When You Became Mine Read online

  He pulled at the end of my hair and then walked back into the hallway. “Funny, I just had a dream about him too. He was naked in mine. Was he naked in yours?”

  “Channing is always naked in my dreams,” Smith quipped, winking at me behind Hampton’s back.

  “I wish,” I told him over my shoulder, pulling a pair of jeans over my ass. “No, his foot was falling off. And I didn’t have the equipment to sew it back on.” I shuddered at the memory. “I cannot wait until I’m out of the ER. I was not made for gaping wounds.”

  Hampton chuckled. “You’re going to be a pediatrician and you can’t stand wounds? You do realize that kids get hurt more than any other group of people, right?”

  I rolled my eyes again, but this time at the floor. “I’m hoping to deal more with the flu. Injuries are your thing, remember?”

  Hampton had just finished his residency. His test scores had blown everyone else in his class out of the water. He was on his way to being the top trauma surgeon in the state. I couldn’t have been prouder of him.

  Checking his watch, he muttered, “Think I’ve got time for a shower?”

  I pulled a shirt over my head, my response muffled. “Nope.” Pulling my long blond hair out of the neck of my shirt, I finished. “But have we ever been on time?”

  “Good point.” Hampton turned on his heel and made a bee line for his bedroom. “Give me ten minutes.”

  “Don’t let Smith in with you. We’ll never get there,” I shouted at them as they retreated down the narrow hall to Hampton’s bedroom.

  They were cute together, despite being a stark contrast to one another. Smith was what could only be described as beautiful. While Hampton was all masculine, with his sharp cheekbones and strong jaw, Smith was softer. His skin was flawless, something I was sure he’d spent a lot of time on. They hadn’t been dating long, but I liked them together.

  When they slipped out of sight, I closed my own door to finish getting ready. But when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I jumped. The dark circles I kept under my eyes were more pronounced than usual and my hair rivaled Frankenstein’s.

  When I’d decided to go to medical school, I’d known it was going to be tough. But it was more than that. It was insane. I’d had a grand total of three hours of sleep last night, couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something that didn’t come from the hospital vending machine, and if it weren’t for the fact he and I lived together, wouldn’t have seen Hampton at all in the last week.

  My social life was dormant, my love life non-existent.

  Not that it had ever really been bright and vibrant in the first place. I’d spent years pining after a man I couldn’t have, and although I’d long since come to accept the fact Hampton and I would never be anything more than the closest of friends, I still hadn’t been able to find a man who could compare to him. It was a prison I’d put myself in, but was still suffocating nonetheless.

  “Pip!” Hampton shouted from the living room. “We gotta go!”

  With a sigh, I decided to forego any makeup and grabbed my hairbrush instead before rushing out of the house behind him.

  “Mom! We’re here,” Hampton called as we rushed through the door, officially half an hour late for dinner.

  “In here, son!” was the reply from the formal dining room.

  Dinner with the Reeds was a common occurrence, although recently I hadn’t been able to attend as often as I would have liked due to my crazy schedule. But we’d made it a point to have dinner with them at least once a month.

  We rounded the corner, and Hampton and Smith came to a stop so suddenly I ran into the back of them.

  “Lawson!” Hampton shouted, shock lacing his voice. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  My heart stopped. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. Lawson was home? I didn’t think he would ever come back. The surprise must have worn off because Hampton strode across the room, wrapping his arms around a man I didn’t recognize.

  That is not Lawson.

  I wasn’t sure who this man was, but there was no way the person standing before us, hugging Hampton, was the nerdy guy who left for Vegas eight years ago.

  He’d come home once during that time, and it was coincidentally when I was out of town. I hadn’t seen or heard a single word from him since that night we’d slow danced in the front yard.

  But the longer I studied the man in front of me, the more I could see the same lanky kid who had held me while I cried over the loss of my twin brother.

  Sadness washed over me, something I hadn’t experienced in a while, too busy trying to survive medical school to stop and think about how much I wished my brother were there for me to talk to. He would have been so proud of me.

