Chapter 44 #2
When Celeste and I were younger, we used to have a spot at the park, a crawl tunnel, it was a place where we told secrets.
Whenever we were upset and needed to talk, we’d sit at the mouth of the tunnel and bare our souls.
Even when we got older, that tunnel remained our spot.
We’d hop in the car late at night and sit there, talking until we felt better.
That almost bare corner of the park was our safe space.
My dream of starting my own business was born there, alongside Celeste’s dream of opening her own salon.
It only made sense that I honored that special place.
Dr. Beck knew the significance and smiled knowingly. Our time was coming to a close, so we said our goodbyes, and I closed my laptop.
Parker would be finishing up with therapy, and I wanted to check on him.
I noticed he was sitting by the pool in one of the lounge chairs as I made my way down the path from the garden.
His crutches leaned beside him, and his shades were covering his eyes. He sat there staring into the water. I knew that his mind was anywhere but here.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
He looked up, almost surprised to hear the sound of my voice.
“Will you come sit with me?” He said while patting the free space on the lounger where he sat.
Walking over to him and taking a seat, I grabbed his hand in mine.
“Want to talk about what's on your mind, or shall we just sit together?”
The side of his mouth almost curled up in a smile. He bowed his head, looking at our entwined fingers, and delivered a heavy sigh.
“Evelyn…if you wanted to go back to New York, I would understand. I just don’t think I can go back right now.” He pointed to his leg. “There’s a lot still unfinished here. I’m not in a good headspace. I don’t want to hold you back. I’m sorry.”
I was taken aback by his words and a little bit hurt. But I knew exactly what he was trying to do. I had gotten good at reading him.
Parker was a hero. He took care of people, and now he was the one being cared for. He felt useless. We had connected because I needed protection, and Parker promised to do just that. Now Charles was gone for good, and I was safe.
I could go back to New York and work at Mosaic if I wanted to, or stay on the path to start my business.
Traveling was a new possibility for me. With Charles out of the way, I had access back to all my accounts, and I had the money I made from The Marquis.
To him, nothing was tying me to Oakland Ridge anymore.
But he was so wrong. His mind had twisted the truth. On the days when his PT was rough, he tended to listen to that negative voice in his head, the voice that told him he'd never be a firefighter again, that he didn't have much to offer.
“Parker Woods, are you trying to get rid of me? I thought you knew the moment you opened your eyes in that hospital room that you were stuck with me.” I said with a lightness to my tone.
“You don’t have to pretend for me,” He said as he shrugged off my words, turning his face away from mine.
“My life is here in Oakland Ridge, along with my family and the love of my life. There is no place I’d rather be than right here with you.”
I grasped his chin, turning him towards me. My fingers outlined his face from his eyebrows to his perfectly kept beard. Releasing his hand, I cupped his face with both hands, forcing his eyes to meet mine so he’d understand just how much he meant to me.
“I want a life with you wherever we are. I wasn't living in New York; I was masquerading as a ghost. My mom and Celeste may be gone, but I’m still here. I carry them with me now wherever I go. That fire felt like the end, but it was our beginning. I’m not looking to be that version of myself anymore.
I’m happy to let it burn if it means a lifetime of new beginnings with you. I’m choosing you.”
Parker’s hand reached up and slid across my cheek. I hadn’t realized I was crying.
“I don’t want you to stay just for me. I want you to stay because you think you have a life here, a future here.” He paused, looking unsure. “A future with me.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and release a watery chuckle.
“Do I need to take you back to the hospital to get your hearing checked? I’m choosing you, our future, and Oakland Ridge.
We’re in this together. I don’t love you because you’re a firefighter, I love you because you’re you.
Whether we stay here or not means little to me.
Wherever you are, that's where I want to be.”
I searched his eyes for any sign that he processed what I was saying.
I held my breath, waiting for his response as his eyes searched mine in return.
There was no response, only the feeling of his lips pressing urgently against mine. Parker’s hand grasps the back of my head, his fingers digging into my hair as he devours my lips. I moaned into his mouth, my tongue seeking his. Our lips and tongues wrestle in a fervent dance.
“I’m so lucky that you chose me,” he said breathlessly before attacking my mouth with his once again.
My body shifted, turning into him, eager to get closer. Parker hissed in pain, and it made me break our connection.
“Did I hurt you?” Jumping to my feet, I scanned his body looking for any evidence of harm.
Parker rubbed his hands down his face, shaking his head.
“Yes, baby girl. You have me hurting real bad,” he groaned as he adjusted his basketball shorts.
When I looked down, laughter bubbled out of me.
Tossing a pillow at me, he manages to stand on his feet and grabs his crutches. With a smirk, he hobbled his way to the sliding door. “I’m going inside before one of the nosey women in my family stops by unexpectedly while I’m sporting a hard-on for my girl.”
My girl.
Every time he said it, my heart skipped a beat. It sounded cliché, but the thought of belonging to a man like Parker stirred something in me.
