Table for Two (6 page)

*****

Parker walked back to the table where his mother was sitting; trying to simmer his temper with every step he took. That woman sure had nerve to accuse him of something so ridiculous.

"Let's go Mother." He said, harsher than he intended, once he got back to their table.

"What happened?" Bunny asked, confused as to why her son was in such a bad mood.

"Some people just aren't who they pretend to be." He told her cryptically and left the restaurant.

The next two weeks were tough on Parker. Isabella's pregnancy was always in the back of his mind, and he wondered if it truly was his. From everything that his mother said about her the night they had gone to The TigerLily, she appeared to be a very stand-up woman. Would she really lie about something like a pregnancy? Parker shook his head. Of course she would. He had learned through his career that people weren't always as honorable as they pretended to be.

But still, something about this woman just made him think. Sure, it was possible that he was the father. He didn't remember using a condom that night, but then again, he was so out of it that he could have screwed a hole in the wall and not known the difference. Besides, he'd had sex without a condom before, and the woman never got pregnant. Not that it happened very often, but there were a few times that he was caught off guard and was 'too far in the moment' to turn back.

He laughed. Him, a father? That was a scary thought. He didn't have the best example of a father growing up. His own father was too career driven to be around much, and when he was, it seemed like Parker was more of an inconvenience than a son. He laughed again, looks like he inherited something from his old man, his appetite for success.

What if he did have a kid? He wasn't in the stage of his life where he was ready to settle down yet. There was still so much to see, so much to do, and so much to conquer. He wouldn't be home very often, and it isn't fair for a child to have a part time father. Of that, he knew.

So his child would be left only to be raised by his mother, and if she was anything like what his mother told him, she too was very career driven. If she wasn't home very often, where would that leave the child? To be raised by a stranger, a nanny to teach him everything that his mother and father should be teaching him? Been there, done that, and it led to a lot of disappointments growing up.

He sighed and turned his thoughts back to the music track that he was supposed to be listening to. It was pointless to be thinking of the child anyway, if she was truly pregnant, what were the chances it was really his?

"Sounded great." Parker said once the song ended. "How many more do we have left to record?"

"Two, maybe three. Depends on how well the record execs like what we have so far." His manager, Tom told him. "We'll probably be finished by late next week, then we can get the editing done and have a complete album by the end of the month."

"Finally! It feels like it took this one forever to be finished." He groaned then looked at his watch. "Ok, I'm out. I've got to go home and get ready for my date tonight."

"Alright, see you tomorrow, bright and early." Tom told him. "And get some sleep, you look like shit!"

Parker nodded as he left the studio. If only he could get some sleep, but all he seemed to do at night lately was toss and turn, his mind running wild.

*****

Isabella purged over the toilet for the third time that day. If felt like her morning sickness was never going to end. She couldn't wait for the end of her first trimester, since she had read that most of the sickness would be gone by then…at least for most women it was.

She had done a good job at hiding her pregnancy so far. The only people that knew about it were Dylan and Jason, and of course Parker. Not that he believed her, but at least she gave him the opportunity to be involved if he wanted to be.

Jason's reaction was priceless when she told him. It was the first time that she had laughed about her situation. "Bitch, I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt." She remembered him saying. Then she heard his high pitched squeal as he clapped his hands. It was good that someone was excited about her pregnancy. Parker sure wasn't, and the jury was still out on whether she was excited about it or not. She went back and forth on it most days.

Sighing, she cleaned her mouth out and went back to work, vowing not to think of the situation for the rest of the night.

*****

Parker walked up to the door that he had been to only once before. This time when he knocked, he knew what he would be finding on the other side. Jenny, Melinda Sue's roommate, answered the door wearing a sexy black dress.

"Hey, you look great! Are you ready?" Parker asked her, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Yeah, let's go before Melinda Sue gets home. I'll never hear the end of it if she sees you again." Jenny laughed and grabbed her handbag. She hooked her arm in Parker's, and the two made their way outside to where the town car was waiting for them.

"I thought we'd go to The TigerLily for dinner tonight. Have you ever been there?" He asked. Sure, it was crazy for him to take a date to the restaurant that is owned by the woman that claimed to be pregnant with his child, but he needed to talk to Isabella. He didn't want to show up there just to talk to her, so he decided that if he was there with a date it would seem more coincidental. At least, that was what he'd originally thought at 4:00 in the morning. It seemed like the perfect idea then.

"Oh, that's awesome! I've never been there, but I've wanted to." Jenny told him excitedly. "So, I know it's crazy to talk about other women you've been out with while we're on a date, but I have to know…" She said with a smile. "I've heard Melinda Sue's side of the date, now tell me yours."

"Oh god, that is one night I don't want to re-live." He told her, and thought in his head, 'In more ways than one.' Seeing that she wasn't going to let the issue drop, he told her of the date from hell. By the time he finished, with no need to embellish on any of the horrid details, they were both laughing at his misfortune.

They pulled up in front of the restaurant, and jokingly, he turned to Jenny and said, "Remember to use your inside voice." Mocking what Isabella had said about Melinda Sue. She rolled her eyes, but sympathized and understood exactly what the restaurant owner was talking about when she had made that comment.

They were seated right away, at one of the best tables in the place. Jenny seemed impressed, but Parker had a feeling that her interest had more to do with his name and his appearance than with who he was as a person. He was used to it, though it sometimes annoyed him. The upside to it, however, was that when he went on a date with a girl who was only interested in his fame, they inevitably ended up in bed at the end of the night.

