Parker (Striking Back #3) (20 page)

The
next few days are heartbreaking. Alex moves through them like a sleepwalker.
Helped along by a sedative prescribed by his doctor, he manages to stay on his
feet through Cooper’s funeral, but the drugs are a temporary fix.

I’m
afraid of how Alex will react once the shock wears off. His temper is legendary
and it’s going to be everything we can do to keep him out of trouble while he
grieves. We gather at Mason’s house after the funeral where Macy, Ev, and Ms.
Den have prepared a small feast. Why do people always cook after a death when
no one feels like eating?

“I
want you to stay with us for a while,” Mason tells Alex, cupping the back of
his head.

“No,
I’m going home…shit.” His head falls into his hands as he realizes he doesn’t
want to do that. He’s just let his apartment go and moved in with Cooper in the
last few weeks.

“It’s
okay. Stay here until you’re ready to find a new place,” Mason insists.

“No,
I…”

“Or
stay with me,” I offer. “You know I have plenty of room.”

“I
have a pool,” Mason argues, trying to lighten the mood, but Alex isn’t amused
by our efforts.

“Stop
it! I’m not a damn baby and I don’t need a sitter! I’ll stay at a hotel until I
find an apartment.”

“No,
you won’t,” Ian announces. “I just moved into my house and it needs a lot of
work. And you need to keep busy. So, you’ll stay with me and help fix up the
place.”

Alex
leaps to his feet. “I’m not living with you.”

“You
are. I’m not asking. You’re in a room full of family who are worried about you.
Now, do you want them breathing down your neck, or would you rather get drunk
and build cabinets with me?”

Alex
glances around and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Yeah,
that’s what I thought. Come on. Let’s go get your shit,” Ian orders, and we
stand, shocked as Alex hugs the girls and leaves with Ian.

“What
the fuck just happened?” I ask.

“Ian
cared about Cooper too. And he’s Alex’s friend. The three of them have been
inseparable the past few months,” Ev explains. “This is probably a good
arrangement for now.”

Mason
sighs. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him.”

Macy
squeezes my hand. “Let him work through his grief however he needs to. He knows
you’re there if he needs you.” It tears me up to know my brother is hurting so
bad and there’s nothing I can do.

Ev
agrees. “Ian has always been a comfort to me. He’ll watch over him and let us
know if Alex is struggling.”

“So,
we sit back and do nothing?” I demand.

“No.”
Ev places a hand on my shoulder. “We visit and smother him with love when he needs
it, but first we give him the space he requires to get his head straight and
accept what’s happened.”

Mason
nods when I meet his gaze. Since I have no idea at this point how to help my
brother, I go along.

Three Months Later

Macy
smiles when she opens her door, and I plant a kiss on her lips before she can
speak. “Wow, what was that for?”

“Come
with me. I want to take you somewhere.”

“I’m
not really dressed to go out,” she says, gazing down at her bare legs and feet.

“Bundle
up, it’s chilly outside.”

The
brisk November breeze lifts her raven hair from her creamy neck as we walk
along the running path beside White River. I’ve never seen anything so
beautiful.

“Any
reason you’ve brought me out here in the cold?” she asks, edging closer to me.

“I
want to talk, and you’re much more receptive when you’re active.”

Macy
gazes up at me. “I know what you’re going to say, but, Park, I think it might
be a little soon to move in together.”

“Move
in together? Are you crazy, woman? No. Never. No moving in together. I want you
to marry me.”

Macy’s
jaw drops and she steps back as I drop to one knee, holding up a ring Ev helped
me choose for her. “It was right here on this path I realized I was falling for
you. You were so sweet and beautiful, even covered in sweat.”

Her
eyes glaze and she giggles. “I love you more than I ever knew I could love
another person. I want you with me every second and not because you need me,
but because I need you. Will you marry me, doll?”

For
one terrifying second, I’m sure she’s going to turn me down, but she drops to
her knees beside me and sobs, “Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

“So
that’s a yes?”

“Kiss
me, smartass.”

