by Reese Ryan
“Then why, for God’s sake, would you do this?”
“Because I hated seeing how much it hurt you that things worked out between you and Aidan the way they did. You seemed to genuinely want a second chance with him. I could never have forgiven myself if I’d stood in the way of you finally being happy. I thought that if I told Aidan the truth—”
“That you could just pass me on to him because we were done? I’m not a baton, Parker.” Her eyes blazed with anger and her voice dripped with disdain. “You don’t get to decide who I love or what I do. That’s my choice.”
Parker stammered, his heart hammering against his breastbone.
“It was stupid of me to think I could make this work.” She sniffled, looking out at the water. “You said you didn’t want to do this. That you couldn’t do it. I just wouldn’t listen.”
“I’m so sorry if I hurt you. That honestly wasn’t my intention. I thought you wanted to be with Aidan.”
Her eyes widened with indignation and her nostrils flared. She shook her head as if discussing the matter with him any further was pointless. “Go away, Parker. Just leave me alone, please.”
She stalked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.
Parker’s gut burned and his chest ached. He’d tried to give Kayleigh what he thought she wanted. Even though it was the one thing in the world that made him feel like his heart had been ripped in two.
Because he loved Kayleigh Jemison, and he couldn’t imagine going back to life without her.
* * *
Kayleigh wanted to get out of the dress and makeup and maybe go for a run on the beach. Clear her head and pull herself together.
In the three months that she had been seeing Parker, she’d turned into a hot mess. And she hated herself for it. Before now, the only emotion she’d voluntarily let others see was anger. Everything else she’d kept concealed neatly below the surface. Out of sight, where they couldn’t use those weaknesses against her. It was a neat trick she’d learned in middle school and had used ever since.
Concealing those painful emotions from others had kept her from feeling vulnerable. But it had isolated her, too. That had changed when she allowed Savannah in. And over the past few months, she’d let Parker in.
A few weeks ago, she’d seen the beauty of allowing someone else in and permitting them to see those vulnerabilities. But now she was reminded of the importance of choosing more wisely who to let in.
Kayleigh heaved a sigh and stood in front of the full-length mirror. She reached over her shoulder to unzip the back of her dress. Then she reached behind her to tug it down the rest of the way.
“Let me.” Parker was suddenly there, standing behind her as he stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Please.”
Kayleigh sighed, nodding as she dropped her gaze from his.
Parker unzipped the dress, then stepped away.
She allowed the fabric to pool around her on the floor, then tossed it onto the bed before going into the bathroom and removing her makeup.
Kayleigh stared into the mirror of the elegant bathroom, scrubbing the makeup from her skin as Parker leaned against the doorway in silence.
She met his gaze in the mirror. “What is it, Parker? Haven’t you done enough?”
“I need to tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you. I was a little jerk when we were kids. Maybe I still am. But then and now, I didn’t deliberately try to hurt you. My motives back then were selfish. But I swear to you that what I did today was the most selfless thing I’ve ever done. And I did it because I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“To be embarrassed?”
“To be loved and cherished and treated like the phenomenal woman you are.” His voice grew faint and he took another deep breath. “I honestly just wanted you to have everything and to be happy, and if I can’t be the man who gives that to you... I wanted to see you with someone who will.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Parker. I know you think it’s your job to fix everything, but you don’t get to decide who... Wait...” Kayleigh lowered the finger she’d been emphatically jabbing in the air. She tilted her head to one side as she studied him. “Are you saying that you want to be the one who makes me happy?”
“Not very well, I’m guessing. But yes, Kayleigh.” Parker stepped closer, cradling her face in his hands. “I want to be the only man who truly makes you smile. I want to be the guy you walk Cricket with at night. The one you go riding and camping with. The guy you volunteer beside at the youth center each month. The one you go skinny-dipping with in the middle of the night.” Parker traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “I want to be the only man you make love to.”
Kayleigh closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as tears spilled down her cheeks. She sniffled, finally opening them. A wide smile spread across her face. “I want that, too, Parker. But I need to know I can trust you. That you won’t betray my confidence for any reason.”
He nodded. “I promise. I love you, Kayleigh. I’ve adored you since we were kids. And I never stopped thinking of you and wanting you back in my life. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. So forgive me for screwing up.”
“You love me?” Her voice trembled as she stared into his dark eyes, which were filled with emotion.
The corner of his mouth curved in a smile. “Very much. But it’s more than that. I need you, Kayleigh. When I saw Aidan holding you in his arms, I felt physical pain. Like an elephant was standing on my chest and my lungs were about to collapse. If someone had said that to me a few months ago, I would’ve accused them of being melodramatic. But being heartbroken is a real thing because I felt every ounce of that pain.”
“So did I when...” Kayleigh couldn’t finish the words. She didn’t want to be reminded of the pain she’d felt in that moment. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I love you, too, Parker.”
* * *
Parker took Kayleigh in his arms and kissed her again. He needed to feel the warmth and comfort of her body. To show her exactly how much he needed her in his life. That he’d never hurt her again.
