“No. Go ahead.” I stand and pull my wallet out of my back pocket about to pay when she speaks again.
“Don’t leave on my account.” She smiles up at me flirtatiously. I know that smile. I used to get it all the time. And before Angel entered my life, I would have flirted back. Said something witty and then tried to rip her dress off. Times were simpler back then. You only had to please one woman for an hour at a time. Fuck them and then leave. Now I have to please the same woman every second of every day. I’m starting to understand that that may be a losing battle.
“Early morning,” I respond pulling a twenty out of my wallet. I place it on the bar and slide it over to the bartender. He goes to walk away with him, and I inform him to keep the change.
“You look like you could have used another one.” As she speaks to me, her brown eyes look me up and down. After they run up the length of my jeans, they take in my fitting black shirt. She licks her lips as if she wants to do just that to me personally.
I clear my throat to get her to look me in the eyes. “Have a nice night,” I say dryly before I turn around and walk out of the hotel bar.
I want to see that look in my wife’s eyes. I want her to need me as much as I need her. But that’s just me being childish. Letting shit get to me. I miss them both so much. Since the day she had Sadey, I have always kissed her goodnight. Didn’t matter how tired I was or if she was already asleep, I always read her a book. She’s my world. The world that Angel allowed me to have, and no matter how imperfect our marriage is, I would never screw that up.
I lie in my cold and empty hotel bed as I look at pictures on my phone. I have pictures from my and Angel’s wedding. Her beautiful smile, bright green eyes, and her dark hair. That white dress. My heart stopped the minute I saw her enter that church as she started to walk down the aisle to give me everything she had.
Now I’d give everything I had to go back and relive that day.
***
Today has been productive. Crazy yet productive. The meeting with the judge took up my entire day. I step out of the cold taxi and make my way to the very fancy, expensive hotel. I find myself slowing down as I pass the hotel bar, but I would prefer a shower more at the moment. I can come back down afterward.
I called Angel once again as I exit the elevator to my room. I spoke to her earlier this morning and she seemed off. More than normal. But, of course, she told me it was nothing. I didn’t believe her but didn’t press the issue. I could hear Sadey crying in the background, and I didn’t want to stress her out more than she already was.
I walk into my room and throw my phone on the king-size bed when her voicemail picks up. I’ll call the bakery after my shower.
The shower helps cool my hot skin down. I just wish I could turn my brain off.
I just wrap my towel around my waist when I hear a soft knock on my door. “Coming,” I say walking out of the bathroom. I had just called room service before I got in the shower for some new towels. They really should stock more of them in each room.
“That was fast….”
The words stop flowing when I see my wife standing at the door to my hotel room, in Chicago. Her long dark hair is down and in big curls. She’s wearing a pair of black jeans and a white sweater. Her bright green eyes light up the second she sees me. “Angel?” I ask surprised.
“Surprise,” she says softly as she gives me a nervous smile.
I look down at her hands. Her left hand holds a bag and the right hand is empty. I lean out into the hall and look around. “Where’s Sadey?” I ask looking around once again. I’m confused to why my wife is standing at my hotel room with a bag.
“I’m here alone,” she says stepping into my hotel room.
I shut the door behind and turn to face her. “By yourself? Who has Sadey?” I ask trying to think of who could have her. My parents? No, they’re out of town. That’s why I’m here in the first place.
“Don’t get mad,” she whispers. “But Parker has her.”
I throw my head back and laugh out loud. “Good one,” I say smiling. She looks down to the floor and starts to bite on her bottom lip nervously. “You were joking right?” I ask. She can’t be serious.
She shakes her head slowly. “You gotta be kidding me,” I say still laughing.
“No.” The words are softly spoken.
I stand there and stare down at her. “You left our daughter with my best friend who calls his cat Puss Puss?” She nods. I turn around giving her my back. Shit, this is bad. Very bad. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I demand half shocked.
“She’s fine.”
I can’t believe she’s saying this. “How do you know?”
“Because I trust him.”
I laugh darkly. “You don’t trust him for shit!”
“It’s just one night. And he has Missy and Tate to help him.”
I run my hands through my hair confused. “Why would you leave our child behind?” I ask trying to understand her. “Why the hell are you even here?” I demand as my anger grows as I realize why she has ignored my calls all day. She knew I would have told her not to come.
She fists her hands down by her side, her anger growing as well. “I’m trying to save our marriage.” Her voice rises with anger but by the time she’s done her eyes start to fill with tears.
“Save our marriage?” I whisper as my confusion grows. “What are you talking about, baby?” I take a step toward her, but she takes one back.
“Come on.” Her voice cracks as she begs me to understand “I feel it.” Her green eyes start to get watery, and it tears at my heart. How could I ever let her think our marriage needs saving? “I know you feel it, too.” I place my hands on either side of her face. “Tell me you feel it,” she whispers.
I place my forehead to hers and I swallow hard before I answer her question. “Yes.”
She sniffs and I pull her away from me so I can look down at her. “I can feel your fear, Angel. And I’m so sorry to have put you through this. Our marriage may not be perfect, but it doesn’t need saving.”
