Parker (Striking Back #3)

by S. M. Shade

  Her soft smile is reassuring. “Keep doing what you’re doing, girl. Don’t push him. Just let him know you’re there. It’s a comfort to him even if he doesn’t show it.”

  * * * *

  It’s Friday before I know it and my stomach is in knots. The Children’s Hospital Tournament is being held at the gym of the city’s largest high school. Invitations were limited and cost a small fortune. Since the space is donated and all the planning and setting up is being handled by volunteers, the hospital will get a significant sum to help support children’s care.

  Alex picked Parker up early this morning so they could prepare and true to his word, Cooper stayed behind with me. Ev is bringing Cody, so she won’t show until later. The first few hours are reserved for the kids from the hospital to hang out with the fighters, get autographs and t-shirts, so we aren’t missing anything.

  Cooper and I are a ball of nerves when we enter the parking lot. I can’t believe the crowd gathered on the sidewalks and the adjoining lawns. Women with very little clothes and less self-respect hold signs with various fighter’s names scrawled in hearts. MMA groupies? Really? Mason’s name appears the most. I suppose because he was once the middleweight champ.

  “This is insane,” Cooper breathes.

  We have to show our ID’s and get a colored bracelet before we’re allowed inside. The bleachers are full and people are milling around between the eight rings that have been laid out. A grin splits Cooper’s face when Alex bounds over and kisses him. “You’re early.”

  “We couldn’t wait any longer.”

  Alex puts a blue lanyard around Cooper’s neck, then does the same for me. “These tell the judges you’re with us. They’ll be clearing the floor soon, making everyone take a seat. Family can stay by the rings.”

  Cooper grabs him in a bear hug. “Be careful.”

  I miss Alex’s response when I’m grabbed from behind in strong, muscled arms. “Hey, doll. Ready to see me whip some ass?”

  The sight of him nearly knocks me off my feet. My gaze travels down his firm chest to hard sculpted abs. Black shorts hang low on his hips, displaying a V of groin muscle that steals my last brain cell.

  Lips land on my ear. “I suggest you stop looking at me like that before I drag you under the bleachers.”

  “Well, why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

  “I was warming up.” He reaches behind a registration table and grabs a t-shirt printed with the Reed Brothers gym logo. “Better?” he asks, after pulling it on.

  “Yes, there’s way too many fight floozies around.”

  “Tell me about it,” Everly growls, approaching with Cody in tow. “Did you see all those skanks out front?”

  “Don’t worry, babe.” Parker kisses me on the head. “They want Mason, not me.”

  Everly smacks him, and he laughs. “One of our beginner students, Brandon, is up in just a minute. Do you want to watch?” Alex asks.

  The young underbelt fighters are the first to compete. We all cheer them on while Alex, Parker, and Mason coach Brandon through his first competition. Three fights later, Brandon wears a face splitting grin, a trophy clutched in one hand. A thin pretty girl kisses his cheek right below his swelling eye.

  Parker laughs aloud when Brandon turns and kisses the girl full on the lips. “He’s been after her for months.”

  Cooper sits beside me, and I grab his hand when Alex steps onto the mat. His opponent is shorter and bulkier, but Cooper has nothing to worry about. Alex takes him down in less than a minute. The only sign he was in a fight is a small split in his lip.

  My stomach flips over when Parker yanks off his shirt and takes his corner. From the way he greets his opponent, it’s clear they know each other and are friendly. It makes me feel a little better. Plus, the guy is thinner than Parker.

  They trade a few punches and kicks, feeling each other out. I’m fine until Parker takes a roundhouse kick to the head that knocks him to the ground. Ev yanks me back into my seat when I jump up. “Don’t you dare. You act like a worried mother and he’ll kill you. He’s okay, see?”

  She’s right. His opponent took the advantage once he was on the ground, but Parker quickly recovers. The cheers from the crowd are deafening when Parker gets him in a chokehold that forces a tapout, and I release a breath I wasn’t aware I was holding. It’s over.

  After a brief photo and autograph session with the fans, the guys are more than ready to go. “We still going to Chi-Chi’s?” Mason asks, and everyone agrees.

  “Ian’s going to meet us there,” Alex says, texting on his phone.

  “We can’t stay out too late,” Cooper points out with a smile. “We’ve got a long drive to Vermont tomorrow.”

  Alex nods and takes his hand. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Parker

  Chi-Chi’s is a Mexican restaurant with a full bar. They seat our group at a large table in the back as if they think we’ll be trouble. It’s a good call since everyone is rowdy and amped up after the fight. My head is still pounding after that roundhouse kick, but it’s nothing a few drinks won’t take care of.

  “We should’ve went somewhere with a dance floor,” Ev says, grinning at Mason.

  “I’ve had enough exercise for one day,” Alex replies.

  “And I’m starving,” I add. I can never eat much before a fight so my stomach is growling now.

  “You ordered half the menu,” Ian scoffs. “You’ll never eat all that.”

  Macy blushes when I wink at her. “Never doubt my ability to eat.”

