Parker groans. “Paige, I don’t want to go out.”

“I know you’re still wallowing, but the doctor says you need to move around a bit. You haven’t moved farther than ten feet to and from the bathroom in days.”

“Fine, I’ll go take a shower,” Parker says and dramatically heaves herself off the bed.

“Thank God,” Paige says before leaving the room.

Parker takes a forty-five minute shower, but she was able to do it completely on her own. She also successfully put in her contacts, put product in her hair, and applied some makeup. Feeling accomplished, she loos at her clothes. “Paige!”

Paige comes into the room and gasps. “You look clean!”

“Shut up. I need help putting on my sweatshirt. I’m not completely independent yet, but I’m close.”

Paige smiles and gently helps her slip into her sweatshirt with minimal pain. Then she hands her the sling to slip on. “Ready?”

“Where are we going?”

“I thought we could go for a walk.”

“Can we get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“You’re hungry? It’s a miracle!”

“Very funny. The pain is slowly starting to go away, so my appetite is coming back. I need it back. I feel like a stick figure.”

“You look like one, too,” Paige says and leads Parker out of the room.

“Let’s walk to Greta’s.”

It takes them about fifteen minutes to walk there, and Parker is winded. “I feel so out of shape it’s not even funny,” she pants.

“You just survived a gunshot wound. I’d say you’re doing pretty damn good.”

They walk in, and Greta gives Parker a great big hug. She tries to hide the pain, but her face can’t help but grimace. Greta immediately apologizes and lets her go. “I’m so sorry, Honey. Here, come sit down.”

Greta leads them right to Ryder’s booth, and Parker can’t help but feel a wave of sadness at the memories. Her favorite is still when Ryder saved her outside of Aaron’s house, and they had a discussion on how sex was and should be. Every time they ate there after that, they would tease and play with each other until they couldn’t hold back any longer and left to head to their house. His house. It was his house now.

“Hey, you in there?” Paige asks.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Ryder?”

“You said Ryder?”

“No, stupid. Were you thinking about him?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

Parker sticks out her tongue and changes the subject. “What’s going on between you and Mason?”

“We’re just hanging out. Having fun.”

“Fun?” Parker wiggles her eyebrows at Paige.

“Yeah, that too.”

“Chance for anything serious?” Parker takes a bite of her pancakes Greta brought to the table. She doesn’t even have to ask what they’d like; she just knows. And they’re predictable.

“You know Mason. Serious isn’t in his vocabulary.”

“He acts differently with you.”

“I don’t know about that. But he’s definitely giving, if you know what I mean.”

“Gross,” Parker says and sets down her fork. “I’m done now.”

“You’d think that after multiple affairs, Aaron would’ve gotten better.”

“You really would,” Parker laughs.

“I’ve finally figured out what sex should be like. It just took a man whore like Mason to show me.”

After they’ve finished eating, Paige waves Greta down and asks for the check.

“It’s on the house, baby. Parker, we’re all just so glad to see you around again.”

Parker smiles. “Thanks, Greta.”

They walk out the front doors to see Mason and Ryder outside and leaning against his pickup.

“Hey, Paige,” Mason says as he pushes himself off the front of the vehicle.

“Hey,” she says and narrows her eyes. He wasn’t part of the plan. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to kidnap Parker,” Ryder says.

“And I’m going to walk you home,” Mason says as he extends his arm out for Paige to take.

“Not different my ass,” Parker mutters.

“What?” Mason asks.

“Nothing,” Paige says between clenched teeth and shoots an evil glance at Parker. “Aaron’s at my house, though.”

“So?”

Paige laughs and takes his arm, letting him lead her home.

Parker smiles as she watches them, but her smile fades when she looks at Ryder. “Kidnap me?”

“Well, it doesn’t exactly qualify as kidnapping when you let the person know ahead of time, but I’d like to show you something. If that’s okay.”

“I think it’ll make our clean break messy, Ryder. We just need some space to get over everything.”

“I don’t want space. Or a clean break.”

“Okay, messy it is.”

“I don’t want a break,” he clarifies. “We’ve had far too much space these past three years.”

“Isn’t this just the same old song and dance? Aren’t you getting tired of it?”

“I love dancing with you, but you’re right about the song. So, let’s change it.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Let me show you. Someone recently told me my word don’t mean shit, and they’re right.”

Parker sighs. Walking home would be very tiring, but she wasn’t sure about this either. “I don’t know.”

“Please?”

“Fine,” she says and lets him open the passenger side door for her.