Unbreakable Bond Read online

  When we got out of the car, I looked down two houses and excitement filled me. There was a house for sale, and it was perfect. I tapped Carrie on the shoulder and pointed over.

  “Do you see that?” I asked.

  She looked over, and she smiled from ear to ear.

  “I do,” she said.

  Scott walked around to our side of the car. Then he looked over where we were looking.

  “What are you two doing?” he asked.

  “Just checking out the neighborhood,” Carrie answered.

  “It's a very nice house,” he said. “Do you really think your daughter would want her parents two houses away?”

  “Maybe I just want to make up for lost time,” Carrie said, with a laugh.

  “We'd be close for when Parker is out of town,” I said.

  “You do have a point,” Scott said, as a serious look crossed his face. “She wouldn't be alone.”

  I knew I'd get his ass on our side if I brought up his little girl being alone.

  “You coming in?” I heard Cassie yell from the front porch.

  “Yes,” Scott said, as he took us each by the arm and headed for the house.

  “I'll be right there,” I said. “I need to make a call.”

  “Mom,” Scott said, with warning in his tone.

  “What?” I asked innocently. “Get in your daughter's house.”

  He shook his head and walked into the house with Carrie next to him.

  I took my phone out and dialed the number on the sign two yards away. When the realtor answered the phone, the woman said she was more than willing to meet us in two hours. I hung up, put my phone away, and walked into Cassie's house.

  “What are you up to?” Parker asked, giving me a strange look.

  “I do have a life,” I said, with a smile.

  “I don't doubt that,” he said. “Just know you're up to something.”

  “Am not,” I said, as I shook my head. “Show me around.”

  There was already a team there adding on the two rooms Parker wanted. I couldn't believe how far they'd already gotten. He must have had them working around the clock. That man was no joke.

  When we walked out into the backyard, I was speechless. It was really big, and it looked out into the woods. I don't know what it was about the place, but I loved it.

  “You might have a point about that house,” Carrie said, as she nudged my arm. “This is awesome. I could sit out on the deck, with my coffee and a book, for hours.”

  “Told you,” I said.

  “What are you doing?” Scott asked, as he walked over to us.

  “Come on,” I said. “Look around. We have someplace to be in about an hour.”

  “Where would that be?” he asked.

  “Two houses down,” I whispered.

  “Mom,” Carrie said.

  “We're just looking,” I said. “It's no big deal.”

  Parker got back to work while we sat out front with Cassie.

  “This really is a nice place,” I said. “It's not nearly as big as I thought it would be. Did Parker talk you down?”

  “Not at all,” Cassie answered. “I had to talk him down. He wanted a mammoth house, but I said no. I wanted something we could manage without help. When he's gone, I don't want to spend every moment cleaning either. We had just enough bedrooms for one spare. Then I found out about the baby, and he decided to add on. I knew better than to argue with him. It wouldn't do any good.”

  “I'm proud of you,” I said.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Have you guys found a house yet? You said you were moving here.”

  “Not yet,” I said. “I'm working on it though.”

  I watched the realtor pull into the driveway two houses down, so I gave Carrie and Scott a look. Scott shook his head, and Carrie laughed.

  “What's so funny?” Cassie asked.

  “You know your mom,” I said, as I shrugged. “We need to go.”

  “Oh yeah,” she said. “Where are you headed?”

  “To look for a house,” I said, with a smile. “You get back inside and help Parker. Just don't do too much.”

  “Trying to get rid of me?” she asked.

  “Not at all,” I answered.

  We all hugged her. Then we got in the car. She waved before walking in and closing her door behind her.

  “Two doors down,” I said.

  “You don't think she can see us?” Scott asked.

  “We'll be fine,” I answered. “Stop worrying.”

  We parked in the driveway and walked up the walk.

  “This porch is beautiful,” Carrie said. “I really like it.”

  The door opened before we even got to it. We walked in and Carrie gasped.

  “It really is amazing,” she said, as she looked around the open floor plan. “We could all fit. There's even a room the kids could play in.”

  We followed the realtor up the stairs and down the hall. There were five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Scott had a smile on his face, but he didn't say a word. When we walked out the back door, I looked down to see Cassie sitting on a chair on her deck.

  “Shhh,” I whispered, as I motioned in her direction.

  When the realtor gave me a strange look, Scott laughed.

  “That's our daughter,” he whispered, and the realtor laughed.

  “I see,” she said. “Should we go back inside?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  We walked back in and continued looking around.

  “This really is a nice house,” Carrie said.

  “I do like the yard,” Scott said. “I honestly could sit out there all day. I could see a pool and maybe even a hot tub.”

  “That does sound good,” Carrie said.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  They looked at each other and then back at me.

  “It's perfect,” they both said.

  “What do you think Cassie would say?” Scott asked.

  “Cassie,” I said. “What about Parker?”

  “What about him?” Scott asked. “I don't care what he thinks.”

  “Scott,” Carrie said, with a laugh.

  “What?” he asked. “I don't. He should have kept his hands off my baby.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “We want to bid on the house,” he told the realtor. “I'll give what they're asking if we can sign and get the keys within the week.”

