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20 Worst Possible Timing (Lucas)

I didn't want to. I knew she would be angry, far angrier than she had been about her mother. But if I wanted this thing between us to have a real chance, then I had to be honest with her. And I'd been keeping this from her for too long.

I pretended to check my emails the whole way back to the house. Piper had insisted that I didn't need to leave with her in the middle of a workday, that she was fine after her outburst and would feel bad if I missed out on anything important just to be with her. But that wasn't why I'd left. It was time for us to have a talk, a real talk. One that I knew was going to be difficult for both of us. And that was more important than work.

Kevin opened the door when we reached the house and we both stepped out, strolling into the foyer hand in hand. She made a comment about wanting to shower and then disappeared down the hall. I busied myself by removing my jacket and tie, pouring myself a glass of scotch, and downing it all before pouring a second. I sent Luisa and Maria away, turned my phone off, and sat myself down at the dining room table. I listened to the shower running from our bedroom through the walls, enjoying the last few moments before the biggest argument we'd had thus far.

When she emerged, wringing her wet hair out into a towel, she noticed immediately that something was wrong. Luisa and Maria were nowhere in sight and I was sitting by myself, swirling the contents of my glass around and around.

"Lucas?" She asked, her voice clearly concerned.

"We need to talk, Piper," I told her. "Sit with me?"

She hesitated and then set the towel down and joined me at the table. I could tell she was worried by my tone. I straightened up and took a breath.

"I have to tell you something," I started. "And I know it's going to make you angry. But I need you to understand the position I was in."

Her lips parted as she stared at me, wide eyed.

"Can you try to do that?" I asked. She hesitated but then nodded. I took a deep breath and then continued. "I've been in contact with Lola."

She bristled immediately, blinking at me in outraged shock.

"My sister?" She asked, appalled.

"Yes," I answered, calmly.

"Why?"

"Piper, I tried to call you when it happened. We all did."

"When what happened?"

"Your dad had a heart attack two years ago."

She deflated immediately. Her jaw dropped, her eyes bulged out of her head, and she sat there, blinking at me and shaking her head in disbelief.

"I don't— what?" She stuttered a few minutes later.

"He's been having various operations since then. Some traditional remedies, some experimental treatments. But nothing has been working. His heart just won't accept the help. Lola was still in debt from med school. Ben had just lost his job and they had another kid on the way. She was desperate. So she came to me."

"No," Piper muttered, shaking her head as she realized where this was going.

"I knew you and Lola had a falling out. I knew you weren't speaking to one another. Lola even told me she hadn't been able to reach you to tell you about your dad. I wanted to take your side, Piper. I always want to take your side. But I couldn't let an old man die because his daughters were fighting."

"You've been paying for it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "His hospital bills. Haven't you?"

I sighed.

"I have," I told her.

She was on her feet in an instant.

"You— how dare you," she snapped. "You had no right. First my mom and now my dad? And my sister? You've been talking to all of them this whole time, behind my back. You've been seeing all of them for six years?"

"I haven't seen Lola or your dad. I only talk with your sister over the phone and via the medical bills she sends me. I know it pains her to do so. You're both so fiercely independent. And I haven't talked to your dad at all. I know your... issue with him."

"My issue?" She snapped. "Right because my dad leaving my mom after twenty five years of marriage to marry a girl from my political studies class is somehow my issue."

"Piper, you know that's not what I meant. I've been on your side this whole time. I've never taken a stand against you or what you believe. You cut your dad out. I did too. I haven't said a word to the man since I pulled your mom off of his new wife at our college graduation. But I know you love him. You still do and you always will and you may not want to reconcile with him now, not yet. But someday you will. And I want him to still be around for you to get the chance."

"That's not your call. You went behind my back, Lucas. You, of all people. You were the only person left in my life that I could trust and this—" she shook her head, backing away from me. "I need time to think about this."

"Piper," I called out to her, standing.

She fled the room, making a beeline to our bedroom. I followed after her, trying to calm her down.

"Piper, please, just listen—" I said but she had pulled her little green suitcase from the closet and was tossing all her clothes into it haphazardly. I sighed. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" She snapped. "I'm leaving."

"Piper, you can't just—"

I was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. I sighed.

"Don't go anywhere, okay? Just let me get this and then we can talk this out," I said.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm leaving."

I hesitated but left her to her packing and walked briskly from my room to the foyer, determined to send whoever this was on their way so I could fix things with my wife. I'd only just got her back. I wasn't about to lose her again. Not like this.

But then I opened the door and my heart bottomed out as I greeted the woman I'd only seen in a Google image search.

"Agent Janine Ashley."