White Lies

Chapter 6

Hours after dinner and the hospital, Rory and Happy laid in bed, their daughter snoring softly between them, both at a loss for words. The entire fight was still stirring in their heads, questions they wanted to ask and things that they felt had to be set straight but no one spoke for a while.

"Should we move her?" Rory whispered, rolling onto her side, and looking at Emma's bruised and bandaged head.

Happy mimicked Rory's movement, his one arm over Emma's head gently brushing her hair around her head, and looked at her. "No. Keep her with us."

"Baby, that shit with Parker, please forget it." As Rory spoke, Emma began to stir despite the low volume. "He was being an asshole, smug and shit; he gets like that you know that."

"Nothing happened?" Hating to ask after what he'd done in Indian Hills, Happy still felt the need, he had to know. Really, he needed the punishment if, in fact, she had cheated.

Rory pouted and shook her head. "He's too pretty," the attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. "Hap, I love you, I only want you. Parker and I talk while we work, that's it, I swear."

"Alright," he had to accept it.

"What about you, Indian Hills or some Cara Cara bitch?"

"Nah, I'd probably break em' anyway."

"We know I'm unbreakable."

"Yeah, you are, little girl."

"You know," bringing her hand up over her head Rory intertwined her fingers with his. "This whole baby thing, why don't we take a break?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I was thinking if I get the clear I'd look into surgery to clear my back up, a little at least."

Happy nodded, even less willing to talk than usual, and closed his eyes. "Whatever you want."

-

When Rory jumped into Parker's car the next morning she greeted him with a wicked slap across the face.

"You are an idiot." She growled. "You made shit a thousand times worse."

With his hand to his face, Parker blinked at Rory in shock. "Shit, I didn't do anything. If he's being a dick it's because he's feeling guilty."

"Or maybe it's because you told him I'm pretty and all that shit! He thinks something is going on between us now! I mean really, Parker, you said you'd help and now we're fighting and my daughter has a four inch gash in her forehead."

Parker's back went rigid, assuming immediately that Happy had taken his frustration out on Emma, and he made a quick left toward the clubhouse.

"How is he still fucking breathing Rory?" Parker snapped as he pressed harder on the gas. "What did he do to her?"

"What?" Realizing the awful wording Rory started to furiously backpedal to end this madness. "No! He didn't touch her, he'd never! We were fighting and not paying attention to her, she fell, cracked her head on a parking meter."

When he slammed on the gas Rory moved forward and then went back against the seat with a thud. "Why are you with him? The fact I even thought it was possible is enough."

"It's not possible," she explained as he parked. "You're fucking crazy."

"Rory, I could be so much better for both of you. I'm not trying to save you, I just want you on my team. Think of how happy Emma would be."

Horrified and now full of an intense need to make Parker bleed profusely, Rory move to slap him again but he caught her wrist and held it tight. "My girl is happy with her father. Let me go."

"I love you, Ror." Parker released her but even he knew she'd bruise. His fingers left dark red marks and after chemo is was almost impossible she wouldn't. "Shit, I've been looking for you my whole life. Happy doesn't deserve you."

"This partnership is over."

"Please don't do this Rory," Parker pleaded. "I"m sorry." It was a rare show of vulnerability and when Rory stopped, contemplating his seemingly genuine regret, Parker took that opportunity. Parker lunged forcefully, although it was far from threatening, and kissed Rory, pinning her against the leather passenger seat.

She struggled, the leather squeaking beneath her, and just seconds before Parker gave up, Tig rounded the corner on his way back to TM. Driving the tow, with a minivan latched on the back, didn't allow the usual minute warning the rumble of his bike provided.

"Get off of me." Rory cried out as Tig caught the altercation and skidded to a stop. She scrambled out, falling to her knees as she did so, and standing, bumped right into Tig. "Thank God."

"What the fuck are you doing?" He roared, going after Parker, as Rory sank down against a tree. "You touch her?"

"Tiggy," Parker said with a bright smile. "Work spat, really, it's nothing."

Glancing back, his blue eyes running over Rory and her expression, Tig shook his head and grabbed Parker by the collar of his crisp dress shirt. "You're fucking dead."

"Seriously," he faltered, terrified of Tig, "Ask her, it's nothing."

"You're a smug piece of shit." Standing up for Happy, being a loyal brother, meant no matter what Tig would deal with it but seeing a woman so shaken lit yet another fire in his belly. "Get out of here before I put a fucking bullet in your head."

Unable to gather the courage to come back at him, Parker slipped back into his truck, petrified of who would end up at his door, and sped off.

"Thank you, Tig." When she took his hand, Tig helping to Rory back to her feet, she was still trembling. "I don't know what's wrong with me." She tried to laugh it off. "I'm not usually so upset."

He smiled and nodded, surprisingly pulling her in for a hug, and tried to reassure her. "This wasn't work. You trusted him. Same shit happens to me when I'm caught off guard, when you lose that trust." He spoke from experience and it haunted him. "You okay?"

"No." She admitted as the hug ended abruptly. "Can we talk later and can you not tell Happy about this shit?"

Reluctantly, Tig agreed. "Yeah, sure, but you have to tell him."

"I will. Eventually."