Diving Into Love (McCallister's Paradise Book 2)

by Rhondeau, Chantel

  Sierra shook her head, but she did reach out and tenderly touched Ryan’s foot with one finger. “Where’s his other sock? He’s only got one.”

  Parker sighed. “Hopefully in his car seat. I think I’m going to need more supplies.”

  “Why?” She tilted her head sideway. “How long are you keeping him?”

  Parker wished there were more time to get her used to Ryan, but there wasn’t. He had to tell her the truth. “This is a big shock to me, and I know it will be to you too, but I’m going to have Ryan for a long time.” He took a deep breath, praying she wouldn’t run away. “He’s my son.”

  Chapter 20

  “You’re... what?” Sierra felt like all the air had been sucked from the atmosphere. She couldn’t catch her breath.

  “My son,” Parker repeated. He looked down at Ryan’s face, a smile touching his lips. “I can’t believe it. I’m a father.”

  And so happy about it. What did he do? Wait until he had her falling for him and then spring this on her? Now it made sense why he was so adamant about wanting children.

  “Where’s his mother?” she asked as another thought struck her. Did Parker want to be with the mother of his child?

  Parker pulled the bottle from the baby’s mouth. Ryan had already drained it to the dregs. “I don’t think I’ve ever burped a baby before,” Parker said. “Have you?”

  Sierra shook her head, wondering if Parker was purposely avoiding all her questions or if he was just so wrapped up in his son that he hardly heard anything she said.

  “I heard they spit up sometimes,” she said. “You’d better find something to wipe it up.”

  “Would you check the diaper bag? Maybe she packed something. I definitely have to go shopping. It’ll be a few days before I can have a crib shipped here, but I think they have formula and diapers in the shop with other groceries.”

  Shifting through the large pocket of the bag, Sierra dug past the extra diapers and change of clothes. Near the bottom, she found two soft cloths that must be what Ryan’s mother used to wipe his face.

  When she handed one to Parker, he slung it across his shoulder and then cradled Ryan against him, patting the baby’s back.

  “Who’s the mother?” Sierra repeated. “And why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? Were you just waiting to make me fall in love first or what?”

  Parker’s blue eyes widened. “Are you? In love with me, I mean.”

  “I...” Sierra looked away. If she was honest, she thought she very well could be. Parker had been her savior and so great to be around. Sure, they’d had disagreements and problems along the way, but what good relationship didn’t? The one thing she knew for sure was the thought of never being with him again made her heart clench with grief. Was that what being in love felt like?

  Parker cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I know Ryan changes things. Just so you know, I didn’t try and trick you. I’m actually upset you think that. I just found out about Ryan a few hours ago.”

  “You didn’t know?” Sierra breathed a little easier. At least he hadn’t duped her into anything. “Where did he come from? One of the waitresses at The Pavilion or something?”

  Parker sighed. “I wish.”

  That only left one thing. “Your ex?”

  He nodded. “I lied to you last night. That phone call I received was Vanessa. She said she had to see me today.”

  Once again, the oxygen vanished from the room. He talked to Vanessa last night and then couldn’t wait to get rid of Sierra. How was she supposed to take that?

  “Are you still in love with her?” she asked softly, dreading the answer. “Maybe you can have that perfect family and home you wanted, now that you have her and Ryan.”

  As if to chime in, Ryan let out a loud burp.

  Parker stood and walked to the center of the room, laying Ryan on the blanket. “Think I should prop him up with a pillow? I remember something about it being bad to let babies lie flat.”

  “Damn it, Parker!” Sierra stood, tired of his avoidance. “Are you in love with her?”

  His eyes had a coldness behind them that Sierra didn’t understand. “I thought what I had with Vanessa might have been love, until I met you and learned what that truly was.” He shrugged. “But I’m a father now so that doesn’t matter. I know I risk losing you, but I have to take care of Ryan. He needs me.”

