PARKER

Waking up to a cold bed and no Dakota sucks ass, but hearing her down in the kitchen laughing with my parents makes it a little more bearable.

There's somewhere I want to take her before my family gets here, though, so I quickly jump out of bed and get ready before I head out there. I also don't want to intrude on their time alone.

I almost told Dakota I love her last night...again.

The thought stops me in my tracks, and I hit my forehead against the nearest wall a few times. It's not that I wouldn't mean it if I told her, I'm just not ready to say it quite yet. Sure, she told me that I was it for her last night, but that doesn't mean she'd say it back if I did, and I think my heart would actually shatter if she doesn't love me too.

When I finally manage to make it down the hall, I quickly scratch behind Layla's ears, greeting her before everyone else.

"That's perfect, Aaron, you're doing way better than your son ever has," I hear my girl giggle.

"Wow, only nine in the morning and you're already trashing me," I walk into the room, making my presence known.

My mom is sitting on a barstool, taking pictures of Dakota and my dad making chocolate chip cookies, and a large plate of muffins sits on the counter next to them.

"Oops," her head snaps up, "sorry, Park, but your dad can prep ten cookies in the time it takes you to form one."

Rolling my eyes at her playfully, I give my mom a quick kiss on the cheek before rounding the counter and wrapping my arms around Dakota's collarbone. She's wearing tight biker shorts, but her ass is hidden by my hoodie that swallows her frame.

"You almost done in here? I want to take you somewhere," I keep my voice low, knowing that if my parents hear, they'll rush her out of the kitchen and insist they can finish up by themselves.

She tilts her head back, looking into my eyes, "this is our last batch to throw in the oven, so your dad can take over from here."

I see a flash of light and hear my mom make a squealing sound, pulling my eyes from Dakota's for a second. "You two are so cute!" She tilts the screen of her phone towards my dad, no doubt showing him a picture of us.

Ignoring her, I turn back and brush some flour off Dakota's cheek, "sounds good. Dress warm, it'll be extra cold where we're going."

"Yes sir," she salutes me, hurrying down the hall to the guest room.

The second we hear her door close, both of my parents turn to me, smirking in a way that makes me fidget. "What?"

Rounding the island, my dad claps a hand on my shoulder, "nothing. We just really like her, you seem good for eachother."

"Thanks, I think so too," I smile at them gratefully. "I'm taking her to our beach, do you care if I bring Layla?" I gesture to the dog who's drooling at my feet.

"Go right ahead, she's missed you," my mom says, still smiling smugly.

"Okay," I drag the word out, slowly leaving the kitchen and escaping their weird looks.

~

"Is this the beach?" My hand slips from Dakota's thigh as she turns, reaching back to pet Layla.

"This is it," I smile plays on my lips, looking out to the place I love so much. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Jumping out of the car, I round the hood to open her door and help her out, not that she really needs it, then put Layla's harness on and grab her extra-long leash. We say nothing as we walk down to the shoreline, one of my hands holding onto the dog while Dakota hugs my other arm, fingers laced with mine.

I keep hold of Layla, but let her run into the freezing water, laughing as she tries to jump over the small waves.

"I see why you love it out here," she squeezes my hand, "it's much more peaceful than Florida beaches."

"It's always like this, too. Even in the summer, everyone chooses to go to the more popular ones instead."

My friends and I used to be out here every day we didn't have a summer practice. We'd skimboard and body surf all afternoon, and at the end of each summer break, we'd have a sandcastle building contest. The winner got to pick where we ate dinner that night.

Sitting in the sand, I pull Dakota down so that her back is to my chest, soaking in every moment I get alone with her. Today is her only full day here because she obviously wanted to be able to spend most of her break at home with her family.

"Listen," I say quietly, kissing the side of her head. "I know this is the last thing you probably want to talk about today, but I need us to so that I can stop thinking about it all the time. We need to talk about the Josh situation."

I feel her sigh heavily, and she turns sideways, so just her shoulder is on my chest. "Honestly? I think he's just talking out of his ass, I don't think he'll actually do anything."

"I hope you're right, love, but what if he is serious?"

Using a gentle hand to tilt my head down, she places a kiss on my forehead, lips lingering for a second before speaking again. "El and I have to stay at your place anyways to take care of Birk, and Brooks just had those security cameras installed after the last party, remember?"

I forgot about that. Two idiots tried to steal some of our shit, so Brooks had them put up the week after.

"I'm not going to act like the only time I'll leave the house is for class, we'll probably end up out at least once, whether it be to dinner or a bar."

"Have you even told Ellie?" my eyebrows furrow slightly.

"No," she says firmly. "I know my best friend, she'd get back together with him to protect me, and that wouldn't be fair to her or Connor."

Nodding, my fingers automatically find the ends of her hair, twisting them. "You'll call me if you feel uneasy or if anything, even something minuscule, happens?"

