29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Amy
“I can’t believe you talked me into getting ready for the concert,” I tell Eliza as I apply the finishing touches to my mascara. “I don’t even have anyone to go with—and I still don’t understand why Parker sent me the tickets. It’s ridiculous. I didn’t even win the bet.”
“I think he just feels bad,” Eliza says.
“Don’t take his side!”
Eliza shakes her head. “I’m not on his side. I think you nailed it when you said he’s scared of love. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t let perfectly good concert tickets go to waste—you’ve wanted to see The Band Allen for years. Plus, it’s your birthday! You deserve to go and have a nice time. And hey, you might even find someone while you’re there who can help you get over him, too,” she adds, giving me a smile .
“No way,” I mutter. “I need a break from dating. I’m not ready to go chasing love again. It didn’t work out for me.”
She sighs. “Please don’t become a cynic.”
“I won’t,” I say, though at the moment, I’m not sure what else to be.
The sound of a knock on Nellie’s apartment door catches my attention, and I glance toward it. “That’s weird. Nellie’s supposed to be gone until tomorrow.”
“Well, go see who it is,” Eliza urges. “Maybe it’s a delivery.”
“Did you send me something?” I ask, laughing as I stand to my feet and head for the front door. Nellie’s place is about as luxurious as Parker’s, but only a third of the size.
I let out a sigh as I lean forward to peer through the peephole.
No way.
“Um...”
“Who is it?” Eliza asks.
“Parker,” I whisper.
“Answer it! I’ll let you go. Love you.”
Before I can say anything else, she hangs up, leaving me to answer the door alone. I smooth out my hair before opening it.
“Hey,” Parker says, clearing his throat.
“Hi,” I mutter, suddenly feeling thankful I got all dolled up despite having no intentions to actually go to the concert. It was just something to do.. .
“I was hoping we could talk,” he says, his voice coming out more nervous than I’ve ever heard it before. “And I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” I say, stepping to the side to let him in. “How’d you know where Nellie lives?”
“I have connections,” he says awkwardly. “And social media comes in handy sometimes. She said I could come here.”
“You messaged her?”
“Well, yeah. I wasn’t going to just show up at her apartment without her permission—Nellie’s the one who gave me her address—but anyway, I was wondering if you had someone to go with to your concert tonight.”
I’m tempted to lie and say that I do, but as I hold his gaze, I can’t bring myself to. Even if he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings, I can tell he’s being genuine. “No, I don’t have anyone to go with...”
“Can I take you?”
“Um. Sure...” My voice trails off as I wonder how long he plans to ignore the elephant in the room—the fact that I’m totally in love with him.
“Alright, so let’s go, then?” He gives me a slight smile, and I hate the way it makes my heart melt. He’s dressed edgy tonight in his black jeans and leather jacket...
And it’s so attractive.
“But it doesn’t start for another two hours...”
“I know, but I thought we could get there early and grab a bite to eat or something. ”
“Okay,” I say without thinking, falling in step beside him as he leads the way, and I try to ignore the pang of heartache.
What am I even doing?
I guess I was just so caught off guard by Parker showing up here that I mindlessly chose the path of least resistance. But now my mind is racing because it feels like we have so many unresolved issues.
Are we really going to ignore everything that happened between us and go back to being friends?
Or ... maybe he’s waiting for me to apologize first?
“Parker,” I begin as we step into the elevator. “I think we should talk...”
He looks down at me. “Yeah, I know, but not yet.”
“What?” I feel myself growing irritated. “Why can’t we talk about it now? I just want to get everything out in the open. I promise I won’t let it ruin the night. I already know how you feel about me.”
“Good, glad that’s out of the way.” He smirks. “Come on. I have a car waiting for us outside.”
I shake my head, trying to push away the heartache. I don’t know if I can do this. Did he miss the part where I told him I couldn’t be friends with him anymore?
Just as my mind starts to spiral again, I spot a black limo parked on the curb.
I stop walking. “What’s this?”
“My apology,” he says as the driver opens the door. “Well, the beginning of it. ”
“Oh...” My eyes land on the flowers—red roses, actually. I lose my breath as I slide in and Parker sits beside me.
“I know it’s a short drive, but I figured we’d go all out. Since today is basically a double holiday.” Parker reaches for the flowers and hands me two cards. “So, happy birthday and happy Valentine’s Day, Amy. I lost the bet.”
I blink. I look over at him, my heart in my throat. “What ... What do you mean?”
“I was an idiot.”
“You technically still won the bet,” I say carefully.
“Open the cards. Start with the birthday one.” He gestures to the light blue envelope.
I swallow hard, setting down the roses and ripping open the card. My eyes fall to the words. My heart thuds in my chest. It’s a plain birthday card, but when I flip it open, I see the words scrawled at the bottom in Parker’s handwriting.
You know what the best part of this day is? YOU.
I laugh, shaking my head. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, clever, huh?”
“Not even,” I tease. I’m not even aware of how close Parker is to me until his cologne fills my nostrils, and I realize his arm is resting behind me. “Onto the next?” I ask unsteadily.
