by Kitty Parker
"I heard you," he said softly.
She pulled her eyes up to meet his. His dark eyes were filled with tender care over his admission. "You heard me?"she asked in disbelief.
"I don't think you could have screamed any louder, in fact, I'm sure most of the shanty town knew that Jerry had a gun," he joked.
Tessa sat still, her eyes squinted as she looked at the man before her. "If you heard me, why did you come in?"
Parker shifted in bed, inching himself closer to the edge. She saw the grimace on his face and stood, "Don't move!" she chided. Instead, she sat facing him on the bed, which transformed the look of pain he had only moments before into a bright smile.
"I came in because I knew you were in there with Jerry, who I heard had a gun. I came in because I thought I could distract him enough to keep you out of danger. I came in because I would jump in front of a bullet for you for the rest of my life. Tess, I came in because I love you."
Tears fell down her cheeks as she listened to Parker. In all of her life, only two people had loved her so deeply. Growing up, she had always known that either one of her parents would die in order to keep her safe. As the depression hit their family, she felt less and less certain that her father still remained as devoted as he once had been. Now, she was sitting beside a man who loved her with the same intensity as her mother once had. In fact, it was possible that Parker loved her even more.
"Do you believe me?" Parker asked, stretching his hand up to catch her tears.
All she could manage was a nod. She wanted to desperately to curl up in his arms, taking the place Emma had been in just minutes ago, but she held back. "Park, I came in last night while you were sleeping. It was much easier to tell you things while you were sleeping."
"Would you like me to close my eyes?" he teased.
"No," she laughed, feeling a bit more relaxed. "What I said last night was that I won't go back to the shanty town, and that I...well, I love you."
She watched Parker's face with caution, waiting to see the first expression that would brush across the features she had become so familiar with. Instead of a smile breaking on his face, or the shocked drop of his jaw, he remained still, stoic. It was the last reaction she imagined. Holding onto her skirts, she inched closer on the bed, searching his face for any kind of reaction. As he remained still she feared that she had read his feelings wrong, but then, hadn't he just told her he loved her?
"You don't have anything to say?" she finally asked.
Parker tilted his head to one side, keeping his eyes on her while he spoke slowly, "I don't want you to think I'm not excited at the prospect of you being in love with me. It's precisely the thing I've been dreaming of hearing since I discovered my own feelings for you. But I can't just accept it until I say something."
"Alright," Tessa said, not understanding what he would possibly have to say.
Parker straightened his position to lean toward her. "I know that when we spoke before about my feelings, that you were concerned about how life would be if we fell on hard times. I don't want you to feel like you owe me your feelings or your commitment because of what happened last night."
Tessa kept her eyes on Parker as she moved even closer to him. Paying close attention to his injured shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his good one. His arm came up and held her tightly. Without moving, she began with her answer. "I know it may seem like that's why I'm saying it now, but it isn't. I think I've been falling in love with you for quite some time now, but I didn't want to see it. When I saw you on that floor, I was so afraid. I didn't know where the bullet had hit you, I saw your blood soak your shirt and your face grow pale... I've only been that afraid one other time in my whole life."
"When your mother died?"
Tessa nodded her head against him and felt tears cling to her eyes. "Even then I didn't recognize my fear for what it meant, I had to focus on getting you here, getting you safe. When you were in your father's hands, I went to find your mother. I had to tell her what happened, I was so afraid she would be angry with me, after all, it was my fault you were there. But she wasn't, she just hugged me and told me everything would be okay. Then your father came out and announced that you were going to be fine. Your mom rushed to him, and I watched as he hugged her comforting her in a way that I hadn't been able to while we waited. At that moment, I realized how badly I wanted to be in your arms, and knew that only you would be able to comfort me the same way."
Parker squirmed beneath her and she pulled back to look at him. His eyes were full of love, and a hint of a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. She knew he believed her now, but she still had more to say. "I realized that being loved by you would be worth any hardship we have to face, as long as I could turn to you for comfort and support. I don't know why it took me so long to see it, but I finally have, I love you, Parker."
He didn't say a word, just moved his face closer to hers and captured her lips with his. She clung to his neck and pulled herself closer, deepening the kiss that she had secretly been wishing for. Being so close to him made her feel more wonderful than she had ever felt before, even before her mother died. Parker was her perfect fit, her yellow brick road, and the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Being treasured was more than she could have ever imagined, and she knew that Parker would never let her forget that she was worth more than anything the world had to offer.
