Текст книги "The Seduction of Alex Parker"
Автор книги: Sandi Lynn
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
Chapter 29
Emerson
After setting the glasses on the counter, I walked to my room and Alex followed, walking into the bathroom and starting the shower for me. I took off my nightshirt and stood before him in nothing but my panties. His eyes raked over my body and the need to make love to him intensified. He slowly walked over to me and placed his hand on my cheek while our eyes locked on each other.
“Take a shower with me,” I whispered.
His lips gave way to a small smile. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I need you tonight.”
His lips brushed softly against mine for a moment before he stripped out of his clothes. He took my hand, and we stepped into the shower as the warm water ran down us and our lips tightly locked together.
****
As I let out a yawn, I looked over at the clock and saw the time was ten. When I looked to my side, the only sight I saw was the crumpled sheets and the empty pillow where Alex lay and held me last night. I climbed out of bed, slipped my robe on, and followed the smell of fresh brewed coffee to the kitchen, where I found Alex over the stove, making eggs.
“What’s this?” I smiled.
He turned his head and looked at me. “Good morning. I was just about to wake your lazy ass up.” He snickered.
Pouring a cup of coffee, I smacked him on the arm.
“Umm. Something’s burning.”
“Shit. The toast!” He turned to the toaster and popped it up.
I laughed as I grabbed a butter knife. “We can always just scrape off the burnt part and then spread thick layers of jelly across it.”
“Very funny. I’ll just make new.”
“It’s fine, Alex.” I placed my hand on his arm.
Walking into the dining room, I stopped and took note of the pink rose petals scattered all over the table with a beautiful arrangement of different flowers in a crystal vase.
“What’s all this?”
“Nothing. Doesn’t everyone eat breakfast on a table filled with rose petals?”
“You don’t do rose petals. Remember?”
“Why are you making a big deal about it? Just sit down and eat your scrambled eggs and burnt toast.” He smirked.
Sitting down with a smile on my face, I began to eat the eggs Alex so graciously prepared for me.
Crunch.
Crunch.
“What the hell, Parker?” Laughing, I spit the eggs back onto the plate.
“What? That was really gross, Emerson.”
“Eggs aren’t supposed to be crunchy.” I dug through the eggs with my fork. “Oh my God, there’s shells in here.” I looked up at him.
“Oh. I thought I got all those out. Sorry about that.” He pushed his plate away. “Go get dressed. We’re going out somewhere.”
“Where?”
“For a drive.”
“Where?”
“I’m not telling you. You’ll see when we get there.”
“I really don’t feel like going anywhere.”
He sighed and got up from his seat. Pulling my chair out, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?! Put me down.”
“I told you to go get dressed and you didn’t listen, so I’m dressing you myself.”
“The hell you are. Put me down.” I pounded on his tight ass.
When we reached the bedroom, he walked into my closet, with me still over his shoulder, and pulled a black sundress from the hanger.
“This will do.” He set me down and untied my robe. After sliding it off my shoulders, he pulled the sundress over my head. “There. Now do you need me to do your hair and makeup as well?”
“You’re such a douchebag, Parker.” I smiled as I walked into the bathroom.
“At least I’m not a fucker. You have fifteen minutes, Emerson. I’ll be downstairs waiting.”
“Did you take your pill?” I yelled before he walked out.
“Yes.”
“Good boy.”
****
As we were driving, Alex still wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but the route was all too familiar to me. Panic started to settle inside me as he made a left turn into a subdivision.
“Alex, what are you doing?” I asked nervously.
He looked over at me and took hold of my hand but didn’t say a word.
“Parker. I’m speaking to you. I don’t like this. Turn around!”
“Stop, Emerson,” he spoke as he pulled into the driveway of my childhood home.
I gulped as I stared at it from the car window. “I will ask you nicely one last time to please take me back to your house. Because if you don’t, I swear to God, I’ll break your balls.”
“There you go again.”
“Alex, I’m serious. This isn’t funny and I want to leave.”
He grabbed both of my hands and stared at me. “Listen to me. I want you to calm down. This was your childhood home and you had wonderful memories here. We’re going to go inside and you’re going to tell me about those memories. Okay?”
“How the hell are we going to get inside?”
