“I want to marry you, Trevor.”
I was positive my smile couldn’t possibly grow any bigger. “You’re serious? You’ll marry me?”
Nodding, she giggled in delight. “Yes! I want to be your wife when our baby is born. I don’t want to wait another second.”
“Oh baby, you just made me the happiest man on Earth. I need to let you know…you’re gonna have to wait a few seconds, though.”
Her brows pulled in some as she stared up at me. “Why?”
“Because I’m about to make love to you.”
“Here? Out in the field?”
“Yep, the first tree I get you to, I’m burying myself inside of you.”
Scarlett’s eyes turned dark with desire. Picking her up, I walked over to a tree, gently setting her down, and made good on my promise.
My father and mother sat on the sofa opposite me, staring like I’d just told them I had found the cure to cancer. I got it…at first. They were shocked. Scarlett and I had told them we were taking our time, not rushing into things. From the outside looking in, it probably looked the opposite. She’d moved in with me. Started working for me. And now we were talking marriage.
“Let me understand this, because a few months back, marriage wasn’t on the table,” Dad reminded us.
“It’s always been on the table for me, Dad. I wasn't pushing Scarlett, that’s all. I wanted her to be ready, and she’s ready. She wants to be married with the Parker name when the baby is born.”
My mother smiled as she took my father’s hand.
“Are we talking a big wedding?”
“No, small. We’d like to get married here on the ranch. I need to still ask her Daddy for his permission.”
“Well, considering you knocked up his daughter…”
My mother hit my father in the stomach, causing him to bend over and let out a breath.
“Damn, woman, I was only being honest. My ribs still hurt from my fall, by the way.”
Rolling her eyes, Mom focused back on me. “Trevor, I think it’s wonderful you want to get married. I just worry you’re doing it for the wrong reason.”
I frowned. “The wrong reason?”
“The baby?” she prompted. “I know you love Scarlett, but a year ago, had you been sitting across from us and told us you were getting married, I’d be looking for the cameras and…”
Turning to my father, she asked, “What’s that young boy’s name who pranks people?”
He glanced up and thought about it. “What is his name? Alan? No, wait…Axel?”
“Axel?” I asked in a stunned voice.
“No, that’s not it. It starts with an A, and he’s handsome.”
“I know!” my father declared, “Justin Timberlake.”
“That’s not an A, John. That’s a J. He was in that show about the three little men or something.”
“Alan!”
My mother snapped her fingers. “That’s it! No, wait.”
“Ashton Kutcher, y’all. His name is Ashton Kutcher!”
They both pointed to me. “That’s him!”
Jesus, this was more painful than I’d anticipated.
“This isn’t a game, and I know before Scarlett I was…different.”
Mom raised her brow, smirking. “Different?”
With a chuckle, my father added, “If my memory serves me, the prayer chain called it something else, son.”
I groaned and dropped back in my chair. “Why can’t y’all be happy for us? Can’t you see how much I love her and want to be with her? Having her here on the ranch has made me the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Sweetheart, I do see it. Honestly, I do. I know you fell in love with Scarlett before you found out about the baby, but don’t deny that you were confused. Your brothers told us you pushed her away for the longest time.”
I made a mental note to get back at each of my brothers for talking to my parents about Scarlett and me.
“I’m not denying any of that. I was messed up, but when it hit me, it hit me hard. I won’t lose her. I’ll fight with everything I have for her whether we’re married or not, and no one is going to stop me from loving her.”
My father walked over to me. I stood and waited for what he was about to say. I was stunned when he pulled me to him and hugged me. After a hard slap on the back, he said, “That’s the man I raised. That’s the man you’ve always been and, the one I always will be proud of. You know your mother and I support y’all in whatever you decide to do.”
“Of course, we will, Trevor. If it’s a marriage you want, by golly, we’ll give y’all a wedding you’ll never forget.”
Dad laughed as he added, “And we’ll even throw in Patches for free entertainment.”
