Her Marine Next Door - Aliyah Burke Page 0,75
the bombshell he dropped.
Parker paced for about ten minutes, then he went to find his parents, who were out on the back porch.
“Can you watch Cullen for a bit? There’s something I have to do.”
“Of course,” his father said, sending him a look.
“Thank you.” He cast his gaze over the fence—with the now-repaired loose board—and frowned when he didn’t see any sign of Alpin. Or her in the backyard. Neither was out enjoying the porch they’d built for her.
Straddling his bike, he roared off down the road to a place he’d taken Skylar before one of their dates, when he’d gotten her the small ring. He parked and walked into the store, helmet in hand.
“Good evening.”
He gave a nod. “Sir.”
He waggled his finger at Parker. “You, I remember. You have a beautiful woman with you with a smile that rivals the sun.”
Yes, she was and fuck yes it did.
The old man looked around. “She’s not with you this time.”
“That’s my Skylar. I need to get her the ring she really wants, so I couldn’t bring her.”
Both the older gentleman and he moved to the case where the ring had been. Right away, he spied it and smiled. Perfect. He knew it was the one she wanted, considering how often her eyes had drifted toward it.
“Anything engraved on this?”
He thought about it for a moment. “Yes.” Bending down, he wrote it on a piece of paper and slid it to him.
With a smile, the man took it. “This will be ready in two days.”
“I’ll be back for it.”
He nodded. “I know you will, son. You have the look some men never have. The look of being so far in love, you won’t rest until your ring is on her and her last name and yours are the same.”
“Exactly, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
The smile came as did another nod. “Can I offer you some advice?”
Parker waited.
“Accept you’ll mess up. We all do. But it’s how we move on from there that defines us. It’s not always easy or pretty, but it doesn’t matter so long as she knows how much you love her and what you are willing to do to keep her. Both yours and happy.”
“Hard to do when she’s disappeared on me.”
The man looked at him, head tipped to the left. “And are you giving up?”
He shook his head. “Never.”
“Good. You go now. Come back in two days.”
Parker paused at the door and looked back. “How long have you been married?”
“Sixty-five years next month. I love that woman more than anything in the world. Do you understand?”
“I do. Thank you, sir. I’ll be back in two days.”
The moment his helmet settled around him, he exhaled sharply. He wanted Skylar as his wife and planned on asking her after he explained it all. She was fucking perfect for him.
Her truck still wasn’t in the drive, and he sighed as he rode to his house. Seconds later, he slammed on his brakes and took two deep breaths as his feet held him upright. Backing up so he was by her driveway, he flipped up the visor and stared at what had grabbed his attention. His stomach rolled and churned with nausea. It took him a few swallows to get it back under control.
Right there in her front yard by the driveway was a sight he never wanted to see.
What the motherfucking ever-loving fuck am I looking at?
A tall wooden sign that had two words on it.
For Sale.
Skylar had gone and put her house on the market.
…
“You have to talk to him, Skylar.”
She shook her head, forgetting Nicolette couldn’t see her. “Nope. I don’t.”
Her Realtor huffed and muttered something she wasn’t sure was anatomically possible.
“You really do. I can’t keep bringing in notes off the door and the flowers. Oh my God, the flowers.”
“Are they a problem with the staging?”
“No, they’re beautiful but, Skylar…”
Stopping her work, she propped her hands on her hips and looked over the new door she was carving for another customer. She’d converted a storage unit into a workshop to finish up projects she had waiting to be completed while the house sat on the market.
A few times, she’d wavered about going to Parker, but she refused. Part of her thought she should try to talk to him, but she hardened her heart to that. It wasn’t an easy decision.
Yes, he’d been an asshole, but she hadn’t exactly been all peaches and cream herself. That fight over Gemma hadn’t been one of her finer moments. But it