“The realtor will be here shortly. The house is up for sale and I made an appointment to look at it.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “How did you even know about this house?”
“I talked to Adam this morning.”
“Of course you did. Fuck you, Parker. I’m not going inside that house.” I opened the car door and ran straight to the backyard. Why? It was a place of comfort.
As I stopped in the middle of the grass, I looked straight ahead by the oak tree that was still there and at the empty spot where the little house used to be that my dad had built for us. He called it “Twins Cottage.”
Alex walked up from behind and clasped my shoulders. “What are you staring at?”
“Over there by the oak tree, Emily and I always played in the cottage my dad built for us. It was our own little house. We would have tea parties when we were really little and then, as we grew, we used it as a place to escape from our parents for a while. Emily and I would sit in there for hours and listen to music and talk about the things we were going to do. We had some amazing times in there. I even got my first kiss in there by a boy named Sam. What happened in that cottage, stayed in that cottage.” I smiled.
I walked over to the tree and examined the trunk, finding the arrow that I had carved into it. “See this spot right here?”
“Yeah.”
“This is where we buried Muffin, our dog. I carved this arrow in the trunk of the tree pointing down so I’d always remember exactly where she was buried.”
Alex put his arms around my waist and kissed my head.
“Excuse me,” a woman spoke from behind us. “You must be Alex Parker?”
“Yes, and this is Emerson James.”
“Nice to meet you both. Come with me and I’ll show you around inside.”
I took in the deepest breath I ever took in my life before walking through the back door of the house I grew up in. Stepping inside, memories of my parents, Adam, and Emily flooded my mind. Tears started to spring to my eyes.
“As you can see—” the realtor started to speak.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but I just want to look around myself. If I have any questions, I’ll let you know.”
“Oh,” she spoke with an offended tone. “Well then, I’ll be sitting in the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Alex smiled gently at her.
Chapter 30
Alex
Maybe bringing Emerson back to her childhood home wasn’t the brightest idea I’d ever had, but she needed to be reminded of the good times she’d had here. Was it my place to remind her of them? Yes. I felt it was because I loved her and I wanted her pain to stop. She walked up the stairs and I followed her. Opening one of the doors in the hallway, she walked inside the room.
“This was my and Emily’s room. My bed sat in that corner over there and Emily’s sat in that corner across from me.”
“Why did you two share a room? This is a five-bedroom house.”
“Because we couldn’t stand to be separated.”
Jesus. It was all making sense to me now.
“We used to sit on our beds, do our homework, and talk for hours about everything. This wall over here.” She pointed. “This is where our map hung and there was a dresser right underneath it where we always kept a black marker sitting on top. My mom would come in our room to put our laundry away and she’d look at the map. She would smile every time she saw another black circle.”
She was smiling and her tone of voice was lighter. She was remembering the good times here and I prayed to God this was enough to make her stay in California.
****
Emerson
The memories that resided in this house were just as strong today as when I was younger. Walking out of my bedroom, I headed down the hallway and ran my finger along the slight crack in the molding outside Adam’s bedroom door. I laughed.
“I can’t believe it’s still here.”
“What?” Alex asked.
“See this small crack?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s from Adam’s head. When he was sixteen, he went to a friend’s party and came home drunk. He missed the door and cracked his head on the molding. My dad took him to the ER and he got four stitches that night. My mom stayed back with us because she was so angry with him.”
Alex laughed. “I bet she was.”
Taking Alex’s hand, we walked downstairs to the living room. “My mom and dad both loved lighthouses.” I walked over to the corner where a curio cabinet used to sit. “They collected them and we had a cabinet that sat right here filled with different ones. Some of them lit up and, at night, my mom would turn them on and turn off all the other lights in the room so the only thing we saw were the glowing lights of the lighthouses. They were beautiful and so peaceful. Next to the cabinet hung a painting of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Bass Harbor, Maine. My mom talked about this cute little cottage they stayed at while they were there. My dad proposed to her in front of that very lighthouse. She was sitting on the rocks, staring out into the water, while my dad took pictures of her. She said it was the most beautiful place she’d ever been to. My dad got down on one knee on the rock in front of her and asked her to marry him. She said he totally surprised her because they hadn’t even talked about marriage. They bought the painting before they left to remind them of how special of a place it was. She said it symbolized their start of a new life together.”
