“You’ve got enough problems right now. Last thing you need is me adding on.”
She shrugged and brushed the tip of her finger across Parker’s cheek. “Sometimes it’s nice to have something else to focus on. And who knows, maybe I can help.”
Indecision kept him in the doorway.
She patted the edge of the bed. “Come on. If you stay long enough, you can change him once he’s finished.”
Knowing he could make her life just a little bit easier if he stayed, he lowered himself on the edge of the mattress. He didn’t want to talk to her about her ex-husband while he watched her feed their child, so he opted to steer the conversation to the other issue plaguing him.
“I’m just going over everything Duke and I talked about earlier and wondering if I’m up for it,” he said.
“You mean with the security business?”
He nodded. “I don’t know a damn thing about starting something like this. Don’t have experience with any type of security. I need a job, and quick, but maybe this was a bad idea. Duke opened his big mouth earlier. What if we can’t do this? What if I can’t keep you safe?”
Celine flashed him an amused smile.
A sliver of annoyance tightened his muscles. “What?”
“It’s funny how some things never change.”
“What do you mean? From where I’m sitting, not a whole lot around here is the same. Starting with you sleeping across the hall with our baby.”
“True, but other the things are exactly the same.”
“Like what?”
She dipped her chin toward his bare chest. “Your necklace for one. I can’t think of one time I’ve seen you since you were thirteen years old when you didn’t have that thing around your neck.”
Shocked by her comment, he traced his finger along the gold bullhorn he always wore. “Okay, that’s true but I don’t see how my choice of jewelry is a big indicator of things being the same in our lives.”
“And who gave you that necklace?” She raised her brow, the fact that she already knew the answer to her own question clear in her voice.
“My grandpa.” Emotion lodged in his throat the way it always did when he thought of his grandfather.
His mother’s father had played a key part of his life until the old man died when Lane was a teenager. Once his mother passed away, Grandpa wanted to keep her memory alive as much as possible for him and Suzy.
And he’d kept them from their father’s wrath more than once.
“And why did your grandpa give it to you?” she prodded.
He couldn’t help but smile as the memory flooded back. He tightened his grip on the pendant. His grandfather had worn this same bullhorn for years before gifting it to Lane—a present that meant more to him than any amount of money in the world. “To remind me that I’m strong, fierce, and stubborn as hell.”
“And what did he tell you strong, fierce, and stubborn men always do?”
“Whatever they need to survive.”
Celine extended a hand as if to comfort him but quickly pulled it back, resting her palm on Parker’s stomach instead. “You’ve done that once. You left this town and everyone in it to follow a dream you couldn’t resist.”
He cringed at the note of sadness in her voice.
“This time, you get to chase a different dream—one you never knew you had—and you get to stay. For him.” Unshed tears caught at the end of her words. “If that’s what you really want, I have no doubt you’ll find success. Figure out how to not only survive but thrive.”
He drew in a shuddering breath. “I guess you’re right. Things do stay the same. You still know me better than I know myself.”
She offered him a sad smile. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t.” Even in the dimness of the room, all the pain he’d caused her shone from her eyes.
“I’m sorry I left you back then,” he said. “I?—”
