Sara stood under the hot water and let all of yesterday’s sourness wash away. Her knee was already turning a dark shade of purple and was a little swollen. Still, she figured by the end of the week, she’d be back to normal.

She turned slightly when she heard the shower door open. She smiled when Parker climbed in behind her.

“Morning.” He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “I thought you’d sleep in.”

She wrapped her arms around him and shook her head. “Can’t. I don’t sleep in.”

“Ever?”

“Nope.” She smiled. “I tried to once, but at sunrise, I was staring at the ceiling, bored to tears.”

She moved aside so he could stand under the spray. She was done showering but figured she would watch the show as he got clean. Her eyes ran over him, then she cried out.

“What?” He jerked around and faced her again.

“Look at yourself.”

Two massive bruises ran over his hip and his thigh. She touched the skin gently and hissed at a large knot under his hip bone.

“You should really have my uncle—”

“Sara.” He took her hands. “I’m fine.” He kissed her. “Really, I’ve had worse.”

“When?” He looked surprised by the question, but the casual way he had brushed her off disturbed her slightly.

“In my line of work, I get cuts and bruises all the time.”

She narrowed her eyes and he sighed.

“Before my mother dropped me off at my grandmother’s, bruises were a way of life.” He turned off the water and handed her a towel. “Let’s talk over breakfast. I’ll throw some omelets together.” He stepped out behind her and wrapped a towel around his hips, hiding the bruises from her view.

She dressed quickly in leggings and a work shirt and slipped on some black flats, since her knee still ached. She tied her long hair up in a sloppy bun and applied a dab of makeup before stepping out.

Parker already had the omelets ready and was pouring her a glass of orange juice.

After sitting down, they ate in silence. She glanced up at him and waited, her eyebrows raised slightly.

He sighed and set his fork down. “There’s little I remember about my time with my mother. What I do remember is hiding from her or her boyfriend Jake. The man didn’t think that hitting a kid with his hands would teach a strong enough lesson, so he tended to use his belt.”

“Was he your father?” she asked.

Parker shrugged. “My mother always said no. She told my grandmother that my father was a wealthy man and that he’d screwed her out of money by denying I was his.”

“What does it say on your birth certificate?”

“I don’t know. My mother never gave it to my grandmother.” He shrugged. “I never requested a copy either.”

“How did you go to school? Get jobs?” she asked, a little shocked.

“I have my social security number.” He shrugged. “My gran had connections at the school. She used to teach before…” He shook his head. “Anyway, my life didn’t become normal until after I started living with her.”

She reached across the table and took his hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“I swore, after I learned what a normal life was like, that if she came back for me, I’d run away. There were several close calls. She’d show up, I’d head out the back door. My grandmother threatened to cut her off completely if she took me, so she stayed away as long as she got her monthly checks.”

“What changed? Why did she start demanding more?”

“I’m not sure. I only know that the drug use became worse. She would show up so far gone that she couldn’t remember my name. She kept calling me Palmer.”

“Did you know anything more about her? Where she lived?”

“No. I never cared, as long as she left me alone. The more she stayed away, the happier I was.”

He glanced down at his watch. “I wanted to talk to you about something else, but I’ve got to head in and meet my workers.”

She nodded and stood up, taking her dish with her.

He stopped her. “I can open up. Why don’t you take a walk on the beach. Toby could use the exercise. He only got a quick bathroom break this morning.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, watching him set his own dish in the sink.

“Yes.” He walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. “We can have that other talk over lunch.”

She smiled. “I’ll come early and make something special for us.”

“Sounds good.” He kissed her again. “See you. Enjoy the walk.”

She stood at the screen door and watched him drive away. Toby’s nose was pressed against the glass. When she took down his leash, the dog spun in circles and then jumped around happily.

She clipped on his leash and headed towards the beach. The clouds kept the morning cool, and she was thankful she’d grabbed a jacket.

Summer was in full swing, but that didn’t stop the occasional cool and cloudy day. Cooler air and rain threatened to arrive later that evening. Her mind wandered to where she’d be come winter. Would she still be at Parker’s place? Living with him? She’d never lived with anyone other than her family before. Though sharing a bathroom with her brother and sister had prepared her for living with the opposite sex.

Somehow, living with Parker was less work than she’d always imagined living with a man would be. But Parker was much different than any man she’d ever dated before. She could picture a future with him, and her imagination went far beyond this fall and winter.

She was just turning around to head back to the house, when her phone rang. Seeing his face on the screen, she smiled and answered it quickly.

“I was just thinking about you,” she answered.

“I hate to say it, but you’d better come in.” Parker sounded frustrated.

“Oh?” She frowned and glanced around for Toby. “What’s wrong?”

“Looks like my mother’s path of destruction didn’t start at your place last night.”

Her stomach pitched. She called out for Toby. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Hanging up, she rushed towards the house with Toby on her heels.