“What happened to the painting?” he asked.
“Adam has it in storage somewhere.”
Walking to the kitchen, I looked around and could see my mom standing by the stove. It was her favorite room in the house. “My mom cooked here every single night. She was a great cook. Sometimes, I would help her while Emily went to swim in the pool. Speaking of which.” I turned to the realtor. “What happened to the pool?”
“The previous owners took it out because they didn’t want it.” She gave me an odd look. “Do you know this house?”
“Yes. I grew up here.”
“Oh,” she spoke with surprise.
Alex walked over to where I was standing and put his arm around me.
“We’re looking to possibly start our own family in this house. Isn’t that right, baby?”
“Umm. Yes. Yes, we are.”
“Excellent!” The realtor smiled.
Her phone rang and she looked at it. “Excuse me. I need to take this call,” she spoke as she walked out of the room.
I looked out the window at the spot where the pool used to be. “Who the hell lives in California and doesn’t want a pool?”
“Obviously fools.” Alex chuckled.
I turned and looked at Alex with a smile on my face. “I have to see if it’s still there. Come on.” I grabbed his hand and led him through kitchen, through the foyer, out the front door, and onto the porch. I looked in the corner and knelt down, placing my hand on the small handprint that my dad made the three of us do when he built the new porch.
“This is my handprint. This one is Emily’s and this is Adam’s.”
“How old were you?”
“We were six and Adam was ten. I remember the day we did this. My dad said that we’d always be a permanent part of this house now that our handprints were here. He said no matter what life threw at us, we’d always have this house and the memories we made here. Oh my God, Alex. I just remembered all that.”
He put his arm around me and pulled me into him. “That’s good, Emerson. Your dad sounds like he was a wise man.”
“He was.”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky opened up and let the rain fall down.
“What the fuck?” Alex said as he stood up.
A smile splayed across my face as I ran out onto the grass and held my arms up. When I threw my head back, the rain fell upon my face. “They’re here with us.” I smiled as I turned in a circle.
“What the heck is going on?” the realtor spoke. “They weren’t calling for rain today.”
“It’s only temporary,” I heard Alex speak. “Thank you for showing us the house. I’ll be in touch.”
“I have a couple who is highly interested in it, so if I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long to make a decision.”
We climbed in the car and a feeling of peace flowed through me.
“Thank you, Parker.”
He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. “You’re welcome. We better get home and change out of these wet clothes.”
Chapter 31
Emerson
Seeing my childhood home brought back so many memories. Memories of the happiness that once resided there. After changing out of my wet clothes, Alex knocked on my bedroom door.
“Come in.”
He walked in and over to me as I was putting on my shirt.
“Emerson,” he spoke.
“What’s up, Parker?” I smiled.
“We need to talk,” he spoke with a serious tone.
“Okay. Shoot, big guy.”
He took hold of both my hands. Staring into my eyes, he inhaled deeply.
“Em, I—” He paused.
“What is it, Alex? Is something wrong?”
He gave me a small smile. “No. I just wanted to tell you that I’m happy I took you to the house.”
“Thank you. I’m happy that you did too. I’m sorry I gave you shit about it when we first got there and, again, I’m sorry for threatening your balls.”
He laughed. “Apology accepted.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m going to head to the office. I’ll be home later tonight.”
“Okay.”
He walked out and I stared at the door. I was hoping he’d come to tell me something else. But he didn’t. I was so scared of what was happening because things were changing for me. Feelings for Alex were stronger than ever. Was this real? Could this be real? I should tell him how I feel. But then if the feelings weren’t returned, I would be left standing like a fool. Alex Parker didn’t do relationships because of frizzy, curly-haired girl. I didn’t do relationships because the thought of attaching myself to someone and then losing them scared the living hell out of me. Never stay in one place long enough to become attached.
****
Alex
As I was sitting in my office, I stared out the window and thought of Emerson. I should have told her how I felt. I should have told her that I loved her right then and there, like I had planned to. But when I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t. She was strong and she was determined and she was going to leave. What if she didn’t love me back? I thought maybe she did, but I wasn’t sure. For the first time in my life, I was scared. Scared of being rejected by the first woman I had ever truly loved. Was I just another broken heart in her eyes? Another guy she’d leave behind while she traveled off on her next adventure? This was killing me. She was killing me. I spent the night at the office.