He stripped her of her pink lace panties and bra and laid her on the bed beneath him as he claimed her mouth in a heated kiss that made his body ache to be inside of hers.
Kayleigh ground her hips against his as she tugged his shirt from his waistband and helped him remove it and his linen pants.
Parker grazed one firm nipple with the backs of his fingers until it strained against his touch as he kissed her. He closed his eager mouth over the beaded tip and sucked roughly. She gasped and arched her back.
His eyes drifted closed as ripples of need rolled down his spine in response to her soft whimpers. His pulse raced and body vibrated with his desire to be buried inside of her, but he needed to take his time. Focus on pleasuring every inch of her remarkable body.
He pressed a kiss to the space between her thighs. Laved her slick folds with his tongue as she shuddered in anticipation of each stroke. He lapped at the sensitive flesh surrounding the distended bundle of nerves, giving her pleasure while denying her the sensation she was so desperate for.
Until she begged for it.
Kayleigh applied the slightest pressure to the back of his head. “Parker, please. Don’t tease me. I need you.”
He grinned, his eyes meeting hers as he licked, then sucked on her slick bud.
Her head lolled back and she moaned with pleasure. She arched her back and her hips rocked forward. “Yes, yes. Right there. Just like that.”
He increased his speed and intensified the pressure, bringing her to the brink. She was almost there and he was painfully hard when he halted his motion just enough to allow her to draw a breath. Then he drove his tongue inside her.
Kayleigh’s body tensed and her eyes widened as she cried out with pleasure. Her heels dug into the mattress and her hips glided bac
k and forth until she came hard, her muscles tensing and her core pulsing. His name on her lips.
He lay beside her, his lips brushing the shell of her ear when he spoke.
“I want to be the only man who gets to do that. The only man who gets to hear you call his name in that breathless tone while you shatter to pieces.”
Her eyes were watery as she pressed her palm to his cheek. “That’s what I want, too.”
Parker kissed her again, made love to her. As much as he’d enjoyed each of their previous encounters, there was something about this time that was so much more intense. Maybe it was because neither of them was trying to delude themselves into believing that this was anything other than love.
* * *
Kayleigh lay with her cheek pressed to Parker’s chest as he slept, breathing softly. It was nearly two in the morning and they had an early flight, but she couldn’t sleep.
As happy as she was that she and Parker were a bona fide couple now, she couldn’t help worrying about how things would change between them once they returned to Magnolia Lake.
She’d been able to forgive Parker and let go of their painful past, but being part of Parker’s life meant being a part of his family members’ lives, too.
She’d managed to be civil to Duke Abbott during their business negotiations and during the party at his home. But she’d been tense and her stomach had been in knots the entire time. How could she spend casual Sunday afternoons across the dinner table from the man who’d capitalized on her father’s impending death and her mother’s illness to swindle her family out of their land?
She still wasn’t ready to forgive Duke Abbott for what he’d done. Maybe she never would be. If she couldn’t, she and Parker would be over before they’d even begun.
Twenty-One
Parker realized that they were both tired after their late night and early flight. Still, Kayleigh had been unusually quiet. Every time he’d asked if she was all right, she’d said she was. Then she’d gone back to mindlessly bouncing her knee as she stared out the airplane window.
Parker squeezed her hand. “Kayleigh, I’ll make you a promise. I’ll always be straight up with you, but you need to do the same. So if something is bothering you, I need to know. You can trust me.”
She turned toward him and met his gaze. “These past few months together have been amazing. I want this—I really do. But being with you means I’ll be spending a lot more time with your family. Which is great, except... I don’t know if I can get past what your father did. I thought making him pay dearly for my building would satisfy the debt, but I honestly don’t know if I can forgive him for taking advantage of my mother at the lowest point in her life. Especially when your family has so much.”
“Thank you for being honest, sweetheart.” Parker threaded their fingers together and squeezed her hand. “Kayleigh, I love you. I don’t want anything to ever come between us again. There’s only one way for you to resolve this thing with my dad. It’s time you two talk and get everything out in the open.”
“What could he possibly say that would make me feel better about what he did?” Kayleigh stared at their joined hands. “Other than camping, my best memories of my dad were those sober moments when we’d visit that old farm and he’d talk about all the things he wanted to do. He wanted to make it a working farm again. But my mother always dreamed of starting a little inn there.”
“I know you don’t think it’ll help, but I need you to trust me. All I ask is that you give it a chance.”
Kayleigh nodded and gave him a sad smile. “I promise to hear what he has to say.”
Parker kissed Kayleigh’s forehead and wrapped his arm around her. Now he would need to convince his father that it was time to tell Kayleigh the truth.
* * *
Parker had taken Kayleigh to her apartment to rest and settle in after they collected Cricket from Blake and Savannah’s house. Then he went straight to his parents’ home. After he hugged and kissed his mother and his sister Zora, who were working on dinner for later that afternoon, he found his father in the den. He was reading the newspaper with the TV on in the background.