When she pulled up at the Oar, two cop cars sat out front. She stepped through the front door and gasped.

The place was trashed, much like her cabin had been. Broken glass and furniture lay all over the place.

“It doesn’t stop here,” Parker said, rushing over to her. “It’s in the back room too.”

“Back?” she asked, feeling real fear now. There was some very expensive equipment in the kitchen.

“Dishes mainly,” he added, following her. “I checked the footage. Robert’s checking it out to see if we can get a clear shot of my mother.”

Seeing the destruction in the kitchen, Sara leaned against the doorway and groaned. “We were going to replace most of the dishes with new ones, but still.”

She turned to take in the mess and her mind suddenly cleared.

“How could she have done all of this so quickly and then get to my place before me? When I left here, everything was fine. When I opened my door, she was inside my place.”

Parker was silent for a while. Without saying anything to her, he made his way back out front. She followed him to where Robert and another of his deputies stood, watching the computer screen.

“It couldn’t have been my mother,” he told the men. “She didn’t have enough time to do all this and beat Sara home.”

Robert nodded. “We have a face.” He turned the laptop around and pointed. “Recognize this man?”

She felt Parker tense. “His name is Jack. He’s been working for me.”

“I thought so,” Robert added. “How else would he have known where all the cameras were?” He clicked a button and the screen moved. “He moves through the place and avoids them all, except this camera.” He pointed up to the spot Parker had moved the camera to a few days before. “He doesn’t happen to be here, does he?” Robert asked, looking around.

“I’ll go check.” Parker took off before she could stop him. She was thankful when Robert followed him outside.

She watched the screen as the man known only as Jack trashed the place. So much destruction and for what? Was he upset about his pay? Was he covering a theft? Had he stolen anything? She leaned closer to the screen and paused the image when the man looked directly at the camera. She froze. Her hands shook as she looked at the image. Then she rushed from the room to find Parker.

* * *

Parker was outside talking to Donny when Sara ran outside.

“Is he here?” she asked, a little breathless.

“No, he hasn’t shown up. He probably got spooked when he saw all the cop cars.”

Sara took his arm and tugged him a few feet away from the others.

“He’s your father,” she blurted out, her eyes searching his.

He chuckled. “Okay, what makes you say that?” Was this some sort of joke?

“Parker,” she said, her tone filled with concern, “he is.”

He tried to remember what the man looked like. Sure, they had similar builds, but most of the men who worked for him were built like laborers. It came with the job. The man had longer dark hair that had been tied up with a leather strap. He looked more like a biker than a construction worker. But he’d known how to use a nail gun and other equipment, so Parker had hired him.

“We need to talk to your mother.” She started walking over to where Robert was talking with Donny.

He followed as if in a stupor. Half an hour later, they sat in the police station, waiting for someone to bring his mother into a small room. When she came in, she was handcuffed but, this time, her hands were in the front of her. When she saw them, her eyes narrowed as a slow smile caused the lines on her face to deepen.

“Well, well, here to bail your old lady out?” she said sitting down across from them.

“Who is this?” Parker took the image Sara had printed out and set it in front of her.

His mother didn’t even glance at it.

“I don’t know.” She smiled and shifted in her seat.

“Is this my father?” he asked. He was trying to keep his tone low but couldn’t keep the buried emotions out of it.

“Your father was a rich man, a senator from Washington. He denied you were his and I never saw a penny after having to deal with you all those years.”

Sara jumped in when he stiffened with anger.

“Why are you lying? You think he cares who his father is?” Sara shifted closer. “I can see it plainly in your eyes.” She leaned across the table slightly. “You’re nothing but a liar and a junkie.”

The smile fell from his mother’s lips and her eyes narrowed towards Sara.

“Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that? You’re just some whore my son is sleeping with.”

Parker slammed his fist down on the table and stood. Sara covered his hand and looked into his eyes. “Why don’t you step out for a moment and let me have a chat with your…”—she glanced in the woman’s direction—“egg donor.”

Parker turned without a word and exited the room. He was pissed and felt like hitting something, but he followed Robert into the room next door and watched Sara with his mother.

“Normally we don’t allow this, but I think maybe Sara can get something out of her that I can’t,” Robert said.

Through the glass, she saw Sara take a slow breath. “You know that once the woman who loved and raised Parker dies, you’ll be left with nothing.” She practically purred the words and Parker couldn’t have been prouder of her for her calm tactics.

“You don’t know shit.” His mother’s hands began shaking and he could see that she was coming off a high. She tucked her hands under the table to hide it.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Sara said softly.

“What?”

“Knowing you couldn’t care for your son, couldn’t give him the basics in life—a home, a father, the love of a mother.”

“You don’t know shit,” his mother repeated.

