Parker smiled from the doorway as she watched Ty and Chase try to put baby furniture together. There seemed like there was more cursing than working going on. It had taken the boys all last night to clean out the room she’d chosen. The location hadn’t been hard, even with five unoccupied bedrooms to choose from. It was the room next to Ty’s. It hadn’t been used in forever though, acting more as a catch all for junk over the years, so it had taken a while to empty it out.

She’d spent most of the morning cleaning it thoroughly. Years of dust had accumulated, and it had taken some elbow grease and a lot of sneezes, but she’d gotten it pristine. It was perfect, though, the walls a light blue that glowed now that they, and the large window, were clean. Apparently, it had last been used as a nursery when Chase was born, so the basics were right. It just needed furniture and some finishing touches to make it a real nursery.

Ty and Chase had come in about an hour before lunch, when it started to rain, just like Ty had said it would. She still found that odd. The weatherman hadn’t said anything about rain or storms today, and this was the second time Ty had accurately predicted the weather. Normally, she explained away stuff like this with his wolf side, but she still hadn’t been able to make a connection between the two.

Chase cursed, flinging the instruction manual for the changing table he was assembling aside in frustration. “This shit is in another language. I don’t know what that is, but it ain’t English. I don’t need it, anyhow.”

Ty grabbed the manual and shoved it back in Chase’s direction. “What happened to you saying you’ve fixed tractors before so this will be a piece of cake? And you’re using the damn instruction manual. Anything my kid lays on, or even touches, will be put together exactly how the manual says.”

Parker laughed although she silently agreed with Ty. She wasn’t approving anything that was put together without the instructions.

“Yeah, yuck it up over there,” Chase muttered as he snatched the manual from Ty. “I don’t see you in here, trying read this shit.”

Ty looked up from the crib he was trying to scowl into submission and smiled at her, his chocolate brown eyes warming her from the inside out. “Do you want me to grab you a chair so you can be comfortable?”

Parker shook her head. Rubbing her belly, she said, “No, I’m fine. I was actually thinking about heading to the kitchen. Someone mentioned cake earlier, and now I want some.”

“Are you having a craving? Want me to run to the bakery in town and pick you something up?”

Chase kicked Ty’s boot. “You’re just fucking trying to get out of putting this shit together.”

Ty scowled at his brother and Parker held up her hands quickly. “No, no, it’s okay. If it gets bad and I can’t find anything in the kitchen, I can run to town myself.”

Ty cast a glance at the window. “If you go, wait until it stops raining. Please.”

Parker smiled at him warmly. He was worried, but he didn’t freak out about her leaving. He asked, kind of. That was progress. “I will, I promise.”

She leaned against the doorway, listening as Chase gave Tyler hell for saying ‘please’. She hoped she got to keep this, forever. She prayed that shopping for furniture with Ty and him asking her to pick the room she wanted for a nursery meant he wanted her to stay, but they hadn’t talked about her staying permanently yet. She wanted it so bad she couldn’t stand it.

Getting to stay with Ty, in this beautiful old farmhouse, with their baby, would be a dream come true. She couldn’t imagine a better life for herself, or her son, than being in this place, surrounded by family, and sheltered in Ty’s arms. She let out a sigh as she felt the baby nudge her belly in seeming agreement. She couldn’t bring herself to ask Ty what he wanted, so she could only hope he would bring it up and put her out of her misery.

“So, Parker,” Chase said, bringing her attention back to them. “Do you have a lot of stuff to bring here? Cuz if so, we’re going to have to clean out more of these rooms. Should have done that a while ago, anyway.”

Parker straightened up from the doorway, looking to Ty to see him frozen and staring at the page in front of him. He didn’t even look like he was breathing while he waited for her answer.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Parker decided it was time to put herself out there. She couldn’t keep waiting around for others to decide her fate. It was time for her to be brave and go for what she wanted. In a roundabout way.

“No, not really. I just have a small one bedroom apartment. Are you volunteering to go move my stuff? Because if so, I’m gonna need you to get my cat.”

Ty finally moved, looking at her in surprise. “You have a cat?”

Chase snorted, not looking up from his work. “You didn’t even know your woman had a cat? Lame.”

Ty locked gazes with her, a question in his chocolate eyes. She smiled back at him, hoping the answer was in hers.

“Chase,” Ty said, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “Why don’t you take a break?”

Chase finally looked up, his eyes going back and forth between the two of them. Putting the instruction manual down, he got up and walked past her, saying he had to check on some stuff outside and he’d be back later.

Smart man.

Parker walked further into the room as Ty stood up. He met her halfway and took her hand.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He asked huskily.

She searched his eyes for any hint that she wasn’t misreading him. “I don’t know. I can’t really invite myself. It would be rude.”

