by Addison Cole
Grayson released Parker’s hand, the muscles in his arms twitching, the veins in his neck plumped up like thick snakes beneath his skin. “Pride is earned when you’ve done something well.” His tone was as icy as his stare. “Strength is the power to move through anything. And where family is concerned, strength takes stepping back, making room for those you love, putting yourself second or fifth or last, even when you deserve to be first.”
Parker couldn’t take her eyes off of the man who was claiming pieces of her heart by the minute. Conflicting emotions warred inside her. She hadn’t come here to fight or make Abe feel bad. But every word Grayson spoke was powerful and true, and she didn’t want him to stop.
“I’m afraid you’ve fooled yourself, Mr. Stein.” Grayson rolled his shoulders back, and his tone softened. “You cheated your brother and father, disgraced your family, and you moved past that disgrace by hiding behind a bitter, condescending demeanor. You’ve driven away people who loved you because you didn’t like the man looking back at you in the mirror. That’s not pride. I’d call that a coward.”
GRAYSON PULLED PARKER toward the door, fed up with Abe’s nasty, bitter attitude. The comment he made about Parker’s notion of a fairy tale was bull, and he wasn’t about to let her listen to any more of the old man’s hatred.
“Walk out that door, and you’re the coward,” Abe challenged.
Grayson spun around. Parker’s eyes pleaded for him to let it go, but he was well past letting it go. He pulled free from her grip and stalked back to the bed. “You got something to say, old man?” he seethed. “Because I’m about a second away from losing it.”
Abe grumbled something indiscernible. Parker opened her mouth to say something, but Grayson silenced her with one look, unwilling to allow her to fall into any more of this man’s head games.
Abe turned to him, chin up, unseeing eyes holding a steady path. “Your speech was as lame as hers.”
“Only to deaf ears,” Grayson replied through clenched teeth.
“Touché.” Abe coughed once, twice, then settled back against the pillow again. “Neither of you told me anything new. I know who I am.” He paused, gathering the sheet in his fists, and when he spoke again, his tone was defensive rather than accusatory. “I chased after my daughter. Paid thousands to track her down, but she didn’t want to be found. Gone, without a trace. My wife? Pfft. Left for another man, told you that. What kind of man fights for a woman like that?”
“I get that,” Parker said softly, surprising Grayson. She stepped closer to the bed and reached for Abe’s hand. Abe went rigid, but she softened. Her stance, her eyes, even the tension around her mouth. That sweet, lovely mouth curved into a small smile that made Grayson’s heart soften, too. “I didn’t know about your wife leaving for another man, but I understand why you didn’t fight for her. And your daughter? I didn’t know she left for that reason, or that you’d looked for her, but if you did—”
“For years,” he mumbled.
“Then you did what you could,” Parker said. “But Bert? Why, Abe? If he was willing to let the past go, to forgive, why couldn’t you?”
Grayson had seen Parker morph into her actress persona, and he’d seen her climbing out from under too much tequila. He’d witnessed the real Parker, Polly, at the bar, and enough times since to recognize that transition, too. The person he was watching now, the empathetic, confident woman, was a beautiful mix of both. He had given the old man grief. Parker held her head up high, compassion practically dripping from her pores, her determination to get to the truth still driving her on, only this time she did it with a natural grace no one could fake. If anyone deserved to feel proud, it was the woman standing beside him.
“You’ve got guts, little lady,” Abe said. “My Miriam had guts, too. Had to, to leave like she did. Maybe you deserve the fairy tale.”
Parker placed her other hand over Abe’s, unfurling his fingers and pressing them gently into her palm. “I know all about the arguments, the pissing and moaning and goading each other on that siblings and parents do. I’ve heard about loud, obnoxious holidays where they can barely stand to be in the same room. I want it all—the jealousies that come with family, the anger that feels like it’ll break you, and the underlying love that lets you know you’ll never really break, because your family’s got your back no matter what. So, if that’s a fairy tale, yes, I want it.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “And I’m not ashamed of my past or of wanting that fairy tale. Your brother gave me all I really ever wanted, a sense of family. And believe me, Abe, Bert wasn’t always easy. He had his less-than-stellar moments, too.”
Abe’s eyes widened with a glint of interest. “Tell me.”
His interest sent a jolt of surprise through her. “Gosh, okay. Well, for one thing, he chewed like a cow.”
“Always did,” Abe said with a hint of a smile.
“And sometimes he didn’t think before he spoke, so he’d say something crass that he didn’t really mean.”
“He meant it, the fool,” Abe said with another small smile. “He was just smart enough to know he shouldn’t.” He must have noticed he’d gone soft, and grumbled, “What else did the pain in the butt do?”
“He refused to celebrate Christmas with me. Ever.” Parker listed a litany of memories that seemed to pour straight from her heart, and Grayson found himself, like Abe, hanging on to every word she spoke. Even if Abe left things as they were, distant and cold, he knew she’d be okay, because the memories she was sharing were pushing her grief to the side and filling the spaces it left behind.
After she’d exhausted her lungs, she blinked her tears away and inhaled a long breath, then blew it out slowly. Her lips curved up as her eyes rolled over Abe’s face. “And he missed you, Abe.”
