Tim ducked into an open wrought-iron gate that led to the city park. It was less crowded here, but there were still a few people milling around, including a woman who was trying to soothe a crying baby. Tim kept his gun low but still aimed at Zach.
“I’m sorry,” Zach immediately said to Parker. “When you called, you sounded so funny, so I thought I’d go to the house and check on you.”
Parker shook his head. “It’s all right. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Touching,” Tim snarled, and he looked at Bailey. “You’d actually give up yourself for his kid?” he asked, sounding confused.
Bailey already knew the answer so she didn’t have to give it any thought. “In a heartbeat. There’s no need to do this, Tim. I’ll go with you. I’ll do anything you want me to do. Just let him go. Keep the gun aimed at me, and we’ll walk away from here.”
Tim stared at her several long moments and then cursed. “You’re in love with McKenna.”
She was about to deny it, but Bailey was afraid the denial would stick in her throat. What a time to realize her true feelings, but she knew it was true.
She was indeed in love with Parker.
Bailey swallowed hard. “Let’s just go to the car. You and me. We leave them here, and they’ll stay because Parker doesn’t want his son in danger any more than I do.” She aimed a warning glance at Parker to make sure he understood.
But it didn’t stay a glance.
Their gazes connected. And held. She could see that this was ripping him to pieces. Parker was no doubt reliving every horrible moment of his wife and unborn child’s deaths. He was thinking déjà vu, and it was killing him.
“Stay here,” she insisted. “Get Zach to safety. I’ll be all right.”
But she had zero intentions of getting into a vehicle with Tim. No. Once he realized he couldn’t force her to love him, then he would kill her. But first, he would make her life a living hell.
That wasn’t going to happen.
When Parker had Zach safely away, she would attack Tim. She didn’t have his strength or training. She didn’t have a gun. But Bailey had something that Tim didn’t: the will to escape. Even if she died in that fight, it would be an easier way to go than what he had in mind for her.
“Goodbye,” she said first to Zach and then she repeated it to Parker. She narrowed her eyes, hoping he would do as she wanted. He didn’t give her confirmation of that, and she didn’t wait for one.
“Let’s go,” she told Tim.
She could see the debate in Tim’s eyes. Parker and Zach were also trying to figure a way out of this. But Tim finally nodded and moved toward her.
Bailey turned, but from the corner of her eye, she saw Parker move, too. Tim didn’t miss what was happening. He brought up his gun, to aim it at Zach.
“Get down!” Bailey yelled to Zach. But she was terrified that he wouldn’t be able to do that.
Bailey dove at Zach, throwing her entire weight against him. Everything suddenly seemed to happen in slow motion, even the sound of her voice as she continued to yell for Zach to move out of the way.
She plowed into Zach, knocking them both to the ground, but Bailey didn’t stay there. She whirled around so she could get up and go after Tim.
But she was too late.
Bailey could only watch as Tim aimed his gun. Not at Zach or Parker, thank God.
But at her.
Tim was going to shoot her.
He pulled the trigger. More slow motion. The swishing sound was drowned out by a blast thick and loud. So loud that it cut through the noise of the parade.
Someone screamed. Maybe it was her. Bailey couldn’t be sure.
Because the world closed in around her.
Chapter Seventeen
Parker hadn’t wanted to pull the trigger. Not in front of Bailey and his son.
But Tim gave him no choice.
When Tim took aim at Bailey, Parker had seen the look in his eyes. This was it. Tim wouldn’t back down. He was going to kill her.
So, Parker fired, praying that he got off his shot before Tim did.
And Parker didn’t miss.
The bullet slammed into Tim’s chest causing his body and his shooting arm to jerk back. Tim stood there for several long seconds, a frozen look on his face. Then, he crumpled to the ground in a dead heap.
“Oh, God,” he heard Bailey say.
Parker whipped his gaze in her direction, praying that neither Zach nor she had been hurt, but there were no signs of blood or injury. Thank God. Tim had gotten off a shot, Parker was sure of that, but he hoped it had gone into the ground or the fence.
