AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Parker will be okay with all of this,” Sadie said.
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s a great guy, and he’s done the right thing so far. That counts for something. You’ll tell him, and he’ll be a little surprised but ecstatic once he digests it, and you are going to be family.”
I nodded and let Sadie’s imagination build me a life where everything worked out. Because what if Parker didn’t want the baby? What if he decided I wasn’t worth his friendship with Ryan? What if I lost my business, or any myriad of other things that could go wrong?
No, that just made me feel sick again. I had to focus on the good.
And I liked Sadie’s version of my life much better.
I hoped to God it would work out that way.
19
PARKER
Irodetheelevatorto the lobby to meet Emily. She was on her way to see me. She’d been under the weather the last couple of days, and I was worried about her. The whole ugly business with Ryan was getting to her. And I didn’t know how to help her. It was partly my fault—I should have manned up and told Ryan when I’d wanted to tell him, rather than backing out like chicken shit and allowing it to spiral the way it did.
We were going to fix it. I was determined.
When I reached the lobby, a woman stood in front of the reception desk.
“I just need to talk to him,” she was saying.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Conrad told me not to—” He looked up when he saw me. “Oh, you’re here.” He looked relieved and then worried.
When the woman turned around, my heart sank.
“Brooke,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“Parker,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s so good to see you again.” She stepped forward to kiss me on the cheek or hug me or something—I didn’t wait to find out. I took a step back to avoid it.
Her icy blue eyes became hard when I did.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again. “How do you know where I live?”
“Oh, honey, it’s not hard to find you. You’retheParker Conrad. I just had to ask around a bit, and there you were. Right under my nose, all this time.” Her voice irritated me. She was being syrupy sweet, but I wasn’t in the mood for her drama. Once upon a time, Brooke had been everything. She looked like a model, wore only the most expensive clothes, had classy highlights in her hair, and her makeup looked like it had been done professionally no matter what time of the day or night. But she was a coldhearted, conniving snake who’d broken my heart and left me picking up the pieces of my life. I’d had to scrape together what I could salvage of my business after she’d been through with me, and no matter how beautiful she made herself, now the ugliness beneath the surface was all I saw when I looked at her.
“What do you want?” I asked. I widened my stance and folded my arms over my chest.
Her smile faded. “I’m trying here, babe.”
“Don’t call me that.”
She shook her head in irritation. “Parker, we can be friends if you’ll let us.”
“You didn’t come here to be friends,” I said.
She nodded and glanced at the doorman who fidgeted behind the desk.
“Fine. I’m moving. I need everything packed up, and I’ll need to replace the furniture. It won’t work with the new place.”
“Is it too big?” I asked.
“It’s toolast season.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “So, you’re here, asking for money.”