  Ev sips her drink. “So, Ian, how’d your date go last night?”

  “You want details?” he taunts with a wicked grin.

  “Are you going to see her again?”

  Mason shakes his head. “What did I tell you about your matchmaking obsession?”

  Ev slides a hand across the nape of Mason’s neck. “I want him to be as happy as I am.” A soft smile overwhelms his former frown and he drops a kiss on her lips.

  “She has you wrapped around her little finger.” I laugh.

  “You should talk,” Mason replies, glancing from Macy to me.

  “Whipped,” Ian coughs into his hand and everyone laughs.

  Macy’s big brown eyes look up at me and I feel about ten feet tall. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her to me until our chairs are touching. “Whipped, chained, and happily tied down.”

  After some aww’s and gagging noises Ev says, “Ian’s day will come.”

  “Maybe it’s today. That ginger waiter has been staring pretty hard,” I tease.

  “No way, if he wants to dabble in dick, I have dibs,” Cooper pipes up.

  “Excuse me,” Alex says, pretending to be offended. “He’s my sister-in-law’s best friend. That means I get him first.”

  “Share?” Cooper suggests, the rest of us snorting and laughing.

  “Deal.”

  “Glad we worked that out. So, Ian…”

  Smiling, Ian holds up his palm. “There will be no rumpy pumpy. I know I’m hot and irresistible, but I love titties and pussy. No dong in my future. Besides,” he adds with a cocky grin. “Look at me. I could do so much better.”

  Alex chucks a tortilla chip at him, and Ev turns to Cooper. “So, how early do you leave in the morning?”

  “As soon as it’s light. It’s a fourteen hour drive. We’ll get to the B&B in time to go to bed. See the sights the next day.”

  “B&B,” Ian snorts, elbowing Mason. “Called it.”

  Ignoring their chuckles, Ev continues, “It’s going to be gorgeous. I want to see pictures.”

  “I’d love to see the cherry blossoms,” Macy says.

  “We’ll take a trip in the spring,” I promise.

  The night continues with conversation and laughter, drinking and good natured teasing. Macy fits right in with my family and I know in that moment, she belongs with us permanently. She belongs with me.

  I feel like the bad shit is finally behind us. Like now we can relax and jus
t enjoy one another. Let our guard down for once. Maybe I could schedule some down time, take Macy away for a bit.

  We make plans, and the universe laughs.

  * * * *

  In my line of work, a phone ringing before dawn isn’t out of the ordinary, but my instincts tell me something is wrong even before I see the hospital on the caller ID. Christ, what now? “Hello?”

  “Is this Mr. Parker Reed?”

  “Speaking.”

  “You need to come to Brightville Medical Center, Mr. Reed. You’re listed as an emergency contact for Alex Reed and he’s been in a car accident.”

  Cold fear races through my body. Like a chunk of ice, one move could crack me wide open. “Is he okay? What’s his condition?” Alive, just be alive, Alex. He’s my twin, my other half. We give each other shit, but we have a connection no single born person could comprehend.

  “He’s going to CT now to rule out any internal bleeding from the seatbelt, but at the moment, he’s conscious and talking.”

  Thank fuck. “I’m on my way.”

  Twenty minutes later Macy and I pull into the hospital parking lot with Mason and Ev right behind us. Mason has barely recovered and here we are again.

  Mason and I are lead back to the emergency room by a kind nurse while Macy and Ev wait in the waiting room. Alex sits on the edge of a gurney, staring out the window. “The fog. It was the goddamn fog.”

  “He only has some bumps and bruises,” the nurse assures us. “He’ll be released shortly.”

  “Did you give him something?” I murmur. He looks so out of it.

  Sympathy floods her features. “No, but you should know—”

  “Cooper’s dead,” Alex interrupts. “He wasn’t even speeding. He missed a turn, and we hit a tree. Because of the fog.” Haunted eyes portray a deep suffering as they regard me. “He’s dead,” he says again and faints dead away.

  The next few days are heartbreaking. Alex moves through them like a sleepwalker. Helped along by a sedative prescribed by his doctor, he manages to stay on his feet through Cooper’s funeral, but the drugs are a temporary fix.

  I’m afraid of how Alex will react once the shock wears off. His temper is legendary and it’s going to be everything we can do to keep him out of trouble while he grieves. We gather at Mason’s house after the funeral where Macy, Ev, and Ms. Den have prepared a small feast. Why do people always cook after a death when no one feels like eating?

  “I want you to stay with us for a while,” Mason tells Alex, cupping the back of his head.

  “No, I’m going home…shit.” His head falls into his hands as he realizes he doesn’t want to do that. He’s just let his apartment go and moved in with Cooper in the last few weeks.

  “It’s okay. Stay here until you’re ready to find a new place,” Mason insists.

  “No, I…”

  “Or stay with me,” I offer. “You know I have plenty of room.”

  “I have a pool,” Mason argues, trying to lighten the mood, but Alex isn’t amused by our efforts.

  “Stop it! I’m not a damn baby and I don’t need a sitter! I’ll stay at a hotel until I find an apartment.”