“Yeah...” His eyes hold mine for a moment. “And whatever happens after you read this, we’re still going to the concert—and we’re still going to have a great time. No matter what. ”
I nod, tearing the envelope open as the limo takes off toward the concert venue. I mentally prepare myself for another rejection as I pull out the card. On the front is just a heart. A simple pink heart. There’s no romantic writing, and I try not to let it serve as foreshadowing. Carefully, I flip it open, passing the typewritten Happy Valentine’s Day for the handwritten part.
Amy,
I just want to start out by saying I am so sorry... But I’m NOT sorry for all the times I ruined your dates. I’m sorry that I ever let you go on them. I’m sorry I let you walk away when I should’ve stopped you. I knew the moment we met that you were different—you caught my eye that night because of the way you lit up the room. And ever since that night, you can’t walk in a room and not be the only one I notice.
I know now I should’ve chased you instead of pushing you away. I should’ve never stopped kissing you after New Year’s Eve. I should’ve kissed you every single day after that. But in truth, I’m scared of love. I’m scared of losing someone that I love. But you’ve known that all along and somehow still see the best in me. And believe in me. And watching you walk away the other night was more painful than any risk not taken. I’m so sorry, Amy. Will you forgive me?
Also, I want to lose the bet tonight and bet on us instead.
Will you be mine? Really mine. Not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day.
I love you, too.
-Parke r
I can’t fight the tears as I set the card in my lap, my eyes going to Parker’s. “This is a lot,” I say, my voice cracking.
“I know, I know,” Parker says quickly. “I messed up, Amy...”
“Yeah, but I forgive you.” A tear spills down my cheek and he reaches out, thumbing it away.
“Thank you.” He smiles and then leans back against the seat. “It’s going to be a good night.”
“Yeah.” I lean back, too. “Because you totally lost the bet.”
He whips his head toward me. “Yeah?”
I grin up at him. “Yeah, I have a boyfriend. Finally .”
“Finally,” he echoes.
“And the best part is, it’s you .”
He smiles, reaching for me. His fingers light a fire against my cheek as he threads them through my hair and brings my lips to his. They’re soft, and the sparks fly the moment our mouths meet.
The fireworks are back.
I part my lips, and all the nerves I felt with Dalton aren’t there. All I feel is warmth and excitement as our kiss deepens, growing hot and heady. Parker’s arm comes down from the back of the seat, wrapping around me and pulling me right into his lap.
My breath hitches as our bodies press close, his hands running down my back. My fingers find his hair, and he groans as I tug on the soft strands. He grips me tighter, his fingers coming in contact with the slip of bare skin showing from my sweater riding up.
He doesn’t travel any further from that spot, but his tongue covers every inch of my mouth as I stay pressed to his chest. Finally, when the limo comes to a stop, Parker slows, pulling away. He holds my gaze, our breaths shallow.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” he says, still holding me to him. “You’re intoxicating.”
A blush creeps into my cheeks as I slide off his lap. “So are you.”
He chuckles just as the limo door swings open. “Alright, let’s go see this band of yours.”
I break into a smile. “Come on.” I grab his hand and nearly drag him out of the limo, tugging him toward the entrance of the intimate venue. “This is going to be so wild.”
“Yeah, it is,” he says, laughing. “You have no idea.”
“What?” I glance over my shoulder, not understanding what in the world he’s talking about. We reach the door and a couple of guys open it without checking our tickets. “That’s weird,” I mutter, eyeing Parker.
And it only gets stranger.
There’s no one in the lobby.
“Did they cancel...?” I glance around, but Parker is already pulling me toward the double doors to the small theater.
And it’s empty .
“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe,” Parker says, smiling.
“What?” I nearly shriek as The Band Allen starts setting up the stage. “What is this?!” I turn to him.
“I may have paid for a private showing.”
My mouth drops open. “So, this is all just for us? ”
He shrugs. “Yep. They’ll play a second concert at the scheduled time, so it’s not like everyone else won’t get a chance to see them.”
“Happy Birthday, Amy,” the frontman says into the microphone. “This whole set is just for you.”
I nearly come unglued, grabbing Parker’s hand and dragging him down to the front of the theater. “This is so amazing!”
“Oh, it only gets better from here,” he says into the microphone. “This first song is dedicated to you, from Parker. Even though this whole concert is for you, he wanted us to make sure we dedicate this first song to you... Apparently, it’s important.” The band breaks into a piano riff, and I immediately recognize it as my favorite song—the love ballad.
“I can’t believe you did this.” I turn to Parker, fighting back another round of tears. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“Yeah, I have no idea how I’m supposed to top this next year.” He chuckles, grabbing my hand and pulling me against his chest. “But I’ll figure something out.”
“Next year, huh?” I raise a brow. “I thought you didn’t think love could last?”
He smiles down at me. “Oh yeah, I still have my doubts ... about everyone else. But you and me? I think we can go the distance.”
“I love you.” I cling to him as we sway back and forth.
“I love you, too, Amy,” he says, leaning down and resting his head against mine. “And you know what? You’re worth every single risk. I’ll take them all with you. ”
“Even skydiving?”
He laughs. “Guess we have next year’s Valentine’s Day plans figured out.”