Page 22 of Single Teddy (Mayberry Protectors #6)

NINETEEN

TEDDY

T he alarm went off, and I tapped my phone, getting up and ready to start another day. I tiptoed my way to the bathroom to relieve myself and brush my teeth, but when I came out of the shower and opened my drawers, I found them empty.

“Shit! I knew I was forgetting something.”

I’d been meaning to do the laundry for the whole week, and it had finally caught up with me. I just hoped Bear had clothes to wear today.

“Shoot.”

I snuck into his room and checked his chest of drawers.

Thankfully, he still had two shirts to get him through two more school days and plenty of pants.

But that still left me in a pickle for what to wear today.

I went through my dirty laundry to see if any tops were salvageable, but they all stank.

Maybe I can wash something before we go.

Before I could do that I spotted the box of clothes still in my closet glaring at me underneath my vision board.

Was it possible there was anything in there? Was it crazy to even consider it? Those things didn’t even belong to me. Then again, they no longer belonged to anyone.

I bent down with some reluctance and opened the flaps of the box to go through the contents.

There was more yarn in it, a thick, rainbow-colored wool that was very soft to the touch, and a pink yarn on its last legs.

But under all that was an assortment of clothes.

A few dresses, some tailored pants, but there were also a bunch of sweaters, all colorful and handmade.

I held one up and judged the size, and before I changed my mind, I put it on and checked myself in the mirror.

It was a wide pink sleeveless sweater with little yellow flowers stitched on it. I grimaced. It was weird seeing myself in something so feminine, yet the fabric was soft and snug. I kinda liked how it felt, and it matched the vibe of Bubble Bubble, so why the hell not?

Before I second-guessed myself, I put my jeans on, put some bread in the toaster, and loaded the washing machine on the short cycle.

Then I woke Bear up and continued with our morning routine, because yeah, we had a routine now and I couldn’t be more excited about that.

And judging by the drastic change in Bear’s behavior, my guess was he was excited about it too.

One more thing Wesley was right about. And I will forever be grateful to him for pushing me in the right direction.

After I dropped him off, I stopped by the apartment to take the clothes out and skipped the dryer, choosing to hang them up instead—the last thing anyone needed was a fire breaking out—and then made my way to work.

“O-M-G! Don’t you look amazing? Where did you get that sweater? It’s so cute!” Hwan screamed as soon as he saw me, and I laughed.

I knew he would react like that.

“Oh this? It was hiding in my closet,” I said, and Hwan approached to touch the fabric.

Without missing a beat, he said, “Well, what else is hiding in your closet? I’m jealous.”

Parker huffed and coughed behind the counter, and we both turned to look at him.

“You do realize you’re touching Teddy, right?”

“And? Teddy doesn’t mind, do you?” I shook my head. “Are you jealous, Parker?”

Instead of answering, Parker rolled his eyes and walked to the storeroom without another word.

Hwan smirked at me.

“You love messing with him, don’t you?”

Hwan sighed. “A girl’s got to entertain herself somehow. But you do look good. You look more like…Teddy,” he said, leaving me to puzzle over that little nugget while he got busy clearing tables.

Which also left me no option but to walk into the storeroom to grab my apron.

As soon as I walked through, Parker jumped and dropped his phone, and I raised my eyebrows at my old teammate.

“You okay?” I asked him, and he scrambled to pick his phone back up.

“I’m fine. I thought you were Hwan,” he said.

I looked down at myself and pursed my lips.

“I know we both wear pink, but I don’t think we look anything alike.”

“Never mind,” he muttered and walked to the back, typing something on his phone.

I studied him for a bit as I reached for my apron, and when Hwan walked in a few moments later, Parker jumped again and hid his phone behind his back.

“What are y’all doing back here?”

“Making out,” I said with my most serious face, and Hwan pouted.

“And where the hell is my invite?” he said.

“Must have gotten lost in the mail,” I answered, and Parker just smiled. “I’ll be right out.”

Hwan nodded and returned to the shop floor as I approached Parker.

“What are you doing? Are you having an affair or something?”

Parker’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the accusation, but I didn’t back down.

“What?”

“Why are you acting weird? What’s going on?”

“Do you think he noticed?” Parker glanced at the storeroom door, his brows furrowing with concern.

“That depends. How long have you been acting like a little child with a secret?”

Parker glared, and I shrugged.

