Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
PARKER
There are moments in your life when you know, without a doubt, everything is about to change. My hope is that Annika feels empowered and will help hold her father accountable for his actions.
Standing at the entrance to the rink, with crisp air breezing over my skin, I feel my muscles tighten and my nerves race through my body.
This will change their lives forever, but I can’t help but wonder if I should have given Annika a heads up. Blindsiding her might be the part where she decides she doesn’t want me in her life.
Annika stands at the boards, just inside the sheet of ice, fingers trailing the edges like she’s grounding herself.
I get that. What comes next isn’t small. And I’m the one who’s doing the surprising this time.
I shift my weight, glancing down for a second, then looking back up. Nadia stands just behind me, her hand resting on her daughter’s shoulder. The preteen fidgets, her skates tapping softly against the rubber flooring, eyes wide as she takes everything in.
She has Annika’s eyes. Expressive with deep layers. I noticed the first time I saw her picture.
I take a few steps toward Annika, and the door shuts behind us with a soft click and Annika’s head spins toward the noise. The second her eyes land on me, the air shifts.
Relief?
Hope?
Nerves?
Then confusion sets in. Her gaze reaches Nadia then drops to the girl beside her.
I don’t give her time to spiral, crossing the space between us and stopping at the boards. With a wall between us, we can work through this.
“Hey,” I say, my voice, low and full of crackling nerves.
Her lips part but no words come out. Her eyes flick back to mine, searching.
“What… is this?” she asks, a hint of strain in her tone.
Slow and easy, I breathe out. “I know you thought it would be just me,” I say, keeping my voice steady, “but you’re not alone anymore and I… wanted to be here when you met her.”
Her eyebrows pull together, a film of tears sit on the edge of her lids.
“I don’t know how to do this. I’ve been alone for so… long.”
I can’t help but brush her hair from her face. “You already know the truth and now she needs to know that she has a sister,” I add in a whisper.
Her breath stutters.
I nod to Nadia and she steps forward. She whispers to both of us. “She only knows we skated together. I haven’t told her about your shared dad, and we don’t need to right now. But you matter and I wanted her to meet you.”
Annika nods faintly, still processing everything in real time.
Nadia motions for her daughter and then guides her daughter forward. “This is Mila,” Nadia says.
Her name settles gently between them. Mila looks at Annika with open curiosity. The same expression I’ve seen on Annika’s face, especially in college, curious about everything.
Mila’s head angles to one side. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Annika says, her throat working hard to swallow.
Mila smiles and asks, rocking gently on her blade covers, “You skate?”
Annika blinks, caught off guard by how normal the question feels.
“I… I used to, but I’m a little rusty.”
“I’m learning,” Mila says proudly. “Mama says I’m fast.”
Nadia huffs out a laugh. “You are fast.”
Annika’s lips twitch. A film of tears sitting on the edge of her lids.
“Can you spin?” Mila asks.
“Yeah, I can spin but so can Parker. He used to play hockey too.”
“Will you show me?” she asks between us.
There’s a pause. Annika has a choice as she so often reminds me.
“Yeah, I’ll show you.”
Mila beams, removing her blade covers.
But before they move, Nadia and Annika exchange a glance.
“Mila,” Nadia says gently, “There’s something we need to tell you.”
Mila shrugs, curious but calm, already the spitting image of her sister but not just in looks in her personality too. “Okay, tell me so I can spin.”
Just get to the point so the girl can have fun and have a sister.
Annika has taught me that sometimes the wait makes it sweeter. But just rip the bandage off already.
Nadia reaches for Mila’s hand and gives Annika the head nod, giving her space to say it.
Annika presses her lips together, blinks her eyes closed for a half second then fiddles with Mila’s hair. “I’ve always wanted a sister, and I just found out I have one. Have you ever wanted a sister?”
“Yes but Mama says she’s not having more babies. Just me.”
Annika lets a half-chuckle loose. “Well, I just found out that we’re sisters and I couldn’t wait to meet you and get to know you.”
Mila’s eyes go wide as she looks up at her mom for confirmation.
“Half-sister,” Nadia explains. “Which means you share a parent. You share the paternal parent.”
That’s a big word for a child but I can tell that even mentioning the man who molested her causes an internal reaction.
Mila looks back at Annika, studying her like she’s figuring out a brain teaser. “You’re my… sister? My very own sister?”
Annika whispers, “Yeah. You’re mine and I’m yours.”
A hush falls over them then Mila grins.
“Cool.”
That’s it.
No hesitation.
No questions, yet anyway.
She squeezes Annika’s hand. “Can we spin now?”
Annika chokes out a breath that’s been trapped in her chest for years. “Yeah, whatever you want to learn. I’ll either teach you or we’ll learn together,” Annika says, steadier now.
Nadia bites back a laugh. “That was easier than expected.”
“Kids are better at change than we are.” Annika mutters.
“Always.”
They share a look. Something unspoken passes between them, hopefully it’s healing.
I chime in. “Why don’t I take Mila onto the ice and see how fast she is. I know you two have things to talk about.”
They nod and I lead Mila inside the boards. Her mother’s right. She’s fast. She grabs my hands learning to skate backwards and then her mom and sister glide toward us.