  “He’s your kid. Of course you’ll take care of him.” There would be little room in Parker’s life for further romance or dating a woman who didn’t want to be a mom. Sierra also wouldn’t put Ryan at risk. She couldn’t be around him.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, Red. Ryan just has to come first.”

  She nodded. “I understand. Just for the record, I am in love with you, Parker. I think it started the day we met and you came back to check on me even though I acted like a snob.”

  Though the coffee table separated them, Parker reached out and snagged her hand in his. “I’m in love with you too, Red. So deep. I never knew this could be my life. I thought... I thought I’d never find what my parents have, but you’re the one who could give that to me. If you’ll just accept me and my son.”

  Sierra blinked back the tears gathering in her eyes. “If you want to protect your son and give him a good life, you’ll find him a mother that knows how to love properly. We can’t subject Ryan to a mommy monster if I turn into Cece.”

  She tried to pull her hand away, but Parker gripped tighter.

  “That’s not going to happen. You’re nothing like your mother. Why are you so sure you’ll turn into her if you have children?”

  “Maybe I won’t, but is that something you’re really willing to risk with your son’s happiness at stake?”

  Parker didn’t reply, finally dropping her hand.

  Sierra nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  When she turned and walked out the door, Parker didn’t try to stop her. She’d hoped he would believe in her more than she believed in herself, give her strength, but even he knew taking that chance was too risky.

  By the time she reached the elevator, her tears had defied her attempts at holding them back. Sierra let them course down her face without wiping them away.

  * * *

  Parker adjusted a thin throw pillow beneath Ryan’s head, propping him up slightly. The baby hadn’t yet fallen asleep, but seemed content to lie down.

  Now Parker had to figure out what to do. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand when a big portion of his dreams had just walked out on him. Sierra was determined to not become a mother, and even though Parker really wanted her to complete his and Ryan’s family, he couldn’t force her.

  Fate was cruel. Parker finally understood what real romantic love was, and it had been snatched away at the moment of realization. If Vanessa had planned this, she couldn’t have done a better job of hurting him again.

  Someone knocked on the door, and Parker sighed with relief as he headed toward it. She’d come to her senses. Sierra wasn’t leaving him.

  As he pulled open the door he said, “I’m so glad you changed your mind. I love... Oh, damn, it’s you.”

  Sydney laughed and kissed his cheek. “Don’t be so excited to see me, Park. I might think I’m actually welcome here.”

  “I am happy to see you, Syd. I just hoped you were Sierra.”

  She frowned. “She’s not here? Well, shit. I’ve been looking all over for her. I wanted to apologize for the comments I made last night about her job. I wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings. She seems like a nice girl, but I never got a moment alone with her to explain before you hurried her out the door.”

  “She is nice,” Parker agreed. “But I’m afraid her and I are over.”

  “Over? Mom and Dad said you guys were getting along great, and even Quinn admitted he thought Sierra was good for you. In fact, Mom called and invited her to dinner next week. What happened?”

  Parker backed up and stepped to the
side, pointing into the living room. “That.”

  His sister’s surprised gasp was predictable. She brushed past him. “Where did it come from?”

  “Didn’t you have that talk with Mom when you turned twelve?”

  She turned to glare at him. “I’m serious. Why is there a baby on your floor?”

  “Meet Ryan McCallister. Your nephew.”

  Sydney sat abruptly, landing on the coffee table in the only clear spot on it. She stared at Ryan, apparently too shocked to speak.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  She rolled her shoulders, as though they were tense. “He’s beautiful, but I didn’t know you knocked anyone up.”

  “Neither did I,” Parker said. “He was dropped off to me this morning.”

  “Dropped off? By who?” Sydney sounded suspicious, which Parker had expected.

  “He’s Vanessa’s baby, and she had someone bring him to me. She can’t take care of him, so she signed all the parental rights over to me.”

  “Vanessa?” Sydney shook her head. “What is she plotting now? You don’t really believe this is your baby, do you? She must be after your money or something. We need to go to the clinic right away and have Dr. Peterson run a paternity test.”

