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From this point forward, he would take whatever steps necessary in order to build a relationship between the two of them. He wanted his son to be a permanent part of his life. He hadn’t said a word about it to Cadence, and he prayed she wouldn’t have any objections. Logan was his son. He was a Donahue. And he would do whatever it took to encourage Cadence to stay put in Pelican Bay so he could foster a bond with Logan. From the moment he’d learned he was a father, Parker’s life had been forever altered.
**
Cadence curled up on the couch as Parker carried Logan upstairs to the guest room. Earlier this afternoon Parker and Jason had gone out to the store and purchased a crib for Logan. Cadence had sneaked a peek as the two brothers assembled the elaborate mahogany crib. It had brought tears to Cadence’s eyes to see Parker so committed to building something for Logan.
Being teary-eyed seemed to be a constant state of being for Cadence. Every little thing brought on the waterworks. There were so many emotions and feelings welling up inside her that she hadn’t yet been able to express. And a lot of them revolved around Parker. Strong, gorgeous Parker. He’d saved their son’s life, and if she hadn’t already loved him with all of her heart and soul, it would have caused her to love him till the end of time.
It had felt so nice to have some physical contact with Parker. He’d reached out to her and placed his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. For so long she’d ached to have him hold her in his arms. There had been so many lonely nights when she had cried herself to sleep and thought about Parker and everything she’d lost. At the same time Cadence had been forced into living as Mason’s “trophy” wife. She hadn’t felt an ounce of love for Mason and yet she’d been his wife. Marriage was sacred. Ever since she’d been a little girl, Cadence had looked forward to the day she could walk down the aisle in her white satin gown toward her knight in shining armor.
It should have been Parker! That thought continued to haunt her. She should have walked down the aisle toward a man she loved with all of her heart and soul. Instead, she had walked into a living nightmare.
Suddenly, Cadence felt the heat of Jason’s gaze. He was standing in the entranceway, staring at her with an intensity she couldn’t ignore.
“You want to say something. It’s written all over your face,” she said, preparing herself for the worst. Jason had been biting his tongue ever since she’d walked back into their lives. It was best he get it out in the open. She didn’t want any negative feelings to fester.
“Don’t hurt him,” Jason warned. “Please.”
She shook her head. “I won’t. I wouldn’t.”
“But you did.” Jason’s tone was blunt. His expression left no doubt as to his impression of her. It saddened her. Jason had once been a good friend. She still cared about him. He was Logan’s uncle.
“Yes, I did hurt him, Jason. And hopefully you understand the circumstances leading up to it. I hope you know I did what I thought needed to be done to protect Parker and my parents.”
“I know you brought him to his knees in the past. When you cast him out of your life, Parker suffered. He was broken. I’d never seen him like that before, and I don’t ever want to see him look like that again.” Jason shuddered. “And now that he’s seen his son he’s going to want him to be close by. Have you thought about that at all?”
“I understand,” she said in soft voice. “And I want Parker to be geographically close to Logan. I’m still trying to figure it all out.” It hurt that Jason held such a negative view of her. Would he always think of her as the woman who’d broken his brother’s heart? “Perhaps in time you can forgive me.”
“I know you’ve been through a lot. Probably more than you’re even saying. But that guy upstairs means the world to me. He saved me in every way a person can save another human being. When I was at my worst he offered his hand to me and lifted me up out of the depths of drug addiction. In this lifetime I probably won’t ever be able to repay him, but I’m always going to have his back.”
Cadence nodded. “I get it. The two of you are like peas in a pod. Brothers. Best friends. It’s only natural you feel protective of him.”
“I won’t let him get blindsided again,” he said in a clipped tone. His expression said it all. He still didn’t trust her. And she honestly wasn’t sure she blamed him.
Just then Parker walked back into the room. Tension hovered in the air. It was thick and palpable. Parker frowned, then looked back and forth between them. “Is everything all right in here?”
“Everything’s fine,” Cadence said smoothly. “Jason and I were just catching up.”
Parker’s expression was wary. Cadence wasn’t sure he bought her version of things, but she wasn’t going to rat out Jason or cause the brothers to argue about her. That wasn’t her style and it would only serve to make the situation worse.
“I should get going,” Jason said. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
“Night, Jason. Again. Thanks for everything. Not just for helping with the crib, but for helping out in Sonoma. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Parker said, pulling Jason into a tight hug.
“Any time. You know that,” Jason said, turning toward Cadence. “Night, Cadence. Thanks for chatting.”
“Night, Jason,” she said, wishing she could think of a way to bridge the gap between them.
After Jason headed out, there was an electric charge hovering in the air between her and Parker. Cadence couldn’t put her finger on it, but she wondered if it had to do with unresolved romantic feelings between them. She couldn’t speak for Parker, nor had she picked up on any strong romantic vibes, but she knew how she felt about him. She loved him in an epic type of way. Her feelings for him hadn’t changed over the course of the last three years. They’d only grown stronger. She would like to think he felt the same way. Their love had been so strong. Could it have died out that easily?
Even looking in Parker’s direction caused her heart to beat at a fast rate. Forget about looking directly into his cocoa brown eyes. It was like falling over the edge of a cliff. Each and every time she looked at him, she couldn’t help but wonder if he knew she still loved him. And, if so, did he even care?
“We can’t really avoid it much longer.”
Cadence’s pulse quickened at Parker’s statement. Was he going to confront her about her feelings? Lash into her about hiding Logan’s paternity from him?
Cadence frowned. “Avoid what?”
“Going to my parents’ house for dinner. My parents want to meet Logan and they think we should break the news to my siblings over dinner,” he announced, an expectant expression etched on his face. “There’s something you should know first. My parents recently told us they’re separating.”
