“Dad is going to flip out when he sees you bought him a new .22 for his birthday, Momma!” I said, helping her hide the gun in the attic.
“Someday when y’all go on that hunting trip to Montana he always talks about, he can use it for that.”
A Montana hunting trip was all my father and I ever talked about. It was our dream.
Too bad we never saw it come true.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Waylynn
“Okay, everyone ready?” my mother called out.
“Ready!” we all shouted, Chloe being the loudest.
My father hit the switch and the giant tree came to life. An internal warmth spread through my body as the sounds of Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” filled the air.
The sight was beautiful, and not just the Christmas tree. It was everything. The one thing that stood out the most was my parents. They looked up at the tree, around the room to their family, and then at each other. It wasn’t just a passing look. No, this was a look of utter love. The way they gazed into each other’s eyes left me breathless. Their love was like a fairy tale, only more amazing.
“It looks beautiful, John,” my mother softly said. “Every year I’m in awe in this moment.”
Lifting his hand, he brushed a piece of her dark blonde hair to the side. “Not nearly as beautiful as you, darling.”
And there it was. The most intimate of exchanges. I’d witnessed them my whole life, but never really paid attention. When I glanced around the room, I saw it again and again. Steed and Paxton. Amelia and Wade. Mitchell and Corina. The love that filled this room brought tears to my eyes.
Then I felt his arms around me, and I knew. It wasn’t because my heart had never felt this way before. It wasn’t because every time I was around the man I wanted to strip him naked and ride him for hours.
It wasn’t any of that.
It was the way he looked at me. The way his eyes seemed to take on a completely new look when he gazed at me. It was the way he held my hand. The way he kissed me passionately, yet somehow soft and sweet.
“You’re lost in thought, my sweet Waylynn.”
His voice was like a blanket wrapped around my body on a cold winter night.
I had no idea what made me utter the words, but I knew they were right. I felt them deep within my soul as the song “Unforgettable” started playing.
My voice was low and soft as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I lifted on tippy toes and whispered, “I love you.”
For as long as I live, I’d never forget the smile on his face. His fingers dug into my hips as he pulled me closer.
“You’ve just made me the happiest man on Earth, Waylynn Parker.” He pressed his lips to mine. We kept it sweet and innocent, remembering my father and brothers surrounding us. He drew back and leaned his forehead against mine.
“I love you too.”
Someone pulled on my sweater, causing me to look down. Chloe stared up at us with those big blue eyes.
“Aunt Meli told me to come over here and ask what y’all are whispering about.” Her hand came up while she talked. “Well, really she told me to sneak over and listen to what you were saying, and I’m supposed to see if you used the…” She hid her mouth with her hand. “Love word.”
Jonathon bent down and looked Chloe in the eyes. “You go back and tell your Aunt Meli that she needs to work on her little spy not spilling her secrets.”
Laughing, I bent over and kissed Chloe on the cheek. “I love you, Chloe Cat.”
Chloe’s cheeks turned pink. “I love you too, Aunt Waylynn!” And like that, she took off to Amelia.
Jonathon stood. “She obviously didn’t hear us, or she’d be running around the house ratting us out.”
I folded my arms and stared at my sister, who raised her wine glass. “Remind me to never let Chloe Parker in on a secret!”
Wrapping his arm around my waist, Jonathon agreed.
“All right, y’all, it’s time for dinner!”
“When in the world did your mom have time to prepare dinner?” Jonathon asked.
“She didn’t cook. This is the one time of year she has someone come in and cook up a dinner so that she can spend time with us. It’s usually on decoration night and Christmas Eve. Momma likes to spend time with the family and the idea of being in the kitchen the whole time doesn’t thrill her.”
“Makes sense to me.”
As we started toward the kitchen, the front doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Tripp said. He stopped abruptly as he walked by us. “Holy fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, turning to look out the window. You could see the front drive perfectly from the family room. The old truck parked behind Tripp’s was easily recognizable. So was the woman getting out of it.
Covering my mouth slightly, I whispered, “What is she doing here?”
“Who?” Jonathon asked, looking at a stunned Tripp and then back out the window. “Who is she? I don’t see anyone.”
Looking at Jonathon, I softly said, “Harley.”
“Oh. Shit.”
I turned to Tripp to say something, but our mother called out. “Are you getting the door, Tripp? Waylynn, Jonathon, come eat dinner.”
All three of us spun around to face my mother.
“Yes, I’m getting the um…the…”
“Door?” I finished for him.
“Waylynn needs something out of the truck. Come on, sis.”
Tripp pulled my arm as he dragged me toward the front door. I reached out for Jonathon’s help, and he shook his head.
“You’re on your own.”
My mouth dropped. “You just said you loved me, Turner! Now you’re leaving me?”
He winked before turning and heading to the kitchen.
“Tripp Parker, why are you dragging me into this?”
He looked scared to death. “I can’t talk to her alone, Waylynn, and Mom can’t find out she’s here. If she does you know she’ll invite her in.”
