Page 33 of When We Dare

“Bring her home. We’ll see how they get along.”

I was trying to get my mind on track. My thoughts were sluggish, practically melted from the heat of our encounter. “I can’t imagine we’d take her back to the shelter.”

His slow smile sent my belly into a tumble. “Probably not.”

A few minutes later, I was curled up against Hudson’s side in bed. “Tiffany says Biscuit is really sweet.”

Hudson smoothed a hand over my hair and down my back in a slow pass. My heart kept on thumping, strong and certain. Once again, I tried to ignore the voice calling out that maybe this time was different. I couldn’t ever let myself want someone like that.

Chapter Twenty-Six

STELLA

I laced my fingers together under the table, trying to contain the tension humming inside.

Parker smiled at me. “Are you okay?” he asked politely.

I let out a low laugh. “I am. This is kind of strange, you know?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Oh, I know. I’m just glad we connected.”

For a few minutes, our conversation was stilted again. I figured it might be like this for a while. After we got through the initial awkwardness, it was easy. I liked Parker. Beyond being a nice guy with an understated sense of humor, I sensed he was a man trying to do better in life. When he spoke about our father, I could feel the underlying love and an almost resigned acceptance of what sounded like a chaotic, unstable childhood.

After we talked for a while, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His gaze became serious.

“What is it?” I prompted.

His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. “I promised myself I was going to be honest with you.”

“Okaaaay,” I said slowly. “I promise I don’t bite.”

“I know.” His lips twisted to the side and he eyed me cautiously. “You’re finishing law school and studying for the bar, so I figure maybe law is important to you. I didn’t make the best decisions when I was younger.”

“Who does?” I countered. “Plenty of us do dumb things, especially when we’re younger.” My specialty was falling for assholes, but I left that out for now.

He nodded soberly. “As you know, my dad bounced in and out of jail. When I was in high school, he dragged me into it. I want to say it’s all his fault, but at first, it seemed exciting to me. I felt cool and tough. Not that dealing drugs is cool, but you get my drift. I spent six months in juvenile detention as a result.”

He went quiet at that, and the sound of him swallowing was audible. He held my gaze, and I could see the anxiety flickering in his eyes. He was bracing himself for me to judge him harshly.

“Are you expecting me to run away from the table now and pretend like we never met?” I finally asked. I shook my head sharply. “We share the same father. Maybe my mom didn’t get caught up in illegal things, but your dad isn’t the only one—” I paused, considering how to phrase this. “With questionable life choices. It sounds like you’ve tried really hard not to let that follow you into adulthood, and I really respect that.”

Parker’s shoulders sagged and his head dipped down toward the table. He tunneled his hands through his hair as he straightened and let them fall flat to the table. “Thank God. Some people still think getting in trouble in high school marks you forever.”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, I did go to law school, but my initial interest in it was because I wanted to make sure I made enough money that I didn’t end up living life like my mom. I love her so much, but she’s always been looking for someone to take care of her because she barely gets by. She dropped out of high school. She eventually got her GED, but it’s been hard for her to findsteady work. I wanted some stability.” I took a breath, gathering courage. “She’s been in a few abusive relationships. She assures me our dad wasn’t abusive.”

“Dad’s never been abusive,” Parker cut in.

“I’m glad to hear that. And back to your worries, I’m not all judgy just because I want to be a lawyer. I promise,” I added.

He smiled a little. “Maybe you don’t need to know this, but I haven’t been on anything other than the right side of the law since the trouble I got into in high school. One of the best friends I ever met was when I was in detention.”

I held his gaze, feeling my lips slowly curl into a smile. “That’s good. Life is never simple and I’m glad you’re doing better now.”

He took another deep breath in and let it out in a whoosh. “Well, that’s good.”

“What’s good?”

“That you don’t think I’m a loser.”

---