“Sis, grab my hand. We’re going to skate around then I’ll let go and spin.”
Mila’s smile lights up the whole place as she skates around with Annika and then twirls. Mila claps and cheers, “See Mama. Hockey players can still look like ballerinas.”
“Yeah sweetie, you’re graceful like a ballerina.”
I laugh. “Are you kidding? This girl is a defenseman if I’ve ever seen one. She skates fast and rugged.”
“But I want to skate like a ballerina and wear costumes that glitter and flow when I spin.”
Annika looks down at her, “You can be anything you want to be. Don’t let anyone hold you back.”
“We should do this again,” Nadia says. “Let her get to know you.”
“I’d love that. Skate and dinner.”
“Monday nights?” Nadia suggests.
“Mila, tell your sister goodbye. You have a project to finish for school.”
Mila glides over to Annika and squeezes tight.
“See you next Monday.”
Simple.
When they leave, Mila waves, jabbering to her mom how she’s basically a pro now.
Then it’s just us. Annika stands feet away with one hand over her mouth. Happy and grounded in a way I’ve only seen when she’s with my family on Margarita night.
I erase the distance between us as she watches me with caution like she doesn’t know if I’ll reach for her. If I still want her.
She starts to speak but nothing comes out. She folds her lips over her teeth then tries again.
“Parker, did you give me a family, because being part of yours isn’t an option?” she asks, her voice sounding like she’s being dragged down by a thousand-pound weight.
I didn’t mean for her to think that I brought Mila here to soften the blow of losing us.
“Annika, we both needed time to sort through our feelings. It was never about leaving you—it was about you not trusting me with your pain. When you love someone, you have time to trust them. I’m sorry about how I responded.
You’re strong, too smart for your own good, always using the word most clients can’t understand.
I hoped once you faced the truth, trusting me would be easy.
I knew given the chance you would make things right.
And according to Witt, you’re making all the right moves. ” I smirk for a bit.
“So… what did you do with information?” I ask.
“I assume he told you what was in it?”
“Yeah.”
She sucks in a cool breath and when she expels it, a puffy cloud drifts into the air. “I gave my deposition today and if necessary, I’ll fly to Novadia for the trial.”
“That’s huge. I’m proud of you.”
Her expression softens. “I had to do something. Thank you for making me realize it.”
“You did more than something. You quit giving your father power over you. No more running. No more hiding.” My voice is filled with pride at what she did. “You chose the harder path but it’s the right one. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
She stills.
Maybe I’m too late, judging by the tears in her eyes.
I rub my thumbs over her cheeks and peer into those deep brown globes of hers. “I’m sorry,” I mutter. “For how hard I was on you. It caught me off guard and I shouldn’t have lashed out.”
“You were hurt by my lies.”
“Honest to God, I don’t know why you didn’t trust me. Every time I caught the ball on Sunday, I looked for you. Saw your face in my mind, wondering if I would ever hold you again. Make s’mores in the backyard or go fishing together again.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
“I’m sorry for not trusting you when I knew I could. I was going to tell you when we were skinny dipping but then—”
“Paulina interrupted.” I recall that moment. Annika was gearing up to tell me something important and then on the way home, I got a phone call from my foundation and we didn’t come back around to it.
“Yeah.”
“Annika what hurt the most is you didn’t trust me with the worst, yet you kept asking me to trust you. But still, I should have found a better way. Should have thought it through before I … pushed you away.”
“So where does that leave us?” Her voice teeters.
“Will you still have me?”
“Have you? Are you kidding?” she asks and my heart sinks because maybe I’m too late or maybe I shouldn’t have come with Nadia and Mila in tow.
“If all I ever do is love you, it’ll be enough. That’s the legacy I want to leave, loving you both through the hard parts. Give me a second chance to be the man you need,” I say, pleading my case.
“That’s what I want too, but you’re not getting off that easy,” she teases with tears sparkling in her eyes. “I think I’ll need a grand gesture.” A tear runs down her right cheek.
“Oh, I can think of something grand.”
“Cocky much?”
I don’t want to make light of where we are and where we’ve been, so I rub my nose over hers, then to her cheek and her mouth. Our lips meet, slow and intentional.
“I choose you, every scar, every pain and I’ll be here to pick you up when you fall.”
The kiss deepens naturally, her hands gripping my shirt, my arms pulling her in so close a piece of paper wouldn’t fit between us.
When we finally break apart, she rests her forehead against mine. “I love you Annika. The strongest woman I’ve ever known.”
Her breath hitches and her lips tremble until she says, “I didn’t say it before Parker because I didn’t want to burden you… with me. But I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the first day I saw you in Physiology class.”
“Let’s not go overboard. You hated me. But I won you over with my…”
“Dimples. Your dimples Parker.”
“I don’t think that’s what it was,” I joke as I pick her up and swing her around, putting her on my back. She wraps her arms around my neck and legs around my waist as we skate around the oval. I’m all smiles as she kisses my cheek a few times.
She whispers in my ear, “Does this mean I can go to Margarita night tomorrow?”
I stop by the boards and let her slide down my back before I spin to face her.
“It means I’m making you French toast in the morning.”
Her lips curve. “And then Margarita night?”