  “No, you won’t,” Ian announces. “I just moved into my house and it needs a lot of work. And you need to keep busy. So, you’ll stay with me and help fix up the place.”

  Alex leaps to his feet. “I’m not living with you.”

  “You are. I’m not asking. You’re in a room full of family who are worried about you. Now, do you want them breathing down your neck, or would you rather get drunk and build cabinets with me?”

  Alex glances around and crosses his arms over his chest.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Come on. Let’s go get your shit,” Ian orders, and we stand, shocked as Alex hugs the girls and leaves with Ian.

  “What the fuck just happened?” I ask.

  “Ian cared about Cooper too. And he’s Alex’s friend. The three of them have been inseparable the past few months,” Ev explains. “This is probably a good arrangement for now.”

  Mason sighs. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him.”

  Macy squeezes my hand. “Let him work through his grief however he needs to. He knows you’re there if he needs you.” It tears me up to know my brother is hurting so bad and there’s nothing I can do.

  Ev agrees. “Ian has always been a comfort to me. He’ll watch over him and let us know if Alex is struggling.”

  “So, we sit back and do nothing?” I demand.

  “No.” Ev places a hand on my shoulder. “We visit and smother him with love when he needs it, but first we give him the space he requires to get his head straight and accept what’s happened.”

  Mason nods when I meet his gaze. Since I have no idea at this point how to help my brother, I go along.

  Epilogue

  Three Months Later

  Macy smiles when she opens her door, and I plant a kiss on her lips before she can speak. “Wow, what was that for?”

  “Come with me. I want to take you somewhere.”

  “I’m not really dressed to go out,” she says, gazing down at her bare legs and feet.

  “Bundle up, it’s chilly outside.”

  The brisk November breeze lifts her raven hair from her creamy neck as we walk along the running path beside White River. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

  “Any reason you’ve brought me out here in the cold?” she asks, edging closer to me.

  “I want to talk, and you’re much more receptive when you’re active.”

  Macy gazes up at me. “I know what you’re going to say, but, Park, I think it might be a little soon to move in together.”

  “Move in together? Are you crazy, woman? No. Never. No moving in together. I want you to marry me.”

  Macy’s jaw drops and she steps back as I drop to one knee, holding up a ring Ev helped me choose for her. “It was right here on this path I realized I was falling for you. You were so sweet and beautiful, even covered in sweat.”

  Her eyes glaze and she giggles. “I love you more than I ever knew I could love another person. I want you with me every second and not because you need me, but because I need you. Will you marry me, doll?”

  For one terrifying second, I’m sure she’s going to turn me down, but she drops to her knees beside me and sobs, “Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “Kiss me, smartass.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  The End

  But not the end of the Reed brothers. Don’t miss Alex’s story, releasing February 2016.

  Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review on Amazon. It doesn’t need to be long, a few sentences that share your opinion of the book would be very much appreciated.

  Acknowledgements

  Special Thanks go to beta readers Lissa Jay and Kim Ginsberg for saving me from embarrassing plot holes and ridiculous mistakes. You can find Kim Ginsberg’s proofreading and editing services here. https://www.facebook.com/Hawk-Eye-Proofreading-and-Editing-1649336758614929/?fref=ts

  Thanks, Jolanda Love, for tweeting my books endlessly. She has wonderful book suggestions. Follow her here:

  https://twitter.com/JolandaNovella

  Thanks to the members of the S.M. Shade Book Group for loving the Reed brothers as much as I do and sharing them constantly. I saw all those posts, Analia Almonte, Jennifer Lessard, and Sandy Ambrose! Love you girls.

  An author I confess that I totally fangirl over because of her Sterling Shore series, reached out to me and shared this series with her readers. I’ve made numerous new friends because of her gesture. Thank you, C.M Owens.

  Last, but not least, thanks to all the book bloggers and page owners who make it possible for Indie authors to get their stories out there. We couldn’t do it without you. There’s no way I can list the numerous blogs and pages that have shared my books, but I want to call attention to a few who have been especially generous. Just One
More Page, Saints and Sinners Books, and The Art of Romance. You all rock so hard.

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  More by S.M. Shade

  The Last Woman, All That Remains : Book One http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYO0AHI

  When Abby Bailey meets former model and actor, Airen Holder, in a darkened department store, romance is the last thing on her mind. A plague has decimated the population, leaving Abby to raise her son alone in a world without electricity, clean water, or medical care. Her only priority is survival.

  Traumatized by the horror of the past months, Abby and Airen become a source of comfort for one another. Damaged by her past and convinced Airen is out of her league, Abby is determined to keep their relationship platonic. However, Airen is a hard man to resist, especially after he risks his life to save hers.

  When a man named Joseph falls unconscious in their yard, and Abby nurses him back to health, everything changes. How does love differ in this new post-apocalyptic world? Can three unlikely survivors live long enough to find their place in it?

  This is the first of the All that Remains series and can also be read as a stand alone novel. It contains violence and sexual situations and is recommended for ages 18 and older.