“Don’t shoot me for telling the truth. You might as well drop your pants and start stomping on them because you’re acting like they’re on fire.”

“Dammit,” he huffed. “I thought I was hiding it better.”

I reached for my friend and squeezed his shoulder with all my strength, hoping it would shake some sanity in him.

“Parker, and I say this with all the love and respect I have for you, but if you’re cheating on Hwan, I’m going to knock your teeth clean out.”

“Cheating!” Parker gasped. “What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not cheating on Hwan. I’d never!”

I let go of him, humming approvingly.

“That’s good to hear. But why are you acting as if you are?” I glanced at his phone, and he followed my gaze.

“Oh okay. But you have to promise not to say anything.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Not to say anything about what?”

He checked the coast was still clear and then took a deep breath before he said: “I’m just trying to pick a damn ring and I’m terrible at this sort of thing, so I’m asking Autumn and Halmeoni for help.”

“You what?” I exclaimed. “You’re going to propose?”

He didn’t even have to say anything else to convince me because I believed him. Those two were so in love it was sickening, but in the sweet kind of way. So it was no surprise.

“Yep.” He smiled.

“When?”

“Halloween. Milo and Carson’s party,” he said.

Milo was the other employee of Bubble Bubble and Carson was his boyfriend and the owner of Carson’s Grill. I hadn’t worked much with Milo because we worked opposite shifts, but he had invited me to his big Halloween bash.

“Well, that is if I manage to find a ring that’s good enough.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something. If Autumn doesn’t help, Hwan’s halmeoni will. She’s his grandma after all. She knows what he likes.”

“Yeah, so do I, but it’s not making it easier. It has to be perfect for him. I won’t accept anything less.”

I didn’t say anything, just smiled, and after a moment, Parker did too.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. I just…you seem happy. And I’m happy for you guys. Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks.” Parker put his phone away, and I patted his arm. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Even if it doesn’t always show.”

I chuckled. “Well, you do have a resting grump face. That’s not your fault.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” He laughed. “Anyway, I better go back out there, or he’ll really think we’re making out.”

Just before he opened the door, I opened my mouth to say something, but hesitated.

“Everything okay?” Parker turned around and asked.

I pressed my lips together and sighed. “Nothing, I…I just…I was wondering. Did you always know that you liked guys?”

Parker cocked his head and came closer again. “Why?”

I shrugged. “Because you were engaged to a woman, weren’t you? And Azrael was a player. I’m just wondering if…you always knew, or…?”

“Kind of. But I was suppressing it for the longest time. I guess I needed to find myself, and Mayberry Holm allowed me to accept myself, and then there was Hwan…I…I’ve never felt like that for anyone.”

A little bit of warmth crawled into my heart, and I smiled.

“Why are you asking though? Are you…interested in someone?” He raised his eyebrow, and I stopped breathing.

“Um, me? What? No! I don’t…I can’t even think about dating right now,” I said, and Parker nodded.

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk, man. You know that,” he said.

I smirked. “You really have changed, haven’t you? The Parker I knew didn’t talk about feelings, let alone offer an ear for others to talk about their feelings.”

Parker grimaced and shoved me. “I didn’t change!” He chuckled. “No. I may have. A little. But that’s what happens when you meet the one.”

I nodded and was about to say something when Hwan burst through the doors and pouted.

“I knew you were doing the deed without me. Do you think you can…postpone that and come help me out front?” he asked, and Parker rushed to his boyfriend’s—soon-to-be fiancé—aid.

And after a moment of mulling over Parker’s words, I also left the storeroom and found a pair of beautiful green eyes staring back at me.

“Wesley!” I said, then reality came crashing down, and my face dropped. “What are you doing here? Is Bear okay? Did something happen?”

Wesley’s eyes went wide, and he came around the counter to grab my hands.

“Bear is okay! He’s in PE! There’s nothing to worry about,” he said.

It took a moment for my blood pressure and heart rate to return to normal, but Wesley stayed with me until they did, helping me breathe in and out.

“I’m sorry. I just…I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said after a minute.

“It’s okay. It’s understandable. I usually don’t leave the school in the middle of the day, but I needed to talk to you, and I was desperate for some bubble tea, so I thought I’d combine the two.”

“Talk? Talk about what?”

Was he here to tell me he liked me? That he was interested in me? That he couldn’t stop thinking about me?

“About the twins,” he murmured, and I nodded, trying to swallow my disappointment.

“Ah. Yes.”