by Unknown
“I don’t understand…” Alice said as she searched his face, looking for the answers she needed.
“This thing between us,” Parker said with a smile. “It’s no longer what it once was. “Alice, I have fallen in love with you. I know it’s crazy, and it’s scary. But I also know it’s real, and it’s amazing.”
“You…you love me?” Alice swallowed.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Parker asked.
“I…I guess,” Alice whispered as once more she dropped her eyes to the bed.
“Alice,” Parker said as he once more reached for her chin and turned her face back to his. “Do you love me?”
She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity to Parker, as he held his breath until finally, a smile filtered across her beautiful face.
“Yes,” she whispered, then her smile widened. “I have loved you from the start.”
Parker smiled too before he slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
“Then that’s all that matters, Mrs. O’Neill,” Parker breathed against her lips before he slipped his arms around her, eased her back down onto the bed and climbed above her once more.
“I will be an hour at the most,” Parker said as he walked down the hallway, towards the door, followed closely by Alice. “Now stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it,” Alice sighed as she matched his pace, step for step. “I know you’re mad as hell at this kid, and with every reason. I just don’t want you to do something stupid.”
“I won’t,” Parker said as he stopped and turned to Alice. “I give you my word. As much as I would like to beat the ever living shit out of this punk kid, I know I need to do the right thing. I’m just going to talk to him.”
“Okay,” Alice said before Parker pressed his lips to hers.
“It feels nice to finally be able to kiss my wife,” he whispered against her lips.
“It feels very nice,” Alice couldn’t help but smile.
“I should go,” Parker said, kissing her once more. “Tom is waiting downstairs with the car. When you’re ready, Brady will take you to the hospital, and I will meet you there.”
“Okay,” Alice replied. Parker smiled to himself. He knew she wanted to argue with him, but she bit her tongue.
“Good girl,” he said, giving her a wink before he hurried out the door.
Parker sat in the car and waited for the right moment to talk to young Mr. Deacon James. He had managed to track down where he worked quite easily. He knew he worked every Saturday morning in a music store, about six blocks from where he lived. Parker knew he finished at one o’clock every Saturday, and he then walked the six blocks back to his Manhattan penthouse where he spent the weekends with his father and his father’s new bride. The rest of the week, he lived a few streets away from Parker’s parents’ house, with his mother.
Parker glanced down at his watch. It was five minutes to one. He sighed as he straightened his cuffs on his suit jacket, and continued to stare out the window, waiting for the boy.
As he did, his mind wandered back to when he was seventeen, and more specifically, to Sara McCourt and a sickening feeling settled deep inside him.
Was this karma paying him back? Did this happen to his sister because of what he did all those years before? He rarely allowed himself to think of back then, or Sara. She had been the reason he changed. She was the reason he was how he was now.
Used to be, he thought in his mind. Now that he had Alice, none of that crap seemed to matter any longer. Or did it? He knew he would have to tell Alice about what happened back then. If they were going to make their relationship work, then there needed to be no secrets. Secrets had a way of coming back to haunt you. Something Parker knew only too well.
He knew he needed to be honest with her. But not right now. Right now he needed to deal with this asshole kid. Then he would think about the past.
Suddenly the door to the shop opened, and Parker held his breath. Sure enough Deacon James came strolling out of the store, looking every bit the cocky asshole Parker had expected him to look.
“That’s him,” Parker said, and without even thinking, he swung opened the car door, and was out in one clear movement. Before the kid even knew what was happening, Parker had him pinned against the wall.
“WHAT THE HELL, MAN!” Deacon exclaimed as the look of panic washed over his face.
“Do you have any idea who I am?” Parker growled with such venom; the colour drained from the kid’s face.
“No, Man,” he replied as panic set in. “Just let me go.”
“I’m Parker O’Neill,” Parker growled and the boy’s face paled even more. “That’s right; you’re right to be scared.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Deacon insisted, but Parker could feel him tremble in his hands.
“You didn’t have sex with my fourteen-year-old sister?” Parker asked, struggling to keep a lid on his temper.
“She…she didn’t say she was only fourteen,” Deacon stammered, but Parker knew he was lying.
“I don’t believe you,” he snarled into his face.
“I SWEAR,” the kid cried.
“And what about when you took her picture,” Parker replied. “Do you know how many laws you are breaking for having explicit photos of a minor on your phone?”
“I don’t have a picture,” the kid lied, as tears danced in his eyes, and Parker knew he had scared him.
“Screw it,” Parker said as he dragged him towards the car. “I think I will bring you to the cops. Let them deal with your stupid ass.”
“WAIT! WAIT!” Deacon pleaded. “Okay, I took her picture, but I didn’t show anyone. I swear.”
“Where is it,” Parker asked, still gripping the boy tightly.
“It’s on my phone,” Deacon replied. “That’s all. I swear to God.”
“Give it to me,” Parker demanded.
The kid searched his pocket, then pulled out his phone and handed it to Parker.
“Does this backup to the cloud?” Parker asked as he took the phone from Deacon.
