Chapter 22 Evelyn #2
I had to hand it to the woman. She had chutzpah. Denise managed to make jabs at me while also appearing available right in front of her fiancé. Jackson seemed completely removed from the conversation, his phone now raised to his ear as he spoke in a low voice.
“My number is the same as it’s always been.”
His voice was like smooth velvet, paired with the sensation of his warm hand on me, it sent shocks to my core. My eyes flared in surprise when I met his. The man had the nerve to wink.
Flustered didn’t seem like the proper word to describe what was happening to me. Whatever Parker was playing at had Denise about to lose her top.
Finally, it clicked. This was one of his games.
I brought my hand to where his hand lay on my shoulder and interlocked our fingers, smiling up at him.
Parker’s eyes raked over me as he licked his lips, his intense gaze leaving me breathless.
“Why did Dee just practically drag her fiancée out of here by his ear?”
The sound of Aja’s voice broke whatever spell of the moment I was under, causing me to release Parker’s hand and put some space between us.
I didn’t miss the laugh Parker tried to disguise as a cough. Aja was right, Denise and Jackson were weaving their way through the crowd of dancing bodies like they were in a rush.
Aja flipped her long braids over her shoulder, looking from me to Parker before her lips formed a small smile.
“Denise still hung up on you, huh? Halfway to the altar, and she still won’t give up.”
“Hopefully she got the message.”
Curious about what that message might be, I turned to look at Parker, too.
“What message?” Janae’s voice chimed in.
Although I saw the twins in their gowns at the boutique, it didn’t compare to the sight they were in tonight.
Janae’s platinum blonde hair was slicked back with a deep side part, and her skin was glowing in the pleated plum satin gown she wore.
Aja stood in front of Parker and me with a smirk on her face.
Her caped sleeves and pale green jumpsuit made her look like she was ready for the boardroom or the runway.
Parker stood, extending his hand to me just as an announcement was made that Mayor Danforth and Sheriff Strauss would be taking the stage.
“Looks like it’s go-time.”
After Mr. Woods makes the announcement that he is running for mayor, Parker stands by his family’s side, smiling and posing for photographs.
They look picture perfect; they’re all smiling, but I know Parker’s smile isn’t real.
Mr. Woods must’ve shaken a dozen hands by the time Parker and the twins slipped away.
We sat for the first few courses of the dinner, then returned to the dance floor.
My face hurt from smiling. As Janae twirled me around, singing the words to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, I felt free.
Tonight was different. The guilt that usually coasted near the surface was buried.
It didn’t seep into the joy that came from stepping out of my comfort zone.
I was supposed to be his anchor for the night, but he’s been mine.
Parker kept me close most of the night. I can't deny that it felt good to have his eyes and his hands on me. He didn’t miss an opportunity to let me know how enchanting I looked tonight, either.
The way my body gravitated towards him felt dangerous and forbidden, but I told myself I would let go of those thoughts and deal with them another day—I wanted to stay in this moment.
I couldn’t sleep.
I did my best to turn off my head, but I just couldn’t.
For a moment tonight, I was happy. I thought about my future and what life could be like if I managed to get out of this situation unscathed or, at very least, accomplish that list.
It was hard to think of the future when Charles was looking for his revenge. He had left me alone for almost two years. I’m not sure what made him decide to reappear, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him gone from my life.
These thoughts spiraled in my mind until I finally got to the real reason I was upset. The hard truth that I didn’t want to admit to myself.
I was happy. I thought of what it would be like to be loved by a man like Parker. Then I wondered what it would be like to just unburden myself from this grief and pain that I had been carrying.
Shame hit me like a ton of bricks, turning my stomach. Who was I without this pain? I didn’t know the answer to that question. I was too scared to find out.
I needed some air before the panic set in. I hurried from my room to the sliding door in the living room that led out onto the deck.
The flush lights from the pool give off a soft glow, illuminating the sleek white planters surrounding the deck and the carefully kept lawn just enough that I’m not in complete darkness as I settle into the lounge chair. My phone reads 1 AM as I pull it out to open my reading app.
Reading a good book could always take me away from the present and into another world, a different headspace. I had just selected a cozy romance when I heard the sliding door shut. I looked up to find Parker walking over, dressed in nothing but his boxer shorts and a pair of Nike slides.
This was the second time this week that I had seen Parker in just his boxers, and if I’m being completely honest with myself, I was truly no better than a man.
I tried to focus my eyes on his face instead of how low they hung on his hip, accentuating his muscle-toned body.
Even in the dim light, I could see that his body was a work of art.
For the first time, I was taking note of the swagger of his walk, the way his muscles flexed with each step.
The sound of a throat clearing breaks me out of my stupor, and I know I’ve just been caught. The embarrassment and shame from earlier returns, and I remember why I was out here instead of sleeping in the first place. I decide to keep my eyes pinned to the roman numerals decorating his chest.
“Can’t sleep?” he says as he takes a seat in the lounge chair next to me, placing two bottles of water on the table between us.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.” The words came out softer than intended.
“Me too. Mind if I join you?”
I shook my head as I stared out into the water with my knees tucked in and my head resting on my hands.
“Tonight would’ve been absolutely unbearable without you. Thank you for toughing it out with me,” he said after a brief silence.
“It wasn’t all that bad. I got to see how the other half lives, drink expensive wine, and wear a beautiful gown. I know torture, and that wasn’t it.”
I don’t know if it’s exhaustion or perhaps dark humor is my new coping method—but Parker doesn’t laugh. He just stares at me. I return his gaze before it becomes too much, and I look away.
“Is that how you got your scars?” He says timidly.
The genuine look of concern in his eyes makes me want to spill every sordid detail, but I can’t. Not yet.