The next morning, when I returned home to change and shower, I found Emerson in the kitchen.
“Hey. You didn’t come home last night,” she spoke.
“I had so much work to do and I fell asleep.”
“Oh. I hope you slept okay. I sent you a couple of text messages but you didn’t reply.”
I shrugged. “I’m just home to shower and change.”
She looked down and I looked away.
“Okay. I hope your day goes better.”
“Thanks.” I went upstairs and sat on the edge of my bed, placing my face in my hands for a moment before showering and leaving again.
After spending the day thinking about Emerson and looking up the definition of love once again, I had no choice but to tell her how much I loved her. I wasn’t letting her go anywhere. She belonged here with me. We belonged together whether she believed it or not. I had stopped by the florist and picked up a dozen red roses for her. I was going to make her see that staying in California was the best thing for her. That I was the best thing for her.
When I arrived home, I couldn’t find her.
“Jenna, where’s Emerson?”
She looked at me and then looked down.
“Jenna?”
“She’s gone, Mr. Parker.”
“WHAT?! What do you mean ‘she’s gone’?” I said through gritted teeth in an angry tone that I believe scared the poor woman.
“She packed her bags and left.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No. She just said she had to leave.”
“FUCK!” I screamed and she flinched.
I stormed out of the kitchen and down the hall to Emerson’s room. Flinging open the door, I walked inside and looked around. The closet was empty, as were all her drawers. Lying on the bed was a sealed envelope with my name on it. I picked it up and sat down. Pulling out the letter, I unfolded it and a picture of the two of us fell to the ground. Picking it up and looking at it for a moment, I held it in my hand as I began to read the words she wrote.
My dearest Alex,
Two words come to mind as I’m sitting here writing this. Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Never stay in one place too long, right? Spending the past months with you have been the most amazing time I’d ever had. I know you probably aren’t believing that, but they were. I was scared to come back, yet you managed to turn my fears into ashes. When I was with you, I didn’t think about anything else. You made me feel safe and secure and you gave your home to me. For that, I thank you. I told you things I had never told anyone because you made me feel comfortable and protected. I hadn’t felt that way in a very long time. You made me fall in love with you, Parker. Something no one has ever been able to do. You took care of me even when you didn’t realize it. You gave me hope for the future. Something I hadn’t had since the accident. There’s so much beauty in this world, even underneath all the despair and tragedies. I see that because of you. When you took me home, you gave me memories I didn’t think I had and I can’t even begin to thank you enough for that. I hope you can understand why I had to leave and why I couldn’t face you in person. Hell, I’m not sure I even understand, so if you don’t, it’s okay. You’ve forgiven me for things I’ve said and I hope you can forgive me for leaving. You’re not just another guy I left behind. You’re the man who stole my heart. I had the picture printed so you could have it and always remember me. I hope you don’t mind. If you don’t want it, throw it out. I wouldn’t blame you if you did. You’re my best friend, Alex Parker, and I love you. Make sure to take your medication every day and stay away from the saltshaker. Actually, that won’t be difficult at home because I threw them all out. But I trust that when you’re out and you see a saltshaker, you won’t touch it because you’ll hear my voice in your head. I’m looking out for you like you did me. Take care, Parker, and promise me you’ll never forget me.
Love forever,
Emerson
The air in the room became thick and it was difficult to breathe. She did love me and if I had only confessed my feelings for her, she might have stayed. I crumpled up the letter in my hand and tossed it on the bed. As I looked at the picture of the two of us in Napa, tears started to form in my eyes. I already missed her, and suddenly, my world fell apart.
As I wiped the tears from my eyes, my phone rang. It was Adam. Shit.
“Hello.”
“She’s gone again. Isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it. I thought you were going to convince her to stay.” He sounded angry.
“I tried. Do you know where she would have gone?”
“How the fuck would I know? I never knew where she was until she called and told me.”
“How did you know she was gone?”
“She left a letter on my door. Apologizing and asking for forgiveness. But the thing is, I don’t think I can forgive her this time.”
