Chapter Twenty-Five

Parker glanced over things one more time. Everyone was here, and everything was ready. So why did it feel like his heart was beating a million miles a minute? He hadn’t been this nervous in his entire life. It had to go right, had to. He wasn’t sure he’d get another chance, and if he screwed this up…

“Darling.” His mother pushed past the dark black curtains separating the back of the art gallery from the front. “Everything is beautiful. Simply perfect. I can’t thank you and Tamsen enough for such a wonderful party.”

He smiled, kissing his mother’s cheek as she came over to his side. “We wanted to make sure it was everything you wanted. Not that I can take much credit. Most of this whole thing was Tamsen’s idea.”

He swallowed past a lump of worry. “Is she…”

“Yes, darling.” She smiled. “She’s out there working the room, making sure the food and drinks are circling and everyone is enjoying themselves.”

“Good. Good.”

“I also noticed her eye wandering from time to time. As if searching for someone who should be out there helping cohost.”

“I know.” He nodded. He’d come an hour and a half before the party to get some stuff set up then disappeared the second his mother texted that Tamsen was on her way. “But I can’t see her until… I don’t want to mess this up.”

She took his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. “You won’t.”

He tried to take comfort in his mother’s conviction. “And you’re sure it’s okay? Me doing this at your party? This day is supposed to be about you and Thomas—”

She held her hands up, silencing his protest.

“When Thomas heard your idea, he insisted. Today isn’t about the two of us. It’s about celebrating love, family, new beginnings. And fresh starts.” Her eyes warmed. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, Parker. I didn’t want to push you, but maybe that was a mistake. Perhaps I should have insisted.”

Her gaze fell to his side where his Les Paul sat in its stand. He’d pulled it out a few nights after the fight with Tamsen, meaning to throw it down the garbage chute, but instead he’d started playing. In addition to blistering the hell out of his fingertips, playing surfaced a host of emotions he knew he’d been pushing down for years. Tamsen had been right. He never should have given up his music. Yes, it reminded him of his father, and there was pain there, but there was also happiness, joy, and healing.

He was still rusty as hell, but he knew if there was any way for him to get Tamsen back, show her he truly had changed, he’d have to prove it with more than words.

“Thank you, Mom.”

He wrapped his arms around her, wondering if he’d ever be too old to gain strength and security from his mother’s hug. He hoped not.

“Now,” she said, pulling away and pinching him on the chin. “I’m going back out there to make sure everything is ready. Good luck, darling.”

He let out a deep breath, flexing his fingers and going over the chords in his head. He was about to make a fool of himself in front of who knew how many people. But it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Tamsen. He’d be a fool in front of the entire world if it got her back to him.

Showtime.

…

Tamsen smiled and nodded at whatever her father’s coworker was saying to her. Honestly, she’d been on autopilot since she arrived an hour before the party to find everything set up and Parker nowhere to be seen.

Where the hell is he?

The champagne was flowing, Ty’s hors d’oeuvres were plentiful, the music was at a pleasant decibel, and everyone was having a good time. Except her. Sure, she put on a good face, smiled and laughed when appropriate. After all, she didn’t want to ruin the party for her dad and Victoria. But she’d been hoping to see Parker, to talk to him before this whole thing started. See if he felt…anything about what happened, about them.

Face it, he apologized to the wronged party, and he doesn’t think that’s you.

She bit back a painful sigh, trying to focus on what Mr. Hersner was saying. Something about the weather, she thought. Why did people always talk about the weather? It was there, it happened, look outside. Why the endless need to discuss it as if everyone was an amateur meteorologist?

At least the party would be over in another hour. Then she could slink back home and drown her disappointment in a tub full of raw cookie dough. Salmonella be damned.

“Attention, everyone!”

Tamsen turned along with the rest of the people in the gallery to face the makeshift small stage that had been set up right in front of the curtain to the back. She’d been happy that Parker, or whoever, had already made sure the area was all set for the small, local college band they hired because she had no desire to go near that back room today.

