Page 83 of Desired Hearts
If our situations had been reversed, this was about the time I would ask Parker why his toxic ex was still alive and well in his phone.
“I should have blocked him. But I didn’t want to at first, and then?—”
“Delaney.” Parker reached across the table and put his hand over mine. “You don’t have to explain.”
“But…” I tried to do just that.
“I’m serious. You don’t. I just hate seeing you upset.”
I put the phone down and wrapped my fingers through his. They were so different, and yet… hadn’t Makis been like this at first? There wasn’t a hint of the man that later all but ghosted me when I tried to get any clarification from him.
“I’m not upset,” I said, shrugging off the thought. “At least, not anymore. It was just a shock to see his name pop up.” I picked up the phone again. “Swipe. Delete.”
Taking a bite of the sandwich, not even tasting it, I focused on the man sitting across from me. He didn’t look as angry now. Just concerned.
Finished chewing, I reassured him. “Honestly, I’m fine. Eat up, you don’t have a lot of time left.”
He did, and eventually we moved on, talking about the building, Pia’s research and just starting our own businesses in general. I knew very little about the legalities of it, how to even get started, but Parker did, business major and all.
It was a pleasant lunch and gave me a lot to think about, but Makis’s text had taken away some of the joy that I’d been feeling just before he’d messaged. I hated him for that. For all of it. But I was even more angry with myself for letting any doubts about Parker creep into my head because of that asshole.
That was when my phone lit up again, but this time, it wasn’t Makis.
31
PARKER
“I’m getting married.”
It wasn’t at all what I expected my father to say. He’d texted earlier asking me to call him as soon as I got a minute. Stepping away from the construction area, I called right away. After Delaney’s mother had contacted her at lunch the other day saying they’d discovered her father had high blood sugar when he went for his pre-surgery checkup, I wasn’t taking any chances.
So no health crisis, but still concerning since my father didn’t actually have a girlfriend.
“To who?”
It was a logical question, but the fact that I had to ask it was insane.
“Her name is Renee. Do you remember the woman I met in Cedar Falls?”
I resisted saying, “That would be hard to forget after I picked up your prescription for you.” Delaney and I still got a good laugh out of that one.
“Yes,” I said instead. “I do.”
“We’re going to Vegas this weekend. I know it sounds crazy, but she’s the one. I’m sorry you won’t get to meet her before the wedding, but at my age, you just can’t dick around with these things.”
There was so much to unpack, I didn’t know where to start.
“Is she from Cedar Falls?” If nothing else, I could meet the woman before she jetted off to Vegas with my father. I hated to say it out loud to him, but Dad’s business did extremely well, and this smelled suspiciously like a money grab to me.
“No, she was just passing through. She’s from Geneva. And before you ask, because your brothers already grilled me, she’s widowed and very financially independent as a loan officer. We’ll have a prenup so no concerns there.”
One piece of good news, I guessed.
I could have said, “Are you seriously marrying a woman you’ve known for a few weeks?” Or something like, “How do you know she’s the one and you won’t cheat on her left and right like you did with Mom?”
But trying to get through to my father was like talking to a brick wall. Been there, done that. It would end in an argument, and he’d be jetting off to Vegas either way. So there wasn’t much point in giving an opinion he hadn’t asked for.
“Congratulations, Dad,” I said instead. “Have you told Mom?”
