Chapter seven #2
I shake my head, not liking where this conversation is headed, letting my guilt for talking him into this consume me even more.
As soon as Parker agreed to this fake engagement, I told myself to shove down the feelings I’ve been denying for a year, especially every time my father brought Parker up in conversation.
I never should have slept with him. I should have thanked him for comforting me and walked away, pretending I never knew who he was.
But the second he offered to play rock, paper, scissors to hold my hand, I was powerless over what happened next.
How can a man that showed such compassion, humor, and lust-filled need like he did, not see that he’s capable and deserving of being in a relationship again?
My focus is supposed to be on my gallery, not my love life. But being Parker’s fake fiancée is making me wonder if I could possibly have it all by making this move—the job and the man.
Could Parker and I turn this into something real? Was our initial connection enough to build a relationship on? Or are we better off just following through with our promises to each other and moving on afterward?
Hazel taps her chin thoughtfully. “No, I think patience will get her nowhere. If she’s going to make him admit that he wants her, she needs to be a little more…direct.”
Willow beams as she looks over at Hazel. “What are you thinking?”
I’m not sure I like where their train of thought is headed. “Look, I know you two are trying to play matchmaker and all, but honestly, I can’t afford to push him away. I need him to keep pretending to be my fiancé until my business is up and running.”
Hazel leans forward in her seat. “My brother wants you, Cashlynn. It’s written all over his face, and don’t take this the wrong way, but you look at him like you want to jump his bones. You two have already slept together, so why not make the most of your arrangement?”
Willow chimes in. “Uh Hazel, it sounds like you’re trying to pimp out your brother right now.”
Hazel shrugs. “I just know what I see. Like with you and Dallas, and Penn and Astrid…” She rolls her eyes dramatically.
“Those two gave everyone around them blue balls for years.” Willow laughs.
“And now Parker is living with a woman he clearly wants and is trying to be this saint when I know he’s at war inside.
I’m tired of him punishing himself for what happened with Sasha. ”
“Sasha?” I ask.
“His ex,” she clarifies. And now the ex has a name.
“I’m telling you, she did a number on him.
” Tilting her head at me, she narrows her eyes.
“But I like you. My gut is telling me you’ve got your head on straight, you’re driven, and you can actually take a joke.
It’s obvious you care about my brother, and sometimes people need a little push to get out of their own damn way. ”
“I appreciate that, but Parker clearly doesn’t feel the same way.”
“I can see why you think that, but I’m telling you, I know my brother.” She winks at me. “Test him. Do something that you know will get a reaction out of him and see how he responds.”
“Like what?” Willow asks before I can.
Hazel hums for a moment and then her eyes light up. “Accidentally spill something on his floor, and then whip off your shirt to clean it up.”
Willow snorts. “Subtle.”
“He might freak out on me,” I say. “Have you seen his house? It’s so clean, it looks like nobody lives there. He has freaking vacuum lines in his carpet.”
Hazel nods, rolling her eyes. “I’m aware. He has always been a little high strung, but it got worse after Sasha… Like he tried to control everything around him because she left him in a tailspin and he didn’t know which way was up.”
My word. What did this woman do to him?
A slow grin spreads across Willow’s face. “Oh my God. You know what you should do? Unplug all of his appliances when they aren’t being used. It will drive him nuts.”
Hazel tosses her head back in laughter. “Oh fuck, that will send him over the edge, for sure.”
“Tell him it helps conserve energy.” Willow joins in the laughter. “It’s genius.”
“I thought we were trying to get him to admit he wants me, not kill me?”
Hazel waves me off. “Same thing. Haven’t you ever had hate sex?”
Heat rises to my cheeks and I drop my gaze to the floor. Yeah, I’m not going there. “I don’t want him to dislike me any more than he already does.”
“He doesn’t. But getting under his skin is going to make him snap. And once he does, he might finally admit to himself that he wouldn’t have agreed to this if deep down, he didn’t care. Plus, you’ll benefit from his frustration.” She bounces her eyebrows again.
“I don’t know…”
Hazel throws her hands up in defeat. “Look, do what you want, but I’m telling you, I know my brother.” She leans forward again. “And I just want to see him happy.”
“Want to see who happy?”
All three of us whip around to see Parker standing in the doorway, his hand on the knob and an unreadable expression on his face.
“You, big brother!” Hazel exclaims, jumping up from her seat a little too enthusiastically. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this girl from us for the past year. You two are obviously so in love and I’m happy for you!”
Parker looks at his sister as if she’s grown two heads. “Well…”
Willow stands up now, arching her back so she doesn’t topple over. “And her business idea is genius, Parker.” She winks at him. “Looks like your future wife is beautiful and intelligent.”
Our eyes meet and I feel my cheeks heat again.
Parker clears his throat as he adjusts his glasses. “Uh, yeah. I told her the idea was good.”
“It is. I’m already convinced and told Cashlynn that I’d contact Pam at Cove Realty tomorrow so she can start looking at spaces.”
He nods, though his shoulders remain tense, like he’s still unsure about the conversation he walked in on.
“I appreciate that, Willow,” he says, moving around the couch to me, wrapping his arm around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world. The warmth of his touch sends a shiver down my spine. “Are you guys done talking?” he asks me.
“Um, yeah.”
“Good. I was thinking we could get out of here. I want to show you something.”
I catch Hazel and Willow exchanging knowing glances, but I quickly turn my attention back to Parker. “Okay.”
Parker turns to his sister. “Tell everyone we had to leave, okay?”
“Sure,” she replies, rocking back and forth on her feet. “Have fun, you two. Use protection! No need for babies yet. Or rabies, right, Parker?”