“Just see what the girl wants and send her on her way.”
“What? The last time she talked to me she told me she’d met another guy. I’m pretty sure this conversation ain’t gonna be that easy.”
I chewed on my lip. “That’s true.”
The doorbell rang again. Tripp and I headed to the door as I yelled, “We got it!”
“Jesus, Waylynn. A little louder next time. I’m not sure the entire city of Austin heard you.”
“Hey, if we don’t answer this door soon, Mom will be answering it.”
Tripp took a deep breath with his hand on the knob.
“Just do it. It’s like pulling a Band-Aid off.”
Jerking the door open, Tripp and I stood there like statues to face Harley Carbajal. She was just as beautiful as I remembered her. Her long black hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a T-shirt that said I love dogs. I couldn’t help but smile.
I could feel Tripp tense next to me.
Clearing my throat, I figured someone needed to speak. “Harley, fancy seeing you here. What brings you by?”
She smiled and stepped closer to me to give me a hug. “Waylynn, it’s wonderful seeing you! I heard you’re opening a dance studio. That’s amazing. The town will surely love that.”
“How would you know?” Tripp asked. “You don’t live here. Don’t you remember? You didn’t want to settle for a small town like Oak Springs?”
Oh, hell. Tripp had just word-vomited and I was incapable of stopping it.
Then he went in for the kill. “Or was that just because you were cheating on me and fucking a city slicker?”
I took a step back. “Okay, well, I’ll be going…”
Grabbing my hand, Tripp kept me rooted to the spot.
“I guess I deserve some of that,” Harley bit back. “I had no choice but to come to your folks’ place. I knew you’d be here tonight.”
“Wait, you came here knowing we would all be here? To do wha
t?” I asked. Now I was mad. Why would she see Tripp for the first time in front of the entire family?
“I wanted to talk to Tripp.”
“You come here when you know I’m with family? So I don’t make a scene, Harley? If I wanted to talk to you I would have returned the messages you left at my office all week.”
“You won’t let me explain. The least you could do is—”
I held up my hands. “Whoa! The least he could do? I’m sorry, are you forgetting who broke up with whom? You met another person at college and dumped my brother with the stupid-ass excuse that you didn’t want to settle in Oak Springs. And you think he needs to do anything for you? You’ve got some nerve, Harley.”
Glancing down, she nodded. “I guess you’re right on that point, Waylynn.”
When she looked back up, her eyes were filled with tears. I turned to Tripp and willed him to be strong.
Do not break for her! Make her earn back your trust, Tripp Parker! Right now her trust level is zero, so do not fall for this nonsense.
“I figured with me moving back to Oak Springs after the holidays, it was probably a good idea that we talked and maybe we could be friends?”
I huffed. Please. You want back in my brother’s pants.
“I’m sorry, Harley, but I don’t think we have anything to discuss right now. I’m with my family, and they’re waiting on us for dinner.”
She nodded. “I understand. Can we at least have coffee once I get back in town and settled? I’d like to explain things a bit more to you.”
Tripp looked at me and I rubbed the back of my neck, silently telling him no. It had been our silent communication since we were little. A way to “talk” to each other when we got in trouble.
“I’m not sure. I’ll give you a call after the new year.”
Harley didn’t seem too surprised that Tripp had turned her away. “Okay, thanks. Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.” She turned to walk away then stopped and faced us again.
“For what it’s worth, walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and the biggest mistake of my life. One I’ve regretted since the moment it happened. I hope you believe that.”
Okay, that one tugged at my heart strings. Tugged…but didn’t pull. It did pique my curiosity though. It actually sounded like she had no choice but to leave Tripp. I gave her a smile as I shut the door and said, “Have a good day, Harley, and tell your parents we said happy holidays.”
Tripp stared with a dumbfounded look. “You totally shut the door in her face when she was saying something important.”
“No, I didn’t. She was turned slightly and had started to walk away.”
“Waylynn, that was sort of mean!”
Grabbing my brother by the arms, I gave him a good shake. “Tripp Parker, don’t you dare forget what that woman did to you. Just because she shows up looking all hot and grown up with breasts I would kill to have…”
He jerked his head back. “Gross…mental image alert.”
“You have to be strong. Listen, Harley hurt you, and yes, she probably realized her mistake and her pride got in the way of crawling back to beg for forgiveness. That doesn’t make what she did okay. She has to earn your trust, Tripp. She cheated on you… Don’t forget that just because your dick wants to stand at attention when she’s in proximity.”
He nodded.
“I get that she was the love of your life, but take things slow. Let her know that she can’t walk back into town and pick up where she left off. As a matter of fact, I think you need to go out on a few dates with other women. Let her know you haven’t been pining away all these years.”
“You think Mitchell would let me borrow Corina?”
Hitting him on the chest, I rolled my eyes. “Stop it! There are plenty of women in Oak Springs who would kill at the chance to date you.”
“I’ve probably slept with most of them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Let’s go eat before Mom sends out a search party.”
Tripp let out a sigh. “Maybe you’re right. I need to proceed with caution.”
