“Like hell I wouldn’t.”
“I love you, but go spend the holidays with them. Give them a hug for me and rub Britney’s belly. Say hi to your niece or nephew.”
“I’ll think about it. I’ll come back for New Year’s, though.”
“Yes, I want my New Year’s kiss.”
“Who’s the sap now?”
“Still you,” I tease and kiss him. His hands roam down my body, lifting me and placing me over him. I rock my body over his as our mouths move together and feel him firm under his sweatpants.
“You drive me wild.” He trails kisses down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin, and sucking the spot where my shoulder meets my neck. His hands tangle in my hair, pulling gently and I moan. Next thing I know, my shirt and bra are off and his mouth is over one of my breasts. My nipples harden at the feel of his mouth on them, alternating from one to the other, tantalizing me.
Parker’s hand moves south, sneaking into my pants and sweeping over my clit. My body trembles at the contact and my breathing accelerates. I shift to give him better access, and his fingers rub circles on my clit, spreading my wetness along my core and slipping a finger inside my pussy, moving in and out of me at a steady tempo. I take his mouth, desperate and hot for him. I plunge my tongue into his mouth, seeking his and tasting him.
Another finger enters me and they thrust inside my sex, bending to rub that sensitive spot inside of me that sends heat waves to shoot up my skin. “Ahhh…Parker…” I throw my head back when his thumb circles my clit and Parker’s lips suck my neck greedily.
“Fall apart, baby. I want to hear you.” His fingers pick up speed and my desire tears through me, I orgasm over his hand as my hips ride his fingers.
“I need you inside me.” The rest of our clothes are lost and Parker is thrusting inside me. I ride his cock, clenching my walls around him as I move up and down his length. Parker grips my hips, the pain spikes my pleasure and I begin to fall apart over him. Moving with Parker’s help, I yell out his name and ride out the waves of my orgasm.
Parker continues to thrust into me, adding to my pleasure and building his. He kisses me on a groan and stills inside me, pumping his orgasm into me. “God, I love you.” He kisses me with all his love.
“Love you, too.” I move off him and walk into the bathroom once we’ve caught our breath.
“Do you wanna order in?” Parker calls from the other side of the bathroom.
“Yes. You woke my appetite.” I open the door and catch him laughing.
“And I’d do it all over again. Pizza?”
“Sounds perfect.” I lean on my tiptoes and give him a chaste kiss.
We’re eating pizza in his living room, Bad Teacher playing in the background. I settle between Parker’s legs when I finish eating and watch the movie. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me to his front, placing his chin on the crown of my head. We stay like this for the remainder of the movie, and then go to bed.
The air is cold as I walk to my car. Perfect night for the fire pit. I left the bakery busting with holiday cheer. Parker leaves for Athens tomorrow, and I have something special planned for tonight. We’re having dinner at my house and exchanging Christmas gifts since he’ll be away. I drive home to prepare for tonight. I’m going to cook his favorite meal and turn on the fire pit outside.
I prepare the steaks and then work on the potatoes. I’m making the steaks with a peppercorn sauce and mashed potatoes. I’m adding one of my favorites to this dish, fried green tomatoes. Of course for dessert, I’m making the chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes he loves.
I’m in the kitchen preparing our dinner when Parker knocks on my door. I open and kiss him quickly before running back into the kitchen. He chuckles and follows me, knowing fully well how serious I get when I’m cooking.
“Do you want a glass of wine?” Parker asks, pulling out a bottle of red wine he brought with him.
“Yes, please.” He grabs two wine glasses and uncorks the bottle. Serving a glass, he hands it to me before he serves his own. He takes a seat at the counter and watches me.
“Smells good. What are you making?”
“Steak, mashed potatoes, fried green tomatoes, and dessert is a surprise.” I wink at him and he nods in approval.
“Sounds delicious. Maybe I should go out of town more often,” he jokes.
“Don’t you dare!”