He went closer, frantically looking, trying to make sure they were indeed all right. There wasn’t a drop of color in Bailey’s face. She was in front of Zach, her body between Tim’s and his. She reached back, latched onto Zach and pulled him against her shoulder so that he wouldn’t see the body.
Even now, she was still protecting his son.
“Are you okay?” Parker asked both of them.
Zach managed a nod.
“You’re alive,” Bailey mouthed. The tears sprang to her eyes, but Parker was pretty sure they were tears of relief. There was no time to tell her that he was relieved, too.
People began to shout. The shot he’d fired into Tim had no doubt drawn their attention. Someone was yelling for the sheriff. Good. The sooner Sheriff Hale arrived, the sooner they could move the body out of there. The parade would be ruined for anyone who saw or heard about the shooting, but it was far better than the alternative.
He could have lost Bailey and Zach.
“Could you get Zach out of here?” he asked Bailey and hoped she had the energy left to do that.
She gave him a shaky nod. She was shaking, too, but Bailey somehow got to her feet, and with Zach pressed against her, she led him out of the park and onto the other side of the fence.
Parker went closer to Tim to verify that he was dead. He didn’t need the verification, but he did it anyway. Old habits. He looked down at the man who had made Bailey’s life hell, and he cursed. What a waste. Murder and attempted murder, all in the name of love.
Parker knew what love was, and that wasn’t it.
“You okay?” Sheriff Hale shouted as he came tearing through the gate. He had his gun drawn, and he wasn’t alone. One of the deputies was right behind him.
“Yeah.” But he was sure he would see Tim in his nightmares. It had taken ten years off Parker’s life when Tim had pointed that gun at Bailey.
“He was going to kill her,” Parker explained. “Tim was the stalker.”
Sheriff Hale cursed and stared down at the body. “Didn’t see that one coming.”
No one had. Especially not Bailey, or she wouldn’t have let the man into the house. To Tim’s credit though, he’d been damn good at tricking them.
The deputy pulled out his phone and began to make the necessary calls.
“I’ll tell the governor,” Sheriff Hale said. He glanced around. “And I’ll close off this area so none of the kids see this.”
“Bring in Chester Herman, too,” Parker suggested. “Tim confessed to hiring him. He also paid a woman to make a bogus call from the hospital.” Though those were minor compared to what Tim had done.
“Will do,” the sheriff promised.
Someone came rushing through the gate. It was Deputy Bracken, Josh’s dad. He looked at the body and then at Parker. “I’m so sorry, Parker. Zach just told me what happened. I can’t believe Zach got out of my sight that way. One minute he was there, and the next minute, he wasn’t. Hell. He said Tim had a gun.”
“He did. But it’s all right,” Parker assured him. “Everyone is safe now.”
Deputy Bracken shook his head and cursed again. “Everyone except for Bailey.”
Everything inside Parker went still. “What do you mean?”
The deputy just stared at him as if Parker had lost his mind. “Didn’t you know?”
“Know what?” Parke
r latched onto the deputy’s shirt.
“Bailey’s on the way to the hospital,” the deputy told him. “She was shot.”
BAILEY WAS ABOUT TO LOSE IT.
“It’s a scratch,” she told the medic for the umpteenth time.
But he kept on dabbing at it with disinfectant that stung like fire. She was grateful that the wound wasn’t more serious—it easily could have been—but this kind of attention should be reserved for patients in critical condition and not someone with a bullet graze on her arm.
Bailey was about to move the medic aside and leave, but then she heard a familiar voice. It was Parker. And he was shouting her name.
She got off the examining table in the E.R. and hurried to the doorway. Parker was manhandling a medic and demanding to know where she was.
“I’m here,” she called out.
He snapped toward her, looked her over from head to toe. He was what her Granny Lockhart would have called a sight for sore eyes, and Bailey wondered if there would be a time when Parker could walk into a room and not take her breath away.
She hoped not.