“Yes,
dear.”

The End

But
not the end of the Reed brothers. Don’t miss Alex’s story, releasing February
2016.

Thank
you for reading! If you enjoyed this story, I hope you’ll consider leaving a
review on Amazon. It doesn’t need to be long, a few sentences that share your
opinion of the book would be very much appreciated.

Special
Thanks go to beta readers Lissa Jay and Kim Ginsberg for saving me from
embarrassing plot holes and ridiculous mistakes. You can find Kim Ginsberg’s
proofreading and editing services here.
https://www.facebook.com/Hawk-Eye-Proofreading-and-Editing-1649336758614929/?fref=ts

Thanks,
Jolanda Love, for tweeting my books endlessly. She has wonderful book
suggestions. Follow her here:

https://twitter.com/JolandaNovella

Thanks
to the members of the S.M. Shade Book Group for loving the Reed brothers as
much as I do and sharing them constantly. I saw all those posts, Analia
Almonte, Jennifer Lessard, and Sandy Ambrose! Love you girls.

An
author I confess that I totally fangirl over because of her Sterling Shore
series, reached out to me and shared this series with her readers. I’ve made
numerous new friends because of her gesture. Thank you, C.M Owens.

Last,
but not least, thanks to all the book bloggers and page owners who make it
possible for Indie authors to get their stories out there. We couldn’t do it
without you. There’s no way I can list the numerous blogs and pages that have
shared my books, but I want to call attention to a few who have been especially
generous. Just One More Page, Saints and Sinners Books, and The Art of Romance.
You all rock so hard.

I
love to connect with readers! Please stalk me at the following links:

https://facebook.com/authorsmshade

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upcoming books before the public. You can request to join at:
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The Last Woman, All That Remains : Book One
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYO0AHI

When Abby Bailey meets former model and actor, Airen Holder,
in a darkened department store, romance is the last thing on her mind. A plague
has decimated the population, leaving Abby to raise her son alone in a world
without electricity, clean water, or medical care. Her only priority is
survival.

Traumatized by the horror of the past months, Abby and Airen
become a source of comfort for one another. Damaged by her past and convinced
Airen is out of her league, Abby is determined to keep their relationship
platonic. However, Airen is a hard man to resist, especially after he risks his
life to save hers.

When a man named Joseph falls unconscious in their yard, and
Abby nurses him back to health, everything changes. How does love differ in
this new post-apocalyptic world? Can three unlikely survivors live long enough
to find their place in it?

This is the first of the All that Remains series and can
also be read as a stand alone novel. It contains violence and sexual situations
and is recommended for ages 18 and older.

Falling Together, All That Remains : Book Two
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY31EWS

In the aftermath of a global nightmare, Abby Holder is
living her dream. Married to the love of her life, Airen, and surrounded by
friends and family, it seems she's found her happily ever after.

But the struggle of living in a post-plague world is never
ending. When circumstances take Airen far away, she's faced with the
devastating realization he may be lost to her forever. Broken-hearted, she
turns to Joseph, her best friend and the only one who understands her pain.
After all, he loves Airen too.

The sound of a car horn in the middle of the night changes
everything, leaving Abby caught between the two most important men in her life.
After surviving the worst the world could throw at them, Airen, Abby, and
Joseph must face the most brutal human experience...true love. Can they
overcome the betrayal, the hurt feelings, and jealousy to do what's right for
the ones they love?

Their circumstances are far from ordinary. Perhaps the
answer is extraordinary as well.

This book includes sexual scenes between two men and is
intended for ages 18 and older

Infinite Ties, All That Remains : Book Three
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RO923XM

The more you look to the future, the more the past pursues
you.

Abby, Airen, and Joseph have fought and suffered to come
together. All they want is to move forward and raise their family with the love
they never had.

Unfortunately, the re-appearance of former friends and
enemies complicates their lives, threatening to expose closely guarded secrets.
With a vital rescue looming, their relationship isn’t the only thing at risk.
Can they let go of the past in order to hang on to a future with each other?