  “Give me one minute,” she said, as she walked out of the room.

  We stood, looking out the back window, as we waited for her to return. A few minutes later, she was congratulating Carrie and Scott on their new home.

  I pulled my phone out and started a text.

  Me: We found our house.

  It only took a minute to get an answer.

  Cassie: Seriously? That's awesome. I can't wait to have you closer.

  I turned my phone toward Carrie and Scott and they both laughed.

  “Not sure she means this close,” Scott said.

  Me: We totally agree.

  Cassie: Where's the house?

  I showed her text to Carrie and Scott, and he shook his head.

  “Come on,” I said. “It'll be fun.”

  “Go ahead,” he said, with a laugh. “You're something else.”

  “Come outside,” I said.

  We all walked outside quietly, while the realtor stood in the doorway laughing.

  “Ready?” I whispered.

  “Yes,” Carrie said.

  Me: Look to your left.

  We watched Cassie look down at her phone. Then her eyes came up, turned toward us, and widened more than I thought was possible. She got to her feet, turned toward her door, and yelled.

  “Parker!”

  “Are you okay?” we heard him yell, as he came running out the door.

  She shoved the phone at him. He read it and then looked toward us. Scott motioned to his own eyes and then toward Parker, and the three of us burst into laughter.

 
“Totally worth it,” I said, as we turned to walk back into the house.

  “Yes it was,” Scott said.

  “You two are mean,” Carrie said.

  “I could have sworn you were right there laughing with us,” I said.

  We hadn't even made it out the front door when Cassie and Parker came running up the walk.

  “Is this a joke?” Parker asked.

  “What?” I asked. “You don't want to live by me?”

  “That's not at all what I meant,” he said, looking at me with a nervous look.

  “You should see your face,” I said, as I pulled him in and hugged him.

  “Mom,” Cassie said.

  “What?” Carrie asked. “We just want to make up for lost time. You were the one that kept you and the babies away.”

  “I know,” Cassie said, with defeat in her tone.

  “I'll be watching you, Parker,” Scott said.

  “Dad,” Cassie snapped.

  “I will,” Scott said. “Only speaking the truth. You thought it was a great idea for us to move here. You just said a bit ago that you were looking forward to being closer.”

  “Closer,” Cassie said. “Not two doors down.”

  “Maybe you should have been more specific,” Scott said.

  Cassie looked up at Parker, and he looked from her to us.

  “Well,” he said. “Welcome to the neighborhood. Since you're here, maybe you'd like to come help me with the house.”

  He stepped forward, put his arm around Scott's shoulder, and turned toward the walk.

  “Come on,” Parker said. “I can't wait to get to work.”

  “Carrie,” Scott yelled out from over his shoulder.

  Parker let out a laugh and turned back toward us.

  “All joking aside,” he said, “I'm kind of happy someone will be this close when I'm out of town.”

  “Hey,” Cassie snapped.

  “They're your crazy family, princess,” Parker said.

  “Soon they'll be yours too,” she said.

  “I can't wait,” he said, as he looked at the three of us. “They just want to live here because they love us most. I can't wait to tell your brother. I'm actually going to do that right now.”

  “No you aren't,” Cassie said.

  “Want to bet?” he asked.

  She pulled her shoulders back and stood a little taller, and we all burst into laughter.

  With that, Parker scooped her into his arms and headed toward their house.

  “Come on by when you're ready to help, Dad,” Parker yelled back over his shoulder.

  I looked over to see Scott's eyes go wide, and I couldn't contain my laughter. We really were a crazy bunch, and I wouldn't have traded that for anything.

  Chapter 4

  Scott

  I started working on the new house right away. Carrie told me to slow my ass down a million times, but I wasn't having it. Why was I in such a hurry? My little girl was the reason. We were going to be two houses away, and that needed to happen before Parker started getting super busy with the team. He was going just as crazy as I was trying to get their house ready. Between the two of us, it was like a damn comedy show. You know who I felt the worst for? The people in the house between us. We were both constantly running from one house to the other. Between that and all of the noise we were making, I couldn't imagine what they thought of their new neighbors.

  Carrie, Cassie, and mom were working hard as well. Both Parker and I kept telling Cassie to rest, but she wouldn't. She wanted to be just as big a part of the house preparation as we were, and I was damn proud of her. She really was a changed woman.

  The team working on adding the new rooms at Parker and Cassie's were doing an amazing job and had gotten done just as they'd promised. I knew Parker had paid a fortune, but he didn't care. He wanted his woman, his words, not mine, and the kids moved in before the season started, and the man didn't rest until it was done.

  We worked very well together, and by the time we were done, we'd actually grown pretty close. He was a good man, so much better than that Jeff fucker, and I knew I would be proud to call him son when he married my daughter.

  With the whole gang's help, we were able to move Parker, Cassie, and the kids in over one weekend. Carrie and mom had gone home to pack the things we were moving to Pennsylvania. I'd gotten a moving company to do the heavy lifting, and our things had arrived within two hours of the ladies coming back.