He was such a multi-dimensional person, and I loved experiencing each facet of him.
He was gentle, yet he had a rough side. Parker was emotionally intelligent, too.
While he didn’t always know what actions to take, he always approached each situation with empathy and understanding.
The ego his father thought he possessed didn’t exist. I had spent time around this man, observing him and watching how he interacted with every person he met.
He was humble, kind, and above all else, selfless.
It broke him to stay away from his family for so long, but that was the first time he chose himself. Although the twins were hurt by his distance, they couldn’t fault him for following his dreams, especially not now, after everything had unraveled.
I found Parker inside, sitting on the living room sofa with his injured leg propped up on the ottoman. He had turned on the tv and was watching a rerun of Bones. I stood in the entryway of the sliding door, admiring him before stepping inside.
The man was handsome, from his kind, almond-shaped eyes to his sculpted, thick thighs taut with muscles. His body was strong, and even after being injured, he hadn’t slowed down. If anything, he worked harder to maintain his physique.
I couldn’t help but lick my lips at the sight of him. I was filled with want. It had been so long since we were intimate. Parker was unsure about how I felt, and I wanted to make sure I erased any doubts in his mind.
I met him on the couch and stood in front of him, blocking his view of the television. He didn’t question me or protest; he just reached for my hand and kissed it.
I lowered to my knees, and his eyes widened. Taking back my hand, I rested both of them on his waist and stared up into his eyes.
“Are you still hurting? The doctor specifically said we should do everything we can to make sure you’re comfortable as you recover.”
“Is that what you plan on doing? Making sure I’m comfortable?”
His signature smirk was on full display. It was the same look he wore whenever he proposed we play one of his silly games.
I took hold of his waistband and began sliding his basketball shorts down. I hadn’t even touched him yet, and I could see the thick outline of his length through his boxers. My mouth watered thinking about tasting him.
“Are you going to take care of me, baby?” he said, his voice low, already dripping with arousal. I palmed his dick through his boxers and stroked him, eliciting a small groan from him. I was eager to have him, so I wasted no time pulling his boxers down until his dick sprang free.
Staring into his eyes, I gave his dick a lick from the base, curling my tongue at the tip, tasting his salty precum and savoring it in my mouth.
I swirled my tongue around his tip a few more times before taking him to the back of my throat. Parker’s hands flew to my head, gripping my hair with a tight fist.
I never thought I would love the small, aggressive act, but it made me slick with arousal for him. I wanted to beg him to pull my hair harder, but instead I moaned around him as I went down on him.
I ached to feel him inside me, but I knew I would have to wait for that. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his recovery.
“Fuck baby, yeah, deep throat my shit,” he growled as he pressed me closer to him. Saliva was trickling down the sides of my mouth. He used his fist, encircled in my hair, to pull me off of him while he held his dick in his other hand.
He tapped his hardened length on my tongue twice before leaning over to kiss my mouth. He bit and nipped at my lips before releasing my hair and closing his hand around my throat lightly.
“You want my cum, baby girl?” he rasped.
“Always.”
“Then spit on this dick and make me cum.”
He released my neck, and I let a trail of salvia leave my mouth, coating the glistening brownish-pink head of his dick. Parker guided his dick into my mouth before resting his hands behind his head.
I switched my pace and began taking him down faster, using my hands to jerk him. I felt his thighs tense, and I knew he would be coming soon.
His release coasted my mouth, and Parker let out a low moan that had me reconsidering my decisions. I wanted him to make that sound again, and again, and again.
I knew what to do to drive him wild. So I opened my mouth that was full of his seed for him to see.
Parker rewarded me with another growl. “Fuck.”
He used his thumb to smear his release across my lips.
Once he tapped my chin, I knew what he wanted. I swallowed and moaned.
“I don’t know how I’m going to survive these next couple of weeks if you keep doing shit like that, Ev. How many weeks did the doctor say again?”
Taking his extended hand, I rise to my feet and join him on the sofa, nuzzling into his side once I’m seated.
“He said twelve weeks of no strenuous activity and the things you like to do definitely count as strenuous.”
He smacked my ass and kissed my forehead.
“When you’re right, you’re right,” he said with a sigh.
He yawned and drew me closer to him. Even though I did all the work, he was still wiped from his involvement. I snickered to myself as I pulled the throw blanket from the side of the couch and threw it over us. Parker’s eyes were slowly closing, so I cuddled deeper into his side.
I wondered if it would always be like this, if the sight of him would always take my breath away and make my heart sing.
Lying here beside him, as old reruns played on the television, listening to his heart, I smiled to myself.
Even our toughest days were our best. I finally had a partner who I could trust, someone who made me feel safe, cared for, and loved.
Wherever life took us, I knew that we would be okay because we built this foundation brick by brick, and it was strong.
Our future was bright, and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us.
My eyes drifted closed, and my arms tightened around him.
I found my person, and I planned to never let him go.