Chapter 31
PARKER
“I’m getting married.”
It wasn’t at all what I expected my father to say.
He’d texted earlier asking me to call him as soon as I got a minute.
Stepping away from the construction area, I called right away.
After Delaney’s mother had contacted her at lunch the other day saying they’d discovered her father had high blood sugar when he went for his pre-surgery checkup, I wasn’t taking any chances.
So no health crisis, but still concerning since my father didn’t actually have a girlfriend.
“To who?”
It was a logical question, but the fact that I had to ask it was insane.
“Her name is Renee. Do you remember the woman I met in Cedar Falls?”
I resisted saying, “That would be hard to forget after I picked up your prescription for you.” Delaney and I still got a good laugh out of that one.
“Yes,” I said instead. “I do.”
“We’re going to Vegas this weekend. I know it sounds crazy, but she’s the one. I’m sorry you won’t get to meet her before the wedding, but at my age, you just can’t dick around with these things.”
There was so much to unpack, I didn’t know where to start.
“Is she from Cedar Falls?” If nothing else, I could meet the woman before she jetted off to Vegas with my father. I hated to say it out loud to him, but Dad’s business did extremely well, and this smelled suspiciously like a money grab to me.
“No, she was just passing through. She’s from Geneva. And before you ask, because your brothers already grilled me, she’s widowed and very financially independent as a loan officer. We’ll have a prenup so no concerns there.”
One piece of good news, I guessed.
I could have said, “Are you seriously marrying a woman you’ve known for a few weeks?” Or something like, “How do you know she’s the one and you won’t cheat on her left and right like you did with Mom?”
But trying to get through to my father was like talking to a brick wall. Been there, done that. It would end in an argument, and he’d be jetting off to Vegas either way. So there wasn’t much point in giving an opinion he hadn’t asked for.
“Congratulations, Dad,” I said instead. “Have you told Mom?”
“I did last night.” He paused. “Parker, I know I’ve been shitty to her. And to you guys, setting a poor example of a husband. But I’ve learned my lesson. And you’ll like her. Maybe you can come home to meet her soon?”
His voice was so full of hope, there was no other response except, “Sure, Dad. We’ll figure something out.” Maybe I would take Delaney home to meet the family.
“Great. Thank you for being so supportive. I appreciate it. So what’s new with you? How’s Mason doing?”
“He still has some bad days, but mostly is doing good. Having Pia helps.”
“I bet. And you?”
I could talk about Delaney, but something held me back. It had been years since I’d introduced a woman to my parents. I never wanted to get my mother’s hopes up. She wanted desperately for us to get married.
Something my dad had said just hit me. “Did you say Renee is a loan officer?”
“I did. Why,” he teased, “do you need a loan?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” I almost said “maybe” but thought of my advice to Delaney.
If I was pushing her into fulfilling a dream, I could at least put my money where my mouth was.
I probably knew the first day of the workshop, talking to some of the other guys in the business who agreed log cabin construction would be viable in my area, that I’d be doing this.
It was, as Mason said, “go time.”
“I’m starting my own business,” I said. “Log cabin home construction.”
Letting that sit, wishing I didn’t still care so much about my father’s opinion, despite everything, I waited for his response.
Silence.
And then, “She’d tell you that you need a business plan and financial projections.”
“Already working on it.”
“Are there any others nearby Cedar Falls?”
I wasn’t talking to my father anymore but a lifelong businessman. And a good one at that.
“No. The closest one is over two hundred miles away. We stayed in a place a few weeks ago at Crystal Peak, a colleague of Cole’s. I talked to the owner, and he said it cost him a pretty penny to bring in the builder from outside Syracuse.”
“Have you compared the average build cost to incomes in the area?”
“Yes,” I said, telling him what I already knew. It would be a viable business. The only one of its kind in all of the Finger Lakes. It was just a matter of securing a loan, finding guys and getting our first gig. “My biggest concern is finding the right team.”
He agreed that would be a challenge, but “not one you can’t overcome.” We talked a few more minutes until he said, “Parker. I think you’ve got a winner on your hands.”
We disagreed about a lot. And I’d never fully forgiven him for hurting my mom the way he had. But being honest, I said, “Thank you. That means a lot.”
And it did.
This wasn’t the way I’d planned to tell him. And I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the whole shotgun wedding thing, but all in all, it was one of the better talks I’d had with him in a long time.
When we hung up, I stood there for a few more minutes.
My dad was getting remarried.
I was starting my own business.
Holy shit. This was really happening.
I needed to talk to Delaney.