Breaking Away Page 6


Repeating their little game of ‘where did Reese Pieces go,’ their laughter filled the room. Piper was in the kitchen, cooking, while Erik, her husband, sat in front of his TV, playing on his Xbox. She used to think Erik Titov was the scum off the bottom of the earth, but he had proved her completely wrong. He loved her twin with all his heart, and Reese truly believed that Piper and Erik were made for each other. It hadn’t been an easy road for them, but they worked. Piper complemented him, and he did the same for her. Seeing them together was pretty special. Add Dimitri in there, and they were a perfect family.

“Dinner is ready,” Piper called from the kitchen. “Erik, babe, dinner,” she yelled extra loud.

Erik pulled the headphones off, throwing them on the ground before getting up.

“I’m coming, sweetheart,” he said before coming over and taking Dimitri from Reese.

Reese smiled as he kissed Dimitri’s fat little cheeks, making him giggle louder as they headed to the kitchen. Standing up, Reese wobbled a little in her fuchsia Jimmy Choo heels, cursing herself for wearing them. She hadn’t worn heels in months, and why she chose tonight to wear them was beyond her. She guessed it was because they went great with the black, skintight dress she was wearing. She should have waited and gotten dressed back at her apartment since she was a little overdressed for a family dinner, but she wanted to hit the bar right after she left Sweetbriar. Since it was a forty-five minute drive back into the city, Reese thought this was the best solution to saving time.

Making her way to the dining room, Reese sat down in the chair beside Dimitri’s highchair and smiled over at her nephew. Piper laid the last dish down, and Reese smiled up at her as Erik’s arm snaked around Piper’s waist.

“Looks great.”

She smiled down at him before leaning down for a sweet kiss. Reese looked away, looking at the spread of potatoes, corn, and thick steaks that Piper had prepared. It made Reese’s mouth water, and she couldn’t wait to dig in. After saying grace, Reese began to eat. She had always been an eater and never skipped a meal. Thankfully, because she danced, her waist stayed somewhat trim.

“You never did tell me where you’re going tonight,” Piper said, leaning over to give Dimitri a spoonful of something disgusting looking.

“Out to Wanna B’s,” Reese answered.

“Are you meeting someone?”

Reese smiled before shaking her head.

“No one specific, but I don’t plan on leaving alone,” she said with a wink.

Piper laughed. “Of course you don’t.”

“Reese, if you’re looking for a guy, I can hook you up with someone from the team,” Erik said, speaking of the National Hockey Team he played for, the Nashville Assassins. She knew that the team was loaded with mouthwatering men, but she refused to be set up with someone that she was more than likely just going to use for sex.

“No, thanks bro,” Reese said, shaking her head.

Erik scoffed. “Why not? Not good enough for you?”

Reese rolled her eyes. For some reason, everyone thought she was stuck up, but she wasn’t at all. She just had standards that she put in place to make sure she never had to date anyone that mattered. No one that could steal her heart.

“That’s not it at all. I just don’t want to use your friends for sex and then dump them, but thanks anyway.”

That had Erik choking on his steak. Piper reached over, patting his back with one hand as she fed Dimitri with the other.

Her sister, the multi-tasker.

It really did amaze Reese the way Piper was. She changed what she wanted to be often, and always succeed at whatever she decided to do. Like now, she was a mural artist, and Reese knew that business was great. How she painted gorgeous murals for people while being the best mom ever to Dimitri was mind blowing, but she did it, and did it to the satisfaction of Nashville’s rich and famous.

“Reese, please don’t kill my husband,” Piper said with a smile on her face.

Reese returned the smile as she cut up some of her steak. When Erik recovered, he shook his head before draining his milk.

“Actually, I don’t think Phillip would mind you using him,” Erik said midway through dinner.

Reese looked up. “Phillip?”

“Yeah, my best friend, Phillip Anderson.”

The name sounded familiar, and she was pretty sure she could see his face. He was hottie, with blue eyes, blond hair, and a strong bone structure. He was actually someone that she could be attracted to, but there was no way she was going to chance sleeping with him if he was Erik’s best friend. That would cause awkwardness, and Reese couldn’t handle that.

“Phillip has enough to worry about. He doesn’t have time to have his heart broken by my man-eating twin,” Piper teased.

Reese faked a hurt look as she said, “Hey, I make sure they are satisfied before I feed!”

“You two are nuts,” Erik said with a shake of his head before looking over at Dimitri. “Nuts, I tell you. They cray cray, bud.”

Dimitri rewarded him with a sloppy grin before Piper put a spoon in his mouth.

“We are not crazy at all. Well, at least I’m not,” Piper said with a smile before scooping some more gunk out of the jar for Dimitri.

“Whatever you say, sister dear. We shared a home, remember? I’m pretty sure we are just alike,” Reese joked as Piper shook her head.

“Nope, I’m the normal one.”

Erik laughed. “If I do remember correctly, you are the one that smashed thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics not eight months ago.”

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