Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
MADDIE
I wasn’t meant to spill my sordid life story, but it happened anyway. Parker has this ability to draw words out of me without even trying. The fact he hasn’t tried offering his apologies is comforting. I never know what to say. “It’s not your fault,” always seems to be the default.
“Sorry for the info dump.” I chuckle humorlessly, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
“If I didn’t want to get to know you, sweetheart, I wouldn’t have asked. I’m glad you told me, though,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
I snuggle further into his embrace. For knowing someone for such a short amount of time, everything is as easy as breathing air with him.
Is this how it’s meant to be? When you’re with the right person?
“So you grew up shielding yourself from people?” he asks, no judgment to his tone, just curiosity.
“Basically, yeah. I’ve been doing it for so long now, I don’t know any other way of living, but I… ”
But what? I want to change because of him? Because of Amelia? Because of the kindness they’ve shown me? Because they’ve both barreled into my life, and I’m not sure I like the thought of them leaving it?
“Well, if you’re up for it, I’d love to show you that there’s more to life than being a grump. Though I kinda find it a turn on.”
I slap his chest, laughing. “Stop it.”
“What?” he exclaims, rubbing his chest where I hit him. “It’s true. There’s something sexy about a woman with a grumpy exterior.”
“You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
He squeezes me closer. “Yup, but you like me for it anyway.”
“Yeah… I kinda do.” I bite my lip with my admission.
We sit in silence for a while, watching the world go by. A few teenagers try their luck on the ice, and they definitely do better than I did, but it’s the two elderly people walking hand in hand that make my heart pinch in my chest.
I want that. I want the hand holding with someone when I’m old and gray. I want to wake up with the same person every day, knowing that they love me as much as I love them. And I think I want that with Parker.
He eventually picks up the cups and takes them to the trash before coming back and holding a hand out to me. I take it willingly, standing up to snuggle back into his side.
“How did you end up knowing how to run a bookstore?” he asks as we start wandering back to town.
“I took online classes. Once I decided I wanted to keep the shop, I knew I needed to do something quickly. I barely scraped by at school, so I needed to bring myself up to speed.”
“That’s incredible, Maddie,” Parker says, his tone filled with awe. “ You’re incredible.”
My cheeks flare again at his praise. I swear that’s all I seem to do around him, but I can’t deny the way my body heats at his words.
“Thank you,” I mumble. “I did what I had to do.”
He stops, turning toward me. “No, you didn’t, sweetheart. You could have just fumbled along, blamed any failures on other people, or just given up, but you didn’t. You kept going. It’s a trait to be admired.”
I gaze up at him, his tall physique towering over my petite one, wondering where the hell this man came from and what I did to deserve him.
“Tha-that means a lot,” I choke out. Compliments of any kind take a while to get used to. My first instant reaction is always to laugh it off, ignore it, but something tells me Parker won’t like that.
We continue walking, the streets quiet now that it’s late at night. We pass the tall Christmas tree lit up in all its glory, the snow coating it in a soft sheen of white.
“What are you doing this weekend?” he asks, breaking the silence.
“Erm, I’m working Saturday but taking Sunday off. Why?”
“I want to take you somewhere.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of this?” I ask, a smirk tugging at my lips.
“You’ll love it,” he promises.
“Hmm, we’ll see about that.”
Parker side eyes me. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” There’s no hesitation, no debating the question. It’s an automatic yes, because I do trust him .
“Then you’ll have to wait until Saturday evening.” He winks.
“Come on, that’s not fair! I hate surprises,” I whine, wondering if I ask Amelia, maybe she’ll tell me.
He squeezes my hand as he says, “Good to know. But I’m still not revealing anything yet.”
“Fine,” I huff, “be that way.”
Parker laughs, fully aware of my manipulation tactic to get him to tell me where we’re going. My heart skips a beat at the fact that he wants to do something nice for me with nothing in return.
“Can I make you dinner after?”
“After?” he asks, a confused look on his face.
“After whatever it is you have planned on Saturday. You could, uh, come back to mine, and I can make you dinner?”
I feel like a teenager asking their crush out for the first time. My cheeks heat, and I avert my gaze.
Parker uses the tip of his finger to bring my eyes back to his. “I’d love to, sweetheart.”
I blow out a breath, a small chuckle following.
Parker lowers his head, and I meet him halfway in a gentle kiss.
I’m no hussy, but I’ve never spent as much time with anyone else as I have with Parker and only kissed them.
It’s a novelty I’m really enjoying, this whole getting to know someone without sex being involved.
Parker resumes our walk, dropping me off outside my door. He leaves when I’m settled inside, promising to see me on Saturday. Arty fusses around my legs, and I feel like the worst cat mom for leaving him on his own for so long.
Once he’s been fed, I pad through to the bathroom in desperate need of a shower to warm myself up. We were outside for hours, and the cold has seeped into my bones. Turning the shower on, I wait for it to warm up, then remove my clothes and step under the spray.
My mind wanders to Parker and how he treats me. The way his eyes always light up whenever he sees me, and the smirk that always seems etched onto his face. Every time I try to think of something else, I always come back to thoughts of him and how he makes me feel—happy, safe, and wanted.
I think about how he is with Amelia and how both of them just seem to get me in a way no one else has before. There might be fifteen years between me and Amelia, but she’s quickly becoming someone I can’t imagine not being in my life.
Washing my hair and rinsing off, I grab a towel and dry off before pulling on my sweats, vest, and oversized hoodie. I curl up under the duvet, grabbing my Kindle when Arty trots in and jumps on the bed.
“Hi, boy,” I coo, wiggling my fingers so I can stroke him.
Arty, not being happy with me, ignores my gesture and curls up at the end of the bed with his back to me.
“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to be gone as long as I was.” Arty continues to ignore me, and I know he’s won this argument for now. “Fine, have it your way,” I grumble.
Turning on my side, I get lost in the fantasy world of D.L. Houpt’s Shadow of Polaris.