Ty closed his eyes briefly before cupping her cheek. “I want to ask you. I want you to stay, more than I’ve wanted anything before in my life. It means more than you know that you’re willing to. But there are still some things… There’s still shit you don’t know about me. I can’t in good conscious ask you to stay without telling you everything first.”

Parker swallowed, leaning into his hand. “So tell me, Ty. Whatever it is, it won’t affect my decision to stay. Hell, I was considering moving back here from that first day, before we ever got close again.”

Ty dropped his hand, cursing as he started to pace the strip of floor that didn’t have boxes and pieces of furniture littering it. He ran his hands through his hair in agitation, stopping in the middle of room to hook his hands onto his hips. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before muttering “Fuck!” under his breath.

He shook his head, an apology in his dark eyes as he looked at her. “I just can’t right now. I will, though. Soon. I promise. I’m sorry, Parker.”

Parker suppressed a sigh, moving to where Ty stood stiffly. She went up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s okay, Ty. Tell me when you’re ready. Just remember that it doesn’t matter what it is. It won’t change my mind about moving here, or being with you. Unless,” she joked, hoping to lighten the mood, “you have another family stashed somewhere, or there’s someone else you want to make a family with. That would make it a hard no for me.”

Ty laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, although his eyes were still torn. “No, it’s nothing like that. You’re all I want. All I need.” He moved one of his hands around, cupping her belly. “You and this pu—baby. That will never change.”

Parker smiled as he leaned down to take her mouth in a kiss. It started out soft, gentle, and Parker thought maybe that was all he’d intended, but it quickly caught fire. He moved his hand around from her stomach to her ass, pulling her hips into his. Parker moaned as she felt him, already hard, pushing into her stomach.

She loved how she affected him so quickly, just as much as she loved how fast he affected her. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of this feeling. On one side, it made her feel desirable and loved; on the other, she felt strong and empowered. She still couldn’t get over that she had this kind of effect on this big, gorgeous man.

She pulled back breathlessly from his kiss, never taking her eyes off of him as she pulled her shirt up and off her head. She bit back a smile at his groan, loving how his eyes were full on black now. He immediately reached a hand up, cupping her breast, and even through her bra, the sensations made Parker’s eyes roll closed. He teased her nipple for a moment through the lace before he reached around her to unsnap it with a flick of his fingers.

She opened heavy lidded eyes, watching as he stepped back to pull off the tight black t-shirt he’d been wearing. As soon as he was free, she moved forward, putting her hands on his chest and sliding them slowly down. She trailed her fingers down his abs, watching in fascination as his abs constricted as she touched him, and hooked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. She looked up into his eyes, smiling in satisfaction at the glazed look in them, before popping the button open and easing the zipper down.

She sucked in a breath as his hard length was revealed, and damned if her mouth didn’t water at the sight. She pushed his jeans down his thighs before she reached in and palmed his thick, hard length, barely aware of his breath hissing in his throat or the strained curse he gritted out.

All of her attention was on his hard cock, hot in her hand and straining toward her like it wanted her as much as she wanted it. She tightened her hand, squeezing him from base to tip, pausing to rub the precum over the fat head, before working her hand back down again. She shifted, rubbing her thighs together, already wet and incredibly turned on, just from touching him.

Ty clenched his hands into fists as she played, but when she made to drop to her knees, he stopped her. “No,” he gritted out in a gravelly voice. “It’ll all be over if you put your mouth on me, and I want to come inside you. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

Parker flashed him a mischievous look as she stepped out of her shorts. She turned around, bracing herself on the dresser, the only piece of furniture they’d left in the room after cleaning everything else out. Feeling bolder than she ever had in her life, she looked over her shoulder as she pushed her ass out.

“Who needs a bed?” She asked him huskily.

He stared mesmerized at her ass for a moment before shaking himself out of the daze he was in. Singeing her with the heat in his black eyes, he shoved his pants down further as he positioned himself behind her. He reached a hand around her, sliding his fingers inside of her and brushing her sensitive clit, and Parker couldn’t help the moan that erupted from her throat.

“You’re so fucking wet, and I’ve barely even touched you,” he breathed in her ear, causing shivery tingles to race up and down her spine. He ran his fingers around her swollen nub a few times and she moaned and arched her back, pushing back into him.

Ty moved his hand and she could feel him bending his knees and lining up with her. He wrapped an arm around her hips and without warning, pushed inside her, burying himself fully in one thrust.

They both froze. Parker squeezed her eyes shut, drowning in sensation, vaguely away of the slight tremor in Ty’s hands where they were clutching her waist.

“Fuck, Parker. Every time, I think it can’t get better than the last, but it always does,” Ty said, his voice hoarse.

