The Anchor (24 page)

My voice is husky when I ask, “Are we okay?” Hell, if I’m being completely honest, I’m still upset. But I know she didn’t intentionally do what she did to piss me off or hurt me. I know she was trying to do something good.

She squeezes my hand. “I am if you are.” Then she pulls her hand from mine and climbs out. I’m not sure how to take that. But I decide she means let’s just let it go, and at this point that works for me. When we walk inside, Edie and John are already changed and waiting at the kitchen table.

“Drinks at Earl’s tonight. You guys game?” Edie asks.

Nikki’s questioning blue gaze meets mine. “Sounds good to me.” I shrug. “You wanna go? I haven’t had a chance to experience the fine establishment known as Earl’s,” I jest.

Nikki snorts. “Well, now that you’re spending more time in Holly Springs, we need to remedy that right away.”

Edie and Nikki are standing with a group of girls off to the side of the bar while John, Joey, and I are planted in a booth.

“What about her?” John points out a brunette standing in front of the jukebox.

Joey shakes his head before dropping it as if exhausted by John’s relentless attempts to find a woman that might catch his eye. “That’s Mary Reicher. She’s taken,” Joey mumbles. “Give it up, John. I’m not looking for a woman right now. And when I find one, I don’t want one from these parts.”

“Well, I happen to think women from Holly Springs are the shit,” John says, matter-of-factly.

“Me too,” I agree.

“Yeah, well you guys got the good ones.”

“How come you never tried to date Edie or Nikki?” I ask, curious. Joey’s a decent looking guy and he’s known them all his life. How could he not have thought about it at least once?

Joey sneers as if even the thought disgusts him. “Dude. They’re like my sisters.”

John and I laugh. “So what’s going on with you and Nik?” Joey finally asks. “Everything good?”

I lean back and move my gaze to Nikki. She’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans and this flowing top. Fucking beautiful. She thinks she’s showing, but it’s all in her head. I barely notice the tiny bump she has, and I only notice it because I know it’s there. “We had a disagreement about something, but . . . I think we’re good now.”

Joey nods and looks over to the group of girls where Nikki stands, laughing with her friends. “Nikki . . .” He pauses and drops his head as if searching for words. “She’s going to push you away at some point.”

Joey just voiced my biggest fear. Regardless of whether Nikki and I work out, moving here is necessary. I want to be close to my child, but damn. I really want things to work out between me and her. But I can’t help the dread I feel that at any minute she’s going to pull the plug. I shouldn’t say what I’m about to say, but I do anyway. “I know she will.”

Joey smirks and nods a few times. “You just make sure you push back. She’s a hard nut to crack, that one, but she’s worth it.”

We’re all looking at the girls now when Dierk walks in and beelines for the group. He positions himself between Edie and Nikki, throwing an arm over each of them. John shakes his head and inhales deeply.

“I know he’s your friend, but I swear he’s begging for me to kick his ass,” John grumbles to Joey.

Joey just holds his hands up in surrender. “I wouldn’t be mad at you, but I think he’s enjoying making you sweat a little.”

“He’s not making me sweat,” John snickers. “I know who Edie wants. But he
is
being disrespectful. That’s what pisses me off.” Dierk suddenly pulls away from the group, grabbing Nikki’s hand and yanking her toward the dance floor. Nikki digs her heels in shaking her head no, but smiling to be polite. But Dierk persists and this time, he tugs her hard enough that when she jolts forward, she trips and lands on her knees. I bolt out of the booth and bulldoze through the crowd to get to her. When I reach them, he’s bent down trying to help her up, but I grab him and shove him away. “Get away from her, fucker.”

Nikki is standing now, her hands planted firmly against my chest as she attempts to push me away from Dierk who looks like he can’t believe I just shoved him. Fuckwad. “It was an accident,” Nikki insists.

“No it wasn’t. You we’re trying to get out of his grip and he wouldn’t let you go. He made you trip.”

“Parker,” she says my name firmly. “I’m telling you, it was an accident.”

“I’m sorry, Nikki,” Dierk apologizes as he moves to stand beside us, but Joey appears and moves with him, keeping him from getting too close. Joey’s a smart guy. “I didn’t mean to make you trip,” Dierk continues.

“I know. I’m okay. It’s okay,” Nikki assures him.

“For future reference, asshole,” I growl as I glare at Dierk, “no means no.”

“Who the fuck is this guy, Nikki?” Dierk laughs as if he’s amused by my anger.