He laughs and says, “Don’t worry, baby, I don’t plan on leaving you alone for too long.”
“Good,” I lean in for a kiss and place the steaks in the oven on low to keep them warm.
We eat at the kitchen counter, making plans for New Year’s, and talking about what he plans to do back home.
“Miss you and relax for three days. Wish you were coming.”
“I know, but it’s only three days. Honestly, I’ll be busy and I’ll get to spend time with my grandma.”
“I know.” he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and smiles. “Ready for your gift?”
“Uh… yes!” He hands me a small bag overflowing with tissue paper. I remove the paper and pull out a box. I lift the lid and stare at a beautiful silver charm bracelet with two charms–a cupcake and a baseball. I smile at the thoughtfulness behind the charms.
“I love it!” I hug him and he helps me put on the bracelet.
“I thought you might. I made sure to add one for each of us. Like this we can add more charms throughout the years.”
“Thank you,” I kiss him. “Here!” I grab his gift and hand it to him, settling back on the stool. He opens the gift quickly, pulling out the baseball first. He inspects it and begins to read.
“Reasons why you’re such a catch.” He looks up at me with the most adoring glance that I melt. He takes his time to read each reason, all of them equally important. “This gift is…It’s perfect. I feel the same.”
“There’s something else.” He looks through the bag and pulls out the other item–a silver dog tag hung on a chain with the words “You are my Home Run” engraved on it. He puts the dog tag over his head and lets it fall around his neck. “I love it.”
“Good!” I smile proudly, kissing him, and put the dishes in the sink. “Let’s have dessert outside. I have the fire pit ready to turn on.”
Parker lights the fire pit while I warm up the hot cocoa. I spike it with some spiced rum and grab the cupcakes. I place everything on a tray and walk outside to my patio.
We spend the rest of the night cuddled by the fire and breathing in each second we spend together, memorizing this moment. We may not be together on the actual day of Christmas, but this is our own Christmas and one we will always remember. I play with the charms on my bracelet and smile. It is perfect.
This is stupid. Parker left an hour ago and I already miss him. I’ve become one of those girls. I drink my coffee on the sofa, watching TV, and my phone rings. I smile.
“Miss me already?”
“Always. What are you doing?”
“Drinking coffee and watching TV. Where are you?”
“An hour away and debating if I should turn around and come back home to you.”
“You’ll have fun and the distance will make it that much better when we see each other again.”
“You’re right about that. I may keep you locked up through the New Year.”
“Just talk to me.” We spend an hour on the phone before his phone beeps, alerting him it’s running low on battery. He promises to charge it and call me later.
I get ready to go into the bakery and work on the last few special orders we have before Christmas. I say hi to Beth at the front counter and walk into the kitchen, ready to get lost in my baking. I finish a carrot cake that is due to be picked up in an hour and work on a red velvet cake. I love making cakes and decorating them so I enjoy getting these special orders. If it’s not for these, I usually stay away from cakes for the bakery. I also have a few pie orders I need to finish, as well as, cupcakes.
“Hey! The last customer just left. What
do I get started on?” Beth walks into the kitchen and puts on her apron. Thankfully it’s Saturday and we close earlier so we can really focus on getting these orders out. I prefer not to come in tomorrow to finish them.
“Want to work on the pecan pie?”
“You got it, boss.” I roll my eyes and finish layering the red velvet cake.
Beth and I get into our smooth routine, working side by side in perfect sync.
“Have you spoken to Parker?”
“Yes. He called before I came in. His phone was running out of battery so he was going to charge it and call me later.”
We talk about our Christmas plans. I’m having dinner with my grandmother tomorrow for Christmas Eve and we’ll go to lunch at Luke and Jamie’s house the next day. We always close on Christmas day and Emily is here, so we’ll all get to spend it together. Beth is spending it with her family. Her brother and his family are coming to visit from Birmingham for a few days, so I told her to take Tuesday off and spend it with her nephews. Parker will be arriving that night so I can stay at the bakery until closing. I show Beth the gift Parker gave me and she asks if he liked his. I tell her about last night and our possible plans for New Year’s in case she wants to join us.
