PARKER
TWELVE
Seeing how excited Lailah was about the car, we all decided to let her have shotgun so she could scope things out.
I decided to sit in the back so I could make sure I had my shit together by the time we got to dinner.
Everything I told Lailah was true, I didn't love Phoebe the way I loved Lailah.
It showed me how wrong I was to think that was real love, but seeing her out of the blue like this and spending time with her dating someone else wouldn't be easy.
I could still remember the day that she told me her parents were coming to get her in two days.
We spent every moment we could together, and the night before she was getting picked up we gave up our virginity to each other.
She was the one who wanted to wait, being raised a good Catholic girl and because I loved her I waited, thinking we would be together forever.
Oh, how things changed. I begged her to let us try long distance, we managed it for the summer, why not give it a try.
It was then I found out that she didn't tell her parents about us, and I was her dirty little secret.
They were super strict and wouldn't let her date.
She had to fight tooth and nail to get into a co-ed school when they wanted to send her to an all girls one.
Me not being available during the summer was the perfect plan for her to have her cake and eat it too.
That hurt more than I thought it would when she told me.
Even if we were to keep this thing going, it would have to be a secret and she wasn't willing to put in the work.
So, after this beautiful moment that I thought we were fully committing ourselves to each other, she got dressed and left my life forever.
I refused to see her off with the rest of her friends, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep the pain and hurt off my face.
It was then I learned the hardest lesson of being the bearer of the spirit element—don't fall in love.
When you can control other people's emotions, it's so easy to get lost in them yourself, seeing only what you wanted to, pulling forward the best parts when you're with people.
It made me wonder if she even felt about me the way I had or if I'd unknowingly created that with my powers.
Fast forward four years, to the moment I ran into the woman I was supposed to love with everything I am.
I know the others are still pissed at me for keeping the fact that I gave her my Oath a secret, but there are some things that are just between two people.
Yeah, I get that Lailah has five people in her life that she loves equally but for us men, she is our everything.
Allowing myself to give my heart to another person is scary, but wonderful at the same time, and I just wanted us to have a moment to always remember that, was the two of us.
We both needed time to deepen our relationship and I believe, without a doubt, it was the right move to make.
When we pulled up to the restaurant, I couldn't help but smile as I took in the building.
It looked like it came out of a movie from the sixties, with the neon lights and the large glowing sign announcing we were at Percy's Diner.
There was also a claim to the best pie in the county, which I had no doubt was true, having had Lailah's pies at Thanksgiving.
A bell rang, announcing our arrival and a young woman in jeans with a Percy's t-shirt came right up.
"Lailah! Your mother told me you were back for the summer," she exclaimed, pulling Lailah into a hug. "I'm glad they didn't talk you into working all summer, leaving a job for the rest of us poor college students."
"Oh, it's good to see you Sam, how is UW—Madison treating you?" Lailah asked as Sam led us over to the table where the others were waiting for us.
Sam shrugged. "It's alright, I like my major for the most part, but who can go wrong with business, right? How is life overseas? That has to be amazing, is that how you know these handsome fellas?"
We'd all been settling in around the large corner booth that the others picked out but we paused to see what Lailah would say.
None of us would blame her for not owning up to dating all of us.
We knew she wasn't ashamed of us, having made that extremely clear multiple times.
We hadn't really talked about what to tell people outside of our family or Elementi, who didn't understand how we ended up in this situation.
"Yeah we all met at school, funny enough they’ve all been friends since childhood and I'm lucky enough to be included in the gang," Lailah answered, giving us all an affectionate grin.
Sam leaned in pretending to whisper. "Let me know which one you’re dating, or want to date, so I don't go after the wrong guy."
"Oh, I'm sorry I must have given you the wrong impression," Lailah announced with a frown. "I'm already dating them all quite seriously, so none are available to you."
Dylan seemed to get uncomfortable at this moment and Kyle was just trying to hold himself back from laughing. Phoebe, on the other hand, gawked at me eyes wide with shock.
"Damn, Lailah if you didn't want me to make a move on them you just had to say so, no need to be rude about it," Sam muttered blushing with her embarrassment.
"She wasn't trying to be rude," Bryden interjected, ah the man with the white knight complex coming to save the day. "We are, in fact, all dating Lailah."
Sam blinked at us for a moment, then a grin broke out and she punched Lailah's arm. "Get it, girl!" then her face crumbled into a look of concern. "Do your parents know?"
"Of course," Lailah laughed. "We aren't trying to hide our relationship, some of us have even gotten married in a non-traditional sense."
Letting out an impressed whistle, Sam nodded her head, setting the menus down on the table. "What a world we’re living in today. You, my friend, are going to be the talk of this little town by the time summer’s over. I'll give you guys a sec and come back to get your orders."
