Chapter 25 Parker
I was beginning to wonder if I might be one of those people who enjoy pain.
Whenever Mackenzie was close to me, I found myself relishing the way she tormented me and wishing she might torture me a little more.
When we’d been sitting in the den, her leg brushing against mine, my skin had buzzed with electric awareness.
It was like my body’s defenses were kicking in and alerting me to danger.
But it was a little hard to take the warning seriously when the sensation sparking between us felt so good.
“What’s wrong with you?” Grayson said quietly as we made our way to dinner.
“Wrong?”
“Yeah, you haven’t given me shit all afternoon. Something must be up.”
“Grumps, is that your way of saying you’ve missed me?”
“No.”
I grinned. “Because if you want me to give you a hard time, you know I don’t need much encouragement…”
“I definitely don’t want that.”
I laughed. “How’s college going?” I asked.
“It’s going.”
“Always such a talker. What about your knee? How’s it holding up?” Grayson had struggled with an injury last year, but he’d been playing brilliantly so far this season. My brother was a martyr though, so it was impossible to tell if his knee was still bothering him now.
“So far, so good.” The relief was evident in his eyes. “How about you? How’s school? And the new coach?”
“Don’t get me started on Coach Foster.”
“Still on his bad side?”
“I’m not sure the man has a good side. Even his own daughter can’t get his approval on the ice, and he definitely thinks I’m a waste of space.”
I half expected my brother to agree or jump on the chance to give me crap, but Grayson frowned. “Just because he can’t see your talent, doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
“I haven’t been playing my best,” I admitted.
“You’ve never needed someone else’s validation before; why does it matter now?”
“He’s still refusing to make me captain.”
“Has he made someone else captain?”
“Well, no.”
“Then maybe he’s just waiting for someone to step up. It’s not a bad thing. It’s an opportunity.”
I started to frown too, wondering if maybe Grayson had a point.
We entered the dining room to find my mom had Mackenzie’s hands grasped in hers. Oh, God. What was happening? It looked like they were… bonding.
I went a little closer so I could hear what they were saying.
Mom was gushing over Mackenzie’s hockey skills and I smiled to myself as I went to find a seat. Of course Mom had noticed what a badass Mackenzie was.
When Mom was finished heaping praise on her, Mackenzie took a seat on the far side of the table to me. I had Reed on one side of me, and on the other, there was a spare seat with a plate of food laid out for Dad. I leaned back in my chair, looking out toward the living room. “Dad, you coming?”
“Can’t! I’m too busy enjoying my show. Derek is definitely going to choose Natalie!”
I laughed and turned to my mom. “You’re really going to hold him to this bet during dinner?”
She glanced around the table. “He told you about the bet?”
“Yep.”
“They forced it out of me!” Dad called from the other room.
“Yeah, right.” She shook her head but smiled.
When I glanced down at my plate, I was stunned. The tacos weren’t charred beyond recognition. There was no smoke drifting from the kitchen. And I definitely hadn’t heard the familiar beep of the alarm going off. The food looked… good?
I picked up a taco and took a small, cautious bite. Years of experience had taught me never to be too careful when Mom’s cooking was involved. But one taste nearly left me choking with surprise.
“Mom, what is this?”
She raised her eyebrows, worried. “Oh no, you really don’t like it?”
“No.” I said. “It’s…” I glanced at my brothers who had similar looks of surprise on their faces. “It’s actually good.”
“Yeah, Mom,” Reed agreed, taking another bite. “This is great.”
“Nailed it,” Grayson added.
Cammie was shaking her head as she stared down at her plate. “I can’t believe it.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “I’m not that bad at cooking, am I?”
“You’ve gone through five fire-extinguishers this year,” Cammie said before turning to Max and Mackenzie. “The guy at the hardware store has to order in extra stock just for her.”
Mackenzie smiled at my mom and said, “It really is delicious.”
“Yeah, thanks, Mrs. D,” her brother added as he took another large bite.
“Are you guys messing with me?” Dad shouted from the other room. “Because you know I can’t come in there to check.”
“Looks like you lost the bet, Dad!” Cammie yelled back.
“I only lose if I leave this couch,” he replied. “And I can’t because I’m enjoying Love on the Range so much. Farmers need love too, you know.”
Laughing, I turned to Mom. “You still win though, right?”
“I do.” She smiled. “Finally, your dad has to get the faulty wires in the house fixed. He’s got until the end of the week. It’s been over a year now, and he’s still putting it off.”
“That’s your prize?”
“Yep, and if your father manages to stay out there for the whole episode without complaint, he gets a new TV.”
“Really?” I sat up a little straighter.
“Dad still hasn’t had the wiring fixed?” Grayson asked.
“I’m a very busy man,” Dad called out again. “Though never too busy to watch my favorite show.”
Mom bit her lip as she glanced in the direction of the living room. Maybe she was starting to feel guilty Dad was missing dinner.
“I especially like the salsa,” Paige said. “It’s so fresh. Did you make that from scratch, Amy?”
“Uh, yes, I did.”
“Made the salsa?” Dad’s muttering drifted into the dining room. “Made the salsa?” A moment later he appeared in the doorway. “There’s no way. I don’t believe any of you. You’re messing with me. You have to be.”
Mom folded her arms. “You think I’d cheat?”
“Dad, what are you doing?” I yelled. “There’s a new TV on the line. Get back out there!”
But his eyes were fixed on my mom as he sat in the chair beside me. “I know you’d cheat.” He picked up a taco and took a bite, and his eyes immediately narrowed with suspicion. “This is good.”
