Parker
Bright white pierced through the night sky and shone on Parker and Kit from the flood lights above them as they made their way toward another booth.The Harvest Festival was in full swing and as fun as the women she’d spent time with last Friday evening made it out to be.The main street going through downtown had been blocked off and was filled with so many people that Parker had stopped to remind Kit at least half a dozen times that she needed to remain glued to her side.Kit had rolled her eyes like she was eight going on eighteen, but so far had done as her mother asked, only running off once to go see Cora and Nolan at a small booth they were selling some of their apples out of.
After saying hello to the couple that Parker had come to think of as surrogate parents, they wandered through the rest of the artisan market portion of the festival, stopping to let Kit sample a little of everything on offer and say hello to the people they’d come to get to know over the last two months.With each new stop, whether it was at the booth for Branch and Brew run by Lottie or by the one for homemade candles run by the daughter or Kit’s teacher, the residents started to feel more like friends and the town more like a home,theirhome.
It was a feeling she’d never had before, but she recognized it for what it was.Contentment.Something that had been knocking around her chest, anxious and loose with nowhere to go, settled into place and made her feel so at peace that she nearly started crying from how badly she wanted the feeling to never leave her.The knowledge that she never wanted to leave this place hit her like a bolt of lightning and rooted her to the spot.There was one thing that could bring all that contentment she was feeling crashing down, but Parker pushed thoughts of having to leave again from her mind as best she could, trying not to borrow trouble like she always did.
Parker wasn’t sure how long she was still, but enough time had passed that Kit was looking up at her with a quizzical expression on her face.“Are you okay, Mom?”
Parker swallowed thickly and tried to smile for her daughter.“I’m good, sweetheart.”Searching around for a distraction, she pointed to the side street that was lined with carnival games.“Want to try your luck?I think I have enough spare change for a quick game or two.”
The sentence was barely out of her mouth before Kit was running toward the water gun race, bouncing on her heels as she looked over her shoulder and waved her mother toward her.Parker smiled and tried to stay in the moment, deciding that instead of panicking about how she would feel if they had to leave this place as they had so many others, she would make the most of her time there while she had it.
After two games with the water guns, three of the balloon darts, and one of the knock down cans where Parker managed to win her daughter a lollipop, they walked around a little more until Kit spotted the apple toss.
“Can we do one more?Please?”she begged.
The word no was one that Parker was very used to saying, but it was also one Kit had heard far too often in her young life.Sticking her hands in her pockets, Parker pulled out her last two dollar bills and handed them over.“It’s fine with me, but I was saving these for a caramel apple, so if you want to play the game that means the lollipop in your pocket is now your dessert for the night.”
Kit weighed her two options before snagging the money and heading toward the booth.“Cora has more pie at home, so I can play the game and still have dessert.”Chuckling at her daughter’s ability to logic her way into extra sugar, Parker joined Kit and watched as she unsuccessfully lobbed apples toward the crates that were probably nailed at an angle that made the throw impossible to land.After her two dollars were spent, Kit kicked at the ground and huffed.“Aw, man.I was hoping to win that stuffed unicorn.”
Parker looked at the bright pink animal with the golden horn and shrugged.“It’s very cute, but it’s more about the fun we had trying, right?”
Kit looked up at her completely unconvinced which was expected, she was only eight, but words spoken in a gruff voice coming from their side had her little girl brightening instantly.
“Maybe I can give it a go,” Travis offered.
The smile he bestowed upon Parker had her knees feeling a little weak and her panties feeling incredibly damp.Either the Kemps had the best damn genes on the planet or there was something in the tap water on the farm because their sons were hot as Hell.Parker had met each of his brothers at one point or another, but Travis was by far the best looking.She knew that Willa, Nicole, and Autumn likely didn’t share her opinion, but she didn’t much care, especially given the way his mossy green eyes were focusing on her.
He suddenly looked a bit shy, kicking a rock across the ground.“If that’s okay.”