“Hey, Dad.” Parker sat on the opposite end of the chocolate-brown leather sofa, where his father was seated. “Kayleigh is prepared to finalize the paperwork for the sale of her building. She can come to the office tomorrow morning.”
“Well done, son.” His father patted his knee. “I know it wasn’t fair that the lion’s share of the responsibility fell to you, but I’m thrilled we could do this for your mother.”
“Me, too. Only it turned out that this was the best possible thing that could’ve ever happened to me, Dad. I’m in love with Kayleigh, and she loves me, too. We might never have gotten together if it wasn’t for this project. So thank you for pushing me.”
“You and Kayleigh are an item now?” The elder Abbott’s expression indicated that he was genuinely happy for him, but his brows furrowed with a hint of concern. “I’m glad to hear it, son. Kayleigh is a wonderful young woman.”
“She is, and I want her to feel the same way about you, Dad.” Parker scooted to the edge of his seat. “But you know what she thinks of you.”
“We can’t control the things people believe about us, son. We can only make sure they aren’t true.” His father sipped from the large glass of sweet tea that left a condensation ring on the newspaper he’d been reading.
“Most of the time,” Parker agreed. “But in this case, we both know that isn’t true.”
“What are you talking about, son?”
“I know everything, Dad. I’ve seen the original paperwork. After the incident with Savannah going through our archives, I started reviewing them a little at a time. I wanted to make sure there weren’t any other family secrets I should know about. That’s when I discovered the truth. Now it’s time that Kayleigh knows, too.”
“Whatever you think you know, son, is best left in those archives.” His father clicked the remote off, lines forming between his furrowed brows. “Things are the way they are for reasons you don’t understand.”
“Dad, whatever promises you made back then, I’m sure they were made for noble reasons. But circumstances change. I love her, Dad, but we both know there’s no way that this relationship can work unless she learns the truth.”
“Parker, you’ll just have to find another way to convince her.” His father walked over to the bar and refilled his glass.
“No, Duke, Parker is right. Kayleigh needs to hear the truth, and she needs to hear it from you. Please.” His mother stepped inside the room and squeezed his arm.
“But I made a promise,” his father insisted.
“That promise was made to protect Kayleigh, but it hasn’t. It’s isolated her and left her feeling resentful and alone. That isn’t what her mother wanted for her. And it isn’t what I want for Parker,” his mother pleaded. “This secret will keep the two of them apart.”
Duke sighed and nodded begrudgingly. “If you really think it’s in the girl’s best interest, I’ll tell her.”
Parker gave his mother a long hug. “Thanks, Mom.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks, Dad.” He gave his father a quick hug, then pulled out his phone to call Kayleigh. He didn’t want to wait another minute to make things right between two of the people he loved most in the world.
Kayleigh clutched Parker’s hand as he led her into his parents’ home. He’d been adamant that she and Duke needed to talk right away. So she’d agreed to come to dinner and to listen to what his father had to say.
He led her inside the den, where his father was watching TV. Duke turned off the television, his shoulders tensing. “Have a seat, Kayleigh.”
She shifted her gaze to Parker, who’d released her hand. “You won’t be joining us?”
“I think you two should talk alone. But I’ll
be right down the hall in the kitchen if you need me. I promise.” Parker gave her a quick, reassuring kiss.
It felt odd with Duke staring at them.
Parker left, closing the door behind him.
Kayleigh sank into a chair, her hands folded in her lap and her gaze not meeting Duke’s. “Parker said that we should talk.”
“Can I get you a glass of tea or lemonade? Maybe a bottle of water?”
“No, thank you. I’d really just like to hear what it is you have to say for yourself.” Her voice wavered slightly.
“Fair enough.” He nodded gravely. “Kayleigh, I don’t know if your mother ever told you that I was sweet on her back in high school. But she was head over heels for your father.”
“I know.” It was one of the things her mother had reminded her father of whenever he was feeling sorry for himself or jealous of Duke and the Abbotts. I chose you, not him. “She said you two were good friends.”
“We were.” He smiled sadly.
“If that’s true, Mr. Abbott, how could you have treated her so cruelly.” Kayleigh maintained a respectful tone though she didn’t mince words. Parker said he wanted her to have an honest conversation with his father. She’d taken him at his word.
Duke grimaced in response, as if her accusation had caused him physical pain.
Good. She’d drawn first blood.
“I realize this is an uncomfortable conversation for both of us, Kayleigh. And I know that you’re angry because the money I paid your mother wasn’t nearly the value of her property. But what you couldn’t have known is that it was your mother who insisted I only give her a small percentage of the land’s value.”
“Why would she have done that? My father was dying and the medical bills had sucked up what little she and my father had managed to save for our college tuition.” Kayleigh gripped the armrest of the chair. She’d promised to be civil, but she wouldn’t stand for lies, not even from the high-and-mighty Duke Abbott.
