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e’s not wife material.”
Jason held up his hands. “Parker. Slow down. It’s okay to admit you’re hurting. You love her.”
He let out a groan. “It doesn’t matter what I feel for her. It was a fairytale I believed in. Clearly, I meant nothing to her if she could do this to me without even a hint of warning.”
“Are you sure? None of this makes sense. I would have sworn she was genuinely in love with you.”
“Obviously we were both mistaken.” With a shake of his head he walked toward the hallway. “I need some air. I feel like I can’t breathe.”
Jason’s footsteps trailed behind him. “Hey, Parker. Wait up! Talk to me,” Jason pleaded.
Parker flung open the door leading to the garage.
“I just need to get out here. I need to disappear,” Parker muttered.
“Don’t go. Stay here with me and talk this through. I’m a good listener, bro,” Jason said, pulling on Parker’s arm.
He turned around and met his brother’s gaze. He could see the sympathy lying in the depths of his brown eyes. Parker shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t have the words at the moment. All I know is everything I was hoping for in my life has gone up in flames. Including me.” He walked into the garage where he quickly located his motorcycle. The Harley was his prized possession. Cadence had convinced him not to ride it because she told him she feared for his safety. He’d been a fool to ever listen to a single thing she’d ever said to him. Riding it was his declaration of independence.
Parker reached for the button that opened the garage door. Once it was open, he sat down on his bike and let out a deep exhale as it thrummed to life.
Although he could hear Jason calling out after him above the roar of his bike, Parker didn’t stop for a single second as he roared down the driveway. He needed to ride into the onyx night and chase away the pain that threatened to consume him. The ache of loss gnawed at him. The future he had mapped out in his head for him and Cadence had been eviscerated. It had disappeared in a flash.
The pain of not being loved by the woman he adored more than his own life threatened to drag him under. At this moment he didn’t know what the future held for him other than agony. All he could do was pray for help and for God to ease the pain Cadence had inflicted on him.
“Family. It’s the most powerful tie that binds us together.”
Jude Donahue
Chapter One
Three years later
It was a hot summer night in Pelican Bay, Florida. Way hotter than the local meteorologists had forecast. Parker could withstand the heat. He wouldn’t want to live anywhere else other than Florida, but the muggy nights were his least favorite part of the living conditions. He wasn’t going to complain. He could always go for a swim in the ocean as soon as he got home. Buying a house on the water had been one of the best decisions Parker had ever made for himself. It was the gift that kept on giving.
Parker parked his sleek convertible in his parents’ pebbled driveway. The new car was the result of several years of working hard in his PI business. He’d built the company from the ground up. It had been hard work, but he’d pushed through the hardships and was now making a solid profit. His services were in high demand. This automobile was his first ever splurge and he still felt slightly guilty about it. Not too guilty though, he thought with a chuckle. The car was a classic—a cherry red Mustang.
Parker considered himself to be a regular Joe. Hardworking. Honest. God fearing. He liked the simple pleasures in life. Home. Hearth. Family. The Lord by his side. He didn’t need much more. He went on the occasional date, but there really hadn’t been anyone of substance in his life. Not since Cadence had ripped his heart to shreds.
Parker, when are you going to settle down? His mother’s voice buzzed in his ears.
He couldn’t even imagine it. Not really. The one woman Parker had loved with every fiber of his being hadn’t wanted him. And although he wouldn’t admit it to a single soul, it still gnawed at him. He still ached over the loss of Cadence. She was now nothing more than a distant memory. And it hurt like a knife in the back whenever she came to mind.
Parker gritted his teeth. He didn’t even like for his mind to veer toward thoughts of her. It had been three long years since he’d last seen her in person, although Parker had seen her face plastered all over the society pages. Her marriage to a much older wealthy businessman had come some two months after she dropped him like a hot potato. Two months!
The crunching of a car’s tires served as a welcome distraction from thoughts of Cadence. He turned his head just in time to see his brother Nash pulling in. Nash—tall and good looking with dark hair—always drove faster than he should. Parker shook his head as Nash jumped out of his vehicle and began walking toward him.
“Hey Parker,” he called out. “I see we’re the last two to arrive.” Nash nodded toward the other cars in the driveway.
“Yep,” Parker said with a chuckle. “Some things never change. We’re always bringing up the rear.”
“The party doesn’t start till we get here,” Nash teased. Nash was laid-back and relaxed. He was one of the quieter brothers. As an up and coming photographer, Nash enjoyed his artistry almost as much as spending time with his family.
He, along with his seven siblings, had been summoned to a family dinner at Casa Donahue. His parents—Jude and Penelope—usually did Sunday dinners, so being called together on a Friday night was unusual. And slightly inconvenient due to a client Parker had found it necessary to reschedule. Ignoring a summons to a family dinner was not acceptable in the Donahue family.
Parker let out a chuckle. After raising eight children, their parents finally had an empty nest. Shayla had recently moved out and gotten her first place, leaving them footloose and fancy free. They deserved to enjoy each other’s company and travel around the world on a moment’s notice if the mood struck them. For all they had given their children, Parker prayed they would be able to enjoy themselves in a carefree manner.
“Come and sit down, boys,” Penelope Donahue instructed. With her dark hair and stunning blue eyes, Penelope was a stunner. A former model, Penelope had given up her lucrative career once she’d gotten pregnant with Parker. Because her mind was constantly whirling with ideas, Penelope had put her thinking cap on and, along with their father, brainstormed the idea for a family diner in Pelican Bay. As a result, The Silver Spoon Diner came into being. It was a popular eatery in Pelican Bay, frequented by a faithful clientele who came in for the Eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, cheesy bacon burgers and dozens of other popular meals. The beauty of the diner was that the customers could choose upscale food or regular, all American diner fare.