A few hours later I’m heading home with two mini, chocolate Bundt cakes with peppermint glaze. Grandma loves these, so that will be our dessert tomorrow evening. I relax for the evening and send Parker a quick text telling him I miss him. He responds quickly, which makes me smile, and promises to call when he goes to bed.
I wake up groggy and pad to my kitchen to make some much needed coffee. I stayed up way too late talking to Parker on the phone. I smile to myself. I would do it all over again tonight to fall asleep to his voice whispering in my ear. He told me the latest news in the Wilde household. His sister finds out next month if she’s having a boy or a girl, that is if the baby cooperates, and she is still adamant it’s a girl. Will isn’t too sure. I smile thinking about those two and how much love they feel for each other.
They all send me their hugs, and I even heard Nancy calling through the phone that I should have made the trip with Parker. I drink my coffee and have a muffin with it, as I grab my phone and dial my grandmother’s number.
“Hi, grandma! I want to make sure everything is set for tonight. I’m bringing dessert.”
“Yes, baby girl, everything is perfect. I already placed the roast in the oven so it can slow cook throughout the day.”
“That sounds delicious. I’ll see you later, grandma, love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetie.”
I take a relaxing bath after my breakfast, closing my eyes, and clearing my mind in the stillness that surrounds me. There is nothing better than having this time for myself to reflect on life’s happenings, especially the last few months that have been so hectic, the good kind. I smile at how my life has shifted since September and how different it panned out than what I thought it would when I started online dating. I definitely thought I’d never meet someone, or that I would have to go through a lot more horrible dates before I came across a decent guy. Turns out, I did, just not the way Emily and I had pledged to. Ironic, here I am thinking I met Parker untraditionally because of the pact Emily and I made, when in reality, I met him in a very traditional way and what was untraditional was blind dates with men I chatted with online.
Guy meets girl at a bar, girl is snappy, guy is pushy, finally they date and it’s perfect. Yup, sounds about right. I chuckle at how mistaken I was about Parker, but his mocking nature when Jake first introduced us made me roll my eyes and look another way. He was hot, I’d give him that, but he just seemed like a cocky ass. How wrong was I?
After a day of lounging, I get dressed to go to my grandmother’s house. I grab her gift on the way out and look forward to a night with her.
One hour left ‘til closing time. I’m antsy to end my work day, which is odd because I love my job, but I know that the sooner I close, the sooner I’ll see Parker. He will be getting back in town in about an hour and a half and I can’t wait to see him. We spoke every day he was away but I miss him. I ask Lacy, one of my employees, to make sure the kitchen is cleaned up and to load the dishwasher while I finish ringing up the customers in line.
Christmas dinner with my grandmother was amazing, as always. She loved the antique music box I gave her. Caroline has a liking for all kinds of music boxes, and when I saw this one, I knew she was going to love it. We chatted and ate delicious food. Every year we have Christmas lunch with Emily’s family, and this year was no different. I was so happy to spend it with my best friend and her parents. There is something about how the Thompson’s celebrate Christmas. It feels magical.
I’m bent over, putting a plate of cupcakes back in the display when I hear the door chime. I look up to greet the customer who just walked in and my face breaks out in a wide smile. I freeze a few seconds, and then race towards Parker, crashing into him and hugging him tightly. He catches me and lifts me with his arms around my waist, his lips kiss me lovingly. I hear the cheers from the people at the bakery, but I don’t care. They can yell and whistle all they want; I missed my man.
Parker plants my feet on the ground and looks down at me. “You’re early.”
“If I knew I was going to get that kind of greeting, I would have arrived earlier.” I slap his chest playfully and lead him further into the bakery.
“I’m closing soon. Wait for me?”
