Chapter 24 Parker
Chapter Twenty-Four
PARKER
A week later
I walked out of the workout area at the fire station and aimed for the showers. I was getting dressed a few minutes later when Hudson came walking in. He plunked down on the bench across from me.
“How’s that shoulder?” he asked.
I rolled it and shrugged. “Pretty good, not much soreness left.”
Hudson nodded, tipping his head to the side as he studied me when I sat down to put on my shoes. When he didn’t say anything else, I glanced up to see him looking at his phone with a small smile. “Text from Stella?” I asked.
Hudson’s smile stretched wide as he nodded.
“Awesome.” I chuckled. “Dude, you are seriously whipped.”
He shrugged unabashedly. “I am. I love it too.”
Tossing my towel into the laundry bin against the wall, I shook my head. “Who knew you’d fall that hard?” I teased.
“How’s Luna?” My friend’s brows hitched up as he held my gaze.
“I’m sure you’ve seen her at the coffee shop,” I hedged.
Hudson eyed me. “Ah, so that’s how you’re gonna try to play it.”
I pressed my tongue into my cheek, fighting a smile.
Hudson knew me well. Although we’d only reconnected as friends over the last year, the time we spent together in detention during high school had bonded us deeply.
“I’m not playing, she means a lot, and—” I paused, a sneaky sense of uncertainty slithering through me.
I knew how I felt about Luna, but it had taken me by surprise.
“All joking aside, I don’t really know what to do,” I said bluntly.
Hudson’s gaze sobered instantly. “What do you mean?”
I let out a heavy sigh, resting my elbows on my knees and tunneling my hands through my hair.
A few seconds ticked by before I straightened and dropped my hands.
“You know, I don’t have a lot of faith in stability.
I always figured I would just take care of myself and that would be pretty fucking good in this life.
” Hudson and I shared similar histories and not just because we both had flaky dads who zigzagged in and out of trouble.
My dad was doing well now. He was sober and happily in love with Stella’s mom, the whole one-big-happy-family deal come true.
Bless my dad’s flaky heart. I appreciated everything he did, but the little boy I’d been at the time my mom had dropped me off had been in shock.
My dad had been a stranger to me at first. Every time I thought about my mom and what it took for her to just dump me like that, I experienced a mix of abandonment, confusion, and burning anger.
Hudson leaned forward, his concerned gaze skating over my face.
“I do know, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.
It’s worth giving someone a chance.” He waved one hand dismissively.
“Don’t think I’m being all mushy. I’m not one of those people who thinks you have to be partnered up and do the happy family dance. You know, like Beck,” he said dryly.
A low laugh rustled in my throat. Beck meant well, but he was a true believer in love and all that.
“If the way you feel about Luna is anything like the way I feel about Stella, it’s worth it.
I know what happened with your mom sucked, believe me, I get it.
But not everyone’s like that. Your dad sure isn’t.
That man stepped up for you. He’s rock solid. ”
“I know.” My heart felt scraped raw. These were old wounds. I’d lived with the motto it was best to let old pain stay buried. This was not something I wanted to open up.
“Maybe you should go see a therapist, you know the one, the one Leo and Casey see?” my friend suggested.
“Are you serious?” I sputtered.
As if on cue, Leo came walking into the locker room. “What’s your therapist’s name?” Hudson asked.
Leo sat down on the bench across from me. “Delaney. She’s awesome. Why do you ask?”
“I was just telling Parker maybe he should go see her.”
Leo’s gaze shifted to me. “I say go for it. I don’t even know what this is about, but I promise Delaney can help you figure it out.”
“Oh, my God,” I muttered.
“Hey, therapy isn’t for cowards,” Leo replied, looking affronted by my reaction.
I shook my head with a sigh. “That’s not it. I’ve been to therapy, back in high school. I got nothing against it, but…” I ran out of words.
“I think he’s in love with Luna and he’s freaking out,” Hudson chimed in.
“Dude, we don’t have to have a group conversation about this,” I muttered.
“Luna is nice, you clearly love her, and those donuts—” Leo whistled, pressing his fingertips together in the chef’s kiss gesture. “Fucking amazing.”
“I agree. They are. No argument there,” I replied.
Leo arched a brow as he studied me. “Look, it’s not my business, but it seems like you and Luna are pretty good together. I definitely understand not being sure about things like that, but I’m also on team love-makes-the-world-a-better-place.”
I snorted. “Dude you’re still in the honeymoon phase with Casey.”
“Yep, it’s fucking amazing. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said flatly.
His expression went from teasing to dead serious in a flash.
“I’ll text you Delaney’s number. I don’t think Casey and I will ever stop seeing her.
We only go like,” he wiggled his hand back and forth, “once a month or so now, but it’s super helpful.
Not to mention, I’m basically an instant soup dad, and it’s great to have someone to check in with about that. ”