“What the fuck is happening?” I hissed at Avery.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“I told my mother about you,” Parker began. “She advised I beg, so…I may have been misguided in my motivations for the contract, and I want to apologize for that.”
Avery leaned in to whisper in my ear. “That means she ripped him a new one for being a dumbass.”
Okay, that made more sense now. I’d never met Parker’s mother, but I had a distinct appreciation for her in this moment.
“Misguided how?” My tongue felt like it was made of lead, but I managed to form the words. I liked Parker on his knees. He could use some humility, and he certainly looked pretty while getting it.
“I—” He swallowed hard. “It appears I was given false information in the past that incorrectly informed my perceptions of certain situations, which unfortunately impacted my behavior toward you in regards to the contract.”
Avery leaned to whisper again. “You can tell he’s nervous ’cause he went full business-speak.”
Good. Heshouldbe fucking nervous.
“I don’t expect forgiveness, and I’m not asking for it—not yet, anyway. I wanted it to be clear that my apology is sincere, and while I can’t guarantee I won’t do something imbecilic in the future, I don’t want to ruin this opportunity for my pack.” He sucked in a slow breath. “I know you’ve just come from your new suite. I may have done something as well.”
“If it’s another contract, I’ll be pushing you out of a third-floor window,” I commented dryly.
“I’ll help,” Hunter said from behind me.
The tops of Parker’s ears turned red as he shook his head. “No… I, uh… I think it’s best I show you.” He rose from his knees, cheeks flushing beet red like his ears.
Avery put his hand on the small of my back, leaning in. “Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. If he’s a dick, he can sleep outside tonight.”
I snorted, almost wanting to snap back at Avery’s suggestion, to call him a traitor, but the sooner we could patch things up in the pack, the better, if only to ease my stress for the baby. If Parker was actually trying…
“Fine,” I sighed.
Avery stayed close as we followed Parker down the hallway, and I felt Hunter right behind me. Were we all suspicious of what Parker had planned?
We walked silently through the hallways, coming to a stop in front of another door, where Parker stopped and turned to face us.
“When I learned you were pregnant, I contacted our interior designer to set this up,” Parker explained as he opened the door. He waited, stepping to the side, and I slunk past him, peering around the new room.
My stomach dropped.
“A nursery?” I asked, slowly walking around the space, my heartbeat ticking up again.
It was… gray.
Everything was a shade of ash, and there wasn’t a single pop of color in the entire room. It was as if the baby was going to be playing and sleeping in a permanent rain cloud. “Did you hire Ebenezer Scrooge as the designer?”
“I—no. It was…never mind.”
Besides the lack of color, the room was objectively beautiful and clearly well-thought-out. The changing table had a thick mat and plenty of storage underneath. The bookcase was stocked, the crib looked sturdy but sleek, and the rocking chair was next to a little table with a lamp and enough space for whatever I mightneed handy—a book, glass of water, baby bottle, or breast pump. It wasn’t inappropriate or useless, but it was…bleak.
“This is…” I trailed off, unable to find the words.
Parker stared at me intently, almost hopefully, and I didn’t know if I wanted to tell him how bad it was or pretend I liked it.
“Gray,” Hunter uttered, staring at the room in horror.
“Dude, are you allergic to color?” Avery burst into laughter, taking the heat off me.
“I think he was matching the room to his personality,” Hunter added with a chuckle of his own, and I fought back a laugh, covering my mouth with my hand.
