Chapter 70

(**Parker**)

The sound of breaking glass coming from behind the bar makes him sigh for the fifth time since the night started. The twins are fighting with each other in a silent war. When ask if there was anything he could do to help calm the situation, they gave him glares that felt like they could wither his eyebrows. This is the fifth bottle broken tonight. It is time for a change of bartenders until they cool down.

Thinking of who could step in tonight while the twins dealt with their shit was a hard call. Lena could work the taps but isn’t very knowledgeable in making any of the mixed drinks. Tara showed promise with the mixed drinks. He could close the patio for the rest of the night since no one was out there. It was a slow point in the night, so it would be a suitable time to put them both behind the bar.

With a decision made, Parker stands up from his booth then walks over to the bar. “Alright boys, I am sending you both home for the night.”

Nyx turns to look at him after handing a tray of drinks over to Tara. His silver hair is in a braid hanging over his left shoulder. It brushes the waistband of his tight-fitting black jeans. Anger glittering in his amber-colored eyes when he asks, “What did we do, boss?”

“You know what you did, Nyx, don’t fake innocence.” Lochlan says. His voice is lower pitched than his brother’s, but full of the same anger. His silver hair is cut short where it just brushed the tops of his shoulders. The color of his eyes is just a shade darker than his twin’s.

Parker would have gotten pissed at them, but he knows their anger isn’t directed at him. “This little drama going on between the two of you is causing you both to be careless with the goods. You two have broken five bottles of liquor since you both started work tonight. The customers are feeling the cold vibes and it is not good.”

To their credit, both twins look down at the floor.

“Now, I can either send both of you home now or replace one of you for the night with one of our waitresses. What will it be?”

Nyx looks at his brother, then over to Parker. “I would like to stay all night if you will let me. You can send me out onto the floor or back into the kitchen to help Malcolm.”

“Well, now that I have a volunteer, it makes this easier. Nyx head into the kitchen to help with the rush. You work well with Mal, which is saying something, since he doesn’t like others in his kitchen.”

“Who will you send to the bar to work with me?” Lochlan asks.

“Lena or Tara. Since you know what needs done, I will let you decide.”

“Tara, I can help show her how to make the drinks since we are slow tonight.”

With that sorted out, Parker gave them all a nod, then leaves them so he can tell Tara what she would do for the rest of the night. She was excited to get the chance to learn a new role and happily agreed. With a satisfied sigh, he changes direction after she walks away, then heads upstairs to check on Edmund. Stopping in the kitchen to put in an order for two burgers.

Rayne is right about adding more variety to their food menu. Malcolm used to be the head chef in a five-star restaurant. Yet here he is making burgers and fries all night. It was something to think about, at least. The three of them can go over ideas with the rest of the staff at their next meeting.

Grabbing the plates after Nyx slides them over the counter, Parker heads straight to Edmund’s office. The sound of angry typing greets him when he opens the door. Edmund has a frown on his face and the steady stream of swear words that come out of his mouth makes Parker shake his head. Tempers are high with everyone tonight.

“Computer giving you problems?”

“Is that a cheeseburger you have there?” Edmund asks. He looks up from his screen with hope in his eyes.

With a chuckle, Parker walks in to sit the plates down on the corner of the desk. He slides Edmund’s over to him before taking a seat in one of the nearby chairs. They both fall into a comfortable silence as they eat their meal. When each plate is clear, he looks up at his father-in-law, who has leaned back in his chair and is now staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s on your mind, Edmund?”

“Have you ever thought of what your life would be like if you had made different choices? Say you hadn’t gone into that diner after Rayne but had gone home to Montana instead.”

He had thought about all that several times since meeting Rayne. More recently, before they committed to each other, before all their friends and family. If he had the chance to go back to that night, would he make the choice to go back to Montana with Samantha or go into that diner? Without all the knowledge he has now, or any of his memories of his life over the last five years.

“I know what my life would have been like if I had gone back to Montana. The relationships I was in were already ending for me. I was ready to move on. Would I have come to California on my own? Eventually, since I was working my way through all fifty states. I like to think that Ray and I were in the right place at the right time.”

“How do you figure that?”

“She was alone in the world looking for a place to call her own. Somewhere to belong where the past didn’t matter. She needed a friend to be there when no one else was. I needed a purpose. Something to ground me to one place for more than a few days, weeks, or months. When we talked to each other over breakfast, it was like something just clicked in me. We were both searching for something and somewhere to make us feel at peace. Two lost souls wandering in the world.”

“I was thinking today about what her life would have been like if Ryan came for her instead of drowning in his grief. Or what our lives would have been like if I had woken up with my memories intact. She would be a different person than the woman she has become today. Those experiences she lived through made her strong. I realize dwelling on the what ifs does me no good at all. I am proud of who Rayne is. Everything she has done for people in need.”

“What are Ryan’s chances with the council?” Changing the subject to what he knew was weighting on Edmund’s mind.

“I want to think they will just strip in of his title and give it to Felix. I hope they don’t sentence him to death. Ryan is a good man, an excellent leader for his pack, and his family is well behaved. He has had no negative marks against him until now.”

“What do you know about his son?”