“Yeah, no,” I said, taking a step back. “No Patches. No goats…period.”
“Were you not there when Steed got married? Or Mitchell?” Mom asked.
With a scoff, I replied, “Yes, Mama, I was there. I was there when that damn goat crashed Waylynn’s welcome home party, Christmas, countless dinners, not to mention the number of times I’ve walked into my office and he’s on my desk eating papers.”
Covering her mouth, my mother tried not to laugh, but failed.
“He’d make a lovely attendant in the wedding, Trev,” Dad said, slapping me on the side of the arm and heading out of the family room.
“Wh-what?!” I shrieked like a damn teenage girl. “Mom! Mom, no. No Patches.”
My mother placed her hand on the side of my face and winked. “Baby boy, the only way that goat isn’t going to be a part of this wedding is if you go off to another state. Heck, maybe even another country, like your brother Cord is doing.”
Scarlett walked into the family room, a smile on her face. “What’s John laughing so hard about?”
That was when Mom lost it laughing.
With a chuckle, Scarlett looked from Mom to me and then back to Mom. “What’s so funny, Melanie?”
She laughed even harder while holding her side and heading out of the room.
Holy shit. When had my parents turned so evil? So…cruel?
Scarlett giggled before turning to me. “What’s so funny?”
“Listen, baby, how serious are you about getting married here on the ranch?”
“Serious. I thought we agreed on the ranch. Have you talked to my daddy yet? Is he pushing for somewhere else?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m afraid we’ve got a bigger issue than your father.”
Her brows pulled in tight. “Who?”
“More like what.”
“Okay, what?”
“One word. Patches.”
Scarlett had been living on the ranch long enough to know about Patches’ reputation for being a troublemaker. And he was Chloe’s best friend.
Covering her mouth, she gasped. “Oh no!”
“Oh. Yes.”
I knocked on Steed’s office door and smiled when he looked up.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
With a half-hearted shrug, I walked into his office. “Not much. What are you doing?”
“Going over the next quarter’s budget. Fun times. What’s wrong? You look like you have something on your mind.”
Taking a seat in the chair, I decided to cut to the chase.
“Scarlett and I are getting married.”
A wide smile spread over his face as he stood and made his way around his desk for a quick hug.
“That’s amazing, dude. Congratulations. Can’t say I’m not surprised, but I’m glad y’all are going for it. Before the baby is due?”
I nodded as I sat back down, and he returned to his desk.
“Yeah, we’re thinking Valentine’s Day. We’d like to do it before Harley has the twins.”
“Valentine’s Day? That’s right around the corner. Y’all sure you have time to plan a wedding that quick? That won’t be too stressful for Scarlett?”
“Scarlett and I want a simple wedding. Family and close friends only,
so it won’t be hard to plan. Mom, Waylynn, and Joyce have all agreed to help Scarlett with the planning. Plus, we’re having it here on the ranch so that makes it simple.”
Steed’s smile dropped, and he leaned forward. Worry etched across his face instantly. “Um, here? On the ranch?”
“Yeah, that’s why I was stopping in to talk to you.”
Leaning back in his chair, Steed let out a breath. “Patches.”
“You hit the nail on the head, dude. Listen, I love Chloe with all my heart, and the whole Patches thing is funny…most of the time. Dude, Mom said the damn goat was going to be in the wedding.”
He rubbed along his jaw, like he was trying to figure out how to break the bad news to me. “Mom has pretty much accepted the fact that the damn goat is a member of the family.”
“Isn’t he?”
“Okay, so you’re here to talk about how we can keep Patches out of the wedding?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, we could keep the wedding a secret from Chloe. Spring it on her last minute, throw her off-guard so she doesn’t have time to make any plans.”
The tension in my shoulders lifted. This was a halfway decent plan. “That might work. Keep the youngest Parker woman out of the loop. I like this.”