  I sometimes wondered what he would be doing right now. Would he have gone off to college? The military? Or would he have preferred to work with his hands? Would he and Hampton have stayed together?

  “Piper? You okay, honey?” Mrs. Reed asked, pulling me out of my trance.

  I cleared my throat and nodded, my eyes finding Lawson’s. I was sure the disbelief I was feeling was written all over my face, but I couldn’t have concealed it even if I had wanted to.

  The Lawson standing before me was…sexy.

  His hair was thick and styled, no longer the messy mop of unruly curls it used to be.

  His arms were muscular, straining the sleeves of his plain black T-shirt.

  His face was covered in a well-trimmed stubble and his brown eyes were behind a pair of stylish black frames.

  He wasn’t just sexy…he was fucking drool-worthy and I couldn’t stop staring at him.

  “Lawson!” I managed to squeak out. “You’re back.”

  His mouth was set in a thin line as he stared at where Smith and I were standing, but he tipped his chin up in my direction and grunted some sort of greeting before turning on his heel and making a beeline for the kitchen. “Ma. Got a minute?” he said over his shoulder, not waiting for her to agree.

  She smiled broadly, her eyes twinkling, and then shuffled off after him.

  Amid the shock of Lawson’s unexpected appearance, I hadn’t even noticed Georgia sitting at the table next to Mr. Reed. She pushed to her feet and rushed over to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders.

  “Piper!” she squealed. “Hampton said he wasn’t sure if you were going to make dinner tonight!” She leaned away from me, her hands resting on my shoulders. “You look so…tired.”

  I groaned, louder than I should have, when I realized I looked like the living dead.

  Great. Lawson’s first image of me after eight years and I look like a damn zombie. “Thanks, Georgie, for your disappointing, but accurate, appraisal of me.”

  She laughed, squeezing me one more time before turning to where Hampton stood, his arm around Smith. “And you, big brother, look like a stud. Things must be going well with you two.” She winked over at me and then looked back at Ham. “You gettin’ some on the regular?”

  Mr. Reed started sputtering, his glass of water shaking in his hand. “Georgia Rose!” he thundered, his red face still quaking.

  Georgia giggled. “Oh, come on, Daddy. Hampton’s a grown man. He’s allowed to have sex!”

  Hampton mussed her hair while Smith stood awkwardly, his cheeks pink.

  I leaned into him and whispered, “Get used to it, buddy, she has no filter.”

  Smith swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and nodded.

  I was still laughing at his discomfort when Lawson and Mrs. Reed strode back into the room. Lawson was still frowning, his stare pinned on Smith. His mother, on the other hand, was more animated than usual.

  “Piper, honey, come sit next to Lawson so y’all can catch up!” She pulled the chair out beside her oldest son and I ran my fingers through my hair quickly as I made my way to the table.

  Once everyone was settled, Hampton turned to his brother. “What are you doing back?”

  Lawson stabbed a potato from the serving platter,
setting it down on his plate. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his large hands, and the way the muscles in his forearm flexed with the movement. He’d obviously taken up a new hobby while in Sin City…and damn if the muscles didn’t look good on him.

  He cleared his throat and began speaking, his words clipped. “Got transferred back. Gonna be running the set-up of the new office here.”

  “Where ya stayin?” Hampton asked, his mouth full of pot roast.

  Lawson chewed his potato slowly before answering. “Bought a house over on Willow Lane.”

  Nearly choking on his food, Hampton’s eyes bugged out of his head. “You bought a house? Dude, you really are back.”

  Lawson grimaced. “Just short term. Buying’s just a good investment.”

  “What do you mean short term? You just got back!” Mrs. Reed cried. “Walter, I don’t understand why our son is so desperate to get away from us.”

  “Jesus, Mom,” Georgia groaned.

  “Lawson, son. You seeing anyone?” Mr. Reed asked, trying to change the subject. It didn’t help matters, though, because Mrs. Reed pounced like a cat going after a mouse.

