Mrs. Francis nodded her agreement. “She’s tough. I’m sure she’ll be fine once she holds her kids.”
“That’s good.” Parker turned to Jade. “And what do you need right now, Rosebud, to recover from all this?”
She beamed at him. “I already have what I want. You and you’re here.”
“That’s it,” Parker announced. “I’m taking you home. You need a long bubble bath and some rest. Definitely a good glass of sangria.”
Jade shook her head. “Actually, Parker, do you mind taking me back to your place instead? I really think I’d rather sit in the hot tub with you for a bit.”
He grinned at her. “You got it, Rosebud. Anything you want.”
Now that Parker knew Jade was his mate, he would make it his life’s mission to keep her happy.
TWENTY-ONE
JADE
The winding road that led into Half Moon Key was bathed in moonlight. The trees that lined the road moved softly in the gentle breeze, but Elizabeth’s top was down given the hot summer evening.
The car began to sputter just as Parker rounded a corner, and the radio cut off completely. Jade turned in her seat, giggling. Parker shook his head as he faced her.
“This is unbelievable. Every time. Every time you let me drive Elizabeth, the power goes out in Half Moon Key.”
“What can I say?” Jade laughed. “My girl loves me more. Come on, let’s walk!”
Jade hopped out of the car, and Parker was quick to join her. They held hands as they made their way into town on foot.
“I still can’t believe the elders haven’t figured out how to fix this problem,” Parker said. “I really thought that after the bank heist, they would fix it once and for all.”
“Mrs. Francis came into the bank today. I asked her about it, and she swears that there is nothing to be done. But at least now, all the important spots in town have a non-electrical security system. I still don’t understand how that work, by the way.”
“Well, see, the …”
Jade put up her hand. “Nope! Please stop. I won’t understand. That’s your specialty, not mine.”
Parker chuckled. “You got it.”
“Can you believe it’s already been a week since the heist?” Jade took a deep breath. “It feels like it’s been way longer than that, but also like no time has passed.”
“At least your bruise is healing.” He reached out and brushed his fingers across her neck. They were barely visible now, but Jade knew Parker hated to see them.
“I’ll be fine. I told you I’m okay, and you need to stop worrying. Rueben is in prison, and he won’t be coming back here anymore.”
“Yeah, well, he still got a hold of you, didn’t he? I hate that.”
“You’re gonna have to let that anger go, Parker. And I know what you’re gonna say. You’re all down on yourself because you think you should have been able to stop Rueben, but things happened the way they were meant to.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, think about it. If it wasn’t for the whole thing with Rueben, you and the other guys wouldn’t have fought together. I honestly think that it had to happen. Now you’ve got your own guy crew right here in Half Moon Key. That’s good for you. Probably good for all four of you.”
Parker shook his head. “I love you, you know that? Not only are you not at all fazed by what happened, but you actually managed to find a silver lining.”
She giggled. “I will always try to find the silver lining for you, Parker. We’re a team.”
“And you love me too, huh?”
She laughed again. “Yeah, I love you. I wouldn’t be on your team if I didn’t.”