When he opens the front door, Paisley’s oldest, Topher, runs to his grandma with his arms spread wide.
She scoops him up, her smile wide. “What a fun surprise! I didn’t know y’all were in town.”
Paisley hugs her mom. “We’ll be making it to a lot more of these Sunday dinners.”
“Oh?”
Topher bobs his head. “We moved, Grandma!”
Her squeal catches us all off guard, and we laugh.
Parker’s dad opens the door, and asks, “What’s with all the screaming?”
Paisley waves. “We moved to San Antonio. But thought surprising y’all would be fun.”
Chris laughs. “Just for the record,shethought it would be fun, so if you aren’t happy that we didn’t say anything sooner...” He shrugs and looks at his daughter who’s giggling in his arms. “They seem happy, though, don’t they?”
Parker scoops up Topher. “We’re going to play outside until the food is ready.”
Squirming, Topher says, “Can we play chase? I can run fast.”
Drew stops as he’s following them out the door. “We’re going to have to get a playset for back here. The grandkids are going to need it.”
Standing near a back window, I watch Parker play with his nephew. The game of chase dissolves into laughter when Topher catches Parker and tackles him.
I’m not even sure how to describe my feelings when I see him. It’s not just that he checks all the boxes of what someone would want in a dad or that he’s kind in ways I never dreamed a significant other would be.
I think about last night and how it felt to be wrapped in his arms on the dance floor, then snuggled beside him later that night.
One week into my marriage, and I feel something for Parker I didn’t expect. Attraction.
“Happy with your choice?” Paisley eases up beside me, looking out the window.
“Very. It’s a good thing I followed your advice.”
She bumps my shoulder. “I think you followed your heart. You said yes before I offered advice.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“We’ll see.” I’m not sure it’s the right time to admit that feels are developing. It hasn’t been that long since I ended my engagement to someone else, and Parker knows that. The funny thing is, John feels like a lifetime ago.
And Dumplin’ feels like forever.
Chapter 22
Parker
It’s been weeks, and nothing has changed. Bluebonnet and I still cuddle every night. Only cuddle.
But I’m handling it. Some days better than others.
Dinner is in a few minutes, so I put stuff back in place. When the barn is in order, life is much easier. Once everything is put away, I go stall to stall, checking the horses, telling them good night.
As normal, I end at Bonnet’s stall. “Hey, girl.” There’s still feed in her bucket, not a lot, but it isn’t empty, which is unusual. “Feeling okay?” Rubbing her nose, I give her a quick scan. There are no visible signs of a problem. “I’ll come check on you after dinner.”
When I walk into the mess hall, Bluebonnet greets me with a hug and a peck. “You okay?”
