Billionaires Runaway Bride

by Claire Adams

  I called Tony and the phone went right to voicemail. He was either avoiding me, too, or had his phone off. I decided it was the latter.

  Defeated, I went home. I’d try Sienna and Tony again later, then tomorrow, then I’d have to go in there on Monday to see her. My news couldn’t wait, but it was obvious they didn’t want to be disturbed.

  I didn’t have the energy to undress, so I grabbed a beer from the fridge and plopped down on the couch. The remote was a foot away from me, but I didn't bother turning on the television. I deserved to feel like shit for a little while longer. I had earned it.

  I wallowed for a little while before my phone rang. I snatched it from my pocket.

  I let out a breath when I realized it wasn’t Sienna. There was no reason for her to call, but I had some hope.

  “Hello?” I said into the phone.

  “Parker Liston, this is Gary Ingram from Supported Technologies. How are you?”

  I sat up straighter and turned on my business tone. “Yes, good afternoon, Gary.”

  “I was wondering if you had a chance to review the paperwork I sent over.”

  I scratched my chin. I had, but I didn’t want him to think I was too eager. The deal was very good, but I still had to play this like a professional. If I was going to sell my prized company, it had to be to the right person who knew her worth. “Not yet. I was planning to this weekend.”

  “Good, good,” Gary said. “Well, I wanted to inform you that we are prepared to sweeten the deal. We’ve seen the stocks in the company rise and we’re eager to sign the contract. But this is a limited time offer. For the entire thing. We don’t want to waste your time if you’re not interested.”

  I was very interested. I had some new plans for my future and I wanted to sell the company so I would have the time to pursue them.

  “I understand. How limited?”

  “Not to be forward, but I’d like to schedule a meeting on Monday. My associates and I can fly down there once you give the word.”

  I paused for a moment for effect. “Yes, I would be interested in that.”

  “Great,” Gary said. I could hear him smiling over the line. “I’ll send you the details via email.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Parker, we’re so anxious and excited to meet you.”

  “Thank you.”

  We closed the conversation with pleasantries and then I hung up. I tossed the phone onto the couch, and for the first time in days, I smiled.

  With a little patience, everything would be in place soon. All I needed was Sienna by my side.

  I got up from the couch, needing to take my tux off and put this disastrous wedding behind me.

  I went into my bedroom and unclipped the flower from my lapel. For some reason, I didn’t want to throw it away. It had been a part of Rachel’s special day, but I thought of its other half. I imagined it with the corsage I’d left at the venue. The two matching flowers, sitting side by side. Together. As they should have been all along.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sienna

  My alarm woke me bright and early Monday morning. Normally I would have hit the snooze button at least once, but I was ready to get back to work. Our time away from home was short, but also very restful for my mind and spirit. I didn’t expect any communication with Parker, but when I got home the night before I saw I had a missed call from Saturday afternoon. I wondered what he wanted. By then he would have married Rachel. Maybe he figured out she was a gold-digger too late and called to apologize after he found out she did cheat on him.

  I highly doubted that’s what happened. He probably misdialed me since he didn’t leave a message or a text. Besides, I was over all of this. That’s what the weekend away was for. Moving on. And that’s what I intended to do.

  When I got to the diner, Tony was sitting on the back steps, as usual, waiting for me.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he said.

  “Sunshine?”

  “I could see the light from your smile a mile away.”

  I forced a frown.

  “Aw, don’t be like that. It was a compliment.”

  I laughed. “You’re right. I feel good. I’m happy. Everything is different, and I’m okay with that.”

  “I should take you away more often.”

  “I would like that, but we might have to hire someone to watch Sunny’s or else I’d lose my business.”

  “I’m going to get a lottery ticket today and play some big numbers. I’d take a cut in my paycheck to see you happy.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  “Sweet as pie,” he said. “Come on, let’s get back to work.”

  For some reason, every time the bell tinkled when the front door opened, my whole body tensed. Each time I expected to see Parker walk through that door. Then I’d had to remind myself that he was married to Rachel, and they were off somewhere on a honeymoon, probably getting very acquainted with each other. Of course, then I would feel nauseous, and the whole process would repeat the next time someone came into the diner.

  When I saw Harriet come through the door, my mood immediately lifted. The other customers were all taken care of, so I went out there to greet her.

  “Good morning, Harriet,” I said.

  She took my hands and gave me a small smile.

  I glanced over her shoulder. “Is Kenneth parking the car?”

  “Could you get me some coffee, please?” she asked.

  I tilted my head to the side, inspecting her face. Her eyes were bloodshot.

  I threw a glance at Tony who was still in the kitchen. His eyebrows drew together.

  I went over to the serving station, and Tony came up beside me. “What’s up?”

  “Something is wrong with Harriet.”

  I brought over the mug of coffee and Tony and I sat on the other side of the booth. “What happened?” I asked, my throat thick.

  Harriet took a long sip of her coffee then placed it down. Her red eyes flicked up to us. “Kenneth passed away on Saturday.”