  Parker sighed. “I’ll have the test, but he is my baby. In any event, she signed her rights over to me. Even if he ends up not being biologically mine, he’s mine now. She isn’t after anything, she just couldn’t take care of him.”

  “How long have you known about him? She must have been pregnant before leaving the island. Did she tell you that when she left?”

  “No.” Parker sat on the corner of the table next to his sister, staring at Ryan. The baby had finally fallen asleep. “I don’t think she knew until later.”

  “You need that test, pronto. Have you told Mom and Dad yet?”

  “Nope. Just you and Sierra know.”

  Sydney’s frown deepened. “If she knows about him, where is she? You need her support more than ever.”

  “It’s not going to happen, sis. Sierra is afraid to be a mother. I know you’ve been in New York the past two months, so maybe you didn’t hear the whole story of why she stayed here. Her mom’s been beating her all her life, and holding her trust fund over her head so Sierra couldn’t get away.”

  “What?” Sydney’s hand flew to her neck and she shuddered. “That’s horrible. Oh man, now I feel even worse for hurting her feelings.”

  Parker looped his arm around her back and gave a quick squeeze. “You didn’t know. It’s okay. I helped get her the job here, so she wouldn’t have to be homeless with no money to her name. But it was horrible, Syd. Her mom threw her through one of those glass coffee tables in the bungalows, cutting her back and arms quite badly. Sierra finally told her off and said she didn’t want the trust fund. As far as I know, she hasn’t talked to her parents since then. Because of her upbringing, Sierra is deathly afraid she’ll turn out like Cece. She doesn’t want kids because she doesn’t want to hurt them.”

  “I can actually understand that. She’s all grown up and was still getting abused. It’s all she’s known of motherhood.” Sydney leaned her head on Parker’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. That’s tough. You really like her, huh?”

  “She told me she was in love with me today, and I admitted feeling the same.” He sighed. “She left anyway.”

  Sydney pinched his chin between her thumb and fingers, getting him to look at her eyes. “We’ll tackle one problem at a time. This will all work out. First things first, you can’t have Ryan sleeping on the floor forever. Let’s go to Mom and Dad’s house. I bet they have all sorts of baby stuff up in the attic.”

  “I, uh, I wasn’t planning on telling them yet.”

  Sydney laughed and stood up. “Too bad, brother. You can’t keep him a secret, so go face the music. Don’t worry. I’m coming with you.”

  Chapter 21

  After visiting the clinic for the paternity test, Parker and Sydney stopped to pick up more formula and diapers. Even though a car accident would be rare on the island, he didn’t have the base to lock Ryan’s car seat into place, so he ordered a new one of those. Not to mention ordering a black diaper bag. He couldn’t continue on with the purple monstrosity Vanessa sent.

  “Okay, Park,” Sydney said. “You can’t put it off anymore. Let’s go talk to Mom and Dad.”

  He nodded and walked with her to the car. Placing Ryan in the backseat, he buckled him in as best he could, then rounded to the other side and climbed in beside him.

  “Like I said earlier, I’m not a crazy driver,” Sydney said. “Sit up front. Ryan will be fine. There aren’t any other cars out here to crash into.”

  Maybe he was being overly cautious, but he wanted to hold onto the baby seat just in case the seat belt failed to keep Ryan in place. “I’m fine back here. Just drive.”

  Far too soon, they pulled up in front of the house. They didn’t call ahead, but now that Dad had turned over more and more responsibilities to Brad as far as running the island, their parents were home a lot. Parker actually hoped John had gone into the office. It would be much easier to face them one at a time.

  They walked up the stairs to the porch, and Parker felt sick to his stomach. Explaining this to Susan and John would be worse than talking about it with Sierra. While Sierra was upset at him having a child, his parents would likely be devastated when they learned who the mother was.

  Sydney opened the door. “Mom, Dad? You guys home?”

  “In the kitchen,” Susan called, her voice drifting through the living room.