“But Waylynn is still somewhat bitter about all the occasions Patches has crashed the party. She may spill the beans to Chloe just to get back at you.”
“For what?” I exclaimed. “I haven’t done anything to her.”
Steed lifted a brow. “It’s Waylynn. She doesn’t need a reason.”
I nodded. “That’s true.”
“For all we know, she’s already planning the outfit Patches will wear to the wedding.”
We both shuddered. “God, I hope not.”
“Maybe I have Mom and Joyce give Waylynn the wrong day for the wedding.”
“That might work,” Steed agreed.
A throat cleared behind us and I turned to see Paxton standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Hey, baby! What brings you here? Where’s Gage?”
“With your mom. What in the world are the two of you doing?”
Steed made his way to his wife and kissed her on the lips. “Trevor and Scarlett are getting married here at the ranch on Valentine’s Day.”
Paxton smiled and hugged me. “Trevor! This is so amazing! I’m so happy for y’all!”
“Thanks, Paxton. I know it’s fast, but Scarlett wants to get married, and we figured Valentine’s Day would be nice. We thought about March, but with Harley due, we wanted her to be able to be there.”
“Harley was put on bedrest today. Tripp said she hasn’t stopped bitching in Spanish since they left the doctor’s office.”
“What?” I said at the same time as Steed.
“I mean, she might be able to come to the wedding if she asked the doctor. They just don’t want her going into labor too soon.”
“Are the babies okay?”
“Yep! They’re doing great, but Harley’s little body is taking a beating with those two. It’s just a precautionary thing.”
I sighed. “Damn. Then maybe we should move it to March?”
“Why don’t you talk to Tripp and Harley? It might be sort of nice to do it during the spring fling, when y’all first officially dated. Then you can dance with her as your wife.”
I smiled. “You’re saying get married right before the spring fling?”
Steed clapped his hands together. “Or what about during it? Y’all could get married right at the beginning of the benefit dinner. You know Mom will have Patches locked away for that. There is no chance of Chloe sweet talking her out of it.”
A rush of renewed energy ripped through my body, and I grabbed my brother. “You’re a fucking genius! Not only will Mom love this idea, but it will take care of Patches without having to hurt Chloe’s feelings. This is brilliant!”
“You are both terrible. Poor Patches. He only wants to be a part of the family.”
“He can be. He just can’t be a part of my wedding.”
Paxton grinned. “Oh, have you not met Patches? Where there is a will, there is a way.”
“Not on my wedding day.”
“Hey! We’re all making rhymes, how divine!”
Paxton faced Steed. “I didn’t rhyme, babe.”
He frowned and thought about it for a moment before whispering, “Damn.”
Shaking my head, I focused back on Paxton. “Mom will not allow that goat to ruin her one and only time of year where she gets to pull out all the bells and whistles. Patches isn’t going to be an issue. Now, I’m going to head off and talk to Scarlett about pushing the wedding to March!”
As I walked out of Steed’s office, I heard Paxton say, “How foolish he is to believe that our little Chloe won’t succeed.”
Waving, I called out, “Good one, Paxton.”
Hands wrapped around my body and landed on my swollen belly. I instantly warmed everywhere, especially between my legs.
Hot breath hit below my ear. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
Dropping my head against Trevor’s chest, I smiled and replied, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I have something for you,” he whispered, rubbing his hands over my stomach.
“Oh, yeah? What is it?”
“You’ll have to…”
The baby kicked, and I smiled. Trevor stopped talking the moment Gummy Bear kicked.
I lifted my head and glanced back at him.
“Did you feel the baby move?” I asked, turning to face him. Trevor hadn’t felt the baby move yet, and it was killing him—especially with me being twenty-six weeks. He kept telling me that in all the books, they say he should have felt the baby by now. He placed his hands back on my stomach and stared at it. My heart raced when I saw the tears forming in his eyes.
Another kick, this one harder. I knew for sure he felt that one.