My irritation boils over. “I’m her fucking boyfriend and the father of the baby she’s carrying. That’s who the fuck
I
am!” The bar was loud as I shouted, but now it seems significantly quieter as I finish my proclamation. Everyone is staring at us and Nikki’s eyes are clenched closed. Yep. I announced her pregnancy again, but this time, to an entire bar. And for once, I’m not completely sorry. She and the baby could have been hurt. Enough is enough.

“You’re pregnant, Nikki?” Dierk gasps in disbelief.

Nikki opens her eyes and gives me a death glare before turning to Dierk. “Yes.” With that, she spins on her heels and stomps toward the exit.

Edie moves to follow her, but I hold a hand up. “I’ll go.”

“Here are the keys to the car. We’ll catch a ride from Joey,” John says, and tosses me the keys to his BMW.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

“And good luck,” he adds as I turn to leave.

“I got this.”

At least I think I do. But as I trail after Nikki, I’m wondering if I really know what the fuck I’m doing.

“Nikki, wait!” Parker calls as he chases me into the parking lot, gravel crunching under his feet as he runs.

“You know,” I spin around and glare at him, stopping him in his tracks, “there’s a big billboard about two miles down. Maybe you could just save yourself some breath and advertise that Nikki Reese is knocked up!”

“Your insistence on keeping this pregnancy a secret could have hurt you and the baby tonight, why can’t you see that?”

“I can handle myself, Parker,” I scream.

“You handled it so well that you fell to your knees,” he mumbles under his breath.

“Excuse me?” I question defensively. And his voice rises.

“Is it so bad if everyone knows?” he questions. “I mean, shit . . . they’ll know eventually.”

“I’m not ready for everyone to know!” I shout. “You’re not from here. You don’t care what these people think of you, but I do!” Tears begin to stream down my face and I wipe at them angrily.

“And what is it you think they’ll think of you?”

“That I’m a stupid girl that let herself get knocked up by some guy and ruined her life!” I yell at him. His eyes widen, a little shocked by how honest my answer is, but it’s the truth.

He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. “Some guy, eh?”

The tears won’t stop flowing now and I know I’m being way too emotional and dramatic, but I can’t help it. I need to voice how I feel. He needs to know I’m terrified. “It was supposed to be a onetime deal. It wasn’t supposed to be . . .” I motion between us, “this. This baby has ruined everything for me.”

The silence that falls after my admission is almost deafening as my words hang heavy in the air between us.

“You know, Nikki,” he sighs. “This wasn’t my plan either. My plan was New York. My plan was a job most lawyers would kill for. But plans change.” He shakes his head and refuses to look at me. “I know it’s been a rough go, but I know I’m trying to do everything I can to make it better. I’m trying to move here. I’m trying to love you . . . if you’d just fucking let me. Our original dreams may be gone or pushed aside for now, but if you would just chill the fuck out and stop pushing me away . . . stop resenting this situation, maybe . . . just maybe, we can build a better dream together.”

I know I’m being selfish and stupid. But I hate how he just laid it out in front of me. “And what dream would that be, Parker? Me, at home with the kids while you work long hours and end up fucking your secretary because you don’t want me all flabby with stretch marks after I give birth to your child, which made you give up your dream?”

Parker rolls his eyes, apparently finding me ridiculous. He opens his mouth to respond but stops when we hear someone giggling. We both whip around to find Jenn leaned up against the building, smoking a cigarette. “So Nikki Reese is preggers,” she snickers. Flicking her cigarette away, she pushes off the wall and sidles up to Parker.

“And it’s yours,” she states. Parker’s brows rise.

“As a matter of fact, it is, Jenn,” I seethe. “So back the fuck up because this one,” I point to Parker, “belongs to me.” I should be institutionalized at this point. I’m nothing but a long stream of ridiculous notions and contradictions. He is mine—at least for now he is—no matter how ridiculous I’m behaving.

Her eyes widen but she’s still smiling. Apparently she thinks I’m ridiculous too. “That’s too bad.” Her gaze moves away from me and slowly lingers longingly up and down on Parker; her look saying everything her mouth isn’t. I begin to step toward her, my anger having gripped me by the backbone, pushing me, when Parker moves forward and stands between us. Jenn giggles and saunters back inside as Parker tells me to calm down.

“She is such a bitch,” I grumble.

“She does it to get to you . . . and you let her,” Parker points out. We stand in an awkward silence for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say. I know he must be thinking I just sort of did the same thing he did inside with Dierk, but is wisely not saying so. Staking a claim on him is new territory for me.

“Can we just go home?” I huff, mentally exhausted by the entire day.

“Yeah. John gave me the keys to his car. Let’s go.” The ride home is silent, unbearably so. I know I’ve played a large part in how shitty today has been, but so has he.