“I didn’t save that one to the cloud,” Deacon replied. “My dad checks mine, he would kill me if he knew.”
“And this is the only copy?” Parker clarified once again.
“Yes, Sir,” Deacon replied as the tears trickled down his face.
“I am keeping this phone,” Parker explained to the boy. “If that picture ever sees the light of day, I am taking this phone to the police.”
“It won’t,” Deacon cried, “I promise.”
“If you ever go anywhere near my sister again,” Parker continued. “I will find you, and I’ll make it so your own mother won’t even recognise you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Deacon nodded as Parker released him from his grasp and pushed him back against the wall, before the kid slumped to the ground.
Without waiting for him to stand back up, Parker turned and headed back to the car.
“Are you okay, Sir?” Tom asked as he pulled the car away from the kerb.
“I am now,” Parker replied as he looked down at the phone in his hands. His gut instinct was to destroy it, but he knew the right thing to do was keep it in case the asshole kid ever tried anything.
“Do you want to head to the hospital now?” Tom asked as he glanced at Parker in the rear-view mirror.
“Yes, please, Tom,” Parker replied, as he slipped the phone into his inside pocket. He would lock it away in his safe when he got home later that day.
When he reached the hospital, he was happy to see his father sitting up and looking much better than he did the night before.
Alice looked up at Parker as he walked into the room, and he could see she was worried. He gave her a reassuring smile, as he made his way to where she was sitting before he softly kissed her on the lips.
“Are you okay?” She asked in a quiet voice.
“I am now,” he replied with a smile before he kissed her once more.
“Is everyth
ing taken care of?” Robert asked from his bed.
“It is,” Parker replied as he turned to his father and gave him a smile, before he turned to his sister, and his smile widened. “I don’t think you will have any more trouble from Mr. James again.”
“Thanks, Parker,” Nicole said as unshed tears glistened in her eyes.
“It’s over sweetie,” Eleanor said as she took her daughter’s hand. “Now we need to put it behind us, and forget about the whole thing.”
“Yep,” Nicole nodded. She glanced over at Alice and gave her a warm smile. This made Parker happy. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he felt that his life was good. He was exactly where he wanted to be, and having Alice in his life was everything to him now.
A sudden thought occurred to Parker and settled over him like a dark cloud. He knew for him and Alice to work, he needed to tell her about his past. He knew that she was already aware there was something he wasn’t telling her. She knew that there was something in his past that had hurt him. Something that had made him the way he was.
He knew none of that really mattered anymore, but he owed her the truth. He just hoped that she loved him enough to see past the mistakes he had made as a boy and see him only as the man he was now.
Chapter 24
Alice
“What time is Mom collecting you?” Parker asked Alice as they sat at the breakfast counter. It had been three weeks since Robert was rushed to the hospital, and now that he was home and doing better, Eleanor was back to planning the party for Parker and Alice.
“She said she would be here at nine,” Alice sighed without looking up from her breakfast bowl.
“Hey,” Parker said as he set his newspaper down. “What’s up?”
“Why would anything be up,” Alice sighed as she looked up from her bowl, towards Parker.
“Because I know you,” Parker said with a smile. “And I know when something is bothering you. So talk to me.”
“When I went to visit Gram yesterday,” Alice began as she set down her spoon and folded her hands on her lap. “I was talking to Annie about maybe taking Gram out for the evening, you know so she could come to the party.”
“Okay,” Parker said.
“She said she didn’t think that Gram would be well enough for a big party,” Alice sighed miserably, unable to hide her disappointment any longer.
It had meant everything to Alice to have her grandmother at the party. She was already stressed out that the guest list was already three hundred people long. That was only made worse by the fact, her side of the list consisted of two people. Gram and Jenny.
“Isn’t there any way around it?” Parker asked, knowing how much it meant to Alice to have her grandmother there. “What if I hire a nurse, or a doctor even?”
“She said that she is just too weak now,” Alice explained. “She is worried that so many people would confuse her, and she would become agitated, and that wasn’t good for her blood pressure. She also said that with Gram’s immune system so weak; there would be too many things that could go wrong.”
“So what do you want to do?” Parker asked, and Alice knew he would have done whatever it took to make her happy. “Do you want me to talk to Mom? We could cancel the party if you want; have just a dinner with my family and Gram.”
“We can’t do that,” Alice replied with a smile. She loved that he wanted to make her happy, no matter what that took. “You’re mom has put so much time and effort into this. We can’t really do that to her; it wouldn’t be fair.”
“Then tell me what to do,” Parker asked as he reached over and took her hand. “What will it take to make my girl smile again?”
“Actually,” Alice said as she reached up and tugged at a loose strand of her hair. “Gram would really love to meet your mom. I have told her so much about her, and she has asked if maybe your mom might drop by to see her sometime.”
“Have you asked Mom to go?” Parker asked Alice, but she knew he already knew the answer. She just shook her head. “Why ever not?”