  I clamped a hand over my mouth, choking back a sob. “Oh my god. Harriet, I’m so sorry.”

  She sniffed and nodded.

  Tony reached across the table and took her hand. “Kenneth was a good man.”

  “He was,” she said.

  I felt like such an ass. I wondered if she’d tried to come here and tell us the bad news this weekend. She didn’t have family in the area, and she never really talked about her friends. She’d said many times that Tony and I were her family. And we had been gallivanting on the beach when she needed us the most.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  Harriet sighed. “As you know, he’s been sick for some time. But he had a heart attack early Saturday morning. The doctor said it was painless for him, so I suppose that’s one positive out of the whole thing.”

  A family of four came into the diner and Tony and I both turned around.

  “I got them,” Tony said, slipping out of the booth. “I’ll be back soon. Do you want anything to eat, Harriet?”

  “No, thank you,” she said.

  It broke my heart that she couldn’t even eat. “What can I do for you?”

  “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to come here. Yesterday I had to do all the arrangements and I wanted to find a place to reminisce about him without looking at another coffin. And being home is too painful. I’m stuck there enough already.”

  “When is the funeral?” I asked.

  “It’s at three today,” she said. “I’m actually quite afraid that no one will show up. We’re so old, we’ve already lost a lot of our friends. And all I have left is my sister, but she’s in a nursing home up north with dementia.”

  “Harriet,” I said firmly. “Tony and I will be there for you.”

  “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad,” she said. “I only wanted to let you know. I’ll understand if it’s a bad time.”

  I took her hand and squeezed it. “You’re a part of our family. We’re goin
g to be right up there with you.”

  Harriet’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Sienna.”

  “I’m going to close the diner after these customers—”

  “You don’t—”

  “Hush, Harriet,” I said with a small smile. “You’re not going to change my mind. We’re going to close up and come with you to do whatever you need to before the funeral.”

  “I did want to pick up some flowers,” she said.

  “And I know a really good florist,” I said.

  I slid out of the booth and headed for the kitchen. Her loss had brought mine into perspective. I hid from my best friend and the man that I loved all weekend while Harriet dealt with the loss of her best friend.

  Once I was in there, I pressed my back against the wall and shed a few tears for Kenneth. I was sure to be full of waterworks for the funeral, but the shock was just catching up to me. He’d been chronically ill, but they always managed to come into the diner like clockwork.

  This whole situation was like a slap in the face. Life was short. What the hell was I doing by being so pissed at Parker?

  Tony handed me a napkin and I dabbed at my cheeks. I didn’t want Harriet to see me this way. I had to be strong for her.

  I opened the office supplies drawer and ripped a piece of paper from the notebook inside. I scribbled down a note for any other customers that would come by today.

  Family emergency. The diner is closed until tomorrow.

  “We’re closing after these customers, okay?” I told Tony.

  “No problem. I’ll start grabbing their plates as soon as the last bite is eaten,” he said.

  I smirked and shook my head. I grabbed a piece of tape and left the kitchen.

  Once we were officially closed, Tony and I went home and changed into appropriate funeral attire. Then we convened at my house and went together to pick up the flowers that Harriet requested. We also ordered a grave blanket to be delivered to the site after the burial. Harriet told us she wanted to do the part at the cemetery alone and I totally understood. But I wanted her to know that even when she was standing alone, she wasn’t. Tony and I would be there with her in spirit.

  Harriet planned a small service at the funeral home. We arrived there around two-thirty. Harriet was in the main space alone with the pastor and Kenneth’s coffin.

  I took Tony’s hand. “This isn’t real.”

  He squeezed back. “Just take a deep breath.”

  I did as he said and we walked into the room together.

  We sat with Harriet in the front row. The funeral home had only set up two rows of chairs, probably with a request from Harriet since she knew not to expect a large turnout.

  “How are you holding up?” I asked.

  “Better now,” she said, looking from me to Tony.

  We sat together reminiscing about all the good times we had with Kenneth at the diner. And Harriet even added a few other memories that we hadn’t heard before about their younger days.

  I couldn’t help but feel the striking resemblance to the friendship that Parker and I had. Even though I didn’t know the couple well outside of their older years, her stories of the adventures they had together sounded remarkably similar to how Parker and I were when we were together.

  The pastor started the service at three on the dot.

  “I’d like to welcome you all here today to celebrate the life of Kenneth Lamonte—”

  He stopped speaking, and his attention moved to the door.

  We turned around and saw Parker standing at the back of the room.

  My mouth fell open. How the hell did he know about the funeral? I threw a look at Tony and he shrugged and shook his head. I didn’t want to turn around again, but I didn’t have to. Parker sat in the chair next to me and leaned over.

  “Harriet, so sorry I’m late.”

  “It’s no problem, dear, I’m glad to see you.” She then indicated for the pastor to continue with his speech.

  My shoulders were nearly at my ears and it took all of me not to look at Parker.

  But as the pastor spoke about Kenneth’s life, my mind drifted away from Parker and returned to the reason we were there.

