Page 29 of Words from the Heart
Chapter 22
Delilah couldn’t contain the moan from escaping when she closed her mouth around the warm, fluffy, sweetness. “Jesus Christ, Parker, I didn’t know you could cook like this!” She mumbled through her mouth full of pancakes.
Parker quirked an eyebrow, “Thanks…” his smirk caused Delilah to blush. As Parker started to say something, a knock at the door startled him, “Shit. Let me see who it is.” He stood, his chair scrapping across the floor, the sound echoing in the silence.
“Delilah,” Hank tilted his head as he walked into the kitchen, “sorry to interrupt your breakfast.”
“No,” she pointed towards the huge stack in the center of the table, “help yourself. I owe you for helping yesterday.” Delilah turned away, tears glazing over her eyes.
“Thanks, I’d love some.” He pulled a chair out and sat down. Spearing the fluffy cakes in front of him, he shoveled a huge stack onto a plate.
“Hank,” Parker sat down near Delilah, “What brings you by this morning?”
“Well… I do have your truck, and I figured we’d finish the fence out back today. Since you’re off.”
“The fence?” Delilah asked confused, “I didn’t know there was anything wrong with the fence.”
“Yeah – a few boards had rotted, and the tree…” His voice trailed off, causing Hank to glance up from his plate.
“It needed some repairs, Darlin’. And since your boy here is letting me crash with him, I’m going to help him get these repairs done.”
Parker nodded, silently thanking his longtime friend for finishing his thought. That tree was still a source of contention for him.
“Hank, I don’t think I’ve really asked what brought you here to Alabama.” Delilah shoveled another bite into her mouth, completed unashamed of making a pig of herself.
“Well, Parker and I were in the military… and when my time was done, I needed somewhere to land. A fresh start so to say.”
“Oh. Well, this is certainly the place to start over.”
“You say that as someone who knows.” He smiled, glancing from Parker to her.
“Yeah… Anyway. I owe you a thank you. For helping with Ed.” Her voice cracked, “Sorry.” She pushed her chair back and stood, “I need to shower. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Delilah?” Parker stood.
“Parker, we’ll talk later.” She turned hurrying off, leaving the two men to stare at her backside.
“Damn brother… You have it bad.” Hank laughed.
“Shut up.”
“She’s gorgeous. I’ll give you that.”
“That’s not the reason I love her, Hank.”
“Whoa? You love her? Seriously, Parker? You’ve only known her, what, a few months?”
“In person, sure. But it feels like an eternity.” Parker sat back down. “I fell in love with her before I met her. The stories Momma Belle told me had me hooked, even before I’d met her. She’s special.”
Hank shook his head, “Wow. That’s deep. I hope you don’t get hurt.”
“Yeah… me too.”
∞ ∞ ∞
Delilah was standing at the bottom of the steps, she’d stopped when she heard Hank giving Parker a hard time about her. What she wasn’t expecting was for Parker to confess his feelings for her to his friend. He’d said he was in love with her. That wasn’t the first time he’d said those words, though. He’d said them to her earlier. But she ran – scared that she would crush him. Deep down she knew she’d never hurt him, she just wasn’t ready to face her confusing feelings. She heard the chair legs scrape the floor, causing her to jump and run up the steps. She didn’t want Parker to know she’d heard what he’d said.
Closing herself in the bathroom, she stepped under the spray of the water, letting the warm water wash away her worries. Her mind strayed to her grandmother. What had she wanted to tell her? Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard the door open.
