Chapter Thirty-Five
Parker
Two Months Later
Even though I’d been retired for two months, my internal alarm clock still woke me around five. This was the first day in that time that I was grateful for that. I could barely get to sleep last night, but I felt wide awake and ready for the day.
Sienna was still sound asleep. She’d been the opposite of me, sleeping in until at least six-thirty to seven in the morning. It was late for her, but early for the rest of the world. We’d fallen into a routine that I was going to soon break. I hoped she wouldn’t be too upset with me when she realized what I was giving her.
I moved my hands slowly up her back, attempting to gently wake her.
“No,” she moaned. “It’s Saturday. Just a little while longer, please.”
I kissed her shoulder. “We have a big day today.” And I had a big surprise for her.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Time to get up?”
She sat up and looked at the clock. “Five in the morning? Parker, are you serious?”
I kissed her cheek. I desperately wanted to tell her the surprise, but the payoff would be so much greater if I showed her. I’d take a little verbal beating from her if it meant I’d be able to see the shock on her face when we arrived at our destination.
“Come on, babe,” I said. “This will only take an hour of your time. Possibly more, but that will entirely depend on you.”
She groaned and I had to help her sit up. She was dead weight against my hand. I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from laughing.
“Do I need to shower for this surprise?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to. I plan on getting back in bed when this is over.” She shuffled off to the closet.
In the months that we’d been together, Sienna had spent ninety percent of that time staying with me. More than half of her possessions were in my house, yet she still wasn’t ready to move in yet. At least that’s what she told me. I had a feeling she wanted to take the next step but was going on my cue. I wondered when would be an appropriate time to ask her to move in for good.
I sent a quick text to Tony, telling him to get ready and that I was going to pick him up soon. He sent back a question mark and sleeping emoji, but I ignored it. His question would be answered soon enough.
Sienna came out of the closet wearing leggings and a tank top. “Do we have time for coffee?”
I kissed her cheek and went with her into the bathroom. “We always have time for coffee.”
I took a quick shower while she brushed her teeth. When I got out, she wasn’t in the bathroom anymore. I went back into the bedroom and she was curled up on the bed again.
Hm. These black-out curtains weren’t helping me out today. I flicked on the lights and she jumped up. “I’m up!”
“If you can stay awake for two more minutes, I’ll be ready. Or else I’m carrying you to the car.”
“I’m fine,” she said, still shading her eyes with her hands.
When I was finished getting dressed, Sienna stayed true to her word and was sitting up waiting for me.
Even without coffee, she was more awake than she had been before. That was a good sign. I expected more of a fight from her, but she was being a trooper. I knew she wouldn’t be disappointed once we made it to our destination.
Her text tone pinged and she reached over to the side table. Her eyes narrowed at her phone. “Why is Tony expecting a ride from us?”
“Because the surprise is for the both of you,” I said. “Get his coffee order and we’ll be on our way.” I knew Sienna hated surprises, but I had to do this one in secret. She would have fought me the whole way, and I knew deep down this is what she wanted and needed.
There was a distinct difference in our relationship now. I had the basic need to provide and protect her. This was my way of providing a happy and fulfilled life for her while protecting her heart. The consequences be damned.
After getting coffee, we swung by Tony’s place and picked him up. He hadn’t bothered to shower, either.
“You two have certainly become slackers since you became unemployed,” I said, pulling out of his driveway.
“Shut up,” Sienna said at the same time Tony said, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
So, this is what it felt like to have teenagers.
Their mood didn’t get me down. I could barely contain my excitement on the way over.
When Sienna and Tony started to get their caffeine fix, they started to ask questions.
“Can you tell us now?” Tony said.
“This is starting to get annoying,” Sienna whined.
I took her hand and kissed it. “Patience, Sienna. I promise it will be worth it.”
She smiled over at me. “It better be.”
As we turned the corner toward where the diner had been, Sienna took in a sharp breath. Since it burned down, Sienna would take detours to avoid that area. It was too painful of a memory for her.
And that’s what I counted on.
Once the plot for the diner came into view, Sienna and Tony sat up in their seats.
“Parker!” Sienna gasped.
“Holy, shit,” Tony said.
I smirked. If I weren’t driving, I would have taken a picture of the looks on their faces.
I parked the car and Sienna barely waited until we came to a complete stop. She stumbled out of the car stared at the brand new diner in the same place the old one had once stood.
“How—when—how—?” she stammered.