It was hard enough when she’d worked her gallery shifts this week. She’d had to hold back tears every time she passed though those black curtains. Refraining from cursing when her gaze fell upon the floor where she’d laid out the canvas she and Parker…the one that was rolled up and stashed under her bed because she couldn’t stand to look at it, but she couldn’t get rid of it, either.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out today to help Victoria and me celebrate our upcoming nuptials.” Her father paused while everyone in the room gave a soft round of applause. “Love is a funny thing. We find it, we can lose it, we can find it again, but it often comes to us when we’re least expecting it.”

Boy, he had that right. They’d specifically promised not to fall in love, but it happened for her anyway. Stupid love.

“Love can make people do some pretty wild things. Like agree to wear a bowtie when you know they make you look like a nerdy professor in a kids’ show.”

Everyone laughed when her father fussed with the black bowtie around his neck. Victoria kissed his cheek.

“You look absolutely dashing, Thomas.”

“Well, it must be true.” He glanced out among the crowd. “Because she’s always right.”

More laughter from the masses. It was all starting to give her a headache to go along with her heartache.

“Now, before we all go back to enjoying this wonderful party, we wanted to thank Tamsen and Parker for bringing this whole thing together in such a beautiful fashion.”

She blushed when the attention turned to her, waving awkwardly as the people around praised her. She never liked being the center of attention. Damn Parker for not being here. He could have shouldered some of this. Again, she wondered where the hell he was. It wasn’t like him to disappoint his mother. Unless…her breath shuddered at the thought of some fire emergency pulling him away. But, no, surely Victoria would have said something.

“And you all are in for a real treat.”

She exhaled as her father brought the attention of the room back to the stage.

“We have a special performance for you tonight.”

They did? Who? She didn’t remember hiring anyone other than the college kids. Parker must have set something up without talking to her about it. How true to form.

“Friends and family, please welcome to the stage Vikki’s son, Parker Kincaid.”

Tamsen audibly gasped as the black curtain pulled back and Parker walked through with his guitar strapped to the front of him. What was he doing? Had he been back there the whole time? Was he really going to play? What had changed his mind? Or perhaps—she sucked in a sharp breath—his heart? She had so many questions.

Parker moved to stand next to her father who covered up the mic and whispered something in his ear. Parker’s gaze immediately found hers, and her breath stopped. Heart pounding so loud she swore everyone could hear it. She watched as he nodded, eyes still fixed on her. Her dad moved aside while his mother stepped up to say something out of mic range, too. Dang it! What the hell was going on up there? Victoria kissed his cheek then grabbed her dad’s hand, and the two of them left the small stage area.

Parker stepped up to the mic, his pallor a bit on the pale side, but his gaze never left her.

“Hi, everyone. Thank you all for coming out to celebrate my mother finding her true love.” He cleared his throat. “You know, I always thought that was such a silly notion. True love. I thought it was something people made up to sell movies and diamonds. I never believed it existed until, like Thomas said, it knocked me down when I was least expecting it.”

She covered her mouth, holding back a sob. If he was saying what she thought he was saying…

“I never really wanted to fall in love, but it happened, and like most people, I made some mistakes along the way, but I’m trying to own up to them, trying to be better. Because I found someone who makes me want to be the best version of myself I can possibly be. Tamsen, you make me laugh. You’re there for me when I need you even without having to say. You taught me that people deserve trust, that taking a leap of faith might be scary, but it’s so damn worth it when you’re with the right person.” His lips curled up in a devilish grin. “You introduced me to new and exciting forms of art.”

Heat burned her face, but she couldn’t stop the smile on her face.

“So I’m doing something else I’d never thought I’d do. I’m reclaiming another love. I’m going to play a song for you all.” His gaze moved around the room to the people gathered there. “And I apologize in advance for it. I’m a little rusty.”