“Thank you,” Mom replied.
“Too good.”
“Dad, you have trust issues,” Cammie said.
“No, I just know my wife.”
Mom smirked as she looked back at him. “I won fair and square. So you’ll be fixing the wiring, and since you chose to storm in here, no new TV.”
My siblings and I groaned with disappointment. Dad took another annoyed bite of his taco, before clearing his throat and standing. “I’m going to need a beer to get through this meal.”
He disappeared into the kitchen, but soon after we heard a triumphant shout. “Aha!”
He marched back into the room carrying a scrunched-up brown paper bag, which he waved in the air for everyone to see. “I knew it!” There was a logo across the front of the bag that said Guac & Roll. “You didn’t even hide the evidence. It was sitting in the trash.”
For a moment Mom’s face was stoic, but then she cracked. “Okay, fine, I might have had a little help with dinner tonight.”
“A little?” Dad replied.
“Technically, you said I couldn’t ruin dinner tonight. And, technically, I didn’t. Everyone seems to be thoroughly enjoying it.”
We all nodded in agreement and Dad gawked at everyone. “No—but—you—” he sputtered. “That completely goes against the spirit of the agreement!”
“Maybe, but it’s not cheating,” Mom replied. “I’m so looking forward to having lights that don’t keep flickering.”
Dad opened and shut his mouth several times as he struggled to argue back. “I think I’ll take my tacos into the living room and find out who Derek chooses.”
He swiped his plate off the table and stomped out of the room. We all burst out laughing as he went. Mackenzie’s gaze met mine across the table, and when I saw the joy in her eyes, sparks flared in my chest again.
“It’s good to be home,” Reed said.
“Yeah,” Gray agreed. “It is.”
I found myself nodding too. Sunday nights just weren’t the same without my brothers around.
When we finished our meal, my brothers and I cleared the dishes away. There wasn’t much cleaning up to do because Mom hadn’t actually cooked anything. When we returned to the dining room, Reed and Grayson hovered in the doorway.
“We better go if we want to get back to school at a decent hour,” Reed said to Max and Paige.
“Don’t you want dessert?” Mom asked. She was putting on a brave face, but I knew she found it hard having my brothers gone. Before anyone could answer, she shook her head. “I mean, you’re right. I don’t want you out too late. I’ll put some apple pie in a to-go container.”
We all went to see them off, but Max pulled me aside before we headed out the front door. “Keep an eye out for my sister, will you?”
“Yeah, of course.” The answer came all too readily.
He glanced over to where she was saying goodbye to Paige.
“Our dad…” Max added. “Well, you know what he’s like. I just don’t want her to feel like she’s alone on the team.”
“Don’t worry, she’s not. She’s got me.”
“Glad to hear it.” He smiled. “I’m looking forward to coming back and seeing you guys play the big homecoming game.”
“You’ll be there?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Max gave me a firm pat on the back before he went over and hugged Mackenzie.
She squeezed her brother tightly in return, like she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
I felt a little like I was intruding as I watched them pull back and saw her eyes glistening.
My own farewells with my brothers were far less emotional.
Reed gripped me on the shoulder. “It was fun skating with you again today.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I almost forgot what it’s like to play with people you’re so in sync with.”
“You’re not clicking with your teammates?”
“It’s just different, I guess. We’re all still trying to find our rhythm, but we’ll get there.”
“You will.” Reed gave me a nod, his eyes filled with confidence.
As he walked away, Grayson knocked his arm against mine. “Time to step up,” he reminded me. “And try not to piss off Coach Foster too much.”
I scowled as my brother followed Reed to the car, but my expression softened when Paige came to give me a hug.
“Be nice to Mackenzie,” she whispered in my ear. “I like her.”
“Yeah, me too.” I coughed to clear my throat when I realized what I’d said. “I mean, uh—” Crap. “She…” Words. I just needed words. “I—”
“Don’t hurt yourself, Parker. It’s okay to like her.” She laughed as she skipped over to the truck with Max and my brothers.
I was left staring after her, wondering if I’d really just admitted that out loud. I hadn’t even been able to admit my feelings for Mackenzie to myself, but now that one small admission was staring me right in the face like a blinding set of headlights I couldn’t ignore.
Did I really like her? No, that couldn’t be right. I liked her hockey skills, and I liked the way she looked in yoga pants. That was it.
Reed honked twice as the truck pulled away, and the noise seemed to jerk me back to reality. I’d been so in my head, it felt like time had slipped away from me for a moment. My family were all waving, but I wasn’t focused on my brother’s car.
“Where’s Mackenzie?” I muttered, looking around. Cammie snorted at my question, and I turned to her. “What?”
“You’ve barely taken your eyes off her all day, but didn’t see her leaving?”
“She left already?”
“Yeah, she said goodbye to everyone while you were staring into the void just now.”
I glanced at the street. The car she and Max had arrived in wasn’t parked out front anymore. She was gone. Without even a word to me.
“Come on, let’s get inside,” Mom said, waving us back toward the front door. “It’s freezing out here.”
But I wasn’t ready to go back inside just yet. I had too many questions that needed answering, but the most important one was: would this burning tension in my chest have gone away if we’d just kissed again? Shouldn’t these feelings be a distant memory by now?
I walked back to the house, grabbed my keys, and headed for my truck.
“Where are you going?” Cammie called.
“There’s something I need to do.”
“Don’t forget your boombox,” she said. “You’ll need one if you’re going to stand outside her window and confess your love!”
I ignored my sister as I climbed in my truck and started the engine. I didn’t need a boombox to get Mackenzie’s attention. I had another way.