Tony and I got out of the car and went to her side.
“Parker, man, this is uh—” Tony said, now speechless too.
“You told me to get a hobby….” I said to Sienna.
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I could kill you right now.”
I put my arm around her. “I know.”
She squeezed me tight against her. For such a lithe woman, she was very strong.
I’d had the architect update the diner with better materials and equipment. The outside wouldn’t need to be painted as often, and I’d installed several fire safety features as well as increasing the amount of insurance on the place. If Sienna ever lost the diner again, she’d have more than enough to rebuild on her own.
“I know you hate when people help you, so I wanted to propose me being an investor in your company. I expect my rent money to be in by the beginning of each month.”
Sienna raised her eyebrow. “And how much rent are you expecting?”
I took a deep breath for dramatic effect. “I think a dollar sounds sufficient.”
Tony bumped her arm. “I think offering sexual favors might knock it down to fifty cents.”
“Fifty cents?” Sienna laughed. “Is that all I’m worth?”
“Speaking of sexual favors,” I said. “Tony, you can stop being a prostitute now. You weren’t making much money anyway.”
Tony laughed and offered his hand to me. “You’re a good man, Parker. Now how about we go inside? I want to see what you’ve done with the place.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Sienna twined her fingers with mine as we walked up the steps to the diner. I handed her the key and stepped back. I wanted her to experience walking through the front door this first time on her own.
She opened the door and I held it for her and Tony. She walked through, tentatively at first, but with a big grin on her face.
“I wanted to recreate the interior as I remembered it,” I said to Sienna. “But I left it undecorated so you could put your own spin on it.”
She nodded, wide-eyed and her gaze scanned the dining area. “It’s absolutely perfect,” she said.
“Can we look at the kitchen next?” Tony asked. He was buzzing like a little kid on Christmas.
Both of them raced for the kitchen. I went over to the pass-through and leaned in.
I’d had the most fun with the kitchen. I’d had the architect fill it with the highest-end appliances and with the best safety ratings.
Sienna dragged her hand over the shiny surfaces. “Parker, these are really expensive—”
“Only the best for you,” I said.
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Thank you.”
I nodded. How had I ever thought I belonged with anyone else? Sienna was the most selfless and modest woman I’d ever met. She liked to earn her own living. I wasn’t used to that with my other girlfriends. Proving once again that Sienna was one-of-a-kind and I was the luckiest man alive to have her by my side.
Later that morning, I dropped Tony off at his house and Sienna and I went back to my place. Sienna was as giddy as she had been when she first saw the diner.
“Still want to go back to bed?” I asked, walking into the kitchen. I’d been so nervous about the surprise, I hadn’t eaten anything that morning. I hoped Sienna would be up for making some breakfast for us.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for days. My mind is going crazy with things to do with the diner. Would you want to head to some stores with me later? I want to pick up some decorations. I was thinking pictures and little trinkets to make the place feel like it used to.”
“Absolutely.”
“But I’m paying for everything,” she insisted.
“If that’s what you want.”
She quirked her lips. She came to my side and circled her arms around my waist.
I moved my hands up and down her arms.
“Thank you so much for this, Parker.”
“You’re welcome. I just wanted to see you happy again.”
She shook her head. “I was always happy. Ever since we got together. The diner burning down sucked, but I was still happy.”
“Not this happy, though.”
“True,” she said. “I don’t think I could every repay you fully for what you did for me.”
I shrugged. “Sienna, I have a lot of money. I can give you anything you want. Don’t ever think that you have to repay me.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, considering what I said. She reached her hands up and clasped them around my neck, pulling me to her.
She kissed me slowly. “I don’t have a lot of money.” She tugged at the hem of my shirt and her hands disappeared underneath it. Her soft fingers stroked my skin. “But I can think of something you might like in return.”
“I’m feeling up to negotiating right now,” I said. Up being the operative word.
She lifted the bottom of my shirt and I helped her with the rest. She reached up to me and I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her slowly and purposefully. There was a distinct shift in how we were both feeling at the moment. Normally when we fucked, it was a passionate and quick encounter. But this time, I wanted to take it slow. I wanted to show her how much she meant to me by kissing every inch of her body. Exploring each nook and cranny and claiming her for myself. No one would ever have her again if I had anything to say about it.
Our lips never came apart as we made our way to the bedroom. When I had Sienna in front of my bed, I stepped back and drank her in. Her eyes were half-lidded and she licked her lips, ready for me.