She pulls her face out of my hands and wipes the tears from her red cheeks. “When you chose a bar over going home to your family then there’s a problem, Slade.”
“It was only a couple of hours.” I don’t see the problem.
“You chose that one drink over us,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Why are you so mad about that? I don’t understand.”
“I’m mad because I stayed up waiting for you to get home,” she seethes finding her anger. “I’m pissed because I wanted some alone time with you.” She starts crying again. “And by the time you came home, I pretended to be asleep just so I wouldn’t have to touch you. What kind of marriage is that, Slade?”
“You pretended…? You told me you fell asleep.”
“I lied,” she says with shame, and she covers her tear streaked face. “I love you,” she mumbles into her hands before she drops them. “But I was once that girl in the bar, Slade. I was the girl who made you smile. Who made you happy. Now I feel like you try to avoid me on purpose.” She lifts her hands and gestures to my hotel room. “When would you have ever left me at home while you went out of town?”
“I’ve had to go out of town for jobs before.”
She shakes her head as tears run down her cheeks. “That’s the thing. This isn’t your job.”
I step up to her and wrap her in my arms, holding onto her tight now afraid she may turn around and walk right back out that door. Her body shakes as she cries into my chest. “I love you. Angel,” I whisper leaning down to kiss her head.
“You didn’t tell me about helping your dad.” She sniffs. “You didn’t ask if me and Sadey would come here with you.”
“I didn’t think you two would want to travel on a business trip with me,” I say truthfully. “Especially with Sadey.”
She pulls away from me, and I’m reluctant to let her go. “Do you even know what today is?” she asks, and I shake my
head slowly. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” she cries, and I feel my heart drop out of my chest. “It’s Valentine’s Day and I left our daughter back home with your crazy friend because I felt being here with you was more important.” She cries again. “What kind of mother does that make me?”
I run a hand through my damp hair. “I’m so sorry I forgot.” My voice is barely over a whisper. I knew Valentine’s Day was coming up but somehow I pushed it to the back of my mind. Her words interrupt me and I suddenly find myself placing my hands in her hair, making her look up at me. “You are an amazing mother,” I say truthfully. “And you’re a wonderful wife,” I add. “But there’s no need to worry. I’m not going anywhere. I love my job I have now. I’m only here because my dad asked me.”
“Why couldn’t he get someone else to do it?” she asks.
“I’ve worked with this guy before.” Repeat offenders were once very common for me. This guy just happens to be addicted to alcohol and pills. His daddy, however, has the money to get him out of anything, but he needs an attorney to represent him.
“I’m sorry.” She swallows. “I just panicked. I thought…”
“Don’t think.” I lean down and press my lips to hers for a soft kiss. It’s the first time I’ve really kissed my wife in days. And I can see where she thought that I was pulling away from her.
Angel has taught me a lot. And on thing is that a kiss can say more than words. When I kiss her, it’s like the world is right. Like no other people exist.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SAMANTHA
I can’t get enough of him. My hands wrap around his neck, and I push my body into his. I moan into his mouth as his hands find their way into my hair. My nails scrape down his naked back, and he shudders.
I pull away from him, breathing heavy. I don’t waste any time as I pull my shirt up and over my head. His lips are back on mine within seconds. He starts to walk me backward to the bed as I feel his fingers unclasping my bra. “Please?” I beg between kisses.
He pushes me onto the bed and then crawls on top of me. “Please what?” he asks, raising his eyebrows in question.
I smile to myself. “Please,” I say desperately. “Fuck me.” I arch my back and cup my breasts. He grabs my wrists and pins them down by my head. I push my chest up loving the feel of his skin against my sensitive breasts.
He lowers his face down to mine. “And fuck you, I will.” He lets go of my arms and slides down my body. He rips off my jeans and pulls his towel off allowing me to see how hard he is for me. My heart races and my breath comes quicker knowing what he is going to give me. He then yanks my panties down my legs, and I help kick them off.
Before I can even take a deep breath, he’s back on top of me. His hand finds its way between my legs, and I arch my back as he thrusts a finger roughly inside of me.
He growls as his face nuzzles my neck. “Need you so fucking bad,” he says. He removes his finger and replaces it with what I really want.
I arch my back as he pushes himself all the way into me. Letting me feel the stretch that I love so much. “Need…you too,” I pant as he pulls back and thrusts forward once again.
He drops his head to the crook of my neck and softly bites my already sensitive skin. I cry out as my nails dig into his back. He growls at the sensation and I dig them into his ass, trying to pull him in deeper.
He lets out a moan and then reaches back to grab my hands. He wraps his big hands around my wrists and holds them down by my head, and I suck in a deep breath. I arch my back and he bends down gently kissing my nipple before biting down on it.
“Oh. God,” I hiss as he continues to thrust into me. This is what I’ve missed. This is what I wanted from Slade in the beginning—just sex. But somewhere in the last fifteen months, we have lost it. I don’t want to be one of those couples who don’t make time for one another. Just because we’ve added to our family doesn’t mean we have to forget about one another.
