first place. When they had purchased the house, everything had been perfect, except for the backyard. Jordan had promised her he was going to make it the best yard on the block for their future children, and all the neighborhood kids would want to come over to their house to play.

They’d moved into their home in January, and it had been too cold to start a big project. But, four months later, Jordan was dead, the supplies he had purchased to start on the project a reminder that he was gone.

They’d sat in the garage for almost a year when Piper decided they needed to go. When she’d asked Nate if he wanted any of it, he had proposed to finish what Jordan had barely started. She’d tried to tell him not to bother. After all, there wouldn’t be any children to play back there now, but Nate had insisted.

She didn’t know what had transpired between Nate and Jordan while they sat in the wrecked car, waiting for the first responders to show before Jordan passed, but she suspected that her late husband had made Nate promise to take care of her.

Nate was always available when she needed him. He’d fixed her broken sink and helped her winterize her car and other things like that. She honestly didn’t know what she’d do without him. In a way, he’d become her new husband—if you could count someone who lived in a different house and slept with other women while you were abstinent your husband. So, he might not have become her replacement spouse, but he had definitely become her best friend.

He’d been there for her as no one else had when Jordan passed. Not just fixing stuff but letting her literally cry on his shoulder. She knew he was a womanizer and a commitment-phobe, but to her, he was simply Nate.

Piper continued to watch the two men outside as their argument heated up. One might be worried they would hurt each other, but even though they were trying to act tough, both of them were smiling. Nate swiped his shirt off over his head, and Luke did the same. They looked like they were getting ready to brawl.

Both men were tall and nicely built. Very nicely built. Luke Long was half-Asian and already had a tan that she wouldn’t get if she sunbathed every day of summer. His dark hair was wet with sweat, and she could almost see laughter gleaming in his brown eyes. But that wasn’t the only thing gleaming on him. The sun shone off the ring he wore on the third finger of his left hand, telling all single women that this man was taken.

And Nate…well, Nate was pure sex on a stick. She might have been married when she met him, but she hadn’t been blind. Nate was a mix of African American, Mexican, and Caucasian. He wasn’t extremely dark, but his beautiful, bronzed skin definitely showed his mixed heritage. And thanks to his recessive genes, he had the lightest crystal-blue eyes that stood out from his tan complexion. He was just over six feet, and on his left arm, he sported a collection of tattoos. He kept his head clean-shaven, yet his face wore a sexy layer of stubble.

As a woman, she’d never understand why a man would shave one part of his head but not the other. She wasn’t complaining though. It looked good on the man. And, if her libido hadn’t died along with Jordan, she’d probably be drooling.

Actually, no probably. She would have been. Piper had always loved sex, and if she were single, she’d be hitting on Nate daily. But she was a widow with a dead sex drive and now only appreciated attractive men from a more objective point of view.

There was a knock at her front door just as Nate crouched down, put his shoulder into Luke’s abdomen, and lifted the other man off the ground.

“Hello? Piper?”

“Back here,” she called out to Elise Long, Luke’s wife. “Hurry. You have to come see this.”

Piper’s office was directly off the dining room, so she had a view straight through to the kitchen. She watched as Elise set down a couple of bags from the local fast food place and then scrambled in to join Piper at the window.

Elise’s belly bumped against the window as she practically pressed her nose to the glass. “Oh my God, what are they doing?” she asked with a laugh.

Piper shrugged. “Fighting.”

“Put me down, motherfucker,” Luke shouted loud enough for the two women to hear.

“I swear, those two act like children when they’re together,” Elise said. “I think it’s because they’ve known each other since they were kids. It’s like part of them can’t grow up.”

Nate set Luke down. He wasn’t rough, but he wasn’t gentle either. He dropped Luke on his ass, but Luke must have been ready for Nate because, before Nate could straighten, Luke pulled him to the ground and put some sort of wrestling move on him.

Elise was still chuckling, but she sighed. “We’d better go out there.”

“Were they like this when they fixed up your house?” Piper asked as the two of them went to the dining room and then out the sliding glass door.

She curled her lip. “Yes. I’m pretty sure it took months longer than it should have to finish. I’d complain, but they worked for free, and it’s obvious they love fighting with each other. Who am I to deny them their fun?”

They stepped down from the deck.

When their feet hit the grass, Elise shouted out, “Food’s here, boys.”

Piper snickered at the other woman’s use of the word boys when the two were obviously more than men.

Both guys froze at Elise’s announcement and looked over at the women.

“Hi, honey.” Luke grinned. He threw Nate’s leg off of him and rolled up onto his knees. He was about to stand when Nate wrapped his arm around Luke’s neck and pulled him back to the ground.

Elise made a sigh of annoyance, but she smiled. She approached the two men and raised her brow. “Nate?”

