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Penelope pressed her hands against her chest. “Oh, Cadence. It makes me so happy to hear that.”
Cadence laughed. “Really? I don’t think the rest of your family would agree with you on that.”
Penelope waved a hand in the air. “Don’t mind them. They’re being protective of their big brother. They all think Parker hung the moon, and they always have. Probably always will,” she said with a chuckle. “Sooner or later they’ll mellow out toward you. After all, you’re Logan’s mama.”
“I want them to feel the way about me that they used to,” Cadence admitted. It hurt so badly to see the looks on their faces, as if they could barely stand the sight of her.
“So, are you going to tell Parker? That you still love him?” Penelope asked.
“I can’t. I have no idea if he still has feelings for me. It would be too painful to open myself up to rejection.” It was hard for Cadence to admit her insecurities, but there had always been something soothing about Penelope. She made it easy to confide in her.
“Oh but honey, what if he’s been waiting for you to say those magical words? What if taking a step toward him leads to reconciliation? Can you really afford to let this opportunity pass you by?”
Cadence bit her lip. So much had passed her by. Sometimes it seemed as if everyone else was living a life while she was watching from the outside. Logan brought her so much joy, and she knew he was a happy child, but there was something missing in her life. And there had always been something missing in Logan’s life. Parker.
Claiming her happiness! That’s what Penelope was talking about. In order to do so she needed to bridge the divide that stood between them. She didn’t have a clue as to how to do it. Years had gone by. She’d changed. And so had Parker. But did people who’d once loved each other ever really change in the ways that mattered most of all? Could she live with herself if she didn’t reach out for the brass ring?
“Thank you for coming out here and speaking with me.” Cadence leaned in and kissed Penelope on the cheek. “You have no idea how much I appreciate your kindness.”
“We girls gotta stick together,” she said with a wink, leading Cadence by the hand back into the house.
As soon as she walked back into the living room, Parker shot her a look infused with curiosity. His brows were knitted together. Cadence knew he was wondering where she’d escaped to with his mother. Some things weren’t meant to be shared. Her conversation with Penelope had been intimate and meaningful. She knew Penelope wouldn’t tell Parker that she was still in love with him. It wasn’t Penelope’s way to betray a confidence. And she loved her for it, along with a hundred other reasons.
There was so much to square away between her and Parker. She felt as if she needed to allow him the opportunity to ask her any and all questions he needed to ask in order to clear the air. Perhaps then they could move toward the future. Or at least test the waters. Parker Donahue was the best man she’d ever known and the only one she could ever imagine loving. They had a child together, one who deserved to be a part of a loving family unit.
Was she being pie in the sky in hoping for a second chance with Parker? Was it possible that there was a glimmer of hope for the two of them?
Dear Lord, please don’t allow me to cling to false hope. I love Parker now just as much as I did three years ago. Show me the way to let him know I still love him. And if he still loves me as well, grant us the strength to find our way back to each other.
**
On the drive back to his house after spending the evening with his family, Parker’s thoughts were full of the future. The evening had gone well. He smiled at the recollection of his family’s joy over meeting Logan. They had worn their hearts on their sleeves. And Logan had been a trouper. He’d really taken to everyone, especially his parents and Shayla. He’d already developed a bond with Jason during their trip to Sonoma. He hadn’t missed the way a few of his siblings had treated Cadence and it made his blood boil. The very idea of someone mistreating the mother of his child was upsetting. At one point this evening he’d had to bring Shayla to a private area of the house in order to scold her about her treatment of Cadence.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he’d asked her in a harsh tone.
She’d folded her arms across her chest, appearing mutinous. He shouldn’t be surprised. Not really. Suddenly she looked like the two-year-old version of herself.
She’d jutted her chin out. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Shayla Rose Donahue. You’re acting really rudely toward Cadence. It’s obnoxious.”
“Ha! I’m obnoxious? I don’t see the need to roll out the red carpet for the woman who ripped your heart apart.”
His heart had melted a bit. Since when had his little sister been so protective of him?
He’d reached out and caressed her cheek. “Shay, I appreciate your concern and the fact that you’re willing to fight my battles, but she’s the mother of my son. I know it’s going to sound crazy, but a lot of what she did was for me. To protect me.”
“Protect you? From what?” she’d asked with a deep frown.
Parker had broken down everything for her regarding Mason Price, his threats, Keith’s death and their subsequent divorce, followed by Mason’s abduction of Logan. By the time he finished, Shayla was in tears.
“I can’t believe I acted so awful,” she’d cried out.
“Just do better from this point forward,” he’d told her, softening his voice.
They’d hugged it out and for the rest of the evening Shayla’s behavior had been less hostile. She had even exchanged a hug with Cadence at the end of the night. Cadence had looked suspiciously in his direction, as if sensing he’d had something to do with her change in attitude.
At the moment he could feel the heat of her gaze as he drove them back home.