  All the guys kept the kids while all the ladies took Carrie out to pick out furniture. I didn't even want to know how much they'd gotten her to spend. It didn't matter. I just wanted my woman and her mom to be happy. They were amazing and deserved to be spoiled way more than they were.

  By the time I headed back to Michigan, both houses were set, my family was safe, and I was beyond exhausted. When Carrie offered to go back with me, I told her no. She needed to make sure her mom had what she needed, and I needed a minute to myself. I was going to be at work most of the time situating things so I could be away more anyway, so there was no reason for her to leave too. She had so much more she wanted to do at the new house, and that would give her some time to do it.

  We had dinner the night before I was heading out. Sammie laughed about all of us living within ten minutes of each other, and Parker gave James shit about how we loved him and Cassie more than we did James and Sammie. Lance was going on to Lucy about three more babies coming, and Lance Jr. was taking care of his little ones while Lauren rested on the couch. Our whole house was filled with noise. Carrie was right, the place was perfect.

  Chapter 5

  Parker

  We were moved in. I couldn't believe we'd actually pulled it together in time. If Scott wouldn't have helped, I don't know that I would have made it before the season started. I guess we helped each other really. He was awesome the whole time, and he would never know how much I appreciated what he'd done for us, even though he gave me shit about touching his little girl every chance he got.

  Cassie finally quit working. Yes, it had only been months, but that was too damn long for me. She made me wait until we were moved in, and I did, not so patiently either.

  Jenny, Jeff, and Jake loved their rooms. We'd let them pick out their own things to decorate, and I was so happy, they'd all picked baseball themes. Cassie thought it was a bit much, but I didn't, not at all. I was ecstatic. I'd toned down the Pirate memorabilia and spread what I did put out through the house. When the kids decided on baseball, I hung shelves and let them put some of my stuff on them. They were just as excited as I was. Cassie looked at us like we were crazy, but I didn't care. I was damn proud and happy that they wanted me to be a part of their rooms.

  My ex knew we were moving in together. I'd heard the kids tell her about the house when I dropped them off one day, so when I told her and she acted shocked, I saw right through that shit. The only reason I was even telling her was because the kids were coming over, and I didn't want her to be able to use my moving against me later. I tried to get them for the night, but she wasn't having it. I'd never get it. She'd have a babysitter watch them, but me, their own father, couldn't keep them. That shit was messed up. Since I couldn't have them for the night, I took them for the day.

  Sarah and Sam walked into the house and ran for the rooms they'd originally chosen. They were yelling out for Jenny and Jeff right away. By the time I got up the stairs and down the hall, they were already talking about their rooms. Sarah wanted a baseball room. She said it was because of me. Since she wanted one, Sam did too. By the time I took them back home, they'd picked out what they wanted, and I'd promised to have the rooms done before they came back.

  “Told you they didn't need their own rooms,” Cassie said, as soon as I'd come back from dropping them off.

  “What?” I asked.

  “We just created five identical rooms,” she said.

  “Not totally,” I said.

  “Parker,” she said, with warning in her tone.

  “What?�
� I asked innocently. “I can't help it if they love me.”

  “I get the baby's room,” she said.

  “What if it's a boy?” I asked, as I pulled her close and hugged her.

  “Doesn't matter,” she said. “They can have a cute room with zoo animals everywhere.”

  “Really?” I asked, with a smile on my face.

  “Yes,” she said. “Their bedroom and ours too. Those are the only two places there will not be any baseball stuff.”

  “I already told you,” I began, “as long as you're ready and waiting every time I walk through that door, the only baseball item in that room will be my jersey covering your sweet ass.”

  “Parker,” she whispered.

  “As for the baby's room,” I began again. “Not going to happen. I'll be in that room somewhere. You better get used to that.”

  “Ugh,” she let out, but I could see a smile trying to break through her stern look.

  “Woman,” I snapped, as I leaned down and took her bottom lip between my teeth.

  “It's time,” she said.

  “Hell yeah it is,” I said, as I winked. “Get your sexy ass up to our room while I lock up. Only the jersey. Do you hear me?”

  “That's not what I meant,” she said.

  “You denying your man?” I asked, as I scooped her up in my arms.

  “Not one bit,” she said. “It's time to get a lawyer. We need the twins here more.”

  “I agree,” I said. “We're moved in and settled. I can have their rooms done in a couple of days. You ready to do this? It might not be pretty.”

  “Oh, I'm ready,” she said. “I've seen ugly before.”

  “I'm ready too,” I said, as I dropped her onto our bed. “I'll be right back. Be waiting, princess.”

  “Of course, wannabe,” she said, as she smiled up at me.

  “Such a smart ass,” I said, as I walked out of the room. “Wouldn't trade you for anything.”

  The next day, Cassie had to run to the store, so I played with the three kids while I waited for the paint in the twins' rooms to dry. She'd only been gone for twenty minutes when my phone dinged. I pulled it from my pocket and looked down to see a picture of a tabloid magazine. Right there, on the cover, was a picture of Cassie and me. The words above it said “Pregnant and Engaged.” In smaller print below the picture were the words “Is that why he's marrying her?”. I let out a few bad words which I instantly apologized for to the three little ones looking up at me. Then I began typing.