“Fuck, Angel.” He groans before his lips attack mine. I can feel the desperation, the desire that he has for me, and it makes me need him even more.
***
“How is she doing?” I ask Parker over the phone, as I lie naked in Slade’s hotel bed. I couldn’t go another second without knowing what my little princess is up to.
“She’s fine,” he says through a mouthful of food.
“What are you doing?” I ask turning over onto my back and looking up at the ceiling while Slade brings our room service cart over to the bed.
“I took the little princess out for ice cream.”
I go to speak but hear a woman’s voice on the other end of the line. “Well, hello there. She is adorable.”
Parker chuckles “Thank you.”
“Is she yours?”
“Yes.” He sounds like a proud father but I know he’s just trying to use my child as chick bate.
I sit up quickly. “Parker…”
I hear Sadey giggle in the background, and I roll my eyes. I can’t have my child subjected to this.
“Okay. I’m back,” he says after a few seconds. “Damn, she’s better than Tate’s motorcycle,” he says excitedly, and I don’t even bother to ask what he’s talking about. I feel like I already know too much.
“Oh and I seem to have a problem.”
“Just one?” I mumble to myself.
“I have to go into work tonight, so I just wanted to let you know that I will buckle her car seat in the front seat next to me.”
“No.” My heart pounds in my chest at his statement. I need to get back now. “You can’t take her…”
“You’re right.” He pauses for a second. “Maybe I should put her in the back. Much safer back there.”
Where the criminals sit? “Parker…” My voice trembles with fear.
His laughter cuts me off. “I’m just fucking with you,” I growl. “You really don’t trust me much, huh?”
“Here.” I hand the phone over to Slade. “You talk to him,” I say placing my hand over my chest. I’m pretty sure he just gave me a heart attack.
I lay there with an arm over my face as Slade chuckles and talks to Parker about work stuff. I really feel like I made a bad decision. I shouldn’t have come here. I shoot up off the bed and start looking for my clothes. I can get back tonight. Sadey won’t have to spend the night with Parker.
“I gotta go. I’ll call you later,” I hear Slade say as I find my underwear on the floor. I go to put them on, but Slade grabs me and spins me around. “What are you doing?” he asks, snatching the panties of my hand.
“I’m going home. I’m sure I can catch a flight tonight.”
He shakes his head. “Relax, Angel. Sadey is fine.”
My mouth drops open. “He said…”
“I know what he said. He told me. He was just messing with you.” He smiles. “I trust Parker, babe.”
“With your daughter?” I ask in shock. “You didn’t earlier,” I remind him.
He smiles as he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “You trusted him this morning and now you don’t?”
“That’s because I wasn’t thinking. Clearly, you’re not thinking.”
He leans down, placing his lips to mine. “Know what I’m thinking?” His minty breath runs over my face, and I break out in goosebumps.
“What?” I ask breathlessly.
“I’m thinking…” He reaches down and grabs my thighs. He lifts me up and I squeal as I wrap my legs around his waist. “I’m ready for round two,” he says before his lips are on mine.
EPILOGUE
SLADE
Life isn’t perfect. It’s not supposed to be. How would we ever appreciate the good unless we experienced the bad? Angel and Sadey are my good. They will always be the things that I got right, no matter how many things I do wrong.
I can’t help the big smile on my face as I sit on Tate and Parker’s couch while Parker sits on the floor with Sadey and my wife. They laugh as Tate tells us how Missy had to show him how to change a diaper
while we were away.
“I had it figured out,” Parker says defensively.
“You had it on backwards,” Missy argues with him from the couch beside me.
“Hey. It was my first time to ever change one.” He leans down giving her little nose a kiss. “I was gonna Google it to make sure.”
Angel laughs as she places our daughter in her lap as she continues to sit on the floor. “Well, you need to learn anyway for when you have kids.”
Parker’s face turns white as a ghost. “Now, you know me better than that.”
“Parker can deny it all he wants, but you know he’ll be the one who ends up having five kids,” Tate adds laughing at his own statement.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” he says shaking his head quickly. He reaches over and picks up his fat cat off the floor. “Puss Puss is the closest thing I’ll ever have to a child.”
“Kitty,” Sadey says reaching out for Parker’s cat.
Parker’s eyes light up. He drops his cat and reaches over and picks Sadey from Angel’s arms. “Oh, my God. I taught her that. I kept saying it over and over last night.”
We all laugh. I don’t tell him that she’s been saying kitty for a while now. I’ll let him have this moment—because this is one of those moments that makes you feel like you could rule the world. Love and children have a way of doing that to you. And I can’t wait for my best friend to experience what I have. A love like that remains unchangeable.
A SNEAK PEEK FOR READERS INTO PARKER’S BOOK!
UNPREDICTABLE
BLURB-
My niche in life is being an asshole. It suits me. I’m that guy who jokes about love and how settling down is overrated. Why would a guy ever fall for one woman when you can have as many as you want? Makes no sense to me.
Unchangeable (Undescribable Book 4) Page 4