Ty pulled almost all the way out and pushed back inside her forcefully. She could tell he was trying to be gentle, but his control was slipping, and she loved that. No matter how many times she’d told him she wasn’t made of china, he’d still been holding back.

He wasn’t now, and she reveled in it.

Bodies slapping together, they moved with each other, faster and harder. Parker’s entire body felt like a livewire, lit up and ready to blow at any moment. She wasn’t going to last long this time.

She panted as Ty increased the speed and force of his thrusts. One of his hands rested on top of hers where she was clutching the dresser, and his other reached around her, delving between her legs. One touch of his fingers was all it took, and she was flying apart, moaning his name as she clenched hard around him.

Ty groaned, leaning his body over hers as he took the tendon on her neck between his teeth, biting down hard enough for her to feel it, but not hard enough to break the skin.

He stiffened, pulsing inside of her. She could feel warmth coating her insides as he thrust a few more times before coming to a stop. She shivered as aftershocks wracked her body and Ty groaned.

“Fuck, Parker,” he panted as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder.

She smiled as she tried to catch her breath, chest still heaving and little electric shocks still dancing over her skin. “I told you, you don’t have to be so gentle with me all the time.”

Ty kissed her shoulder softly before he pulled gently out of her, turning her around in his arms and wrapping her up tight. “I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I know,” she said softly, smoothing her hands over his strong back. “But you didn’t, and you won’t. That was exactly what I needed.”

“It’s what I needed, too,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to her hair.

They stood like that for a few more moments as their breathing finished evening out. Parker pulled back, reluctant to leave his arms, but not willing to stand around naked for much longer. “I’m going to go get dressed before Chase gets back.”

Ty smiled, smacking her ass before letting her go. “Probably a good idea. I’d hate to have to kill my little brother.”

Grabbing her clothes up, Parker shot a look out the window. “It looks like the sun is coming back out. I’m going to run to town if I can’t find what I’m looking for in the kitchen.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go for you? I don’t mind.”

“I got this one, but I promise, when I have a craving at two in the morning, I’ll let you do the honors,” Parker replied teasingly.

Ty stopped her as she started to walk out of the room, giving her a soft kiss before looking into her eyes. “It would be an honor, Parker. Remember that.”

Parker watched as he grabbed his shirt, pulling it on before looking at the cribs pieces scattered around. She couldn’t have kept the grin off her face if she tried. Ty was pretty irresistible, and was it any wonder she was losing her heart to him so quickly?

Parker walked out of the store, carrying several bags. Leah had offered to make her a cake, but it was her night off and Parker hadn’t wanted to put her through the trouble. She’d also decided she really wanted ice cream, so she’d hopped in the car and driven into town.

She’d gone on a bit of a spending spree, grabbing up the fixings for tacos and some other food. The craving for tacos had hit when she’d passed some salsa, and that was it. Tacos and cake with ice cream for dinner, it was.

She had been really glad she’d gone to the store when she’d passed a display of stuffed animals. Front and center had been the most adorable little wolf, and she’d had to get him. She stopped on the mostly empty sidewalk and pulled him out of the bag, stroking the little face.

He was perfect, with a plush black body and bright blue eyes. Of course, their baby most likely wouldn’t have blue eyes; Ty’s were brown, and hers were more gray than blue. She knew Ty’s wolf was black, though. She couldn’t imagine anything better to put in the nursery.

And maybe she could use it to get Ty talking. Show it to him, maybe get a conversation going where he could tell her the truth about what he was. Ty didn’t seem the type to keep secrets, so she couldn’t imagine what was holding him back. Something clearly was, though.

She was pretty sure his wolf nature was what was holding him back from asking her to stay at Red Moon, too. While she appreciated the fact that he wanted her to know everything before he asked her, she was anxious to have it set in stone. She wanted her stuff there, wanted to be able to call it her home, instead of it just feeling in her heart that it was.

She missed her cat, too. She hadn’t been joking about having one. Her neighbor was watching the large Maine Coon for her while she was gone, but Parker was anxious to get her settled in at the farm. She’d had Shania, or Fluff Butt as she called her, since Shania was a tiny kitten, and this was by far the longest she’d ever been away from her.

Parker looked up with a start when someone bumped into her. The wolf fell from her hands and she watched as Hannah bent over to pick the stuffed animal up.

“I’m so sorry!” Hannah said as she dusted the toy off. “I think he’s okay. The ground wasn’t wet where he landed.”

Parker smiled, trying to put Hannah at ease because she looked nervous. Hannah had never been the nicest to her, but she by far hadn’t been the cruelest, and Parker didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, Hannah. No harm done.”

