He had a point.
I just needed Parker. I needed his strong arms around me. I needed him to tell me that everything was okay, that we would get through this, that Randy wasn’t a real threat.
Instead we were both in danger.
“I think it’s time for you to tell me what’s really going on, Gideon.”
“I disagree. And you know I hate it when you call me Gideon.”
“Can Parker and I come for dinner when he gets back? Maybe you can fill us in on some stuff?”
“I need to talk to Parker about some things anyway. Yes to dinner, maybe on the filling you in part.”
I sighed in frustration.
“I love you, CC.”
“You too. Even though you’re awful.”
I managed to elicit a tiny chuckle from my dad before he hung up.
eleven
The days separating me from Parker seemed interminable. I more than missed him. You miss a television show when it’s between seasons or you miss baseball in December. I ached for him. I longed for him.
And it wasn’t just his strong arms protecting me from whatever threat was lurking in the shadows. It was everything about him—the way he talked to me, the way he understood me, the way he loved me.
I already knew that what we had together was unconditional. It had changed once we’d been forced together for a month during the tour. At first, the idea of being forced together with him made me miserable. But once I got past the betrayal and the lies and realized that he had his reasons for what he did, I had a hard time functioning without him.
I was working, this time on registers. The store was fairly busy since we had a local singer coming in for a signing later that evening, but I’d requested the early shift because I knew Parker was coming home that night. I wondered why Barry had never thought to set up a stage for short performances. Even one or two songs would easily gain us two or three times the number of customers.
My mind flashed to Damien as I rang up someone purchasing a Nirvana t-shirt and CD. He’d loved Nirvana, and I always thought of him when I passed our merchandise sporting their name.
And just as quickly as thoughts of Damien entered my mind, they disappeared when the bells above the door jingled and Parker James walked into my store.
My heart jumped into my throat as I stared at him from my spot behind the register. I watched him look around the store, and then his eyes found mine.
And I felt like I was home again.
I always felt like I was at home when I was in the store, but having Parker there was different. Intense.
Perfect.
His face lit up as a grin spread across his lips, and I forgot the customer I was waiting on as I ran from behind the register to meet him in the middle of the store. He grabbed me into his arms and held me tightly for a moment, whispering into my hair. “I love you so much, Jimi. I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”
I felt tears in my eyes, and I wasn’t even sure why. This was all so cliché, like some big reunion in a movie. I felt eyes on us, but for some reason, I just didn’t care. Privacy had always been a priority, but in that moment, Parker was my only priority.
He pulled back from our embrace and his lips pressed to mine. My entire world shifted to the way it was supposed to be. The ache I’d repressed for two weeks was gone the moment my eyes had met his from across the store.
He broke away from our kiss, his eyes burning into mine. It was one of those moments where our unspoken conversation was louder than any words could ever be. In his eyes I could see the love he had for me and the same pain I’d endured. He saw the same emotions mirrored back at him.
“What time do you get off?” he finally asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.
“Six.”
“I’ll meet you at your place at six-thirty. Okay?”
I nodded. It was less than an hour until six, but I knew it would be the longest hour of my life.
I needed Parker back in my space.
I remembered a time when I had just met him, when I hadn’t been ready to share my address and my home with him. And now home felt empty without him there to share it.
While we’d grown close over our time on the road together, nothing compared to settling into the routines of our daily lives. I knew his routine would never be normal because of his career, but it was the principle of it.
I was certain our reunion would start with the two of us in bed. We’d always been magical together, and while sex certainly wasn’t the only base of our relationship, it seemed to set everything right between us. It drew us closer in intimacy, but it also managed to bond us emotionally. I needed it, and I could tell from the way he pressed his body to mine that he needed it, too.
But after that, I had an awful lot to discuss with him.
For starters, I needed to tell him about the bankruptcy. I wanted to figure out how to save Vintage and subsequently how the hell to run it.
I wanted him to know about the threat we’d received. I’d held off on telling him because he was on the road. I didn’t want him to worry, and I knew he had the guys from his band surrounding him. My dad informed me that George had put a security guard on Flashing Light during the tour, and he remained with them for their extra performances.
I wanted to ask Parker to move in with me. It wasn’t a stretch, really, considering my dad wanted him watching me as often as he could. It just made sense.
And, perhaps most frightening of all, I had to talk to Parker about marriage. I wanted to marry Parker for real, and I wanted more than anything for him to know that.
I just had no idea how to even start that terrifying conversation.
“Oh shit,” I said, glancing toward the register. “I have a customer.”
Parker chuckled and grabbed my hand, leading me to the register to finish the transaction. “I haven’t been home yet,” he said after the Nirvana man went on his way.
“You came here first?”
“Of course.”
I wasn’t sure why I was surprised by that, but I was.
“I needed you in my arms. I’ve been stupid worried about you for the past two weeks after protecting you for the last month.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “Well I’ve been stupid worried about you, too, Parker.”
He leaned in for another kiss just as Tim walked up to the register. “You’re on the clock, Roxy,” he reminded me.
“I’ll go,” Parker said. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tim’s not going to do anything.”
Tim raised an eyebrow in my direction, grabbed a binder from behind the register, and headed back to the floor of the store, pulling down a pencil that had been perched behind his ear.
Parker kissed me once more and then headed toward the exit. My heart dropped when he disappeared through the doors. I missed him already. Again.
My shift went faster than expected as I prepped for the signing. Tim asked me to stay late, but I had a pressing appointment ahead of me, so I declined.
I raced home, making it in record time. I had ten minutes before Parker was set to arrive, so I changed out of my t-shirt and jeans and into a dress that made me feel pretty. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair. I touched up my make-up, and then I put in my favorite earrings: simple one carat diamonds that my dad had given me for my sixteenth birthday.
I wanted to make an effort for Parker, even though I had very limited time in which to do so.
I heard a knock at my door and my heart raced into overdrive. I wasn’t sure why I felt as nervous as I did; it had only been two weeks that we’d been apart, but I felt like a giddy girl going on her first date with the boy she had a crush on.
I had a lot that I wanted to say to him. Words that had gone unsaid in those two weeks apart needed to be said that night.
I checked my reflection once more in the mirror, drew in a shaky breath, and headed toward my front door.
There was no way I could have expected what was behind that door.
I opened it and first spotted the flowers Parker held in his hands. There had to be two dozen white roses.