Nate looked up at Elise, smiling as he used his other hand to pull his arm around Luke tighter. “Hi, Elise. How can I help you?”

“Can you let go of my husband?”

“Yeah, asshole. Your dick is rubbing on my ass,” Luke complained.

“No can do, sweetie,” he said to Elise while he lifted his hips and brushed himself against Luke even more.

Piper put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Gross, dude,” Luke shouted and tried to get away while simultaneously reaching back to punch his friend.

“That’s what you get for calling me a pussy,” Nate told Luke. He looked to Elise again. “I’ll let him go when he learns his lesson.”

Elise rolled her eyes. “Luke, will you please apologize to your friend before I give birth to our firstborn? I really don’t want our child to grow up without a father.”

Piper knew Elise was joking; the woman hadn’t said anything that anybody else wouldn’t say, and part of Piper did think it was funny. There was also a small portion of her, deep inside, that was stung by the words. Because, if she’d had a child, it would now be fatherless.

“Elise,” Luke said, trying to pull Nate’s arm off of him, “I can’t let our child think I’m a total wuss.”

Elise raised her brow again, this time without a smile, and she saw Luke’s body relax as he stopped fighting.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’m sorry I called you a pussy…”

Nate immediately released Luke.

Luke jumped up and finished his sentence. “Loud enough for you to hear. Next time, I’ll whisper it behind your back.”

“Fucker,” Nate said and made a swipe for Luke.

Luke took off and ran around to the front of the house, and Nate followed.

Elise turned and looked at Piper as she shrugged. “I give up. If they want cold food, that’s their fault. Let’s go eat.”

Piper led the way back into her house and pulled the food out of the bags. She separated her order from the rest, and Elise did the same. The two pulled out the stools at the counter and sat.

“Would you be more comfortable at the table?” Piper asked her.

“Nah, I’m fine here,” Elise said with a wave of her hand. “I have a while left before I’m really big.” She tilted her head. “At least, I hope I do. I’m only twenty-two weeks.”

Luke and Elise had been married for a few months, and Elise had told Piper that she was pregnant before they’d gotten married. Elise’s father had cancer, and they had hoped to have at least one child before he passed away. Piper hadn’t gone to their wedding because it was a small ceremony, and she hadn’t known the couple that well yet.

Piper and Jordan had moved to the area in January the previous year, and when they had first moved, it had been all about getting situated. Jordan had settled into his new job while Piper had to search for her own. Then, before she had known it, it had been May, and she was a widow.

After that had come his funeral and sorting out all the paperwork after someone passed, all while trying to deal with grief. For a while, the only people Piper had seen outside of work were her mom and Nate. She had just wanted to be left alone. Socializing took too much energy.

But she’d slowly started coming back to life a few months ago, and that was when Nate had really started bringing his friends around. She knew he’d been afraid that she’d be lonely with no family in the area. She felt like she was almost back to normal. Well, her new normal because she was never going to be the same person she had been before Jordan passed away.

And, now, she was grateful that Nate had introduced her to Elise. The two of them got along great, and while Nate was her best friend, sometimes, a lady just needed some girl time. They still didn’t know each other that well, but Piper hoped that could change.

Nate and Luke burst through the front door, shirtless, sweaty, and laughing. They went straight to the food without a word to either of the women and dug in like they hadn’t eaten for a week. Neither of them bothered to sit either; both stood on the other side of the counter.

“I apologize for my husband’s table manners—or lack thereof,” Elise said.

Luke looked up from stuffing his face. “Wha—” he said around a mouthful of food, his brown eyes gleaming with humor.

“You’re a pig,” Elise said.

Nate nestled in the corner of the counter and laughed.

Luke swallowed and smiled. “But I’m your pig.”

Elise shook her head and rolled her eyes, but Piper saw she was hiding a smile.

“Apologies, Piper,” Luke said. “I’m hungry.”

Elise turned to Piper. “Do you care if I get a glass of water?”

Piper jumped from the stool, feeling like a terrible hostess. “Oh my God, I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t have to get up,” Elise protested, also rising from her seat.

“Yes, I do. My mother would pass out from shame if I didn’t take care of my company.”

Elise sat back down and laughed. “I understand.”

She looked around to the two guys. “Water okay with you guys, too?” she asked as she walked around to Nate and Luke’s side.

“I can get my own, you know,” Nate said.

It was true. He wasn’t really a guest in her home anymore. He raided her fridge whenever he was hungry and helped himself to whatever he needed without asking anymore.

“That’s okay,” she said as she opened the cupboard and reached up for the glasses.

But Nate went for them at the same time she did. As he reached from behind her, she felt his naked chest against her back. A tingle went down her spine, straight to her belly, and she dropped her hands to the counter as she tried to fight a slight tremor.

Apparently, her libido hadn’t died with Jordan. It had just gone dormant. And she didn’t know what to do with it if it was coming back.