“It was a part of his game—we lost.” He looked like he wanted me to say more. “Not tonight, Parker, please.”
Parker releases a heavy sigh before flipping our hands so he can lace his fingers through mine. The small act of intimacy makes my heart beat faster, and he doesn’t have a clue.
Without letting go of my hand, he used his other hand to drag down his face before turning to me and saying the last thing I wanted to hear.
“I spoke to Danny, and he didn’t have good news.”
I had the urge to pull my hand away, but he kept hold of it and gently caressed it with his thumb.
“What? When?”
Had anyone seen Charles? What if someone was hurt? Did Romero report anything?
My mind goes through every possible scenario before Parker speaks again.
“Earlier. Before we left for the gala, I didn’t want to ruin the night. I wanted you to enjoy yourself.”
“Don’t keep things from me. I can handle it,” I snapped as anger rose in me. “What did he say?”
“He looked into the two people from the articles Charles sent you. The missing woman was last seen with a blonde-haired man and um…” He scratched the back of his neck before pinching the bridge of his nose and continuing, “It looks like Charles was preserving Rico for this moment.”
My nose scrunched up at the thought of what that meant exactly. It had been almost three years. I hoped this could bring his family closure.
“You’re not going to like this next part. I need you to remember that we’re in this together now.”
His words immediately set off warning bells in my head. It left me feeling a mixture of dread from the unknown, and anger from being left in the dark.
“Someone left a dead rat on Eric’s doorstep. Danny bought him a one-way ticket to Puerto Rico for him to hide out and relax until everything is settled. Eric is completely fine. Danny is heading down to Miami to search for any leads.”
I gasped. My heart hammered in my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was put anyone in danger.
“Tell Danny he should stop asking questions. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
This time, Parker let me break his hold. I tangled my hands in my hair, struggling to resist the urge to pull on it.
“Danny can take care of himself. I trust him. The only way we’re going to get Charles behind bars is if we keep asking questions.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry for not saying something earlier. I just wanted you to have a good time.”
“You don’t get to make those choices for me. Charles is after me. I have a right to know what’s going on.”
“You’re right.” He sighed, tilting his head upwards towards the sky. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but trust works both ways. I should have told you right away.”
Just like that, the weight of my revelation and Danny’s update has my emotions spiraling out of control.
The panic barreled into me like a tidal wave, creating a hollow pit in my stomach, my breathing becoming short.
I’m on my feet in moments, my hands trembling as I pace back and forth, fighting the instinct to run again.
It would be foolish for me to leave here.
My brain knew that, but my nervous system was firing signals to the rest of my body, telling it to jump ship.
“My parents—my dad, I should say—cut me off when I decided not to go to college and instead pursue being a firefighter.”
The swift change of subject stopped me in my tracks, I took a seat near the pool’s edge.
“I didn’t take it seriously at first until all my cards stopped working a few weeks after I arrived. I got a job and made ends meet, but for months I felt.” His voice tapered off as he searched for the words he wanted to say.
I knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract me from the news he had just broken. It was working, sort of. However, it was reminding me of why I was out here in the first place.
“I felt betrayed and abandoned, I guess. It took me a while to acknowledge those feelings or even name them for what they were. Part of me thought that once I left, my father would eventually be proud of me for making my own way. But that day never came.”
Parker sat next to me, looking out into the water as he spoke.
“It wasn’t intentional, but I feel like I abandoned the twins and my mother as a result of the rift I had with my dad. I missed out on Aja and Janae growing up and all their achievements. Even punished my mom for not doing more, even though I know my father isn’t easily swayed.”
The anger I felt towards him a few moments ago fizzled out. Wanting to give him the same comfort he gave me, I reached for his hand, lacing our fingers together again.
“I’m back in Oakland Ridge for the first time in almost ten years, and despite the tension between my father and me, I’m starting to realize that I’ve missed them, I’ve missed this: being home and being close with them.
Eventually, I got back on my feet, made money, and even invested enough to buy my Brooklyn brownstone, but I still feel like a coward for staying away. ”
“You’re not a coward. You protected yourself the only way you knew how.
” I say. I know a thing or two about that.
I used to have friends, people who checked in on me, and I cut them off.
I stopped responding to their messages and their calls.
I couldn’t stand the pity in their eyes.
Seeing them reminded me of what life was like before and how life would never be that way again.
They didn’t deserve to be ghosted, but it was the only way I knew how to protect myself and those feelings that threatened to take over and drown me if I let them in.
Parker's head hung low. I hated to see him so upset.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come home. Perhaps it’s time I try to repair what I’ve broken. I don’t think I’ll ever really be on good terms with my father at this point. But I want to try to be there for my mother and sisters more. They deserve that.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Maybe you’ll even write a list of your own.”
That earned me a smirk, his dimple still managing to poke through. The look he gives me is disarming. I’m lost in his eyes and the warm feeling of his hand in mine. With another squeeze to my hand, he looked away first and looked out into the water again.
We sat by the pool, taking in the night air with our feet dangling in the water. His hand stayed in mine, even though the tough conversation we were having has long since ended, and the tension has faded.
Everything about this moment felt good. Tonight made me feel alive.
Parker had been the perfect date; attentive and caring.
He led with kindness and took his duty seriously.
Although he didn’t want to be there, he greeted everyone with his signature smile.
I admired the way he persevered. Parker was facing his own troubles, yet he still found joy and reasons to laugh—that stirred something within me.
I refused to acknowledge it. I couldn’t let myself become careless.
I was barely whole as it is, and I wouldn’t let Parker get hurt because of me.
My mind was made. I would tuck these feelings away, focus on getting my life back and bringing justice for Celeste.
Besides, my heart couldn’t be trusted anyway.