Broken & Torn (Emerald Falls #1)

13. 13

13

PARKER

F uck. Did I really just say that?

Lyla’s face morphs into shock and I immediately panic.

What if I made her uncomfortable?

“Thank you,” she finally replies shyly, a blush coating her cheeks and a small smile tugging on her lips.

Just as I open my mouth to say something, Joshua York is suddenly at my side and eying Lyla like she’s his next meal.

“Parker, my man. Where have you been hiding this beautiful woman? I haven’t seen her around.”

“Well, seeing as you don’t know how to read, I’m not surprised. She works at the bookstore with me,” I grumble.

Joshua York is known in town for being a heartless asshole who sleeps with women and tosses them aside shortly after. He’s a slimy dude who deals drugs and he has gotten even worse as the years go on. Rather than maturing like fine wine, Josh seemed to curdle like milk. The guy can’t be trusted, and there’s no way I’m going to let him use and discard Lyla.

“Well, we were just heading outside. See you around. ”

I turn to leave and begin pulling Lyla by the hand when I feel her resist. Only she isn’t resisting. Josh has her other hand and is pulling her towards him.

Asshole.

“What do you say about a dance, Leah?”

She gives him her best fake smile before correcting him. “It’s Lyla, actually. And no thank you.”

She tears her hand away from his and gives me a pleading glance. I immediately maneuver her in front of me to block Josh and we begin heading towards the sliding doors that open to the backyard. Once we reach the fire pit that is now raging with flames, she turns to face me.

“Thanks. God, that guy touching me made my skin crawl. I got bad ju-ju from him.”

I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. Most girls fall over themselves to get with Josh thanks to his pretty boy good looks and his stupidly big grin. Lyla is clearly not one of those girls, and I’m far happier than I should be about that fact.

I gesture for her to sit on one of the camp chairs surrounding the fire and she plops down before sighing.

“I was so distracted by that dick-head that I forgot to grab a drink while I was in there.”

“Hang tight, I’ll grab us something.”

“Red wine, please.” She gives me a sweet and thankful smile and I make my way back to the house.

Once I return, I see red. Josh must have slipped by me somehow and made his way over to Lyla. I immediately go into caveman mode and growl under my breath. I stalk up to Lyla, handing her the wine and my bourbon, before grabbing Josh roughly by the shoulder.

“What the fuck?” He startles before turning to see it’s me. “Dude, what’s your problem?”

“She said she didn’t want to dance, so leave her the hell alone. ”

“Yeah, but she didn’t say she didn’t want to keep talking to me. Right, angel?” The bastard has to audacity to look at her and fucking wink.

Lyla’s eyes stay locked on me and I can visibly see her discomfort. Her shoulders are tensed, her jaw is clenched, and her hands are balled into fists in her lap. I can see her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tries to remain polite.

Fuck that. I’m not polite.

“She has someone to talk to. Now get lost.” I give him a shove.

“Look man, you don’t have a claim on her. I just wanted to chat with a gorgeous woman tonight, so leave me be.”

He turns back towards her and that’s when I snap.

I’m not a violent man, but he’s clearly upsetting her. I can smell the liquor on his breath, and see that his eyes are bloodshot. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s high right now. I grab him by the collar and lift him a foot in the air. He lets out a surprisingly shrill squeal and I do my best to refrain from laughing. Everyone around the fire is watching and I hear some gasps.

“If you don’t leave her alone, you’re not going to like what happens next. She’s clearly not interested and you need to learn to take ‘no’ as an answer. So stop panting after her like a dog in heat, or I’m going to punch that pretty face of yours until it’s black and blue. You got me?”

He looks around to see everyone’s stares and frantically nods. I drop him instantly and his face goes red with rage before he lets out a huff and turns on his heel. He shoves through the crowd, yelling “Move!” I watch his retreat before turning to ensure that Lyla is okay. She gives me a reassuring nod and I go to sit beside her. I grab my bourbon from her and take a long swig before touching her leg and giving her thigh a light squeeze.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry if I was out of line. I know how that guy treats women and it’s disgusting. So, I kind of lost it.”

Lyla assesses me for a moment before saying, “It’s okay. I appreciate you looking out for me. He’s such a creep.”

“I always have your back, remember? ”

She gives me a thoughtful look and I can almost see the wheels in her mind spinning. Before I can ask her what’s going through her head, Cassie plops down in the chair on her other side and begins chattering away about Cara leaving because it was too hard for her to be here. Apparently, she still has feelings for Dean and seeing him flirt with Shannon is too much for her. We sit and talk for hours, some other party goers joining in from time to time. Before long, Lyla is yawning and I sense she’s getting burnt out from the socialization. Slowly, I stand and excuse myself, extending my hand in a silent offer. She glances up at me and mouths ‘thank you’, before grasping it and saying her goodbyes.