“I just don’t know if your mother would be comfortable with that” Alice replied honestly. “I mean, it’s not like she even knows Gram, and I know how busy she is…”
“She loves you, Alice,” Parker said, cutting her off. “There is nothing she wouldn’t do for you. I know she would love to meet Gram too, and when she does, she will love her just as much as we do.”
“Do you really think she would?” Alice asked, giving Parker a hopeful smile.
“Leave it with me,” Parker said as he leaned forward and kissed Alice on the lips.
“Thank you,” Alice said as she climbed down from her stool. “I should go get ready.”
“Alice,” Parker said as she reached the door, stopping her before she disappeared. “Everything is going to be okay; I give you my word.”
“I know,” she replied with a smile before she turned and hurried to their bedroom.
As she sat at the dressing table that Parker had insisted they moved into his room, she stared at her reflection and sighed. She had no idea how her life had ended up so perfect, but there was a tiny part of her that believed it was too good to be true.
Things like this didn’t happen to girls like her. Jenny would joke that her life was like a real-life Cinderella story, and though Alice would smile, there was a part of her that hated when her friend said that. Sometimes she would wonder if there would be a wicked stepmother about to turn up and destroy everything for them.
When she was finished getting dressed, she made her way back down to the kitchen where she found Parker sitting with his mom, talking to Maria.
“Here she is,” Parker said the minute he spotted Alice walking back into the kitchen.
“Hi, Eleanor,” Alice said, greeting Parker’s mom with a warm smile.
“Hey, Sweetie,” Eleanor replied as she stood up to greet Alice. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Alice said with a smile before she glanced at Parker.
“Are you all set for today?” Eleanor asked. “We are going to find you the perfect dress for the party.”
Alice just smiled, as she glanced at Parker once more.
“I need to be getting to the office,” Parker said as he walked towards Alice and kissed her on the lips softly. “I will see you later.”
“See you later,” Alice smiled. She watched as he made his way out of the kitchen, and disappeared down the hallway.
“Are you ready to go, Sweetie?” Eleanor said as she picked up her handbag from the counter and stood up.
“Sure,” Alice said as she turned back to Parker’s mother and gave her a smile before she turned to Maria and gave her a smile too. “I’ll see you in the morning, Maria.”
“I’ll be here,” she replied in her usual, upbeat, friendly manner. “Enjoy your day.”
Alice started for the door but stopped when she reached it and turned back to Maria.
“Actually,” Alice said as she took a step back towards the counter. “Would it be okay if I cooked dinner tonight?”
“Of course,” Maria laughed. “This is your home, Alice.”
“I know, but…” Alice blushed. “I just know you have your routine.”
“It’s no problem,” Maria assured her. “Is there anything I can get from the store for you?”
“Would that be okay?” Alice asked, still not completely comfortable with asking Maria to do things for her.
“Of course,” she replied and smiled once more.
Alice pulled a list from her pocket that she had made for herself, and handed it to Maria. She thanked her once again and headed back out into the hallway, where Eleanor was waiting for her.
They headed to several stores, looking for the perfect dress for Alice. They were all so pretty and perfect, but Alice wasn’t comfortable spending so much money; money that didn’t belong to her.
“You know I have lots of dresses at home,” Alice said as they arrived at another boutique. “I
could just wear one of those dresses.”
“Nonsense,” Eleanor smiled. “A girl can never have too many dresses. Besides, Parker wants you to have something new; I’m only carrying out his instructions.”
“Oh,” Alice sighed, feeling more than a little uncomfortable with the whole thing. “I see.”
“Alice,” Eleanor said with a smile, as she took Alice’s hand. “I know this is all very new to you, and I also sense you’re not very comfortable with my son buying you these things.”
“I would just rather pay my own way,” Alice said as she looked up into Eleanor’s eyes.
“I know you would,” Eleanor replied as her smile widened. “And Parker knows too. But you’re his wife now, and if he wants to buy you a pretty dress, is that such a bad thing?”
“I…I guess not,” Alice shrugged. “It’s just…this is all very new to me. It’s not how I was raised.”
“I know, Sweetheart,” Eleanor replied as she gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “But this is your life now. Parker just wants everything to be perfect for you.”
“Okay,” Alice replied with a nervous smile.
An hour later, Alice found the perfect dress for the party, and despite her initial reservations, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited about wearing it to the party. She knew Parker would love it too, and she was surprised by how excited that made her feel.
Eleanor suggested they go for lunch before they call it a day.
“So,” Eleanor said when the waitress had taken their order. “Parker tells me that your grandmother would like to meet me.”
“He…he told you?” Alice asked as her face flushed with embarrassment.
“He mentioned it this morning while you were getting ready,” Eleanor replied with a smile. “He tells me that she won’t be able to attend the party and that you’re a little upset about it.”
“I just wanted her there,” Alice admitted sadly. “She is the only family I have had for such a long time; I just wanted her to be part of this.”
“I understand, Sweetheart,” Eleanor replied as she reached out and took Alice’s hand. “And I would love to meet her. I want to meet the lady that raised such a kind, caring, amazing girl like you.”