“Of course I’m right. I’m always right and why you boys won’t just admit it is beyond me.”
As we walked into the dining room, Tripp chuckled and said, “Poor Jonathon.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Waylynn
I walked back and forth, wringing my hands as I waited for the open house to begin.
“I have the refreshments set up in the lobby, and Paxton put out the information fliers.”
Looking up, I forced a smile. Amelia returned one. “Don’t be nervous.”
“What if no one comes? What if this was all a bad idea, and I just dumped thousands of dollars into a dance studio that no one wants to bring their kids to?”
Placing my hands on my stomach, I moaned. “Oh God! What if this whole thing tanks?”
Amelia laughed. “Look at you freaking out! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you freak out before, Waylynn.”
“Well, take a good look ’cause this is what it looks like!”
She laughed. “Calm down. The place looks amazing. Jonathon did a great job.”
I stopped walking and looked at her. For the first time today, I took a deep breath that actually settled my heartbeat.
“He did do a great job, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did. Please stop worrying because you’re even making me nervous.”
“Ugh! I can’t help but be nervous. This is huge! Huge!” Spinning around, I walked to the large picture window and stared into the courtyard. Amelia placed her arm around me.
“I remember being little and waiting for you to finish your dance classes. I loved watching you through the windows.”
“Why didn’t you ever get more into dance? You certainly had to be dragged to enough dance recitals and classes.”
She grinned. “I don’t know. Maybe because it was your thing and you were so good at it. I remember hearing the other moms telling our mom how talented you were.”
Facing my sister, I took her hands in mine. “You didn’t dance because I danced?”
“No, I didn’t dance because it wasn’t my thing. Writing was. For as long as I can remember all I’ve ever wanted to do was write. You danced, and I wrote little stories in my journal while we waited for you.”
Smiling, I squeezed her hands. “I’m so proud of you, Meli. I hope you know that. I don’t think I say it nearly enough, but I am truly proud of the amazing young woman you’ve become. You reached for your dream and snagged it like the Parker woman you are.”
She chuckled. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. And I’m proud of you and everything you’ve done to get to where you are today.”
The light knock on the door had us both turning to see Jonathon standing in the doorframe. He was holding a giant bouquet of roses.
“Oh my gosh, you didn’t have to do that, Jonathon,” I said, making my way over to him.
“Jonathon, those are stunning!” Amelia gushed.
“I hope so. I tore up my hands cutting them from my mother’s garden.”
My heart melted. Everything seemed to be going so amazingly, especially since we had declared our love for each other last week at my parents’ house.
“I love them.” I reached up on my toes and kissed him gently on the lips. “Here, I’ll put them in the vase I had the fake flowers in. These will look ten times better.”
Jonathon handed the flowers to Amelia. “Thanks, Meli,” I said.
The second she shut the door, Jonathon had me in his arms kissing me. I was instantly lost to him.
“I want you, Waylynn,” he whispered against my lips.
“Here?” I gasped. “Now?”
His hand went up my skirt, slipped into my panties, causing me to let out a moan.
“We can be fast.”
My body trembled. “Lock the door.”
His smile nearly blew me away. It was sexy as hell: my weakn
ess.
After locking the door, he picked me up and set me on top of my desk. Pulling out his phone, he started up some music.
“This is gonna be fast, baby.”
The pull in my lower stomach grew by the second. I knew that the moment he slipped into me I was going to fall.
With shaking hands, I unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. His dick sprang free, and I licked my lips. When he took himself in his hand, I let out another moan.
“Touch yourself, baby. Tell me when you’re wet and ready.”
I let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh, I’m pretty damn sure I’m wet and ready.”
Doing as he asked, I slipped my fingers inside and closed my eyes. “Oh God.”
The next thing I knew, he was pulling my hand away and slamming into me, causing me to let out a moan that I’m sure could be heard throughout the town square.
He buried his face in my neck. “Shh, you have to be quiet. Tripp and Cord are here.”
My eyes snapped open. “What!”
He laughed and slammed back into me. The thrill of what we were doing sparked a flame inside.
With a hushed voice, I commanded him to give me more. “Harder!”
Gripping my ass, he did as I asked.
I was on edge, about to fall into a beautiful orgasm.
“Waylynn, baby, I can’t hold off much longer.”
“So. Close,” I whispered. “Harder! Fuck me, Jonathon!”
He picked me up and carried me to the back of my office, against the wall. It was exactly like our first time and the irony hit me all at once as he had given me all that I asked for.
Dropping my head, I tried like hell to keep it all in while my orgasm hit me like a brick wall.
“You’re fucking squeezing my cock.”
That was it. I buried my face into his neck and whimpered as my body unleashed a pleasure I’d never experienced before in my life.
Jonathon let out a low moan as I felt him release into me. When he finally stopped moving, we stood there, still connected.
“Marry me, Waylynn.”
Drawing back, I stared at him like he had lost his mind.
“What?” My chest heaved up and down from our fuckfest.