  “Yeah, honey. I’m not getting any younger. Grandkids would be great.” She waved her fork at Hampton and Georgia. “And Lord knows these two aren’t gonna give me any.”

  “Nope,” Georgia replied quickly. “Kids suck.”

  “Well, mine do at least,” Mr. Reed grumbled, a smile on his face.

  Looking offended, Hampton remarked. “Hey! I could have a kid sometime soon.”

  I laughed, nearly choking on the crescent roll I was nibbling on. “Yeah, right.”

  Hampton cut his eyes at me, squinting them, and then looked around the room. “Well, I was going to wait. But since we’re all together, now’s as good a time as any.”

  “For what, son?” Mr. Reed asked, leaning forward and resting his large forearms on the table. He’d been a professional football player, now in the Hall of Fame, and despite his age, was still in pretty good shape. Growing up, our friends had always been intimidated by his size and the rumble of his voice, but we all knew he was nothing more than a gruff teddy bear. Hampton had gotten his size from his father, whereas Lawson was built more like his mother. Georgia had been lucky enough to be the perfect mix of the two.

  Hampton took a long swallow of his water and then wiped his mouth with his napkin. Smith laced his fingers through Hampton’s and gave him a reassuring smile. The gesture made my stomach flip. They were so sweet together, I’d been hoping things would finally work out for Hampton. But what he said next wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting.

  “Smith and I eloped.”

  As the words died out, chaos erupted around me.

  Mrs. Reed jumped to her feet, running around the table to throw her arms around them both. Georgia squealed loudly, as Mr. Reed’s fork clattered to his plate. Lawson was the only one without a reaction. He continued to shovel food into his mouth, as though the words that just turned my world upside down weren’t any more surprising than if they’d announced it was sunny outside.

  But I sat there frozen, my heart dropping into my stomach.

  “What the fuck, Hampton?” I wanted to shout, using curse words I normally saved for when I stubbed my toe. Instead, my voice came out barely more than a whisper, “What?”

  At my single syllable the room fell silent. Mrs. Reed stood stock-still behind her son and new son-in-law.

  Hampton turned to me. “Pip…”

  I wanted to remind him this was the same guy he told me just two weeks ago was getting on his nerves. But I didn’t. I just held his gaze and asked softly, “When did you do this? How could you not tell me?”

  The words nearly burned on their way out. Since the moment he’d come out to me, Hampton had never kept anything from me. My chest squeezed and I had to gasp to get any air into my deflated lungs.

  It hurt.

  The secrecy that went into him freaking marrying someone and not telling me.

  The lie of omission.

  The outright betrayal.

  Hampton’s lips parted and he looked at Smith for help. Smith at least had the courtesy to look ashamed and refused to meet my eyes.

  My heart continued to pound from deep in the pit of my belly as I gaped at both of them.

  Lawson let out a chuckle and murmured, “Really fucked this one up, didn’t ya, little bro?”

  I’d forgotten he was sitting beside me until he spoke, but I swung my gaze in his direction and narrowed my eyes. “This is funny to you?” I growled. “Of course it would be. You disappear for eight years and then randomly show back up, just in time to fall back into your old habits of being a jerk.”

  Lawson dropped his fork. “Just like old times. Hampton’s the one who screws you, and somehow, some fucking how, I am still the one getting the shit end of the stick.”

  “Remember the offer you made me?” I countered. “How would I have taken you up on it? I didn’t hear one word from you from the second your plane left the runway.”

  His eyes flashed, hurt and anger mingling together, and for a moment it was almost as though I was looking at a reflection of myself.

  But what did he have to be hurt about? I was the one who had just been blindsided by the one man who was never supposed to hurt me.

  I turned back to where Hampton sat with his boyfriend, now husband, and cleared my throat. “I never thought you would be the one to wound me. But the knife in my back tells me I don’t know you the way I always thought I did.”

  His eyes widened and the knuckles on the hand that was woven through Smith’s whitened. “Pip,” he said, his voice low, “you’re being dramatic, don’t you think?”