  I glanced at Harriet, who was holding herself together so well. I wished I could be as strong as she was. Though I wondered how much of that was inherent and how much simply came from living through as many years as she had. She’d had a loving husband for forty years; that was bound to make someone a fucking superhero.

  I took her hand and she patted the top of mine with her free hand. We sat like that for the remainder of the service.

  After finishing up with the final prayer, the pastor ended the service. We all stood up, and I knew it was time to face Parker.

  “Thank you so much for coming, Parker,” Harriet said, shaking his hand in both of hers.

  “In the short time I knew him, Kenneth really put his mark on me. I was glad to know him,” Parker said.

  Then the pastor pulled her aside. “Excuse me; I’ll be right back.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He noticed and said, “I saw the sign at the diner. Then I did some research.”

  “I thought you’d be on your honeymoon,” I said.

  His jaw clenched. “That’s what I wanted to tell you—”

  “If we weren’t at a funeral, I’d kick your ass,” Tony interjected in a quiet and threatening voice.

  Then Harriet came back over and Tony turned off his protective big brother routine.

  “It means so much that you all came here for Kenneth. He was fond of all of you.”

  “We were fond of him, as well,” I said.

  Harriet looked at Parker and me. “I know I’m just an old sentimental woman, but I want to tell you something that I’ve learned over the years.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “In all the people I’ve met and couples I’ve witnessed get married, I rarely see the love that you two share. It doesn’t come around but once in a lifetime, and you should hold onto that.”

  “He’s marr—” I started, but Parker interrupted me by saying, “That’s what I wanted to talk to Sienna about.”

  His eyes met mine, and I found it hard to breathe.

  “Well, don’t let me disturb you,” Harriet said and walked away. She stopped in front of the casket and put her hand on the top.

  Tony gave me a look that said, “You got this?”

  I nodded and he stepped away, going to Harriet’s side in front of the casket.

  I turned to Parker, silently asking him to explain himself.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Parker

  “Can we talk somewhere a little more private?” I asked her.

  Sienna licked her lips. “Sure.”

  I took her hand and she stiffened. I ignored her reaction. For all she knew, I was married. And throughout our friendship, we had never been the touchy-feely type. But I wanted nothing more than to touch more than just her hand.

  I found a little alcove off the main hallway and pulled Sienna inside with me. I positioned myself in front of the entrance. I wasn’t forcing myself on her, but I needed her to listen and not run like she always did.

  “I couldn’t marry Rachel,” I said, getting it all out on the table.

  “What?” she asked, shaking her head.

  I barked out a hysterical laugh. “You were right.” It felt good to see the smile on Sienna’s face again. I knew I had a lot of work to do to get her back to the place she was in when she confessed her love for me, but this was a good start.

  She crossed her arms. “You need to explain a lot more than that.”

  “I should have believed you when you told me about that guy on her vacation. Like a dumbass, I waited until our wedding day to ask her. Your voice was in the back of my mind for two days. And when I finally did, she never gave me a straight answer.”

  “Parker,” she said. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”

  “I know. And
that’s the thing. I’m not hurt. At all, really. I feel a little foolish, but I actually feel free without her.”

  “Good for you,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.

  I really wasn’t explaining myself well enough. “I only feel this way because of you, Sienna. I spent so many years thinking that me and you could never be together. Whether it was because I didn’t want to risk our friendship or I was afraid of taking that leap of faith. But in the back of my mind, it was always you that I imagined spending the rest of my life with. And you brought that part of me out when you told me how you felt. With your honesty, I could express my own. And when Rachel started walking down the aisle toward me, all I saw was you in that white dress, and I was complete. I’m so sorry for waiting this long to tell you. Let me try and make this up to you. I want to take you to dinner tonight, on a proper date, and spend the rest of tonight and the rest of my life making up for the mistakes I’ve made.”

  Her sparkling eyes danced across my face. “Okay.”

  I took her hand and brought it up to my lips. I brushed her knuckles over my mouth. There was a lightness in my limbs that I hadn’t felt before. I held onto her hand and we went back into the hallway.

  She didn’t say much as we reentered the small room where Kenneth’s service had taken place.

  Sienna didn’t let go of my hand the entire time we said goodbye to Harriet and Tony. Harriet beamed at us with bleary eyes. “Thank you so much for being here for Kenneth.”

  I caught Tony giving Sienna a look after seeing our entwined hands, but he said nothing about it in front of Harriet. At that moment, it was about Kenneth, not our fledgling relationship.

  “We’ll see you this week at the diner?” Sienna asked Harriet.

  “Yes,” Harriet said.

  Sienna kissed the older woman’s cheek, and she, Tony, and I left the room. Harriet was on her way to the cemetery next, and I had a date to get ready for.

  “So, I’m assuming you two worked out your problems?” Tony asked, indicating our hands when we exited the building.

  Sienna looked up at me. “We’re working them out.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t a fool. I knew she wouldn’t forgive me that easily. I had to work for it. And I intended to.