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He laughed. “I do okay working at the agency. I can pay for it. I can cover the weddingandthe honeymoon.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Honeymoon?” When I said it, my voice came out sounding a little choked, heat flooding my gut and groin. I didn’t hate the idea of a honeymoon with Parker, even if it meant… well, I’d think of that later. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
He nodded. “Hell yeah, I’m sure.”
“You always were impulsive.”
“This isn’t impulsive. This is decades in the making,” he protested.
I bit my bottom lip and let the idea roll around in my head for another second.Go with your gut, my mom always said. And my gut was telling me it actually sounded like fun. Not just fun, it soundedright. Finally, I nodded and clapped my hands once. “Okay. I’m in. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it the right way.”
He furrowed his brow. “The right way?”
“Yep. I want rings and a full-on wedding. I want to be involved in the wedding planning. I want to have our parents there. It’ll make them happy, and I can’t imagine getting married without our folks there. Mom would murder me if I ran off and got married without including her. Shelby’s kids as flower girls or ring bearers or whatever. And a reception, like you said. A big party.” He was nodding as I talked, so I kept going. “And you’re right, let’s take a vacation after. A… honeymoon.”
He smirked, and my stomach fluttered and flipped. “Does this mean we get to have a weddingnight, too?” Parker winked and immediately my cheeks blazed with heat.
I looked down at my hands and my nearly empty coffee cup. “We’ll have to see about that,” I hedged.
“What?” Parker protested. “If we’re going to have a wedding, we should definitely have a weddingnight, don’t you think?” His grin spread wider. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing or serious, but either way, I couldn’t have blushed harder if I’d tried.
My breathing tightened and my heart pounded, my cheeks flaming hot and my ears burning. He didn’t know—couldn’tknow—that I was a virgin, and it really didn’t feel like the right time or place to tell him. I looked at him, a forced grin plastered on my face. “If you play your cards right,maybe.”
“Fair enough.” He pushed himself away from the table. “I gotta run. I promised I’d be at the office by ten and it’s getting late.”
“Sure, no problem.” He stood and I held up a hand to stop him. “Wait—what’s the plan? Are we telling people? And when are we going to get together again?”
“I… I want you there when I tell my friends. I’m not going to tell them unless you’re there. I want them to see our faces and know we’re serious. But, you know, if you want to tell someone, I’m not going to stop you.”
“Okay then.” I was weirdly excited about the decision as I stood to say goodbye to him. He pulled me into another hug, warm and intimate. I dipped my face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the scent of his cologne. It occurred to me he might kiss me before he left, and my heart raced, nerves slamming into me. When he let me go, though, there was no kiss, and my stomach sank, despite the nervousness that had flooded my system only moments before.
“Have a great day.” He squeezed my upper arms with both hands before stepping back, putting a little space between us. It felt cavernous, even though it was only a couple of feet. I wanted to be close to him again.
I nodded. “You too. Good luck at work.”
Parker stepped back and away from me. “It’s going to be a great day. I can feel it. Besides, it’s Friday.”
“And we’re engaged,” I pointed out.
Parker grinned widely, pointing at me. “And we’re engaged,” he repeated.
As he walked away, I couldn’t help but watch him, my gaze roaming his body. His button-down shirt stretched over his back and arms, displaying them just enough to be sexy without being obscene in a work outfit. His body was firm and muscular, and as I imagined what he looked like working out at the gym, wearing tiny, tight shorts that showed the outline of his cock and displayed his thick thighs, my mouth went dry, and I swallowed hard.
I didn’t stop watching him as he pushed the door of the restaurant open and stepped into the fall morning. The pants of his suit hugged his body in a way that showed off his ass nicely, and my chest filled with pride and a hint of possessiveness. I could hardly believe it, but his body was going to be mine sometime soon.
I shook my head, surprised at myself. I couldn’t believe I was going to go through with something so unhinged. As wild as it seemed, though, it also felt like it made sense. I was weirdly settled, calm inside, like all the pieces of my life had clicked together at once. I just needed to convince everyone else of that.
Once I was home, the heavy reality of what I’d agreed to settled onto my shoulders. I spent my day off as a ball of anxiety, unable to concentrate on anything productive. I’d planned to do some pleasure reading, maybe even tidy up a bit, but when I opened my book, I found I couldn’t focus on the pages. The words swam together, my mind wandering during every sentence. Eventually, I put the book down and picked up my phone to text Parker.
Travis: What are your weekend plans? Should we get together?
Parker: Hell yeah. I have a kickball game tomorrow and we’re going out for drinks after. You want to join?
The idea of meeting all his friends was a little daunting, but I wanted to get to know them, especially if he was as tight with them as it seemed.
Travis: Count me in.
Chapter Seven
