Wondering how I ever managed without her in the first place.
“I know what I’d rather eat right now,” I caution her hungrily, reaching out for her and sliding my hand between her thighs.
She playfully smacks my hand away but I feel her shudder under my touch.
“Parker.” She pretends to scold me, her eyes telling me what she wants this too, but we both know we need to eat and sleep more than anything else right now.
My shoulder’s sore as hell but I can manage a steak and cheese sandwich as much as I can handle Naomi too, so what more do I need?
Sitting up on the couch, we both eat in silence with just the sounds of people who need food and are enjoying it as much as each other’s company.
Once we’re done, I order her to forget about the dishes, and despite my arm, I carry her upstairs to the one place I wanted her since the moment I laid eyes on her.
Our bed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Naomi
Parker’s promise that everything from now on will be better holds true.
I’ve never slept so sound or so deep as when I’m playing little spoon and he’s the big spoon.
He favors his injured arm but despite my protests, he insists it’s the only way he can be comfortable is if he’s holding me.
It’s pointless trying to argue with Parker when he has his mind made up, and once I feel his hard body up against me, it’s a fair fight to lose.
As he holds me tight I dream about picking out furniture for the house.
I feel bigger in my dream, heavier but once I run my hand across my belly I know why.
And it’s a look Parker enjoys too.
But as sweet as this dream is, I feel the real world pressing against it from the outside.
Parker’s deep voice pulling me from sleep as much as the empty space in the bed where he spent the night with me.
My hand stretches out to find him, but he’s gone, just his warmth remaining.
It forces me awake and as I rub the sleep from my eyes I can hear his voice getting louder, angrier.
I groan to myself, wondering if we might make it through a whole day without any drama, but remember what he told me last night about quitting the force, I kinda figure there’s gonna be some backlash.
He’s downstairs but his voice carries all the way up here and once I get myself out of bed and make my way to the landing I can understand why he’s yelling the way he is.
“Well Moose is hurt and so am I, so the way I see it is I’ve had enough… Not requesting leave, requesting acceptance of my resignation, effective immediately. Not coming in today or any other day, got it? I don’t give a shit about your roster.”
I figure he’s on the phone with his boss, getting a grilling for driving off in someone else’s patrol car as well as refusing medical treatment and not even trying to submit any paperwork for what happened last night.
He growls something personal and obscene about where he can stick his badge and gun before slamming the hallway phone down.
It rings again almost straight away, but despite his cursing, the vet is patient enough to explain it’s someone else calling.
I make my way down the stairs once I hear it’s the vet calling.
Fingers crossed for Moose.
“Ah, sorry about that doc. Just had someone else on the line… My boss… Yeah, it’s a can of worms. How is Moose though? Oh wow, great!” Parker explains, looking more cheerful by the second once he perceives Moose is doing better.
“Well, I’d prefer if he was here at home but-”
Then his brow darkens, taken aback.
“What D’you mean?” he asks, and I slip over to him, grateful to feel his body relax into mine as he sits me on his lap on the couch while he speaks on the phone.
“He what? Really?” Parker gasps and then chuckles.
This doesn’t sound like the typical phone call the morning after your dog’s been injured on the job. Or does it? I wouldn’t know. New to the whole cop K9 thing.
I would never have thought Parker would quit over everything either.
Quitting what he does just for me.
I lean in closer so I can hear, and Parker moves the phone so I can hear what the vet’s saying.
“It’s the darndest thing, but every time we go to get that stray out of her cage, Moose starts barking and growling. Like there’s hell to pay if we touch her… Let alone do what we have to do next.”
I gasp, remembering the other dog at the vet from last night.
I feel myself frown, shaking my head. I had no idea they were going to put the dog to sleep.
Parker seems to agree, and without saying a word to me he grips my hand and squeezes it.