“I felt it,” he softly said. Reaching up, I gently brushed away the tear rolling down his face. “Holy shit. I felt Gummy Bear. I’ve never felt anything so beautiful in my life.”
Now it was my turn for tears to fall.
“Make Gummy Bear do it again!” Trevor demanded, a smile on his face as he looked into my eyes.
“I wish I could, but this baby is a Parker and stubborn as hell. He won’t perform on demand.”
Trevor laughed and dropped down to his knees. “Hey there, baby. We still don’t know if you’re a boy or a girl, and Mommy wants to be surprised, but Daddy wants to know. If you’re a boy, kick twice. A girl, kick once.”
Laughing, I shook my head as I stared down at him. “It doesn’t work that way, Trevor.”
“Why not? You’re twenty-six weeks and Dr. Buten said the baby responds to voices now.”
A very strong kick happened right were Trevor’s hand was. His mouth dropped open, and he fell back onto his ass.
“That was a coincidence!” I stated, my heart beating a bit faster.
Trevor pointed to my stomach. “Holy fuck, our kid is a genius!” He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. “And a girl. Oh my God, I’m having a girl. This is God’s way of getting me back.”
I stared down at him.
“We don’t know what we’re having and as much as I would love to believe the baby understood you, I don’t think that’s the case, Trevor. Now get up and get ready for our date!”
He sat there, his arms draped over his knees. “Think about it. All of my brothers so far had girls first. Steed had Chloe. Mitchell had Merit. Tripp is having…well…we don’t know what they’re having, but I bet it’s both girls.”
“Amelia’s having a boy,” I stated.
Trevor looked up at me. “Don’t you see? That’s Wade’s sperm. He isn’t a Parker! My parents had a girl first. That’s it, Scarlett. We’re having a girl.”
Excitement bubbled up inside of me, but I pushed it away. I would be happy with a boy or a girl. As long as they were health
y and happy. That was all I cared about.
“We don’t know that.”
“She kicked my hand! She. Kicked. My. Hand. Only a woman could put me in my damn place. I’ll be having tea parties all the damn time now.”
With a roll of my eyes, I headed to our bedroom. “I’m going to get dressed, Mr. Parker. If you still intend on taking me out, I suggest you do the same.”
As I walked into the bedroom, I pulled my shirt over my head and folded it neatly. I removed my pants next. The white pair with royal blue flowers was my favorite. The matching royal blue shirt was the other half of my favorite outfit. I wore it all the time and Paxton had even asked me if I had bought more than one pair. I’d laughed like she was insane. I would never admit I had four pair of the same pants and shirts hanging in my closet. I couldn’t help it! The outfit was comfy.
Warm hands landed on my hips, causing me to jump. Trevor’s lips on my neck instantly made my panties damp.
“Do we have time?” he asked while placing light kisses over my neck.
“Yes,” I breathed out, even though we would run the risk of being late for our reservations. There was a new Italian restaurant in town that I had been wanting to eat at. I was craving lasagna so bad.
The moment Trevor’s hard cock touched me, I forgot about food. I forgot about everything but his hands on my body.
“I want you from behind, is that okay?” he asked softly in my ear.
“I don’t care how you take me. I just need to come.”
He chuckled as he slid my panties off and motioned for me to get on the bed.
Crawling onto it, I lifted my ass and waited for him to fill me. It seemed like I was horny all the time. Maybe I just couldn’t get enough of Trevor. His touch. His warmth filling me completely. Making me whole. Sex with Trevor Parker was never dull. The scruff of his always present five-o’clock shadow was a turn on by itself. Everything about my future husband made me horny.
Trevor’s hands roamed over my ass, then around to my stomach where he rubbed gently while placing kisses on my back.
“I fucking love seeing you naked. You’ve never looked as beautiful as you do with our baby growing inside of you.”
Moaning at his words and needing him to touch me, I pushed back against him. He let out a chuckle.
Reckless Love Page 20