He’s the man I never knew I wanted, but he’s made it clear I'm not enough for him, so when he tries to use his beautiful mind to hack into my secrets, I’m left confused and defragmented.
Parker
Two years ago...
Iwas standing at the front counter of my store when my cell phone buzzed, and I saw it was Willow calling, so I picked it up with a smile. “Well, hi there, bestie numero uno.”
Jasmine was bestie numero dos, but only because I’d met her second.
“Hi, honey. You need to get Stevie to watch the shop.”
I owned a local flower shop, Parker’s Petals, that I’d opened three years ago to booming success. It was a good thing it worked, because I’d sunk almost my entire trust left to me by my grandmother, along with blood, sweat, and a shit ton of rose thorn induced tears, into it.
I was painfully shy, and it had been a personal challenge to work closely with the public to build a business with exemplary customer service and kindness, along with kickass flower designs. So far, I was happy with the results, partly because I’d proved my naysayers wrong, but mostly because it was forcing me out of my shell.
“Sounds intriguing,” I said, trimming the stem of a rose. “Why?”
“Rabbit’s been hurt.”
My heart stopped and I dropped my shears. “What do you mean, ‘hurt’?”
“There was an explosion—”
“What the fuck?” I squeaked as I yanked off my apron and headed to the break room. “Where?”
“Parker?” Stevie said, mid-chew, interrupting my conversation while her face scrunched up in worry.
“I need you to watch the front,” I said, grabbing my purse from one of the lockers, before focusing back on Willow. “Where is he, Willow?”
“He’s at Memorial,” Willow said.
I hung up and grabbed my purse, making a run for my car.
I defied every speed law as I rushed to the hospital, and probably parked totally illegally, but I didn’t care. I ran into emergency, saw several of the Dogs milling in the lobby and made my way to them. “Where is he?” I demanded.
Alamo, the club’s Sergeant at Arms and Jasmine’s husband, walked over to me. “He’s being evaluated right now. Doc’s in with him.”
“I want to see him.”
“They’re not letting anyone see him, sweetheart.”
I scowled up at one of my closest friends. “I swear to God, Alamo, if you don’t take me to him, I will never speak to you again.”
He studied me and I scowled deeper.
“Would the threat be worse if I told you I’d follow you around jabbering about nothing?” I demanded.
Alamo’s lip twitched and he turned to Badger standing close by. “Cover us.”
Badger nodded. “You got it.”
Alamo slid an arm over my shoulders and guided me through one set of double doors, then another, while Badger distracted and flirted with the nursing staff. His wife, Quin, wasn’t here, so he had a little more freedom, although, she probably would have sanctioned the plan.
We walked down a hallway surprisingly empty, other than Doc’s woman, Olivia, sitting in a chair against the wall. As soon as she saw me, she jumped up and closed the distance, pulling me in for a hug. “Hey.”
“How bad is he?” I asked, forcing back tears.
“Not sure. Doc’s in with him now.”