Bailey smiled. A smile he didn’t return, and for a moment she had a horrible thought. “Is Zach okay?”
“He’s fine.” His hand was shaking when he motioned behind him, and she saw Zach, the sheriff and her mother.
They all came rushing toward her, but Parker got there first. He looked at her arm.
“It’s a scratch,” she stated.
He’d obviously expected something much worse because his breath swooshed out, and he pulled her to him. The hug was hard, long and very welcome.
“Deputy Bracken said you’d been shot,” Parker mumbled.
“Technically, I was. But it’s a scratch.”
“You were shot.” His voice was practically soundless. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t.” She pulled away from him so she could make eye contact with him.
The others—her mother, Zach and the sheriff—all came closer. So did the medic she’d left in the examining room. He came out and proceeded to put a bandage on her arm.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Zach asked.
“Positive.” She turned and showed him her arm just seconds before it was covered with the bandage which was little more than an adhesive strip. “Deputy Bracken overreacted. So did the nurse who was standing next to me when she saw the blood. She insisted I come to the hospital, and she and her husband practically shoved me into one of the emergency-response vehicles and drove me here.”
Her mother was crying, and Parker stepped back so that Lila could pull Bailey into her arms. “It’s okay, Mom. I promise.”
“But Tim…” Her voice broke.
“Is no longer a threat,” Bailey finished. “Thanks to Parker.”
“Told you Dad was like a superhero,” Zach said, adding a shrug while his hands were crammed into his jeans’ pockets.
Thank God he didn’t seem traumatized by the shooting, but he did move nearer to his dad. Parker slid his arm around the boy’s shoulders, and Zach leaned into him.
“You’re crying, Bailey,” her mother announced, and Lila got tears in her eyes, too.
“Because of them.” Bailey tipped her head to Parker and Zach. They were getting closer, and that would be good for both of them.
“Oh.” Lila looked at father and son and then at Bailey. She blinked. “You’re in love with Parker.”
Bailey huffed. Tim had said that very same thing. What, was she wearing her heart on her sleeve or something?
She glanced at the others and saw they were all looking at her as if waiting for an answer.
Especially Parker.
Bailey considered putting this off, until Parker and she were alone, but what the heck? Apparently, everyone knew anyway.
“Yes,” she admitted to her mother. “I’m in love with him.”
Lila squealed with delight, but Bailey ignored her and focused on Parker and Zach. It was their opinions that counted most, and she hoped she hadn’t put Parker in an embarrassing place with her confession.
What had she done?
Parker wasn’t moving, wasn’t reacting. He was just staring at her.
She was ready to panic when she saw Zach smile. “Cool,” he mumbled. “When your arm gets better, maybe we can shoot some hoops.”
“Absolutely,” she managed to say distractedly. “I’d love that.” Zach had said the perfect thing to make her feel better. But Bailey was still holding her breath and waiting for Parker.
He finally stepped closer, and he looked at the others. “Uh, could you give Bailey and me a minute alone?”
Oh, God. He was going to dump her.
But then, Parker shook his head. “Wait,” he told them. He looked at Zach. “This might work better if all of you are around.”
Now, Parker looked at her, and the corner of his mouth lifted in that half smile that drove her crazy and made her hot all over. “She’s in love with me,” he said over his shoulder to all of them.
“Yes. I am.” Bailey held her breath and waited.
“Good. Because I’m in love with you, too….”
He continued to talk, but Bailey didn’t hear a word of anything else. She only heard I’m in love with you, too, and that caused her to jump into his arms. She kissed him, pulled back and smiled so Parker could see how happy she was, and then kissed him again.
“You’re not just saying that, right?” she clarified.
“I’m saying it because it’s true.” And he whispered it in her ear. “I love you, Bailey.”
“Uh, I should probably go,” the sheriff said. “Got things to do. Zach, um, you want me to drop you off at Josh Bracken’s house?”
There was an implied to give these lovebirds some time alone at the end of that question.