Throughout dinner, Jenny maintained the flow of conversation, talking mainly about herself, while Parker constantly scanned the dining room looking for the owner. By the time their dessert came, he still hadn't seen her, and he was beginning to lose hope. Jenny was too busy telling him how fabulous she was to notice that he wasn't paying any attention to her.

When the check came, Parker was ready to give up and head home without getting the chance to talk to Isabella. But as luck would have it, a very tired looking woman made her way through the doors of the kitchen and into the dining room to check on her patrons, before he threw in the towel.

"So, it was no surprise when the entire senior class voted me homecoming queen…" Jenny droned on and on.

"Excuse me for a minute." Parker interrupted and stood from his seat, not even looking at his date. Instead, his eyes were focused on the woman that had been invading his thoughts constantly. He crossed the room quickly before she had a chance to get away.

"…Well thank you for the compliment. I'm very happy that you enjoyed your dinners so much tonight. Hopefully we'll see you back soon." Isabella was talking to customers at one of the tables and didn't realize that anyone had walked up behind her until she felt a hand on her elbow. She jumped and turned around, only to look into the eyes of the one person who had been causing her so much grief lately.

"Excuse us, please." He said politely to the table she had been talking to. The four people at the table smiled, instantly recognizing him. "Can I talk to you in your office for a minute?" He asked her quietly.

Isabella flashed him a big, fake smile, so as not to look rude in front of her customers. "Of course." She told him and led the way. Once they were behind closed doors, the smile disappeared and was replaced by a murderous glare. "Are you here to offer me more money, trying to buy off any parental ties?" She spat at him.

Parker rubbed his forehead. "It was wrong of me to offer you money, but in my history that's all the women have wanted." He told her and watched as she sat in the chair behind her desk. She looked a lot paler since the last time that he saw her, and the dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable. He had to laugh since he had a matching pair under his own eyes. "I need to know for sure if this child is mine, and I'd love to just take your word for it, but unfortunately, history has shown what a bad idea that is."

"So we'll get a paternity test done. I asked my doctor about it and she said that there's a new procedure that can be done at any time. You'll just need to provide your DNA." She told him without any emotion. She felt drained on the whole subject.

"I want to do it soon. I need to know." He told her, wanting all the questions in his mind to be put to rest.

"Fine, meet me at my doctor's office tomorrow morning. We'll have them do the test and the results will be in next week." She told him.

"They can't get them any sooner than that?" He asked, frustrated.

She sighed and shook her head. She just didn't have the energy to fight with him.

"Fine, I'll be by your apartment tomorrow morning at 9:30 and we'll go to the doctor together." He told her and turned to leave.

"That's not necess…" She started but was cut off by the slamming of her office door.

*****

Parker took Jenny back to her apartment after they left the restaurant. She was all over him, but he just wasn't into it. When the car stopped, she opened the door and pulled on his hand, trying to get him out of the car. "Aren't you coming up?" She asked when she didn't get him to budge.

"Not tonight. I have an early morning tomorrow." He told her. "Maybe another time."

"Are you sure?" She asked, running her finger down her chest, trying to look seductive.

"I'm sure. Maybe I'll give you a call sometime." He told her, then shut the door. A one night stand wasn't something that he needed at that point. Maybe once he got the mess with Isabella straightened out he'd be willing, but for now, it just wasn't wise.

*****

Isabella paced her apartment the next morning. She looked at the clock, and saw that it read 9:15. She didn't know why she was nervous, she knew for certain that Parker was the father, but for some reason she couldn't calm down. When the buzzer echoed through her apartment, she jumped. Over the intercom, she told Parker that she would be right out.

Giving one last look in the mirror, she smoothed back her hair and made sure she didn't have lipstick on her teeth. One more deep breath, she grabbed her purse and left the comfort of her apartment.

Parker waited in the lobby for her, looking casually sexy in his faded jeans and layered t-shirts, short sleeve over long. She had to admit, she hoped that their child looked like him. He was undeniably attractive, it was just his personality that left something to be desired.

"Good morning. Are you ready for this?" He asked her, taking in her appearance. She wore a pair of jeans and a black Ralph Lauren sweater with a button up, collared white shirt underneath. If they had started out under different circumstances, he might have been interested in her.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She told him and slid into the car as he held the door for her. Once they were both inside, she turned to him. "So how're you doing with all this?" She asked, actually concerned.

Parker could tell that she was genuine in her question, and he took a moment before he answered. "Well, it's not like this is the first time someone has claimed that I was the father of their baby, but it's the first time that I think it's possible. I just keep thinking how I'd make such a shit father, and how I don't even know you." He answered honestly.

"I'm really sorry that all this has happened. Trust me, if I could go back in time and change that night, I would." She said, both feeling and sounding defeated. "If you don't want to be a part of your child's life, I'm not going to make you. But at the same time, if you want to be in its life, you're more than welcome. It's your choice to make, and I'm not going to push you one way or the other."

Parker nodded. "I don't know how to be a dad." He admitted.

"You'll learn, if that's what you want, just like I'll learn to be a mom." She said sadly.

"I thought all women knew how to be mothers." He said, jokingly.

"Not really. I hadn't planned on having kids, or at least not for a while. My mother died when I was really young, and I only had my dad around. He didn't know what he was doing, so I had to raise myself most of the time. I was always worried that I would make the same mistakes he made and really screw my kid up. And now with my restaurant being so busy, I figured that was my baby, and I was satisfied with that. But then this happened, so I need to figure out how to raise a kid and avoid my dad's mistakes." She told him, not wanting to go into detail, and hoping that he didn't ask.