She laughs quietly, "absolutely, baby. You'll call me after every game?"

"Absolutely, baby." I steal the words from her, sealing them with a hard kiss.

She melts in my arms, and I'm thankful that I wrapped Layla's long leash around my wrist when Dakota turns to straddle my hips, grinding down. Moaning into her mouth, I grip her hips and push her down again, my dick already going rock-solid.

Dakota bites my lower lip, and just as my fingers slip under the waistband of her leggings, Layla runs back from the ocean and shakes, spraying us with cold seawater.

Unfortunately for me, Dakota squeals and stands up, switching her attention to my dog. "You love the water, don't you, sweet girl?" And my dog fucking barks in response to her.

~

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dakota tense up when we get back home and the driveway is now full of cars. Leave it to my entire family to show up an hour early.

"Park, I'm not dressed to meet everyone!" She gestures to her leggings and my hoodie from this morning. Her hair is pulled back in a clip now, thin strands framing her face.

Bringing the back of her hand to my lips, I mumble, "you always look gorgeous no matter what you wear. They won't care if you're wearing a garbage bag."

My ego shoots through the roof when her cheeks turn bright pink, knowing the kind of effect my words have on this girl. I squeeze her hand once more and get out, pushing Layla towards the grass so that she can pee before going inside and getting excited.

I place a hand on Dakota's lower back as I open the door, letting her walk inside in front of me.

"Parky!" A small voice shrills the air, and a body slams into my legs.

"Hey, Gabby girl," I pick my four-year-old cousin up, hugging her tight and kissing her cheeks repeatedly as she giggles.

Her small hands hold the sides of my face, "miss you, Parky."

"I missed you too," I tap her nose. "I brought you a new friend," I turn my body so that she can see Dakota, who is watching us with a smile.

Gabby gasps, wiggling so I'll put her down. She steps right up to my girl and tugs on her hand, pulling Dakota down to her level. "You be my friend?"

"I'd love to be your friend, Gabby. I'm Dakota, but my friends just call me Kota."

Fuck. I'm so in love with this woman, it physically hurts.

Gabby reaches out, running a hand over Dakota's cheek. "You look like a pwincess, Kota."

I can't help but kneel down with them, wrapping an arm around my cousin. "She looks like the prettiest princess, only second to you, Gabs."

We must not be interesting for long, because Gabby hears a noise and goes running to the living room, leaving Dakota and me alone for one last moment.

"You ready, love?"

"As I'll ever be," she smiles, grabbing my hand as we walk into the chaos.

~

My whole family is obsessed with her already. I didn't even get the chance to introduce her before my mom took over, excited to show her off.

We ate lunch as soon as the two of us got back, and much to my dismay, all of the girls stayed inside afterward while us guys came outside for a beer. I tried to stay back with Dakota, but my mom pinched me until I left, saying they needed to gossip without me.

"I heard about Nashville, congrats," Uncle Matt slaps my shoulder. "Gabby will be stoked that it's only a short flight away."

"Thank you, I'm very excited about it," I take a short pull from my bottle.

"How does Dakota feel?" He smiles slyly, "you two seem pretty close."

Glancing back, I hope for the thousandth time I'll be able to spot her through the sliding glass door, but I never do.

"She's really happy for me. One of my teammates, Connor, and she have been best friends for years, so she's super supportive when it comes to hockey."

"Is she gonna follow you?" My dad jumps in, asking the question on everyone's minds, and I now have the attention of everyone out here.

I take another swig and clear my throat, slightly uncomfortable. "Kota has an apprenticeship offer there, but she hasn't made a final decision yet. Obviously, I'd love to have her with me, but it's not my decision to make and I'll support her choice no matter what."

"Good answer," my dad tips his beer towards me. "But, between us, I think there's a good chance she'll end up in Nashville."

"Why's that?"

He shrugs, "we talked about it briefly this morning, and that girl is just as obsessed with you as you are with her."

My jaw drops, "she talked about it with you?" It took her forever to open up about it to me.

"Parker," he walks closer, "you have to realize she's being pulled in a million different directions right now. Her parents would love to have her home, Connor is basically her brother, Ellie is her best friend, and now she also wants to be with you."

Letting out a heavy breath, I sit back.

"I think she wanted someone unbiased to help her sort her thoughts," he says carefully. "Just let her figure this out."

I rub my forehead, thinking hard. "I will. All that matters to me is that she's happy."

"Aaron," my Uncle Dan grins, "I think your boy is in love."

"And with that, I'm out," I flush, finishing off my beer and walking inside, their laughter following me until the door is closed.

I hear my mom and aunts in the kitchen, but my heartbeat speeds up when I notice Dakota on the couch, cradling my two-month-old cousin, Greyson while playing with Gabby. I try to watch silently, but Gabby spots me almost instantly.