Hannah looked torn, clutching the little wolf in her hands. “This is cute. It must be for the baby. Look, Parker, I... I just wanted to say I’m sorry for how I’ve acted in the past. There’s no excuse for my behavior, in the past or when you first came back to town. It probably makes me sound weak, but sometimes it’s hard to cross others who are more powerful, or go against the grain.”

“It’s really okay, Hannah. You never said anything that I hadn’t heard before, anyway.”

Hannah shook her head, a look of sadness passing over her pretty features. “No, it’s not okay. It makes me sad that the things I said were said to you by others, too. I just want you to know, I can’t stop what anyone else says, but I won’t participate again. And I won’t tell anyone about the baby. Let Ty know that, too--.”

Hannah’s words abruptly stopped and panic flitted across her pretty features. Parker turned slightly sideways, following Hannah’s gaze to Wendy, who was just walking up behind her.

“What are you doing talking to porky Parker, Hannah? You know you’ll sully your reputation if you’re seen talking to her. Mine, too, since we’re friends. And what were you saying about a baby and Ty?” Her heavily made up eyes narrowed as she took Parker in, hardening as she zeroed in on Parker’s stomach. Face cold, she threw her head back with a dark laugh. “Oh, that’s rich! I thought you were just packing on more fat, but you’re pregnant, aren’t you Parker? What, did you get Ty drunk so you could trap him? Because we all know that’s the only way he’d be with the likes of you. It’ll never work, you know. He’ll be back in my bed before you can even pop that brat out.”

“Oh, fuck off, Wendy,” Parker snapped, losing her patience. Hannah’s eyes widened comically as she jerked her eyes to Parker. “Is your life really so sad and pathetic that you have to spend all your time being a bitch and trying to make everyone as miserable as you are? You seriously need some help. You’re not fooling me with all that talk of Ty, either. I know he hasn’t slept with you, and he never will. He has better taste than that.”

“Who do you think you are, you fat heffer?” Wendy seethed, voice steeped in rage. “You’ll regret talking to me like that.”

“I seriously doubt it. It felt too good. Run along, Wendy. This conversation is done.”

Wendy glared daggers at Parker. “Come on, Hannah, let’s go. Now!”

Parker watched as Hannah lowered her eyes, seeming to wilt into herself for a moment before she straightened her spine and looked up with determination on her face. “No.”

“What?” Wendy asked in astonishment. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I said we’re leaving, now.”

“I heard you just fine, Wendy, and the answer is the same. I’m not finished talking to Parker, and I’m a grown woman. I’m not going to follow your orders, at least not anymore. We’re not in high school anymore, Wen. Maybe it’s time to grow up already.”

Wendy fumed, the fury twisting her pretty features and turning them as ugly as her words always were. “You’re gonna regret that, too, Hannah. Mark my words.”

Turning, Wendy stalked back down the street. Silence reigned over Parker and Hannah, and Parker watched as Hannah took a deep breath, her shoulders drooping and her eyes closing as she blew the breath back out.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m proud of you for sticking up to her, if that’s what you really wanted, but I’m sorry it came to that.”

Hannah laughed softly. “It’s been coming for a long time, and I wanted it, I was just too much of a coward to do it before. I still probably wouldn’t have gotten up the nerve to do it, if you hadn’t done it first. So thanks. It was awesome, finally seeing Wendy get what was coming to her, and I loved that it came from you. She’s been tormenting you since we were kids.”

Parker laughed with Hannah. “It felt good to finally speak up, but Hannah, listen. People only have as much power over us as we give them. Stop giving Wendy that power over you, and you’ll do just fine.”

Hannah smiled at her as she handed Parker the little wolf.  “I’m really glad I ran into you today, Parker.”

“I am, too. I hope we’ll see each other around more.”

“Me, too,” Hannah said with a smile as she walked to the parking lot.

Parker watched her go, absentmindedly running her thumb over the stuffed animal in her hand in a petting motion. That confrontation had probably been the last thing she’d expected to happen when she came into town, but she was glad it had. It felt good to finally stand up for herself, and not just sit, frozen and tongue tied, as Wendy said nasty things to her. She had a feeling it had been really good for Hannah, too. She’d never realized that Hannah felt as intimidated and threatened by Wendy as she did until today, and the look in Hannah’s eyes…

Hannah had secrets. Painful ones, too, going by the look in her eyes. Parker hoped she would come to her if she needed a friend. Hannah had looked like she needed one, and who knew how long it had been since she’d had someone be that for her? Lord knew, Wendy for sure had never been one.

Parker felt something drip on her toe and looked down with a curse. She’d forgotten about the ice cream, and she was suddenly aware of how heavy her bags were. She rushed to get to the car so she could get back to the farm. Back to home.