“Don’t I?” Sara was silent for a while and he wondered what she saw when she looked at the woman who’d given birth to him. “I know more than you think. My mother survived an abusive relationship. She survived it, conquered it, and moved on. She married my father, had three kids, and raised them with love in a good solid home. But you…You couldn’t even take care of a five-year-old without pawning him off on your mother. You allowed your own needs to outweigh those of your sons. What happened? Drugs?”

His mother’s eyes turned angry.

“I loved that little boy,” his mother screamed. “But he was nothing like I’d imagined. He was a terror from day one.” His heart twisted, and his anger grew.

“Yes, you probably told yourself that,” Sara said calmly.

“It was the truth,” his mother yelled.

“He was a kid. What he remembers of his time with you was that it was sad and pathetic. He remembers getting the belt,” Sara said calmly. “He was five.”

“That kid was rotten from the moment he could crawl,” she sneered. He knew Sara was trying to piss his mother off in hopes of getting some information from her. It was a genius move, but would it work? “But not my Palmer.” His mother’s eyes glassed over, and she smiled for the first time. Parker’s heart stopped. Who was Palmer? He remembered all those times his mother had showed up at his grandmother’s place high or drunk. She’d always called him Palmer and tried to hug him and take him back with her. He had kicked her and yelled at her, and she’d change and push him away. He’d always believed it was just a mistake.

“Palmer?” Sara whispered.

“You think that brat out there is the only one I was blessed with?” She laughed. “My Palmer is a true gem. That boy can do no wrong.”

Sara stood slowly and leaned on the table, her palms spread out on the wood. “Parker has a brother? And you kept them apart?”

His ears started ringing as his eyesight narrowed. He watched the rest of the scene as if he were watching a movie, disconnected somehow from the people behind the one-way glass.

“I didn’t keep them apart, that woman did. She told me if I came around again, she’d stop all my checks. I was owed them! My old man was an ass. He used to rape me,” his mother said, adding the last as an afterthought.

Parker remembered the times his grandmother had talked about her deceased husband. The man had practically been a saint. He’d seen the pictures of him and his mother. There had been love once between them. Then his mother had changed, grown distant, and he knew it was her addiction that caused her outlandish accusations. He chose to believe his grandmother over his mother any day.

“And when she dies, I’ll make sure I get what I’m owed. That brat out there doesn’t deserve anything.” She pointed towards the door.

“Where is your husband?” Sara asked calmly, glaring down at her. “Did he take your things, take your drugs and run?”

“Jake would never do that to me.” His mother banged her hands on the table. “He’d never leave me.” Suddenly, it was very clear to Parker. The worker that had trashed the restaurant was none other than Jake, the man he remembered beating him before his mom had delivered him into the loving hands of his grandmother. Jake was Parker’s father. Jake was Palmer’s father. Parker had a brother and a father and both men were currently missing.

“What about Palmer? Where is he?” Sara asked.

Parker noticed the change in his mother and made his way back towards the room.

When he stepped in, his mother’s eyes turned towards him as her chin rose. “He’s somewhere safe.” The lie was obvious.

“You don’t know,” Parker said, moving further into the room “What happened? Did the state take him away? Or did you dump him on someone else’s doorstep?”

Before she could answer, Robert walked in.

“We found him,” he said to them.

He grabbed Sara’s hand and turned to go, but Sara stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “I’m glad you had nothing to do with raising Parker, because he’s the best man I’ve ever known. I have his grandmother to thank for it.” They didn’t give the woman time to respond before walking out of the room hand in hand.

That was the old part of his life, and he wasn’t going to look back on it any more. Now, his focus would be on protecting Sara and building a future with her as he looked for his brother.

They walked out to the main room of the station. An attractive dark-haired woman was sitting in Robert’s office.

“It’s the PI your mother hired and didn’t pay. She found out that we had your mom in custody.” Robert stopped him from going into the room. “She was just hired by your mom, so don’t take your anger out on her. She came to help.”

Parker nodded and took a couple deep breaths before walking into the room to find out where his father and brother were.

The meeting was short. The woman handed him a file of everything she had on him. Which, to his amazement, was plenty. His address, every place he’d done work in town, what several of the town people had said about him.

It made him wonder how a stranger in Pride could have gotten so much out of the townspeople.

“I used to live here,” the woman told him. “I’m Mia Dylan. My father used to own the vet clinic a long time ago.”

“Now you’re a PI?” he asked her.

She nodded. “I work out of Edgeview.” She glanced around. “But I’ve been thinking of coming back here for a while.”

“I heard my mother didn’t pay your bill.” He shifted. “Forward me a copy and I’ll see to it that you get paid.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and glanced between him and Sara. “If it makes you feel better, I never gave her much on you. I didn’t trust her. There was just something…” She shook her head. “I only told her where you were working. She must have pieced the rest of it together.”

Parker nodded. “Thanks.” He sighed and took the folder and Sara’s hand and left.