Parker shakes his head as he leads me to the front door with his hand on the small of my back. Once we’re outside, he asks, “They didn’t scar you for life, did they?”
“How would they do that?”
He keeps his hand on my back as we walk to his car.
“By asking inappropriate questions…telling you more stories about me.” He opens the car door for me, waiting as I settle inside before shutting it and moving to his side.
“What kind of stories would they tell?” I ask as he starts the car.
He gives me a pointed look from the driver’s seat as he starts the engine. “Nice try,” he says, turning onto the road.
I laugh. “They were very welcoming, actually. Your entire family was.”
“Yeah, they’re not too bad,” he says as if it pains him to admit it.
“You’re lucky, Parker. You have so many people who love you, who accept you and genuinely want you to be happy.”
He eyes me for a few moments, his expression unreadable, before focusing back on the road. He doesn’t say anything else as we drive into town. I’ve only been here once, but as we close in on the cove that gives this town its name, my heart beats faster as I take in the view.
The streetlights cast soft reflections on the water, golden sparks dotting the surface of the ocean. A few people are strolling along the boardwalk, their coats pulled tight against the chill in the air.
Parker stops the car and steps out, moving around to my side. He helps me out and then takes my hand, lacing his fingers through mine as he leads me toward the boardwalk.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he pulls me past a row of softly lit storefronts. Behind them is another row of small businesses—an ice cream parlor, a pet store, and then we come to a small, vacant space with a For Lease sign in the window.
Parker stops in front of it, turning to face me. “I think this space would be perfect for your gallery.”
I blink up at him and then turn to the empty windows that are, unfortunately, lined with brown paper so I can’t see what’s inside. “What?”
He clears his throat. “After we talked about your gallery idea yesterday, I remembered this space was available. It’s close to the boardwalk, so you’d get a lot of foot traffic. It used to be a clothing store, and from what I remember, there’s plenty of space inside. I think you should look at it.”
“You brought me all the way out here to show me this space?” I whisper, staring up at him again in disbelief.
He nods. “Yeah, and to give you this.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring.
I gasp and my stomach flips. “Oh my God, Parker.”
His hands are trembling slightly as he holds it between two fingers, and I realize how offering this ring to me must make him feel. He never wanted to do this again—be engaged or even consider the idea of marriage—until I put him in this position.
But Parker bought me a ring, a gorgeous princess cut diamond flanked by amber stones. It’s stunning, unique, and something I would have picked out myself. And it’s too much.
“I—I can’t accept this, Parker.”
His brow furrows. “Why not?”
“Because it’s too much. It’s expensive and gorgeous and…” I take a step back from him as my stomach churns and my heart races. “I just assumed we’d pick out a simple silver band that I would pay for since this was my idea.”
He closes the space between us that I just created, his jaw tight as he reaches for my left hand and slides the ring onto my finger. “There’s no way my fiancée would be walking around without a ring. And this one just…called to me. Besides, I don’t want anyone to question that this is real, okay?”
I look down at the ring, the diamonds catching the light like tiny stars. This isn’t some cheap placeholder. This is a real ring—thoughtfully chosen, breathtakingly beautiful, and way too much for what we are.
“Are you sure?” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
His eyes bounce between mine. “It’s done. Plus, I can’t return it, so you have to wear it.” The corner of his mouth lifts, putting me a little more at ease.
I nod shakily. Parker Sheppard, the man who claims to have sworn off relationships, bought me a diamond ring. He willingly picked it out, spent a fortune, and is now sliding it onto my finger like it’s no big deal.
I glance back up at him, at the guarded look in his eyes, and it hits me that Parker doesn’t do anything halfway. He committed to this arrangement just like he commits to everything else in his life—with his whole damn heart, even if he won’t admit it to himself.
“It truly is beautiful. I love the amber gemstones on the sides. It’s so unique. What made you pick this one?”
His gaze softens as he reaches up to push a strand of hair behind my ear, sending goosebumps down my neck. “The stones reminded me of your eyes.”
Oh. My. God.
I think my ovaries just wept.
I shouldn’t be thinking about how badly I want this man or how I’ll never forget the way he made me feel that night. How he acts so gruff on the outside but on the inside, he’s been hurt so badly that he’s determined to keep himself closed off.
But on some level, I feel like he is opening up to me.
“That’s either incredibly romantic, or mildly disturbing.”
His lips curl up more now. “I thought it was very Bridgerton-like, actually.”
Chuckling, I look down at the ring that feels foreign but spectacular as well. “When did you get this?”
“This morning, when I was running errands.”
I nod, remembering he was gone for a while earlier today, leaving me alone at his house. I had the strongest desire to snoop but talked myself out of it. I wasn’t sure I’d find anything anyway since his house is so bare.
“Well, it’s more than I could have ever imagined.” I look back up, into his eyes. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’ve said that, Cashlynn.”
“I know, but—”
“I’m in this, okay? I know a thing or two about wanting something so badly you feel like you would do anything to make it work.”
He takes my hand and leads me back to the car, effectively ending our conversation. And even though I want to press him further, I decide against it. He may not be saying much about where his head is at, but his actions speak volumes.
As we head home, I stare at the ring on my finger, turning over the possibilities in my mind. Would I be a fool not to explore this thing between us while I have the chance?
What if he doesn’t feel the same way I do? What if it ends horribly, and then we have to see each other everywhere in this small town?
But taking risks is why I’m here—risking my career, my dreams, and maybe even my heart.
Maybe Hazel’s right and it’s time to test the waters. I’m tired of not living, not chasing what I want. So here goes nothing.
Let the games begin.