A smattering of polite laughter rose a moment before Parker started playing. Tamsen stood stock still, rooted to the spot as she listened to the beautiful song. He didn’t sing, simply played the opening chords of a familiar melody. Soon the band behind him joined in, the lead singer taking the mic and softly crooning the sweet love words of the song.

He must have planned this days in advance. So all that time she thought he was avoiding her, he was really just planning something special. Something that would show her how serious he was. He played his guitar again. For her. No, not for her. He played it to show her that he had changed, that he was opening up.

When the song ended, the crowd roared with claps and cheers. The band accepted their accolades, but Parker placed his guitar on a stand and immediately moved off the stage, through the crowd, his sights set on her. He stopped an arm’s length away from her, his gaze wary as he stared at her. Everything in her screamed to grab him and kiss him the way she’d wanted to do for days, but she didn’t. He had things to say, and she desperately wanted to hear them.

“Hi.”

“Hi yourself,” she replied. “You’re late.”

The corner of his lips ticked up. “Technically, I was here before you. I’ve just been in the back the whole time.”

She nodded. “I wondered who set everything up before I got here.”

He took a step closer, until they were inches apart. Everyone had mostly gone back to mingling, but there were a lot of side-eyes focused on them, clearly wanting to get the inside scoop. Having had enough public attention today, she grabbed his hand and headed back behind the black curtain that just minutes ago had haunted her.

Once they were away from prying eyes and ears, she turned to face Parker. It almost hurt to look at his face after she thought she might never have this chance again. This chance to be alone with him. She wanted to say something, but she knew she had to let him start.

“I am so sorry, Tamsen.”

That was a good start.

“You played.” She couldn’t keep the awe out of her voice.

He nodded. “You were right. Music is healing, and I forgot that. When my dad left, it was too hard to play without feeling all that pain, so I pushed it aside. I thought if I never acknowledged it, it couldn’t hurt me. But the pain was always there. Underneath the surface. Running my life and decisions even if I didn’t realize it. I should have reclaimed what I loved for me. I should have trusted myself. My mother. Your father. And you.”

He took both of her hands in his. “You were right. I was letting my past color my vision of everyone. I wanted to protect my mother, but she can protect herself, make her own choices. I never should have started that stupid investigation or kept it from you once we…”

“Started having sex?”

“Started falling in love,” he corrected.

Oh. Her eyes welled again. Good thing she wore her waterproof mascara today.

“I love you, Tamsen,” he said, pulling her closer. “I know we promised to just have fun, but being with you is more than fun. It’s everything. And I know I screwed up and I know we have some stuff to work through, but if you could—”

She stopped his rambling by throwing her arms around his neck and covering his mouth with hers. Something she’d been dying to do ever since he stepped out from behind the curtains.

A moment later—or maybe an hour, time had no meaning when she was touching Parker—he pulled back with a grin.

“I guess that means you forgive me.”

There was that cocky confidence he wore so well. “Oh really? Wanna bet?”

His eyes heated. “Always.”

She chuckled. “What are the stakes?”

“If you’re right, we go back to my place and you let me worship every inch of you in slow, thorough detail until I convince you otherwise.”

She shivered; that sounded amazing. “And if you win?”

“We head back to my place and you let me worship every inch of you in slow, thorough detail.”

She threw her head back and laughed. Her heart lighter and freer than it had ever been before.

“I love you, Tamsen,” he said softly. “And I want to make all the promises in the world to you.”

She placed her forehead against his, brushing her lips against his mouth before speaking. “I love you, too, but…”

She felt him tense beneath her touch. “But what?”

She should feel bad for the slight tremor in his voice, but the man deserved a little payback. Not too much. Grinning, she finished, “But we can’t leave the party before it’s over. I promised Winston I’d clean up.”

Parker laughed. “Okay, I deserved that one. Fine, you win, we’ll leave after and head back to my place.”

“For the body worship, right?”

He pressed a kiss to her lips. “All night long, sweetheart.”

Sounded to her like they both won.