“I’ll take him,” Lila volunteered. “I have my limo outside, and the driver is one of Bart’s men.”
“A limo?” Zach questioned, clearly impressed. “Can I go with her, Dad?”
“Sure.” Parker nodded not once but twice. “But I want you to be the first to know that I’m about to ask Bailey to marry me.”
Oh, mercy. That took her breath away again, and Bailey might have done something as stupid as a swoon if Parker hadn’t caught onto her.
“Really?” Zach asked at the moment Lila said, “Ohhhhh.”
Sheriff Hale mumbled something about this being way too personal for outsiders, and he hurried away. So did the medic who’d been waiting behind her.
“Really,” Parker promised.
“Does that mean she’ll, like, get to move in with us?” Zach asked.
“I hope so,” Bailey mumbled. “Because when your dad asks me to marry him, I intend to say yes.”
Parker made a sound of relief and kissed her until it wasn’t relief she was feeling.
Zach grinned and issued another, “Cool. She’s going to say yes.”
Lila repeated the “cool” and slipped her arm around Zach’s shoulder. “Come on. On the way to Josh’s, we’ll stop at one of the parade booths for ice cream. Maybe some cotton candy, too.”
“Don’t overdo it, Mom,” Bailey told her.
Lila dismissed that with the wave of her perfectly manicured hand. “I’ve waited years for a grandchild, and I finally have one. I think a little overdoing is exactly how Zach and I will celebrate your engagement.”
Zach started to walk away with Bailey’s mother, but then he stopped and rushed back to hug first Bailey and then his dad. It was brief. But perfect. It only added to the already perfect moment in the making.
As soon as Zach stepped away, Parker pulled her back into his arms. “You meant that, right? You’re really going to say yes?”
“Absolutely.” It was strange, everything suddenly seemed crystal clear. Bailey knew exactly what she wanted, and what she wanted was standing directly in front of her. “I love you, Parker.”
“Good.” He nodded, smiled. Kissed her. And he dropped down on o
ne knee. “So, here’s the official proposal. Bailey Lockhart, will you marry me?”
She dropped to her knees as well and gave him her answer while her mouth was still touching his. “In a heartbeat.”
The next kiss was considerably longer, and the nurse who passed by them cleared her throat. “You can probably find a spare room down the hall,” she mumbled.
“I have a better idea,” Parker whispered to Bailey. He touched his finger to her bandaged arm. “Let me take you home. Then, I can very gently strip off all your clothes and very gently make love to you.”
Now, it was perfect.
This was the way she wanted to remember this Fourth of July. Not Tim. Not any of the bad things he’d done. She wanted all future memories to be of Zach’s smile when he’d heard she was going to be his stepmom. She wanted the memories of Parker making love to her. Of his sizzling half smile. Of the way he was looking at her now. Bailey wanted it all, and she reached out and took it.
“Come on,” Parker drawled. He got to his feet and scooped her up in his arms. “It’s time to go home.”
Epilogue
A wedding.
Lila couldn’t stop smiling. She had waited for this for nearly a decade, and now it was happening. Bailey was getting married, and there was a wedding to plan.
A future to plan, too.
Now that Bailey and she no longer had someone threatening them, Lila could concentrate first on the wedding and then on her decision about whether or not to run for president.
There were things that had to be worked out for both.
She sat at her desk and began to thumb through the bridal magazines that her assistant had just brought in with the mail. The mail could wait, for a few minutes anyway, but Lila wanted to get a peek at the magazines.
Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw the first picture of a model in a ballerina-style wedding dress. It was probably too froufrou for Bailey, but Lila was sure she could talk her into some lacy and traditional.
Bailey was going to be such a beautiful bride.
Thankfully, neither Parker nor Bailey wanted to wait. With Zach’s complete approval, they would be married the end of the month. That didn’t give Lila much time, but she was so pleased to see Bailey this happy that she didn’t care. Besides, she could hire an entire team to put together the perfect ceremony. The trick would be to pull it all off without making it a media circus.
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