“You can, Adam.”
“Can you, Alex?”
“Yes, because I love her.”
“If you hear from her, call me. I tried texting her, but my texts won’t go through.”
“I will.”
I ended the call and lay back on the bed, staring at the picture of us.
Chapter 32
Alex
I was still lying on Emerson’s bed when Jenna knocked on the door and slowly opened it.
“Excuse me, Mr. Parker.”
“What?!” I spoke in a stern voice.
“Umm. You need to come to the front door. A package arrived for you.”
“Just bring it here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jenna, bring the goddamn package to me!” I yelled.
“Very well.”
A few moments later, she walked back in the bedroom and a look of shock splayed across my face.
“What the hell is that?” I asked as she held a puppy in her arms.
“This was the package at the front door.”
She set him down on the bed and he began to jump on me and lick my face.
“Oh my God. Get it out of here!”
She picked up the dog and handed me an envelope. “This was with it, sir.”
I took it from her hand and opened it, pulling out the white card inside.
“Alex,
I want you to meet Parker. In case you can’t tell, he’s a yellow Lab and he’s just a baby. Take good care of him for me. You need him as much as he needs you. Take him to the beach and play fetch with him. Teach him some tricks and talk to him. You need someone to love, Alex, and he won’t break your heart.
Love always,
Emerson.”
What the hell was she thinking? I looked up at Jenna, who was standing there petting the puppy.
“It’s from Emerson and his name is Parker.”
She laughed and I shot her a look.
“I guess we have a new houseguest, Jenna. You may place him on the bed.”
She set him down and, instantly, he ran over to me, licking my face and jumping all around. I took hold of his red collar with the dog-bone-shaped tag attached to it that read: Parker Parker. I couldn’t help but laugh because this was so Emerson.
****
I spent the next couple of weeks working from home and bonding with Parker. He was a cute little guy and I wasn’t even fond of dogs, especially when they shit in the house. We spent a lot of time on the beach and playing in the yard.
I missed Emerson so much and, every day that passed, it hurt more and more. I hadn’t shaven in a few days and I didn’t care. A feeling of hopelessness resided in me without her in my life. All I wanted was to hear her sweet voice and hold her in my arms once again. She changed me, my life, and my world. And my world was nothing without her in it.
“Excuse me, Mr. Parker,” Jenna spoke as she stepped out onto the patio.
“Yes, Jenna?”
“Emerson left something behind.”
“What?”
“This.” She held out the map Emerson always kept with her.
Staring at it for a moment, my heart started racing. I looked at Jenna.
“She wouldn’t have left this behind. This would have been the first thing she packed. Where did you find it?”
“I was in her room dusting and Parker dragged it out from under the bed.”
Suddenly, a feeling of happiness flowed inside me.
“Jenna, do you know what this means?” I smiled as I took the map from her.
“No, sir. I don’t.”
“Emerson left this behind because she wants me to find her! Come inside.”
I unfolded the map and laid it on the island. “The black circles are the places she still had to go. The red circles are the places she’s already been. Focus on the black circles, Jenna.”
We both stared intently at the map.
“She could be anywhere,” Jenna spoke.
My eyes diverted to the right side of the map. “I know where she’s at!” I exclaimed.
“Where? How do you know?”
“She’s right here.” I smiled as I pointed to the state of Maine. “Bass Harbor holds a special place in her memories and I know that’s where she went!”
Without even thinking, I grabbed Jenna and kissed her forehead.
“Sir?” she said in a shocked tone.
“I need you to stay here for a few days and watch Parker for me. I’ll pay you double what you’re making now. I’m going to bring Emerson home, Jenna.” I smiled. “I’m bringing her back and she’s never leaving again unless I’m with her.”
“Go, sir. I’ll stay with Parker. Go get her!” She smiled.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my pilot.
“Hello, Mr. Parker.”
“Get the plane ready. We’re going to Bass Harbor, Maine.”
“When would you like to leave?”
“I’ll be there in an hour. I don’t have any time to waste.”
“Very well, sir. I’ll be waiting for you.”
I ended the call and dialed Phillip.
“Phillip. I need you to come get me and take me to my plane. I know where Emerson is and I’m going to bring her home.”
“Excellent news, Alex. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
