Page 26 of This Wild Heart

“And Poppy,” I said, remembering the youngest sister, the only biological child from the second marriage between Parker’s dad and his stepmom, Sheila.

“Ahh yes. Poppy runs our lives, basically. But we all do different things, and it never mattered to my parents.” His eyes did that thing again. A haunted look as he stared out the window. His profile was all clean lines—the slash of high cheekbones, the proud, straight nose, the sharp, stubble-coated jaw. “They didn’t care what we did as long as we were happy.”

I’d lost a parent young too, and I swallowed hard before speaking. “Then they’re really great parents.”

Parker didn’t say anything, the muscle along the edge of his jaw popping slightly.

“Your dad married your stepmom when you were young, didn’t he?”

He gave a tight nod. There was a land mine around this topic. I could feel it like a force field.

“I met her briefly at the rehearsal dinner,” I added. “She’s very sweet. I’ve heard all about her baking from Adaline.”

His mouth finally softened. “My sisters can’t bake for shit. I swear that’s half the reason they keep coming home.”

I chewed briefly on my bottom lip. “What else should I know?”

“Nothing more today.” He sighed, his eyes closing briefly.

“You told me you weren’t having marital regrets on the plane,” I replied lightly.

Parker pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not. I just … it feels a lot more serious now. Sometimes I, I don’t even know how far I’ve jumped into something until I’m chest-deep and there’s no undoing it.” There must have been a certain look on my face because he gave me a stern look. “Don’t feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t,” I insisted. “Your drunk ass is just as much to blame for this as mine, but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know. My dad said something today, and I guess it made me wonder if you were feeling some of that.”

His brow furrowed, eyes landing briefly on mine when I glanced over. “Some of what?”

“Like you ruined your shot at that perfect first moment with a person you loved.” I shrugged one shoulder lightly. “You only get married for the first time once. This was ours. Even when we get divorced, it’s still always there. We walked down an aisle and exchanged vows and gave each other rings. And I don’t even remember it.”

His eyes were bright and intense as he stared at me. “I do.”

“Lucky you,” I answered dryly. “Congratulations on being able to hold your liquor better than me.”

He grinned. It was gone in the next instant, but it was there, and it lightened some of that achiness in my chest at his change of mood. I’d always soaked up people’s moods like a sponge, even as a kid. Like I could taste it the moment I walked into the room. What people needed, what they didn’t.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I fought a wave of unease the closer we got to his house. I’d jumped right alongside Parker, and boy, was he right. We were chest-deep before I’d so much as blinked, and now I had to figure out what came next.

“Anything you want to tell me about it?” I asked.

“About what?”

“Our wedding.” I glanced at him. “What do you remember?”

“Elvis smelled like cheap aftershave, but he did a decent job performing the ceremony. That man takes his job very seriously.”

“That is not what I was asking, and you know it.”

“Hey, you asked what I remembered, and that’s one thing.”

I made a tsking sound, giving him a stern look. “Something good. Something … important.”

It felt like a telling request. But I desperately wanted to know that something good, something important could indeed come from this. The hurt in my dad’s eyes … the sadness there, made my ribs squeeze uncomfortably, and I just wanted to know that this wasn’t all for nothing.

Parker sighed quietly, laying his head back on the seat. “When you walked down the aisle, you smiled at me. Really smiled. And I felt like … maybe we weren’t crazy. That perhaps we could get everything out of this that we wanted. Your money. Supporting Vida. Helping you. My family can relax. All of it.” Finally, he glanced in my direction. “You’ve got a powerful smile, wife.”

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