“Forever,” he says, kissing my forehead. I get back to work and Parker takes a seat at a table, his eyes never leaving me. I drop off a muffin and coffee at his table while I finish serving the rest of the customers and clearing tables for those who left for the evening. When the last customer leaves, I lock the door and turn the sign to Closed. I finish clearing the displays and putting those dishes in the dishwasher to leave washing over night. Lacy had loaded it up earlier, so I added these last few things and started it.
“Let’s go to your place.” Parker walks me to my car and kisses me.
I drive with Parker right behind me all the way to my house. I walk in with him, and we settle on the couch.
“I missed you,” I snuggle into him and hug him.
“I missed you, too. Those phone calls were not enough. I needed to see you, feel you, and kiss you.” He plants a soft kiss on my lips.
“Mmm…” I agree, closing my eyes and inhaling his scent.
“Baby…” The softness in his voice draws me to look at him. His eyebrows are furrowed and I sit up to face him.
“Yeah?”
He takes a deep breath and begins speaking. “God, I missed you.” His firm lips meet mine. “I got a call while I was away. The Braves’ head coach called.”
Parker continues talking but everything is drowned out by the vicious beating of my heart and the drumming in my ears. He’s leaving. I just know he is. I don’t blame him.
“Savannah?” I stare into his eyes, tears threatening to spill and take a deep, stabilizing breath. “Did you hear me?”
“You’re leaving.”
“Not yet. I need to make this decision with you. This doesn’t just affect me and my future. It affects both of us. The offer is amazing. He wouldn’t give up until I met him at Turner Field. Everything he said was perfect, and I felt amazing being there with him. Of course, the money is out of this world, but I won’t leave without you.”
I smile sadly and place my hand on his cheek. “Parker…This is a great opportunity. I already told you, you should follow your dreams. Baby, I want you to be happy, but I can’t move to Atlanta.”
“But…”
“My bakery is here, my grandmother is here. This is my home. You mean so much to me. More than words can express. You brought meaning into my life. I had never experienced that with anyone else and I will forever love you for that, but you need to follow your heart. You need to follow your arrow.”
“My arrow always comes back to you, guiding me where my heart is, right back here.” He places his
hand over my heart.
“I love you, Parker, and that’s why I’m pushing you to follow your dream. You were my unexpected and have become my everything and I won’t let you give up on this because of me.”
“Well, I won’t take the job without you. I love my life in Alabama and the job I have, so I’ll be very happy staying here.”
“Will you?”
“Why are you pushing me away?”
“I’m not pushing you away. I love you. More than I ever thought I could love someone. Because I love you, I want you to be fully happy. One day you’ll wake up and see a Braves game and it will click. That could have been me there with the team. I don’t want you to look back and regret it.”
“Come with me. Please.”
“God, I love you…so, so much. Right now, my home is here.” Tears are falling down my cheek, softly exposing the emotions deep within the depth of my heart. This is it.
“I won’t break up with you. We’ll do long distance during the season, and then I’ll come back here during the off-season. Stay with me.” A tear rolls down his cheek, and I swipe it with my finger. I inch my lips to his tearstained cheek and kiss him.
“We’ll try, but you’ll be traveling and working a lot of hours. I don’t want you to stress about me. I don’t want our relationship to be a stressor when it’s such a great thing.”
Parker reaches for the back of my head, pulling my lips to his and kissing me endlessly. He eases us down on the couch and drops his body over mine, bringing us as close together as we can get fully dressed. I cling to him and devour his mouth, taking the time to memorize every detail and taste of his mouth. I want to remember him like this forever, even if our forever were to end tomorrow.
I hate that this is the path our lives are taking, but I can’t blame him. If I were given an opportunity to work in France as a pastry chef, would I take it? It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Parker’s lips kiss my tearstained cheeks, comforting me. “Don’t cry. We’ll make it through this. We have to.” His words do little to comfort me. I am grateful for his attempt, but right now I’m just lost.
Sweet on Wilde Page 20