The Marine I Know

Chapter 27

"Well, let's just say some things were said and now he's out to get me." I try to explain, but I can tell the look in my mom's eyes that she knows.

'Well duh, when most likely the same thing happened to her and Peter.'

I squeal just as Parker scoops me up in his arms.

"Now, there is my little troublemaker." He says, before whispering in my ear, "I didn't peg you as a flirt, but shimming that cute little butt of yours was a deal-breaker."

"Well, remember handsome, your little troublemaker was born to be a flirt, and maybe it just didn't show until you showed up," I smirk at him and he kisses me on the mouth. He puts me down, but still keeps an arm around my waist as we look at my mom, who can't stop laughing. "Mom?" I ask, and she shakes her head, smiling.

"This is just something that Peter and I did." She says, smiling. Parker lets go of me so I can hug my mom and kiss her on the side of the head. She smiles and then stands up, causing me to get knocked off balance, but Parker catches me around the waist, smirking.

"You just keep falling for me, don't you?" He says, and I lightly smack him on the chest with a smile on my face. I then give him a look, and he nods.

"Mom, do you need anything while Parker and I are out?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"No, I'm good. Thank you, Belle." She says, standing up and grabbing her purse and I take the time to look at her outfit. She's dressed in flats, a nice pair of jeans, a purple blouse, and light makeup applied to her face.

"Mom, you look stunning," I say to her, leaving Parker's grasp to hug my mom. "Who's the lucky guy?" Her face turns a slight pink.

"Yes. His name is Cole." A smile appears on her face, and I smile.

"Mom, I'm happy for you. Go spend time with him." I tell her as Parker pulls me towards the front door, towards his truck. He opens the door for me, and I look at him. "I never got to say this, but thank you."

"For what? Not that I'm complaining of course." He says, holding his arms open and I walk into them, laying my head on his shoulder.

"For telling my story about Ryan," I say, holding back tears. His grip tightens around me as if feeling my sorrow.

"Hey, baby girl, you're okay. I'm right here." He whispers in my ear and gently rubs my back. He lets me go but puts his forehead against mine. I close my eyes and embrace Parker's presence, the smell of his cologne, and the way his arms feel around me. I look into his eyes and kiss him on the lips.

"Thank you," I say, and he nods, kissing me on the forehead before I hop into the passenger seat of his truck as Parker shuts the door. He goes over to the driver side and then starts the truck. We pull out toward the road, and I feel someone grab my hand and squeeze it. We drive for a while into the town, stopping at the local supermarket and park. I hop out and shut the door, finding Parker next to me and together, we walk into the store. I grab a cart and start thinking of meal ideas.

"So what is the plan for tonight?" Parker asks me in the fresh produce aisle.

"Shrimp fettuccine Alfredo for dinner and mini cheesecakes for dessert. I reply, grabbing the things I need for dinner, walking down each of the aisles. We turn down the candy aisle and come across a jar of jelly beans, and a flashback from my childhood comes back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten years ago

Dad and I are walking through downtown and come across a local candy shop, that is our favorite, Powell's. My dad holds the door open for me to walk into the store and right away, smells, and happiness surrounds me. Straight in front of me was the gelato stand and across all walls is different types of candy. My dad walks straight to the jelly bean section and starts pouring popcorn jelly beans into a bag.

"Don't tell mom." He tells m nod, grabbing a bag and pouring cherry into the bag. We close the bags and walk over to the register, but grabs my arm to stop me from going any farther. "Kiddo, you may be surrounded by a storeful of sweets, but there is always going to be some rotten ones mixed in. Don't let it deceive you."

"Dad, I'm only six, I'm not going to be dating anyone anytime soon," I reply back.

"You'll know when you meet that special someone, someone that you click with, you just know it in your heart." I let that bit of advice sink it.

"Is that what happened when you met mom?"

"Yeah. She's a sweetheart, and it was love at first sight." He says, and I smile. We finished checking out and then walk back to the car, after stopping to get my mom some lilies. We get back to the house. I hide the candy in my pocket as we walk through the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" My dad says, holding the flowers behind his back. My mom comes through the kitchen doorway, apron on and flour on her face, shirt, and a little bit in her hair.

"Hi, darling." She says, walking up to him to kiss him and dad presents the flowers to her. "Oh, honey, they're beautiful." She says, holding them in her hands and smelling them. "Thank you." She says, kissing him again.

"Belle helped, as well," Dad says, pointing to me. Mom looks at me with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, sweetheart." She says, hugging me. I smile as she goes into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. My dad comes over to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

"Flowers make a woman happy, and if a guy doesn't make you smile when you receive something, then that man is not your soulmate."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Belle?" Parker says, looking at me with care in his eyes, holding my shoulders, so I don't fall. I blink multiple times and look into his eyes.

"I'm here," I whisper, feeling tears in my eyes. Parker wraps his arm around me, and I lay my head on his shoulder. "I just had a memory of my dad, but I remembered a piece of advice that he told me," I say, smiling.

"Come on, let's get the rest of the things we need." He pulls out a notebook and a pen from my purse and gives it to me. "Write down the ingredients that we need, and I'll pick it out." I nod and write down the ingredients, passing it back to him to read. He wraps his arm around me as we walk through the store.