That’s not at all how I expected this drop-off to go, but I’m thrilled that it happened. I never blamed Easton for his coldness toward me. I knew deep down it was more about no longer being the only man in his daughter’s life than it was the man I am. He knows I love her. Hell, she knows I love her, and I won’t stop until the entire world knows it too.
I might not have said the words, but I’ve always believed that actions speak louder, and I try to show her every day that I love the hell out of her. No matter who’s around or who’s watching. Parker comes first, always.
“I can’t believe you two actually pulled this off without either of us finding out,” Parker says as she lays her napkin on the table.
“Oh, we had help,” I assure her.
“Who schemed against us?” Paisley asks, humor in her voice as she rests her hands on her baby bump.
“Your dad, your mom, and your little sister.” Cam lets the cat out of the bag.
“Our dad?” Parker asks, surprised.
I tell her about how I dropped Jett off, and he offered to help, and how everyone just rallied after that to help us pull this off.
“I knew he’d come around.” Paisley smiles at her sister.
“Well, ladies, the night’s not over. We promised you dinner and dancing,” Cameron reminds them.
The lights in the basement are already dim. The glow from the candles placed around the room and the table, along with the string of lights that Easton helped install, give us plenty of romantic lighting.
Cameron stands and pulls Paisley’s chair out for her. “May I have this dance, Momma?” Paisley smiles up at him like he hung the moon, and for the first time in my life, when I see a couple who shares that look, I know how it feels to be on the receiving end, because when I turn to look at Parker, she has the same look on her face and it’s directed right at me.
The look, that same smile she’s always held just for me, reaches into my chest and squeezes my heart. Every. Damn. Time.
“Sweet pea?” I stand and offer her my hand. Pulling her to her feet, I’m quick to wrap her in my arms and begin a slow sway side to side. The music turns up a little louder, and I glance over to see Cameron sliding his phone back into his pocket.
Song after song, the four of us are lost in our own little worlds. Nothing matters but being in each other’s arms and cherishing the moment.
“You know, I’m kinda glad our plans changed for tonight,” Parker says.
“Yeah?”
“This is so much better. Being here with you. Just you. No fear of cameras or fans asking for autographs.”
“But I like when they take pictures of us.”
She playfully rolls her eyes. “I’m convinced now, Holden. You’ve hung up your playboy hat.”
“Yeah, but I need to keep reminding the world that I’m happily taken.”
“What am I going to do with you?” she asks.
Love me. “Kiss me,” I say instead, as the lyrics to “I Cross My Heart” by George Straight fill my ears.
Pulling out of the kiss, I bend so my lips are next to her ear and sing every word to her. Her hands grip the back of my shirt, and I know that this is it. This is my moment. Our moment. As the last verse plays, I stop moving and cradle her face in my hands.
“I love you, Parker.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes, but her smile is as bright as the sun. Her lips tremble as she replies, “Oh, Holden, I love you too.”
I kiss her with all the love I have, and it’s not until I see the flash of the camera from the corner of my eye that I remember that Cameron and Paisley are here, and Cameron knew to snap a photo of us once I told her. It was his idea, and when I asked him how he would know the right moment, he replied, “Don’t worry, I’m madly in love with a Monroe sister. I’ll know.”
“What are you doing?” Parker laughs.
“Documenting the moment.” Cameron grins at her.
“Just because your relationship was caught on camera doesn’t mean mine needs to be,” she teases.
“Best fucking day of my life,” he says, leaning down and kissing Paisley’s swollen belly. A jolt of envy washes over me. One day soon, that will be us, and it will be our baby on the way. I can’t fucking wait to see what the future holds for us.
CHAPTER 26
Parker
“I can’t believe we’re here,” Peyton says from her seat next to me on the plane. Our flight just landed at the Ft. Myers airport. We’re both on spring break from college, and I’m flying down to see Holden.