Abe slid his hand from between hers and laid it over Parker’s. “I’ve given you my answer,” he said quietly.
Parker’s brows knitted. “I don’t understand.”
Grayson put his arm around her. He’d been too angry before to hear the truth. “Pride kept him from reconciling with Bert, baby. It’s a powerful thing.”
Tears spilled from her eyes. Parker leaned over the bed and wrapped her arms around the frail old man. “Thank you.”
Abe’s arms lay rigid beside him. When Parker kissed his cheek, he lifted one hand to her back, holding her there for a long moment. When she broke the embrace, he gripped her forearm, keeping her near as he whispered so quietly Grayson barely heard him, “Thank you.”
Chapter Ten
THE SECOND THEY walked out of Abe’s suite, Parker pressed her hand to her chest.
“I can hardly breathe! One second we were leaving and I thought he was the biggest jerk on earth, and the next—” She threw her arms around Grayson’s neck and kissed him, overwhelmed by the moment, the day, the week. Overwhelmed by his support. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. You got through to him in a way even his own brother never could. You were incredible.”
“You supported me and made me go in there when I wanted to run away and forget the whole thing. You did a lot more, too,” she said as they walked to the elevator. “You stood up for me and you backed down for me. You somehow knew how much I needed to do this, and last night you knew how much I needed to feel okay about being me. The real me.”
“And here I thought you might fall apart after we left the room,” he said with a warm smile.
“Fall apart? Maybe if we had walked out the door when we started to, but I’m so glad we didn’t. This is what I wanted, for him to know how much Bert loved him and for him to remember how much he loved Bert. I want to come back in a few days. He shouldn’t be alone.”
“I thought you might.”
“I do. I know I said too much about my own feelings, and he didn’t deserve to have that dumped on him. It was obviously misdirected, which he totally picked up on with the whole fairy-tale thing. I thought I had dealt with all that stuff years ago. But maybe it’ll always be there in t
he back of my mind. Maybe I should apologize next time I see him.”
“Next time we see him again.” The elevator arrived and they stepped inside. “That is, if you don’t mind me going along. Just until we know he’s not going to snap at you again.”
“How could I mind? I love being with you.”
He touched her cheeks and gazed into her eyes as the elevator doors closed. Her heart was beating fast, and her emotions were all over the place. She was on a high from what happened with Abe and pushed even higher by her feelings for Grayson and the fact that they were back in the elevator. Their kissing place. So high she couldn’t hold them back.
“This,” she said. “The way you’re holding me right now, with your thumbs against my jaw, holding my head up so you can look into my eyes. This position right here has become my favorite.”
“Careful, sweetheart,” he said with a serious slant of his brows. “For ten months I thought we were building a friendship that we both hoped might lead to more. I thought I’d kept all that anticipation under wraps, but the moment I saw you, liquored up and full of sweets and sorrow, I knew I didn’t stand a chance. I’ve come undone. What I feel for you is too big, and comments like that make it hard to reel back in.”
Her emotions whirled even higher. “Then don’t.”
His mouth covered hers hungrily, demanding a response, which she was all too happy to give—and take. The kiss seared through her veins with fierce possession, and boy did she ever want to be possessed by Grayson. He took the kiss deeper, held her tighter. She was disappearing into the kiss, into him, letting their passion consume her.
Someone cleared their throat, surprising both of them, and they reluctantly parted, turning to the small group of people apparently waiting for them to step out of the elevator. Embarrassment heated Parker’s cheeks as she took in the scene in two seconds flat: Two teenagers fiddled with their phones. A couple looked at her and Grayson with amusement in their eyes. An elderly man was shaking his head, and three teenage girls stood behind the group, whispering and giggling.
Grayson placed a possessive arm around her waist and held his head up high. “Excuse us,” he said, and guided a stunned Parker toward the exit.
It was the longest two seconds of Parker’s life, and only one thought registered—Thank goodness Grayson’s brain was functioning, because hers was still lost in the kiss.
Once outside the resort, he brushed his thumb beneath her lip and smiled so wide it made her laugh.
“Sorry about your lipstick. I think I got most of it off.”
“Yeah, you did.” She rubbed a smear of lipstick from his lips with a laugh. “What is it with us and elevators?”
“I don’t know, but I think you should add one to your house. And maybe I should, too.”
“I FEEL DIFFERENT,” Parker said as they pulled into her driveway. “More alive.”
“There’s definitely new light in your eyes and a spark in your voice that was probably tempered by worry before.” She’d talked about their visit with Abe the whole way back. They were both pleased with how things had turned around with Abe, but Grayson also felt relieved. He’d been worried about the toll these visits might take on her if things had continued the way they’d started.
“I hadn’t realized how much this was weighing on me, but I think Bert would be happy with how things turned out. I don’t want to sit around the house hiding anymore. Do you have time to hang out?”
“Do I have time? Baby, you’re my priority.”
She seemed to melt a little at that, even though he thought he’d already shown she was his priority through his actions.