That right there was the reason this whole thing worked.
Lailah was proud of us and did everything in her power to show everyone just how much we meant to her.
I have no doubt that in telling Sam, the whole county would know about us by tomorrow morning.
Did Lailah give a flying fuck? Absolutely not.
"You know what you just did, right?" Dylan asked, confirming my guess.
Lailah just smiled as she scooted in next to me. "It saves me time from having to explain it to everyone individually. Like dad always says—work smarter not harder."
"Yeah, I don't think that's what he was talking about…"
"Well, it's already happened so we can't put the cat back in the bag," Lailah stated, ending that topic. "Mom and Dad add anything new? Oh, it's strawberry-rhubarb pie season!"
"You're in luck, Dad started doing Burger Monday," Kyle shared sliding over a sheet of paper. "He comes up with three unique burger flavors that change each week, and says it's been a real hit.”
"Are the burgers good here?" Phoebe asked.
All three of the Mackenzie siblings looked at her in horror for even asking. "One thing I can promise you, is that any burger our dad makes is the best you've had in your life." Dylan declared.
"Sounds like we’re all having burgers tonight," Hudson said, snapping his menu shut. "I say we let the master chef surprise us."
"Oh hell yeah," I cheered. "That is an awesome idea."
Sam came back over and took our drink order and loved our plan for the burgers.
"You guys are going to make his night, having new people to test his burgers on.
The town is still trying to keep up with his combinations, not too many adventurous people around these parts. Hell, most don't ever leave the state."
"Tell Dad to make sure I don't get anything spicy, he knows I can't handle that," Kyle interjected.
"Yeah, yeah, we know you can't handle anything past pepper in the world of spices," Sam teased as she headed off to the kitchen.
"Hey Trouble, where are the bathrooms?" I asked.
Scooting out, she stood and pointed to the other side of the diner. "Around that glass brick wall, they’re singles, but there are two of them."
"Thanks," I murmured, kissing her on the temple.
"I'll join you, I need to wash my hands," Phoebe said as Kyle and Dylan got up to let her out. "Better to do it now so you don't have to move when the food gets here."
We walked in silence to the bathrooms and once we were around the wall and hidden from view, she grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt.
"Aren't you going to say anything to me?" Phoebe asked, her voice sounding hurt.
Balling my hands into fists I looked at her over my shoulder. "I could ask you the same thing, Pheebs."
"How would that have looked if I told them we knew each other and dated for two years when your girlfriend just had a panic attack?
" Phoebe accused. "When you didn't say anything about it, I decided to let it go, but it seems we're going to have to figure out something since we’ll be spending time together for the next week or so. "
Turning to face her, I frowned. "What do you mean, figure something out?"
"Well at some point it's going to be obvious we know each other," she pouted, letting go of my hand to rest it on my chest. “Parker we were madly in love, that teaches you a lot about a person.”
"Lailah already knows about us, I don't keep secrets from her," I explained, removing her hand. "If you give a damn about her brother, then I suggest doing the same thing. Unless leading men on and dropping them high and dry is your thing."
"Is that what you think happened between us?
" She demanded, hands on her hips trying to show off her curves.
"I told my father about us, even asked him not to take me out of that school so we could be together.
He was having none of it and in a last ditch effort I gave you the last piece of my heart when I gave you my virginity.
Then you never came to see me off, ending things for good. "
My jaw dropped at this information. "Why didn't you tell me? The last thing I remember is you clearly explaining to me that you wouldn't even consider doing long distance when you left."
"If you had come to see me off, I would have told you I changed my mind.
I wasn't ready to give up on us. I thought I could talk my dad out of being a dick and let me stay," Phoebe huffed, running her hands through her long wavy hair.
"How can this be happening? You're here in the States, dating his younger sister, for crying out loud. "
"Guess fate likes to have a laugh every once in a while," I shrugged, and turned to head into the bathroom.
"What, that's it? You're not even going to ask me how I am or what I've been up to?"
Grabbing the handle to the bathroom, I looked back at her once more. "Sure I'd be happy to, at the table holding my fiancé's hand while you sit next to your boyfriend. Phoebe, what we had was amazing, but it's clear that no matter how much we loved each other, we didn’t fight to stay together."
Ignoring her indignant huff as I entered the bathroom, I turned on the sink to splash cold water on my face.
It was over, we talked. I told her how things were going to be, and now we can both move on.
No need to keep holding on to old wounds when it seems we both fucked up all those years ago.
Lailah was perfect and all I would ever need for the rest of my life and I was not going to fuck it up.
Right?
Did seeing Phoebe and finding out she didn’t plan to leave me change anything? No, she was with Dylan and I was with Lailah, I had to get over these lingering feelings before it did cause a problem.