“Felix is a year older than Rayne, but what I remember about him, he is a good kid.”

After talking about Ryan’s chances for a few more minutes, Parker leaves Edmund to his work. He grabs the empty plates to take to the kitchen on his way back to his booth. When he enters the kitchen, Nyx is telling Malcolm something that makes the big man laugh loudly. Moving him in here was a good idea. Leaving the plates on the counter by the sink, he heads into the main room to check on Lochlan and Tara.

From the sounds of their friendly banter, he can tell it was the right decision to split the twins up for the night. Growls coming from the front of the bar make him look up to see Spencer giving death glares to Lochlan. Parker is grateful that Spencer is still standing at his post rather than breathing down Lochlan’s neck.

Once back in his booth, he opens his laptop to check his emails. The rest of the night goes smoothly, even picking up as more customers spill in towards one in the morning. After making sure that everyone was doing fine, he decides it will be an early night for him. Heading home to spend time with his mate sounds like a perfect plan.

Parker ducks back into Edmund’s office to give him the keys to the jeep for when he is ready to go home. The weather outside is perfect for a pleasant flight. It would give him time alone with nature as he flew home. Which reminds him it would be nice to spend time with Owen and their father again soon. The last time they were all together was at the welcome home party after his honeymoon.

(**Rayne**)

Strong arms being wrapped around her makes Rayne open her eyes. Parker’s scent comforting her from the nightmare that she was having. His lips on her neck make her arch her back as she stretches her body against him. One of his hands moves to her belly to rub gentle circles over the flat surface.

“How mad at me will you be if I tell you I can’t wait to see your belly grow round with our child?”

She laughs at him, then turns in his arms to face him. “I am excited to see my body change as our baby grows inside me.”

“Did you really spend three thousand dollars today on baby things?”

Grimacing at the total of her online shopping spree, she ducks her head to snuggle against his chest. “That was only a fraction of what I could have spent today.”

“Holy shit, are you kidding me?”

Rayne decided telling him the grand total before she slimmed it down would be a bad idea. They were not hurting for money by a long shot. The money she spent today they would make back in a day with the income from the bar and their investments in a few other business ventures. They lived way under their means.

“How did things go tonight? Anything interesting happen?”

“I had to separate the twins.”

This got her attention, making her pull back so she could see his face. “Why? They are usually so call and in sync with each other.”

“I never got to why they were fighting. After the fifth bottle of booze to hit the floor, I called a timeout on their drama. They never got physical with each other but were at a silent cold war. It was being noticed by the customers, so I decided to send them home. I then gave them the options of either both going home or one of them helping serve drinks or go to the kitchen.”

“What did they choose?”

“Nyx went to the kitchen with Malcom.”

“Woah, Malcolm let him in there?”

“They worked together well, actually.” He told her everything that happened after that.

“I think cross training all the staff for the bar and the kitchen will be a good idea. Expanding the menu is a great idea.”

“Your father asked me a question tonight.”

“What kind of question?” Her eyes open as he spoke about her father.

“He asked me if I have ever thought of what my life would be like if I had gone home to Montana.”

“Instead of crossing the street to the diner?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you?” She asks. Knowing she had thought of what her life would be like if she never saw again. Telling him all of what has passed through her mind over the last two days, she waited for him to speak.

“I thought about what your father asked me. A few days before our wedding and any times through our life together. Mostly because I couldn’t really imagine my life any other way than it is now.”

“What did you tell my father?”

“That we were in the right place at the right time for two lost souls to find each other.” He bends forward to capture her lips with his. “I think we were meant to cross paths that night. Everything after that was up to us. There is no way I would go back to that night and make a different choice. I was already drifting away from my life in Montana. Plans were already forming in my head to move on when Kylee ran off with Rachel.”

“One day I want us to go to all the places you wandered before you kicked in my motel room door. I want to see the roads you traveled, the places you lived, meet the people you let in your life. You have gone back to my roots with me. I want to do the same for you.”

“That requires a trip back to Ireland if we are going to do that. I will want my family with me for that trip. We all need to go back to where our nightmare started.” He goes silent for so long that she thinks he fell asleep, but when he speaks again, she jumps a little. “I want to believe that my mother would like you.”

“We should have a mural for our mothers painted in the baby’s room.”

“That is a fantastic idea,” he says.

She brings up colors she thought of for the walls. Then they talk about the redecorating. What they would have to do with all the furniture that was already in both rooms. Parker suggests giving it all to Owen and Nyla, which she agreed to instantly. They were helping them buy a house a few miles down the beach.

They talk about that for a few more minutes until Parker’s wandering hands distract her from what she was saying. They shed their clothing slowly as he teases her with feather light kisses all over her body. Quiet sighs of pleasure fill the room as he makes love to her slowly. Giving her pleasure with every touch of his hands over her body. Drinking in her cries of ecstasy with his kisses. Driving her over the peak for one orgasm after another until he followed her over the edge.

With their passion for each other sated, she rests her head over his heart. The rapid thumping making her small. Soon his heartbeat slows as he falls asleep. She burrowed closer to him as she thought of what was to come tomorrow. Sending up a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess to spare her uncle’s life, she closes her eyes to let sleep claim her.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Nelson Mandela