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“That would be great. I love the orange tea.”
“Coming right up,” Parker said, busying himself with preparing the food and getting her tea ready. It felt nice, he realized, to have company during breakfast. Matter of fact, his house now felt more like a home than it ever had in the past. Logan’s laughter filled the silences. And Cadence gave the residence balance with her femininity. He let out a sigh. Getting too used to them living here could be dangerous. Other than being co-parents, there was nothing tying him to Cadence. One kiss didn’t amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things.
He handed Cadence her tea, making sure to place it far away from Logan’s high chair. He was quickly learning about a lot of the hazards of life with a toddler. Baby proofing his house had been a huge endeavor, but keeping his son safe was of the utmost importance.
Once the food was prepared, Parker set it down on the table and parked himself in a chair opposite Cadence. Eggs. Sausage. Grits. Toast.
“Thanks for cooking. This is a feast,” Cadence said, not hesitating to dig in.
“You’re welcome. I’ve always enjoyed cooking. No doubt it comes from having restaurant owners as parents. They’ve always had such joy in feeding people.”
“Caleb told me last night he opened a place. A bistro?” Cadence asked.
“Yes, he finally got up the courage to follow his heart. He’s one talented restauranteur. His place—the Blue Bayou—is fairly amazing.”
“I’m so thrilled for him. He’s such a warm-hearted soul.”
“Always has been from the day he came to be a part of the Donahue clan.”
“I remember what you told me about his past.” Cadence made a tutting sound. “To come through all of that and become such a fine person is incredible.”
Parker grinned. “That’s my brother. An incredible human being.” They continued to eat in companionable silence.
“So, do you think Logan would want to go to the zoo?” Parker asked. He wanted to go on an outing with Logan and his mother. As a kid the zoo had always been a big draw for the Donahue brood.
Cadence flashed him a pearly smile. “He’d love that. He’s never been before.”
Parker feigned a shocked look. “Seriously?” He ruffled his son’s hair. “We’re going to have to remedy that sad fact. I have to run in to the office for a few hours, but when I get back we can grab some lunch and take him.”
Cadence nodded. “Parker, I need to figure out where Logan and I are going to be living. My lease on my condo back home is about to expire. I know you want to see Logan as much as possible.” She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t want to talk custody or anything so official yet. I really want us to do this as friends. I want to keep things civil. No fighting. No animosity.”
Friends. That single word cut Parker to the core. Was that how Cadence viewed him? As a friend? His brain felt fuzzy. Friends didn’t kiss each other the way he and Cadence had kissed last night.
Cadence continued. “I don’t want to impose on your hospitality. I need to make plans for Logan and myself. We can’t hang out here forever.”
Why not? Parker wanted to ask. He loved waking up every morning to his son’s smiling face. And, if he was being totally honest with himself, he enjoyed having Cadence under his roof. They had already fallen into familiar rhythms with one another. They bantered back and forth and laughed over the same corny jokes. It felt easy and comfortable to Parker. But hearing Cadence stress their friendship made him wonder if what he was feeling was one-sided. He would never describe Cadence as a friend. She was so much more than that. His feelings went way beyond friendship.
“Cadence, please don’t worry about housing right now. We’ll make arrangements to get you and Logan’s belongings from your condo in Palm Beach. If it’s okay with you, I’d like for the two of you to settle here in Pelican Bay. I want to be near Logan. And wouldn’t it be much better to have a second parent for him? I’ll be helping out and doing my fair share to help raise him. My parents would love to bond with him and spoil their first grandchild. Not to mention all of his uncles and Auntie Shayla.”
“I have to admit, I’ve missed living here. I’d like to think about it though,” she said, biting her lip.
Parker felt a stab of disappointment. What was holding Cadence back? Was life in Palm Beach really so great that she had to question relocating? Didn’t she realize what it would mean to his life to have Logan right here in Pelican Bay?
For so long now Parker had been going through the motions. His life had been a happy one, even though it had been incomplete. He’d thrown himself into his private investigations agency in the hopes of diverting his attention away from the loss he felt over Cadence. It had never truly worked. He knew it now in the clear light of day. Now that she was back in his life he wasn’t sure he could settle for friendship. If that’s what Cadence really and truly wanted, Parker knew his heart was about to break all over again.
**
Cadence watched from a distance as Parker and Logan fed the goats. She had deliberately stepped back to afford Parker some bonding time with Logan. It had been a great decision, she realized, as she watched them laughing themselves silly over the antics of the goats. Her chest tightened with emotion. This was way overdue. Slowly but surely she had been telling Logan that Parker was his father. She wasn’t sure Logan understood. In the meantime, they were getting along like a house on fire.
Cadence felt slightly ashamed of herself. She wasn’t the type of person who played games. Life was too short. But she had inadvertently tested Parker a bit this morning by mentioning leaving his house and finding other housing. His reaction had been calm. Measured. Maybe too much so. He hadn’t acted like a man who was crazy about a woman.
Humph. What did she expect? Three years ago Parker had been crazy in love with her. Then everything had been destroyed in one fell swoop. She pressed her eyes closed as sweet memories washed over her. What she wouldn’t give to go back in time and see love reflected in Parker’s eyes. She wanted Parker to love her back more than anything in this world. And it killed her to realize it might never happen again. Just because he’d loved her once didn’t mean he still loved her…or ever would again.
How was she going to bear it if Parker met someone and fell in love? Got married? Had other children? She would die a thousand deaths if she had to stand by and smile as the man she loved moved on with his romantic life. She knew it might be selfish, but it was how she felt. Could she really stick around Pelican Bay and watch it all unfold?
She wouldn’t have a choice. Cadence couldn’t hurt Parker by moving Logan away from him. He’d already missed so much of Logan’s early years. Come what may, she was going to live right here in Pelican Bay. It was where she and Logan belonged.
Cadence couldn’t miss the admiring glances being sent in Parker’s direction. Instead of feeling jealous, her heart swelled with pride as he came walking toward her holding Logan’s hand. Her son’s father. A wonderful, loyal man who loved the Lord, his family and their son.
