Take Me Down (The Knight Brothers 2)

“Well, Ethan already did and made one hell of an impression.” Parker’s voice darkened at the memory.

“Oh, Ethan,” Sierra said. “What did you do?” She wagged her finger at him.

“It was ugly,” Ethan admitted. “But we parted on good terms.”

Parker doubted she’d forgotten how Ethan had spoken to her. Mending that relationship would take time. “Listen, I plan on going back there to convince her to marry me.” He patted the ring he’d personally chosen that now sat securely in his pocket.

Ashley and Sierra squealed their excitement and Parker grinned.

“Then I’ll bring her home to meet all of you. She’s already dealt with the scary one.” He jerked a finger over his shoulder to Ethan. “The rest of you are a piece of cake.” He grinned. “Speaking of cake, Emily is a baker.”

“Oh, yum. That’s going to be fun at family gatherings,” Ashley said and Parker chuckled.

He just hoped Emily hadn’t given up on him. It had only been a week, but he’d left her. Her biggest fear had been losing those she loved and he’d put her in that very position.

“Parker, you didn’t say what you’re going to be doing out there workwise,” Sebastian said, interrupting his train of thought.

“Aah.” He leaned against Ethan’s desk. “While I was there, I ran into a guy I knew from my skiing days. Caleb Benson. He owns a ski shop that’s also a sports retail store. He’s looking to expand into other areas of Colorado, to start. But he didn’t have the capital or someone to run it with. I gave him a call. I’m going to work with him, see if I like it, and if so, we’re going into partnership.”

“Awesome. That’s right up your alley!” Sebastian rose and walked over, slapping him on the back. “Good for you. You never belonged here behind a desk.” He paused, then said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Go for it.”

“Did you ski again while you were out there?”

Parker shook his head, but he’d come to realize how ridiculous those fears of getting back on the slopes really were. “I think I associated the skiing with Rina, the car accident and her death. Since I’ve been back in New York, missing Colorado and Emily, I took care of some loose ends from those days.”

He’d visited the Londons and told Elana and George that their emotional blackmail was over. They’d been upset but they also realized they’d taken advantage of Parker and there was nothing they could hold over him to get him to pay. He was free of the past, only his good memories of Rina remaining.

Ethan nodded approvingly. “Good for you, Parker. It’s about time.”

Parker actually agreed with his sibling. He also believed they’d come to an understanding about staying out of each other’s personal lives or choices unless asked or invited in.

That didn’t mean the others shouldn’t look over their shoulders, he thought wryly.

“So that’s my news,” Parker said. “And I wanted to share it with the people I love. And the ones I’m going to miss. So you’d all better plan on visiting us in Colorado.”

He only hoped there would be an us when he arrived.

* * *

Emily was arm deep in flour, baking bread. Not angry baking. Not hurt baking. Just very emotional baking because she needed the release. She wore her Kiss the Cook apron, had her hair pulled into a floppy, messy ponytail, nixed the makeup because she wasn’t leaving the house and she didn’t wear much on a regular day anyway, and flipped on music.

Because she was feeling sentimental, she picked Queen, the same album she and Parker had listened to on their way to the resort, where they’d shared an amazing couple of days. Not letting her mind wander there, she focused on the music and found herself singing to “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

Just wonderful, she thought to herself. Then again, what had she expected when she’d chosen these songs? She kneaded the bread, then rolled the dough with the ceramic rolling pin, her mind never wandering much past Parker.

It had been two weeks since she’d seen him. Two weeks since she’d heard his voice. Felt his strong arms around her. Nope, she wasn’t over him yet. Not by a long shot. But she didn’t regret telling him not to keep in touch. Without a doubt, she knew she couldn’t handle idle chitchat about their lives without falling apart and begging him to come back. And let’s face it. If he wanted to be here badly enough, he’d have found a way to make it work.

Just like she could have asked to join him in New York?

She pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering not for the first time if she’d made the ultimate mistake not broaching the subject. Of letting herself consider moving to Manhattan to be with the man she loved.