  My eyes widened. “I’m being dramatic?” My resolve began to crumble and even though I’d tried to keep it together, my tears seemed to have a mind of their own. I knew I shouldn’t say it, because it was cruel, but I couldn’t stop myself and the hateful words tumbled from my lips. “Well, I guess you better get used to it, since you’re now married to someone who considers musical theater a career.”

  I pressed a hand to my mouth, horrified that I’d been unable to control myself. Smith sat beside Hampton, his back straight, a tight smile on his face, but didn’t say a word. I knew I should apologize, but I just couldn’t.

  “Well, actually, honey, that’s a very lucrative career,” Mrs. Reed chimed in, finally shaking herself from the stupor she’d been in. She gave Smith a quick pat on the shoulder and then resumed her place at the table.

  Wiping my eyes with my napkin, I pulled in a cleansing breath through my nose and when I exhaled, murmured, “I can’t believe this night.”

  “That makes two of us,” Lawson muttered beside me.

  I ignored him, too busy trying to get a handle on what had just happened at what was supposed to be a normal family dinner. It seemed as though I was the only one affected by this twist of events, though, because Hampton was back to shoveling food into his mouth.

  He paused his feasting and a wide smile crossed his face. “Hey, Law, you said you bought a house out on Willow Lane? That’s close to the hospital, right? How many bedrooms you got?”

  “Yeah. Not too far. It’s got three bedrooms,” Lawson responded. “Why?”

  “Perfect,” Hampton breathed. He shoveled another bite into his mouth before dropping the biggest bomb of the night. “Piper can just move in with you.”

  It was my turn to drop my fork and it clattered loudly as Lawson snarled, “No fucking way.”

  I swallowed hard, the bite of food going down the wrong way, causing me to choke. For a brief second, I saw my life flash before my eyes and thought of the irony that it was Hampton who saved me all those years ago and it was him who would be the reason I choked to death tonight.

  When I finally managed to get air into my lungs, I gasped, “Why do I have to move out?”

  It was stupid, I knew exactly why I had to move out, but I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

&nb
sp; “Well, you can’t live with us,” he said so flippantly that my eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

  “Have you been body snatched?” I looked around the room in search of aliens or some sort of explanation for who the hell this guy sitting across from me was. “Where’s my sweet, dependable Hampton?”

  Hampton’s eyes dropped to his plate and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. I struck a chord. When his gaze finally returned to my face, he said quietly, “I’m married now. I can’t start a marriage with a roommate.”

  My stomach sank. He was right. My eyes filled with tears again and I squeezed them shut, willing the moisture away.

  “I think staying with Lawson is a great idea,” Mr. Reed chimed in. “Son, you’re not still sweet on her, are you?”

  My eyes flew open and I shook my head. This was not happening.

  Georgia spat her water out of her mouth before dissolving into a fit of laughter while Mrs. Reed smacked her husband on the arm.

  “Jesus, Walter. Don’t sell the boy out that way.” She dropped her voice. “Of course he’s still sweet on her.” She looked at me, a wry smile gracing her face. “Just look at her. Who wouldn’t be? Other than Hampton, of course.”

  Georgia continued to laugh, not even attempting to regain any composure and while I loved her dearly, I was tempted to stab her with my fork if she didn’t shut up.

  I sat there, at the dinner table I’d eaten at nearly all my life, and looked around it. It was full of the people I loved, and yet, I felt more alone. My mind was a jumble of conflicting emotions. And I’d cried more in the last half hour than I had in the last six months.

  I needed air. And space. And time.

  I pushed away from the table and plastered on the widest smile I could muster, knowing it probably more closely resembled a grimace. “Mrs. Reed, dinner was delicious as always. But I think I’m going to head home.” I glanced over at where Hampton sat, his eyes laced with concern. “Congratulations, you two.” My voice wobbled as I lied, “I’m so happy for you.”

  Hampton pulled his hand from Smith’s and began to rise, but stopped when I shook my head. He had always been the one I turned to when I was upset, but not this time. This time, he was the one person who couldn’t make me feel better.