  “Why don’t you go in first?” Parker suggested, hefting Ryan’s car seat into a better position. “Tell them about him and get them used to the idea before saying we’re with you.”

  “No way.” Sydney laughed. “I told you I’d be here to support you, but you’ve got to do this yourself. Besides, you know how they’ve been bugging Quinn for a grandkid. Maybe they’ll be happy.”

  Parker raised an eyebrow. “With Vanessa in the picture?”

  “Good point. They’ll be pissed.” She took his arm and dragged him toward the kitchen. “Let’s get it over with.”

  They stepped through the archway. Susan and John sat in the breakfast nook, teacups in front of them, and both reading something on their electronic tablets. Was this what they wanted to retire for? To spend the day reading, not talking? Seemed boring to Parker.

  John looked up. “This is a surprise. What are you kids up to?” His eyes narrowed as he spotted the car seat. “What’s in your hands, Park?”

  Alerted by the change in his tone, Susan set her tablet down and looked over her shoulder. “A car seat? Do you have someone’s baby?” She stood and walked toward them, pulling back the blanket to peek in at Ryan. “I’m confused. Who do we know with a baby?”

  Parker lifted Ryan’s chair up onto the island in the center of the kitchen, taking the blanket from the top of his seat. “Mom, Dad, this is Ryan.”

  “He’s a cute little guy,” John said. “But where did he come from?”

  “He’s mine.” Parker gave his trademark goofy grin, praying this would go over okay. “Surprise!”

  “Yours?” Susan didn’t sound excited, she sounded concerned. “Who’s the mother?”

  Parker rubbed his hand over the top of his head, nervous. They never even knew he dated Vanessa. She’d insisted it be a secret. Once they found out she was such a slut, he’d not seen the point in revealing the truth. Maybe he could keep them from finding out still.

  “His mother signed away her parental rights,” he said. “He’s only mine now.”

  John stood, getting a closer look at the baby. “You have all the legal documents to prove this?”

  “Yes, she sent them with him. It’s all legit. I’m a daddy.”

  “But who is she?” his mom persisted. “Is this that emergency Sierra told me about earlier?”

  “Ummm…” Parker hesitated, hoping some inspiration would come to him for a good li
e even though he’d never lied to his parents before.

  He looked at Sydney for help, but his sister shook her head. “Tell them.”

  “His mother is Vanessa La Fabre.”

  A stunned silence filled the room, and then his parents both erupted, speaking at the same time.

  “You slept with her?” John asked. “How did the baby get here? Was she on this island again?”

  “How can you be sure he’s your baby?” Susan wanted to know. “That woman is no good. Maybe it’s a trick.”

  Parker held his hands up, getting them to quiet down. “Vanessa and I dated for a year before I learned about her side business, which was when we all learned about it. She tricked me, and I fell for her promises of being together forever. I thought we were in love, and I wasn’t always careful when we...” He broke off and shrugged, not wanting to go into too many details with his parents. “I guess she got pregnant shortly before the truth came out.”

  “Plus,” Sydney added, “we already went down to have a paternity test run. If she’s lying about Parker being the dad, we’ll know soon enough.”

  “I want to see those papers,” John grumbled. “She’s probably trying to figure out how to steal your fortune. That woman is no good. I should track her down and ruin her for coming back to the island.”

  “She didn’t come back,” Parker explained, not sure why he felt he needed to defend her. “She sent Ryan across with a hired nanny. I don’t think she’s after anything. I’ll get the papers, and you can see for yourself.”

  He felt like he was having the same conversation over and over again. Did no one trust his judgment or his ability to see through anything Vanessa might be trying to pull? Then again, he had to be fair. He’d thought the same thing at first. He’d likely have this conversation again when his brothers found out about Ryan.

  He hurried out to the car and grabbed the diaper bag. That was something he was going to have to get used to carrying around. It was starting to sink in, but Parker still wasn’t certain he was ready for it. Ready to be a single dad. Having a family didn’t seem as exciting without having someone like Sierra around to share in the joy.