It took Kit tugging on the side of her jeans for Parker to realize Travis was talking to her.“Fine with me,” she breathed out.Cursing herself for getting so caught up in the man yet also allowing herself a little grace since he was sexy as all get out, Parker nodded at the booth.“Take your best shot.”
Pulling out his wallet, Travis slapped down a single dollar bill.The barker raised his eye in question and Travis just shook his head.“Won’t need more than that.”
The barker rolled his eyes but placed three apples on the wooden counter without another word.Travis nodded his thanks before whipping the flannel shirt he was wearing off his arms and tying it around his waist, exposing biceps that were to die for, literally.Was she dead and this was Heaven where all the men were hot as sin and had arms that she wanted to cling to like a lemur?Parker had seen them up close and personal before, but seeing them again now only served to remind her of just how hot Travis was and just how badly she wanted to sleep with him.
Parker tried to shake herself from her stupor, a difficult task given how amazing Travis looked in his clingy white t-shirt and dark blue jeans that made his ass look like he had two halves of a basketball stuffed down his pants.Biting her lip to stave off a whimper, Parker tried to concentrate on her daughter, but Kit was watching Travis just as closely, clapping her hands in anticipation of him coming through for her.The same feeling rose up in her own chest as she started to hope that he came through for the both of them in all the ways that mattered.
Smiling at the two ladies next to him, Travis winked at Parker before tossing each apple without even looking at the baskets.After he landed all three, the barker shouted, “Winner, winner.Chicken dinner!”After Kit excitedly pointed to the unicorn, he passed it over, looking at Travis with a little bit of scorn, but Travis couldn’t see it.He was too busy ruffling Kit’s hair and smiling over at Parker.
“That was awesome.Thank you,” Kit gushed.Crushing the stuffy to her chest, she grabbed onto Travis’s hand and started pulling him toward another booth.“Do you want to try another game?”
Travis chuckled as he shook his head.“I’m good.Can toss an apple well enough.When it comes to throwing darts, anything else, I’m all thumbs.”He looked over at Parker and smiled.“Was actually hoping to head over to the dance floor.”
Parker ducked her head to hide her blush before she met his gaze again.“Anyone in particular you were hoping to dance with?”
Travis shrugged as they started walking back toward the main thoroughfare.“Had some thoughts ‘bout it.”Kit still held onto one hand as he held out the other for Parker.“Care to join?”
Parker slipped her hand into his, letting the rough feel of his palm ground her when she felt like she just might float away like one of the balloons that had escaped the dart board.“I would like that.”
Travis smiled and led them back through the line of booths, nodding to people he knew and offering a smile to his parents who looked both delighted and shocked beyond belief to see their son in attendance.Parker moved her eyes among the crowd and over the festival, trying to see it through Travis’s eyes.There were a lot of people, so many that cutting through the throng of them required a lot of careful attention to avoid stepping on toes or bumping drinks, and the flood lights were so bright, nearly causing her to wince if she tilted her head above eye level.There were also about a hundred different smells going on from the various artisan booths and food vendors in attendance, and while the one that permeated the air the most was kettle corn, Parker also got strong whiffs of grilling meat and a lot of garlic.
More than all of those things, however, what struck Parker most was just how loud it was.A band played near the stage that had been set up for dancing, people chatted loudly to be heard over the music, the carnival barkers were still audible even away from that street, and a baby could be heard wailing just about every twenty feet.Parker looked up at Travis who was navigating them through the crowd, one careful hand on Kit’s shoulder and the other clinging to Parker like a lifeline.This must be absolute torture for him, but you would never know from the look of utter happiness on his face.
Not being able to stand the thought of him putting up with so much just for her, Parker tugged him to the side just as they’d reached the dance floor.Leaning up so that he could better hear her, Parker tried not to get distracted by his clean linen scent and let him off the hook for the night.
“You don’t need to stay here just for me,” she insisted.Travis looked at her sad smile with confusion as she waved her hands around as if to encompass all the sensory input that was likely driving him mad.“I know this can’t be fun for you.”