"Parky! Come, we pwayin checkers!"

"No way," I gasp, "that's our game, Gabs."

She giggles, "I sowwy, Kota asked!"

Moving across the room, I kiss Greyson's small head and sit down next to Dakota, resting my arm on the back of the couch. "Who's winning?"

Dakota gestures to the table, and I notice a whole lot of red chips, but only a few blacks. "Gabby is quite the checker's player, I'm losing bad."

"That's cause I taught her to play, and Cadell's don't lose, right Gabs?"

"Right!" She screams, but runs out of the room, yelling something about cookies.

Dakota shifts, leaning back across my lap so that she can pull her legs up onto the couch and lay Greyson against her bent knees. "He's cute," she glances up at me.

One of my arms wraps around her back, and the other falls over her shins so I can pull her as close as possible. "Do you want kids one day?"

"I know I want to adopt at least one. An older kid, though, they don't find families nearly as much as the little ones," she tickles Grey's feet. "But I'd consider having one biologically, too."

"That sounds nice," my thumb rubs circles on her shoulder.

She shrugs, "everyone deserves a loving family, and I want to be able to give that to someone who needs it."

When she finally looks up at me, I can't help myself from swooping down to kiss her quickly. It's the only way I can stop myself from telling her I love her right this second, the words sitting on the tip of my tongue.

We're both smiling when we pull away, and my mom bursts our little bubble once again when I hear her camera clicking.

"Sorry," she says sheepishly when I playfully glare at her. "I just really like the look of this, I couldn't help myself."

Dakota laughs, sitting up and tucking Greyson close as she leaves the couch, walking over to my mom. "Did you want a turn, Harper?"

"Yes, please," my mom grabs the baby from her arms, and Dakota winks at me over her shoulder as they head towards the kitchen.

I stay back for a moment, shaking my head at the two women walking away from me.

~

It only takes thirty minutes, but my family finally releases my girlfriend from their clutches and heads home. I'm not kidding. My aunts hugged her at least three times each before they left.

Gabby cried when she left and made Dakota promise to make her a cake one day. Of course, my perfect girl told her that when she had a bakery of her own, Gabby could come in and pick out anything she wanted. Let's just say I'm probably not her favorite person anymore.

After watching a movie with my parents, we finally made our way back to my room, well I went back, and she went to the guest room until my dad finally went to bed an hour later.

"Hey hot stuff," I greet her when she walks in, jumping straight onto my bed this time.

"That's a new one," she giggles while placing kisses over my entire face.

I keep turning, trying my hardest to catch her lips, and we both sigh contently when I finally do. "I think today went well."

"So good," she smiles, rolling onto her back next to me and extending her arms and legs like a starfish.

"They loved you, baby."

"I loved them, Park, so much." Her head falls to the side, eyes meeting mine, "you know who else I love?"

My heart starts thrumming in my chest, and I can feel it through my entire body. "Who?"

She's silent for a few seconds, making me more nervous, "Layla."

"Oh," I try not to sound disappointed, "I think she loves you, too."

Leaning over her body, I turn off the light, suddenly not in the mood to talk anymore. I know I'm probably being an asshole, but the jealousy running through my veins is a mood-killer.

Dakota makes a noise, turning the light back on before I even lay back down. "Parker," her voice is humorous.

"I want to go to sleep, Dakota," I try to turn the light off again, but she stops me with a hand on my bare chest, pushing me onto my back.

"I wasn't done," she smiles, "you know who else I love?"

"Who?" I grumble, waiting for her to say Connor, Brooks, or the other damn dog.

Propped up on an elbow, she runs a hand through my hair, scratching my scalp. "You," she finally whispers.

I swear to you, my heart stops for a second. "What did you say?"

The scratchiness of my voice makes her smile grow wider. "I love you, Parker Elliot Cadell."

"You do?" I pull her closer, "don't just say it because you think I want to hear it."

"I do. I'm so, so in love with you."

"I- you-" I can't speak, staring at her with an open mouth.

Her smile softens, "you don't have to say it back if you're not ready."

The slight falter in her voice wakes my brain up, "Dakota, I'm so fucking in love with you, it hurts."

She perks back up, "I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

I can't help but laugh, "what do you mean you know?"

"Baby, you almost told me twice," she rolls her eyes playfully.

"Oh, I didn't think you noticed that."

"I notice everything you do," she kisses me softly.

I kiss her back but make no attempts to take things past second base, knowing she'd never go along with it in this house. Neither of us can deny a little light groping, though.

When we finally pull apart, she turns off the light and presses her face into my chest, laying her body completely on top of mine.

"I love you a whole lot, Kota."

I feel her lips rise, "I love you too, Park."

That night, I sleep better than I think I ever have.