the moment,” he said, pulling away from me.
“I know you are, which is why you should probably talk about it.”
“I will. Just not right now.”
“Not right now? Or not with me?”
“Both.”
Well, okay then.
I shut my trap and followed him out the door. Whereas usually we’d take his bike on a day as pretty as today, instead he headed for his truck. And there was plenty of space between us on the seat as he drove me home.
The silence wasn’t a bit awkward.
Right.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Ryker, I think we should talk about this. I don’t trust her. I don’t know how you could trust her. She’s only showing up now to tell you she isn’t dead when she should’ve told you years ago. And just because she needs your help. It’s just so strange. She could’ve called you when her husband died or like a thousand other times…”
“What would you have me do then, Sage?” he asked. I winced at the irritation in his voice. “Tell her to go? She blindsided me.”
“I don’t know. I just thought it was really weird,” I said. “And cruel. To let you and Parker think—”
“Don’t even think about telling Parker,” he interrupted.
I shot him a look. “You’re joking, right? You’re not seriously considering keeping Parker in the dark about this?”
“She should tell him herself. Or I should. Not you.”
“I know, but—”
“End of story.”
I wanted to whack him upside his thick skull. How he would still hold a grudge to the point of not telling Parker about Natalie’s un-death was incomprehensible to me. But I pressed my lips closed against the protest that wanted to emerge and let it lie. Ryker could no more tell me what to do than apparently I could tell him.
He’d barely parked the truck before I was out of the cab and slamming it shut. “Thanks for the ride,” I tossed through the open window. “Give Natalie my best.”
“Sage, wait—”
But I was already inside the building, and I’d no more let my apartment door close behind me than I was on my phone.
“Parker, it’s me.”
* * *
I wouldn’t tell him over the phone what was going on, so he made it to my apartment pretty darn quick.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, stepping aside to let him enter.
“You sounded like this was urgent,” he replied. Since it was the weekend, Casual Dress Parker was in evidence and I took a moment to admire the way his designer jeans fit him very well indeed…
“Sage.”
I jerked my guilty gaze up to his face and swallowed. The ghost of a smile flitted across his face at catching my obvious stare.
“Um, yeah, well, you’d better sit down,” I said. “And have a drink.”
I poured a shot of bourbon from my cabinet into two glasses, handing him one.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Are you pregnant? Is that what you want to tell me?”
Holy shit.
I stared at him, openmouthed, then downed my drink in one swallow.
Pregnant.
I shook my head, coughing. “Not pregnant,” I managed to squeak out. “Wow. I can’t even…” I shook my head again, words failing me.
“Then what is it?” He’d set his glass on the table and still hadn’t sat down. “You can tell me anything. You’ve got to know that. What’s wrong? Is it your father? Ryker?”
“It’s Natalie,” I blurted. “She’s not dead. She never was. And she’s back.”
I waited, but he showed no outward reaction to this news. His face was blank and he went very still.
“She showed up at Ryker’s while I was there,” I added, just to make sure he knew I wasn’t making this stuff up. Who could??
Parker picked up his glass again and downed the liquor as I had, only without the coughing and sputtering afterward.
“Tell me.”
So I did, starting with her appearing at the door and ending with Ryker supposedly going to her hotel after he’d dropped me off.
When I finished, I studied him and chewed my lip. How would he react to the news? Ryker had been blindsided, then
“I know you are, which is why you should probably talk about it.”
“I will. Just not right now.”
“Not right now? Or not with me?”
“Both.”
Well, okay then.
I shut my trap and followed him out the door. Whereas usually we’d take his bike on a day as pretty as today, instead he headed for his truck. And there was plenty of space between us on the seat as he drove me home.
The silence wasn’t a bit awkward.
Right.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Ryker, I think we should talk about this. I don’t trust her. I don’t know how you could trust her. She’s only showing up now to tell you she isn’t dead when she should’ve told you years ago. And just because she needs your help. It’s just so strange. She could’ve called you when her husband died or like a thousand other times…”
“What would you have me do then, Sage?” he asked. I winced at the irritation in his voice. “Tell her to go? She blindsided me.”
“I don’t know. I just thought it was really weird,” I said. “And cruel. To let you and Parker think—”
“Don’t even think about telling Parker,” he interrupted.
I shot him a look. “You’re joking, right? You’re not seriously considering keeping Parker in the dark about this?”
“She should tell him herself. Or I should. Not you.”
“I know, but—”
“End of story.”
I wanted to whack him upside his thick skull. How he would still hold a grudge to the point of not telling Parker about Natalie’s un-death was incomprehensible to me. But I pressed my lips closed against the protest that wanted to emerge and let it lie. Ryker could no more tell me what to do than apparently I could tell him.
He’d barely parked the truck before I was out of the cab and slamming it shut. “Thanks for the ride,” I tossed through the open window. “Give Natalie my best.”
“Sage, wait—”
But I was already inside the building, and I’d no more let my apartment door close behind me than I was on my phone.
“Parker, it’s me.”
* * *
I wouldn’t tell him over the phone what was going on, so he made it to my apartment pretty darn quick.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, stepping aside to let him enter.
“You sounded like this was urgent,” he replied. Since it was the weekend, Casual Dress Parker was in evidence and I took a moment to admire the way his designer jeans fit him very well indeed…
“Sage.”
I jerked my guilty gaze up to his face and swallowed. The ghost of a smile flitted across his face at catching my obvious stare.
“Um, yeah, well, you’d better sit down,” I said. “And have a drink.”
I poured a shot of bourbon from my cabinet into two glasses, handing him one.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Are you pregnant? Is that what you want to tell me?”
Holy shit.
I stared at him, openmouthed, then downed my drink in one swallow.
Pregnant.
I shook my head, coughing. “Not pregnant,” I managed to squeak out. “Wow. I can’t even…” I shook my head again, words failing me.
“Then what is it?” He’d set his glass on the table and still hadn’t sat down. “You can tell me anything. You’ve got to know that. What’s wrong? Is it your father? Ryker?”
“It’s Natalie,” I blurted. “She’s not dead. She never was. And she’s back.”
I waited, but he showed no outward reaction to this news. His face was blank and he went very still.
“She showed up at Ryker’s while I was there,” I added, just to make sure he knew I wasn’t making this stuff up. Who could??
Parker picked up his glass again and downed the liquor as I had, only without the coughing and sputtering afterward.
“Tell me.”
So I did, starting with her appearing at the door and ending with Ryker supposedly going to her hotel after he’d dropped me off.
When I finished, I studied him and chewed my lip. How would he react to the news? Ryker had been blindsided, then
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