Page 102 of Someday You Learn

“She should. If she only laid the eggs this week, we still should have a few days before she starts to incubate. Once she does, she won’t move at all.”

“Not even to eat or drink?” I ask, stepping closer to him.

“Nope. Her sole purpose becomes making sure those eggs hatch.” As he senses me near, he pulls me into his side and looks down at me.

“I hate to admit this, but all of this bird talk is actually kind of hot.”

He arches a brow at me as he laughs. “Hot, huh?”

“Yeah. Seeing you in your element, talking about something you know so much about...it’s really sexy.” I reach up and straighten his glasses.

“Well, taking care of animals is my job.” He presses a kiss to my nose, and then one on my lips before moving his mouth to my ear and whispering, “But glad to know that it turns you on.”

I can feel my cheeks grow hot. I glance over at Willow, who is still recording us, and she flashes me a thumbs up.

“You know, watching you paint has the same effect on me,” he says to me, his voice still low.

When I lean back and look up at him, I can see the reverence and heat in his eyes. “Maybe I’ll just have to start another painting.”

He pulls me tighter into his body where I can feel just how much he likes that idea. “You should start it tonight.”

Dallas clears his throat, breaking our moment as Willow puts her phone away. “All right, you two. Dinner is almost ready. Let’s head inside and you two can continue to eye-fuck each other in there.”

Parker flips his brother off, grabs my hand, and leads me back toward the house. But before we go inside, I pull on his hand, holding him back.

“Everything okay?” he asks.

Cupping his jaw, I lock onto his eyes, wanting to make sure that he sees the honesty in mine when I speak. “You’re amazing, you know that, right?”

A pinch in his brow appears, making him seem confused. “Okay…”

“The way you care for others, the way you care about animals. You act like your brothers irritate the shit out of you, but I’m starting to understand that’s part of your love language.” He scoffs but lets me continue. “You’re an amazing man, Parker Sheppard. And I’m proud to call you my fake fiancé.”

I want to continue with, “How can you not see how perfect you are for me, how much I want to make our relationship real and how wonderful I know it could be if you’d just let me in?”

But I don’t.

I’m too afraid of telling Parker the truth, and the irony that I’m keeping my true feelings from both of the men in my life is not lost on me.

With intense speed, he yanks me into his chest, cupping my jaw this time and stroking my skin with his thumb. The intensity of his gaze makes my pulse climb. “You have no idea how much that means to me, Cashlynn.” He seals his lips over mine, slowly moving his tongue along mine, kissing me with a passion and reverence that is brand new, something I haven’t felt from him before.

This feels like more.

This feels likelove.

***

Later that night, after Parker and I clawed at each other the second we got home, I’m lying in bed next to him as he sleeps when my phone buzzes on the nightstand.

I pick it up and see a message from Willow. It’s a link to a new video she uploaded to her social media—the video of Parker at her house earlier.

The video opens with just him in the frame as he explains what would happen with the geese, but when he pulls me into him, she made sure to capture the two of us during our intimate conversation. Luckily, you can’t hear everything that we’re saying, but that’s not what’s holding my attention anyway—it’s the way Parker is looking at me. And then I read the caption.

“He’s off the market, ladies. What’s that look on his face? Oh, that’s love.”

My heart thrashes in my chest. My eyes keep watching us interact on the screen.

And in that moment, I know I’m in love with Parker Sheppard.

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