Take Me Down (The Knight Brothers 2)

As he thought about his feelings, his heart, the one she owned, pounded hard and fast in his chest. This wasn’t an easy revelation for him to come to or accept, and not just because they lived on opposite sides of the country. What had love shown him within his family?

Ethan had given Mandy everything he could of himself and she’d betrayed him. His father went through women like others went through Kleenex. But his mother had loved his father, a little voice reminded him. And had she lived, who knew what kind of marriage they would have had. He didn’t have bad memories of his dad from his early years. Had he been so devastated by losing the love of his life that he’d ruined what had come after for his children?

Parker would never know. He’d never sit down and have that kind of conversation with Alexander Knight. He wasn’t the type of man for that. Not now, anyway.

But these feelings inside Parker for Emily were clear. Protective, warm, loving.

Dammit.

“I know exactly what you mean,” she said, bringing him back to thoughts of her parents’ marriage and the love they’d shared. “My father loved my mother and he loves to be surrounded by things she loved.” Emily sighed, her soft gaze on Parker’s.

And for a brief second, her heart was in her eyes before she shuttered the look and buried herself in the computer screen again. Because what could she do? She knew the facts as well as he did. She lived here, had roots here. She wasn’t a city girl. She’d tried it and it hadn’t worked out for her, and he had a hunch, although it had much to do with Rex, she wouldn’t want to try Manhattan.

And he wouldn’t ask her to.

Which left him exactly where he’d started.

Nowhere.

* * *

“Dammit, apparently when they’re turning you down, it doesn’t take a bank long at all to make a decision!” Harper called out as she stormed into the inn a few days later.

Parker’s eyes opened wide.

James’ did as well.

Emily glared at her friend, who glanced around at the full house and winced. “Oops. I’m so sorry, Em. I didn’t even think, I was just so upset.”

A small shrug belied how obviously upset Emily was. Her entire expression had fallen. Both she and Harper looked beside themselves.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Parker said, his gaze more on Emily’s than Harper’s. “I’ve known for days you were hiding something, so out with it.”

Harper looked to Emily for belated permission and she nodded. She went on to explain about the offer her landlord had gotten from a big corporation to buy the land that housed both the coffee shop and the empty space next store, along with his offer to buy her out of her lease.

“So we thought, let’s at least try to fulfill our dream before it all goes up in smoke.”

“That’s the same company who recently made me an offer here,” James said. “It’s like they want to take over the town.” He shook his head. “That’s not something we can allow.” He pounded his hand on the table, his anger evident.

“Did they say why they turned us down?” Emily asked.

Harper nodded. “I’m overextended and you–”

“Have no credit. Got it.”

Parker’s heart broke for her.

“I should go,” Harper said, regret in her tone. “I’m really sorry again, Em.”

“It’s not your fault.” She hugged her friend. “I’ll call you later. Don’t agree to let him buy you out of your lease. One step a time, all right?”

Parker rose to his feet. “We’ll get this worked out,” he assured Harper. “And when we’re ready for real discussion, we’ll all sit down and–”

“No!” Emily jumped up from her seat on the couch, going from accepting to panicked in a heartbeat. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.”

“She’ll call you,” he promised Harper.

No sooner had Emily’s friend walked out than James rose to his feet. “I’m going to watch some television in my room,” he said, disappearing obviously so they could be alone to talk.

Emily turned to face him. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, the front cut into a low vee, and he couldn’t tear his gaze from the cleavage he’d tasted so thoroughly last night. They’d spent every night since they’d been home from their trip in his bed, gathering up every minute of time together they could without discussing the obvious ticking clock.

Parker waited until James was upstairs before turning his attention back to the situation at hand. He strode over to the sofa. “Sit.”

Frowning, she did as he said.

He settled in beside her, easing in close. He wasn’t about to give her any wiggle room, physically or otherwise, then picked up her hand in his. “We never discussed money,” he said quietly.

Her face contorted in horror. “Because it’s none of my business what you have.”