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“Be there with bells on.”
“Her PT is coming along nicely,” Amelia told him. “But she’s impatient. Maybe you could talk to her?”
He’d already tried and got put in his place with a stern lecture. Rory didn’t need to catch wind of that, however. Moe would never live it down. “You bet.”
They continued on and Vivi collected her things, tucking all of them into a tote bag. “The virtual reality session is at two. While confidentiality precludes you can’t be present, stay close in case I need help, okay?”
Sissy ran over, hopping onto the wooden bench and shaking herself again. He raised an arm to shield his face from the deluge she sent flying. “I’ll be in the computer hub with the wanker, working on that cybersecurity case. Buzz me if you need anything.”
Parker rounded the edge of the path, stopping to stretch her muscles against a bench. “As far as having a kid goes,” Vivi said, “keep the lines of communication open. The thing to remember is, you have a large extended family to rely on now.”
He knew she wasn’t only talking about the one at SFI. He now had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of his birth family. Several of them had already reached out. “Ironic, isn’t it? I hated being secluded from people, yet would never let anyone get close to me, fearing rejection. Overnight, I have all these blood relations who want me in their lives and that scares me even more.”
She patted his shoulder. “You’re right to be scared. Families are…taxing. But also, well,family.”
As if that word said it all. Maybe it did. She started to walk away and he said, “Wait. Aren’t you supposed to tell me how great it is to finally have the one I’ve always wanted?”
She paused and chuckled. “I think you’re getting exactly what you deserve.” Her wink told him that she was both joking and not. “Remember, one day at a time with everything. Baby steps.”
Sissy saw Parker coming their way and wagged furiously. The dog was as in love with her as he was. Another couple emerged from the playground area, hand in hand. Lori and Bryant were smiling at each other as they stood along the lake path, watching the sunrise. “Thank you for counseling them, as well as me,” he told Montgomery.
“Their session is at four. You’re welcome to attend. They told me to invite you.”
Each of them had a shitload to work through, but they’d both committed to staying here for now to do it. Beatrice had put Lori in charge of HR duties. Bryant was working with Jon and Jaya to pick out shelter dogs for training while he learned the ropes of being a handler—for canines rather than people this time. Vivi had told them her real name and asked them to use it. A lot of trust had been extended to all of them. “I’ll be there.”
She looked pleased. “Good. We need to talk about Sarah and your adoptive family.”
“One step ahead of you. She and I are video chatting this morning. I already messaged her about Lori and Bryant, and she’s happy for me. I plan to introduce her to them in time, and she claims George and Alyssa want to talk to me again. I owe them my appreciation for everything they did for me.”
“There’s hope for you yet.” Another wink. “And Rory is right. You need a shower.”
She waved and took off. Parker approached, her tense face morphing into a smile at the sight of him and Sissy. “Did you put another notch in the tree?”
Although no one was supposed to interrupt his forays into the woods, she’d snuck up the mountain to visit him. Again. No one could know except him, the dog, and that tree on which he kept count of how many times he brought her to orgasm. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “I believe it was two.”
Sissy headbutted her arm and she laughed, petting the dog and kissing her head. “Did you come to any decisions about our future?”
She was never one to beat around the bush, and he appreciated that. “A few. I’m still working on the others. This family thing is new to me. I need more time to adjust to the one I have before I consider starting my own.” He searched her face. “Are you disappointed?”
“Not in the least.” She released what sounded like a relieved breath. “I’m glad you recognize that fact and feel confident enough to share it with me. You’ve been through a lot in the past few weeks. Besides, I’ve had my eyes opened to how hard it is to be a working mom, and how demanding children are after being around Sloane and Neptune since we got back. I think I like the role of honorary aunt for now. I can hand them back to their parents whenever I choose.”
A huge weight lifted off his chest. “I can barely handle taking care of a dog at this point, so it’s probably wise not to put me in charge of a kid. Yet,” he added.
She laughed. “Same. I thought babysitting the girls would be right up my alley, but they’re a handful. They exhausted me yesterday and I had to take a nap before I snuck out to see you. They’re worse than commanding a team in the field. I should stick to what I’m good at.”
“So…you, me, and Sissy for now?”
She settled her arms around his neck. “I like the sound of that. We can reassess after things settle down a bit.”
He had much to learn about relationships, and Vivi was right—his new family was going to be a challenge. Messy, awkward, and annoying in the best possible way.
The dog added her agreement to their newly formed unit with a bark, and just like that he had his next mission.
He set Parker on her feet and took her hand as he lifted his backpack. “How about you and I seal this deal with a shower?”
Sissy raced ahead, knowing the way home. Parker leaned into him. “I can think of a few ways to celebrate.”
Throwing an arm across her shoulders, he tucked her into his side as they walked. Sissy wasn’t the only one who knew the way home. Wherever Parker was, that was it.