Cassie wants to stay, so I offer to walk Lyla home. I’d driven here and only had two drinks over the course of the evening, but I want to spend this time with her. We walk in silence for a while before I realize we’re taking the long way. I side-eye Lyla and she shrugs.

“I didn’t want to be there anymore but I’m not ready for bed, so I thought we would go for a wander. Is that okay?”

“Absolutely. I could always use a good wander.”

Silence stretches and I put my hands in my pockets, looking around my little town.

“What do you think of small town life so far?” It slips past my lips before I know what I’m saying. I’m suddenly desperate to know if she’s going to stay. If she likes her life here.

“I love it here. I never really felt at home in Edmonton. There were so many bad memories there and it was like I couldn’t escape my past.” She pauses, contemplating. “Everywhere I looked brought back a negative moment in time and I got sick of feeling like I was drowning. I was being crushed by the weight of it all. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m home. I feel comfortable and safe and… secure. I don’t wonder where I stand with people and I don’t think about the past as much. I still do sometimes; more often than I’d like. But being here has felt so freeing and I’ve honestly never felt stronger.”

I mull her words over in my head before responding.

“I’m glad you’re here. And Lyla? I’m sorry I was so terrible to you when we first met.” I take a deep breath before soldiering on. “Annie really fucked me up, but that’s no excuse. I made a snap judgment based solely on the fact that you lived in the city. Now I’m realizing that wasn’t the problem with Annie. It wasn’t because she was from the city, she was just materialistic. She wanted status and money and all of the amenities life had to offer. I couldn’t offer that to her on the money I make from the bookstore and I was saving for a down payment at the time. But it wasn’t enough for her. I wasn’t enough for her.” My voice breaks at the end of my sad life story.

“I understand. I’ve never felt like just being myself was enough for people.”

I wait her out, sensing there’s more to the story. I reach down to grab her hand, and end up grabbing her wrist instead. My heart stops as I feel the scars. We stop walking and I’m now frozen on the sidewalk. Lyla always wears long sleeves or bracelets and I’ve never wondered why — until now. I lift her wrist to inspect the marks marring her skin and I audibly growl.

Her entire wrist and forearm is riddled with old cigarette burns.

“Who did this to you?” I whisper as I begin to shake.

“My dad. He was—Well, he was abusive. There’s no other way to say it.”

My head violently shoots up, to look at the stunning woman standing before me. How could he harm such a sweet soul like hers? I think back over the last few weeks.

Lyla fleeing that one morning and going into a full blown PTSD episode when I yelled at her.

Her difficulty being vulnerable and letting people in.

Her inability to draw on the anniversary of him leaving.

Lyla Thomas had been abused for up to fifteen years of her life.

My rage is on a short leash after the encounters with Josh tonight, and now this. I’m literally shaking in an attempt to control this protective side of myself. I’ve never felt this protective over anyone other than my family and Theo. Now that Lyla is my friend, I feel it for her, too.

“Do you ever hear from him?”

She scoffs. “No, he dipped out and other than one phone call when I was sixteen, I haven’t heard a word from him. Last I heard, he was in jail for beating the shit out of his new girlfriend.”

I make a sound of disgust and finally, we continue walking. We stroll in silence for a little while. I can tell she needs a moment after revealing so much to me.

Instead of asking too many questions that cause her to spiral or go into an episode, I say, “I’m so sorry, Lyla. I can only imagine how scary that must have been and I can’t believe I yelled at you like that.”

“Parker, it’s okay. I don’t blame you for that. You couldn’t have known how that would affect me.”

“Well, I’m still sorry.”

I take a deep breath to center myself, all the while visualizing a terrified Lyla. Hearing how her screams must have sounded, shrieks of pain flooding her childhood home. I shake my head to rid myself of the images flooding me and see that we’re on her block, so I say the only thing I can think of in that moment.

“You’re safe with me, Lyla. I promise.”

She looks over at me shyly.

“I know.”

Then she flashes me a smile that makes my heart stutter within my chest.

Fuck, she’s so beautiful.

We get to the back entrance of the store and she takes her keys out of her purse before turning to face me. I suck in a breath when I see the way the moonlight pales her hair and lights her eyes. I notice she’s wearing more make-up tonight and while I like the way it highlights her features, I love her usual minimal look. I raise a hand to her face before I can even comprehend the action and stroke my thumb over her parted lips. I then trail her cheekbone as she sighs into my touch. The sound lights a spark in me that I’ve never felt before, a need aching within me.

She’s your friend. You said she was safe with you and now you’re feeling very unsafe things.

I drop my hand and give her a quick hug before saying, “Good night, sweetheart.”

The old jab slips off my tongue, but playfully for the very first time.

Lyla’s eyes ignite with a fire I haven’t seen in her before and she gives me a slow, sultry smile before heading inside.

Oh, I was so fucked.