Epilogue
"But what if I don't like school?" Emma pouted, looking adorable in her new jumper with its matching sweater. Her Mary Jane's sparkled and were completely intact. Tessa looked at her younger sister with pride, thankful that she was able to provide for Sadie, Lucas and Emma in a way she had only dreamed about two years ago.
"You'll be fine, love. Lucas will be there too and you'll be home before you know it!" Tessa said enthusiastically, a big smile on her face.
"But what if the baby comes today, Essa?"
Tessa laughed and pulled her sister against her tightly. It had become more and more difficult to give hugs, her abdomen expanding with every passing day, but she did her best. "He's not coming today; he's not supposed to come for a couple weeks now."
"But Mama had me early and that's how she died!" Emma exclaimed, tightening her grip.
It took quite a bit of effort, but Tessa crouched down in front of her sister, wanting to look deep into the eyes that reminded her so much of her mother. "Mama didn't have a doctor to help her, but I have Parker. When the baby comes I'll let you stay home for a day to help me take care of him. How does that sound?"
"Just me? Sadie and Luke will still go to school?"
"Just you."
"Alright," Emma decided, finally letting go. She stood, straightening her jumper and fixing a button on her sweater, then looked up an amused smile on her young face. "It's a boy today?"
Tessa laughed, remembering how much she had always loved hearing her mother's predictions each day. She always thought it was ridiculous, her mother changing her mind every day, but now being with child, she understood. Each day she had a different feeling about the baby snuggled inside her. If it kicked too ferociously she imagined it a boy, if it squirmed while she hummed a tune she believed a little girl to be dancing inside. It seemed that Emma enjoyed the predictions just as much as she once had. Tessa nodded and pulled Emma in for another quick hug.
"Now, I want you to pay attention and remember every detail because you're going to have to tell me all about it when you get home." Tessa smiled, brushing a few fingers through her sister's tightly curled hair. "And Aunt Julia and Uncle Keith will be over for dinner, and I hear Aunt Julia is bringing an apple pie just for you!'
"Alright, Essa." Emma agreed, using the nick name that managed to stick despite her ability to pronounce Tessa's name correctly.
"Now, let's go find Parker, he'll want to say goodbye too."
Emma smiled brightly at the mention of Tessa's husband and skipped down the hallway toward his office, where he usu
ally spent his mornings. Tessa followed her with a smile on her face, enjoying the love that her sister and husband shared. Two years ago she was terrified of the burden she might be putting on Parker by loving and marrying him and bringing her siblings into their new life. Now as she looked at him behind his desk with her sister snuggled on his lap, she realized how foolish she had been. She discovered this truth anew every day as she watched him with each member of her family.
He had become a confidant and friend to Luke and another shoulder for Sadie to cry on when her heart was broken by some foolish boy. And Emma treated him like her own father, enjoying his cuddles, attention and ability to read a bedtime story. Parker was whispering something to Emma as Tessa watched on, undoubtedly giving her advice for her first day of school. Emma listened intently, a serious expression on her face. When he was finished, she nodded fiercely and wrapped her hands around his neck, saying something to him while she held on.
Parker agreed to whatever she said, and stood, keeping her in his arms. Walking past Tessa, he wrapped his free arm around her waist and led the bunch out to the foyer where Sadie and Lucas were waiting, dressed in their newest school outfits. Parker deposited Emma on the ground, where she adjusted her jumper again. He kept his grip on Tessa, who rested her head comfortably on his shoulder.
"You two watch out for Emma, make sure you're all together on the way home," Parker instructed, getting nods in response from the two older children.
With one last nervous hug from Emma, the children left the house, leaving silence in their wake. Tessa, who was already feeling her youngest sister's absence, turned to her husband for comfort, "The house will be so quiet without her."
Parker reached down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Not for long," he smiled, placing a hand on her stomach with care. Tessa lifted herself up on her toes and pressed a kiss to Parker's lips, more thankful every day that she had married him almost two years ago.
Tessa thought of her new family; Parker and his parents and siblings had become such a foundation and blessing in her life. She knew that she could depend on them for anything, and more than that, she knew that she was not only treasured by her husband, but by his entire family as well. Life had certainly turned out differently than she had expected, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. God had brought her through the most difficult times in her life to the most wonderful man and family, only He could have known they were exactly what she needed.