“Why don’t you go inside and do whatever you have to, fix your makeup, do your hair, or whatever else is required before you can go out for an afternoon, and we’ll head up to Provincetown. We can bring Christmas. He’d probably like a change of scenery.”
She dug a mirror out of her purse. “Do I look that bad?”
“Of course not. You need a warning label you look so sexy.” He leaned across the car and kissed her. “I prefer you without lipstick so I can kiss you whenever I please, but I know you have to be photo and fan ready. I’m just trying to be supportive.”
He came around the car and opened her door. She snapped the mirror closed, and he pulled her into his arms again, taking her in another long kiss. When they finally parted, it took a few seconds for her eyes to flutter open and clear themselves of their hazy look of lust.
“I’m definitely not wearing lipstick today.”
“You sure?”
She nodded vehemently.
“You totally dig me,” he teased, and kissed her again. “Just don’t blame me for whatever not wearing lipstick does to your reputation. I don’t know how many of the celebrity-lifestyle rules we’re breaking. You might want to clue me in so I don’t mess something up.”
They loved up Christmas and let him out to do his business.
“You don’t strike me as a rule follower.” Parker dug through her purse and pulled out her cell phone.
Grayson realized it was the first time he’d even seen her look at a phone. “For you, I’ll try.” He eyed the phone. “Getting back into real life? That’s a good sign.” And another reminder that her real life was across the country. A reminder he still wasn’t ready to think about.
“I promised myself I’d start returning calls after I dealt with Abe. I need to call my agent and a few foundation members before they send out a search party.”
“I’ll give you some privacy.” He took a step away, and she reached for his hand.
“I don’t need privacy. I’ll call on the way into Provincetown, unless it’ll bother you?”
“Nothing you do bothers me.”
“That’s because I’ve been hiding out. Once I get back into the swing of things, you might feel differently.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But we won’t know until that happens.”
Her brows knitted, as if she hadn’t expected him to agree. “Oh?”
He gazed into her worried eyes and knew no matter how much it sucked to hear or say, he couldn’t hide from his thoughts forever. “This is new for both of us, and you have a full life thousands of miles away from my life here. I’ve got another fourteen months of working on site for the foundation, but my life is here, on the Cape. If we really make a go of this, which I hope we will, then we’ll have plenty of things to deal with.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“Do you want to try to talk it out now? Figure out what those things are and how we’ll handle them? I’m happy to do that. Or we can deal with issues as they arise, which I’m also okay with. Waiting gives our relationship time to grow legs even stronger than the ones we have now.”
“What if we wait and we get really close and then we can’t make it work?” She began pacing.
Grayson pulled her to him again. “First things first. When something comes up, please don’t pull away. Issues seem bigger when you’re alone.” He tightened his grip around her, and a smile lifted her cheeks, the worry in her eyes softening. “If we can’t make it work, it means we don’t want it to work.”
“Okay. I like when you’re right.”
“So do I.” He gave her a chaste kiss, because if he kissed her the way he ached to, he’d end up scooping her into his arms and carrying her up to the bedroom—and her calls, and their outing, would be forgotten.
Chapter Eleven
GRAYSON HELD CHRISTMAS’S leash in one hand and Parker’s hand in the other as they meandered through the shops in Provincetown. It had taken a great deal of mental reassurance for Parker to quiet the voices in her head telling her to primp and paint before going out—no matter how much she hated doing it. But she was glad she’d resisted the urge, because kissing Grayson was bordering on an obsession. And she didn’t want lipstick or anything else to stop them from a single kiss.
She’d returned a dozen messages on the drive up, accepted sincere condolences, and agreed to read
a script for an upcoming romantic comedy, which Phillipa was going to have delivered tomorrow. The thought of jumping back into her crazy schedule was exhausting, but it was her life, and she was grateful to have one to be exhausted over.
They explored the shops along the pier, stopped to watch a pantomime on a street corner, and picked up a few small things for the house. Provincetown was a colorful, artsy world unto itself, which was one reason she liked it so much. The other reason was because it was where Bert had gotten his start as a photographer, and that made her feel closer to him. Provincetown was also dog friendly, and Christmas was in his heyday, taking in the crowded sidewalks, sniffing other dogs, and being lavished with attention by strangers. She was happy that Grayson had suggested bringing him. He’d been loving up her boy all day, telling him he was a good buddy when they stopped in a store or allowed someone to pet him. He seemed as attached to Christmas as she was, and that etched his name into another piece of her heart. It was getting pretty full of Grayson, and the fuller it got, the happier she became.
They had lunch at Café Heaven, where one of Bert’s photographs hung behind the counter. They sat out front, people watching as they ate, and talked about Bert. Parker noticed a few whispers of recognition throughout the afternoon, but thankfully, other than two teenage girls asking for a photograph with her, which she was happy to oblige, they had a fairly uneventful day in that regard.
“I’d forgotten what it was like to be away from the paparazzi,” she said on the way to Sky’s tattoo shop. She remembered Bert’s comment about Provincetown being the only place he could really be himself when he was younger. She knew he had been referring to being a gay man in the fifties, but she couldn’t help thinking the feelings she experienced as she moved through crowds without any fanfare were probably similar.