Chapter 1
Lara
When I was just a little girl, I always read fairy tales, and I loved hearing how the handsome prince would fall in love with the princess and sweep her away.
He’d love her with everything in him and he’d do everything he could to protect her.
I always thought I’d find that love. It’s all I’ve ever really craved.
There was something so comforting knowing that there was someone in the world who loved you more than life itself.
My childhood was pretty normal, I suppose.
My parents divorced when I was barely three and I was shuttled back and forth between them for the next eight years of my life.
Then my dad moved back to Guyana, in South America, to take over his family business, and all of a sudden I went to seeing him once every couple of years and talking to him on the phone every few months.
My dad remarried, though he had no more kids, and I felt like his new relationship took precedence over his role in my life.
His new wife hated me because she was a jealous cow and I was a reminder of his loving another woman.
My mom, well, she sort of drifted about life aimlessly after the divorce, never knowing if she was coming or going, and the bitterness of her marriage ending never seemed to leave her.
I’m lucky I didn’t become bitter and jaded myself, but I think that was thanks to having Mila as a best friend and having her family as a surrogate.
It didn’t hurt that I found Parker mesmerizing and that he was on my mind all the time.
I suppose my unhealthy obsession began the first time I met him.
Even though we were young, it was love at first sight for me.
He was the golden boy, all dimples and big smiles, teasing and loving and full of life.
When I was around Parker, I forgot about everything else.
I forgot about being scared of exams, the loneliness of going home, the heartache of rejection when a boy I had a crush on didn’t like me.
I forgot about being hungry, angry, sad, mad—whatever emotions I was experiencing at the time.
It was like time stood still when I was with him.
We were just us, at a moment in time, and nothing else mattered.
I can remember the exact moment when I knew he was my true love.
I can remember it as if it happened yesterday.
We were at the lake house and we’d gone for a walk.
It was just the two of us and I was so happy to have some alone time with him.
We stared out at the lake, under the moonlight, and we just gazed at the rippling water in amazement.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said softly. “How amazing would it feel to fall asleep in the water and let it carry you away gently?”
“Pretty amazing, I suppose,” Parker said quietly, nodding as we stood there.
“The only issue I see,” I continued, “is if you floated off into the middle of the lake, though I suppose that would be scarier if it were an ocean. Then you’d float off into the middle of nowhere.”
“That would be pretty scary.” He nodded. “Though I suppose we could be like the otters.”
“Be like the otters?” I asked curiously, turning to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t know about the otters?” He turned to look down at me and his eyes were sparkling in delight as he stared at me.
“No, tell me,” I said, gazing back at him, wanting his eyes to never leave mine.
“When otters fall asleep in the water, they make sure to hold hands so they don’t drift apart. So even if the water carries them downstream, they’re still together.”
“Oh, wow,” I said simply, my heart melting at how sweet that sounded.
“So we could be like them,” he said with a small smile. “We can go and fall asleep in the lake and let the water take us where it may, but we’ll have to hold hands to make sure that we don’t drift apart.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me.” I grinned up at him, my heart overflowing with love. “That sounds like a really good idea.”
You ever have that moment where you see a guy and your whole body freezes still and then turns hot?
Your heart starts beating fast and your stomach flips over and over and over and all you can think is Oh hot damn, that man is smoking hot and I want him right now.
I want him to look at me, smile at me, run up to me, grab me, pull me into his arms, kiss me hard, and then run his finger down my cheek and tell me I’m the woman he’s been waiting for his whole life.
You ever experience that? Some people call it love at first sight.
Others call it lust at first sight. Still others call it a chemical imbalance.
I call it what I feel for Parker Brookstone every time I see him.
He’s that one guy I can’t get out of my blood.
That guy I’ve fancied for more years than I like to think of.
His is the smile I see when I think of dying or getting married.
Either one. Not that I think of dying often.
Or getting married. Though sometimes I can be slightly morbid.
Sometimes I think to myself, Would Parker care if I died?
Would he love me then? Would he want me then?
Yeah, I’m a sad case. I think about Parker every single day, without fail.
Even when I’m trying not to think about him.
Some people would call me obsessed. They’d say I’m like the girl from Fatal Attraction.
Only, perhaps I’m worse. I’ve never dated Parker.
I’ve never kissed him. Never slept with him.
Never even held hands with him. Parker Brookstone doesn’t even know I exist. Well, as a woman.
He knows I exist as a human being. I’m best friends with his sister, Mila.
And no, that hasn’t gotten me any brownie points.
If anything, it’s made me even more hands-off.
To be fair, I don’t know if Parker would have wanted me even if I weren’t friends with Mila.
He’s the kind of guy who likes to have fun.
I can’t think of any girl he’s dated seriously or for a super long time.
Which used to make me happy. But now it makes me wonder why.
It’s not like his parents had this crazy, shady marriage or that he’s been super terribly hurt by an ex.
From what I know, he’s never had his heart broken.
Or even been in love. Which makes me both happy and sad.
I’m a terrible romantic, so it makes me think, Ooh, well maybe I’m his true love, his one and only.
It makes my heart beat rapidly when I think of him telling me he loves me.
Oh my God, could you even imagine how that would feel?
Having him tell me he loves me, that I’m the only woman he’s ever loved?
It would be like something out of a movie.
Something that we’d tell our kids and grandkids.
Something I would dream about in my grave (I told you I was morbid).
I know, I know. I’m unrealistic and a dreamer.
And probably too old for these sorts of pipe dreams.
I don’t know how some women seem to have it so easy.
They blink and they get the guy they want.
I blink and I smudge my mascara and eyeliner and end up looking like a skunk or raccoon.
Never mind getting the guy to notice me.
Unless of course he notices the eyes and wonders if I’m okay because I look like I’ve been crying or beaten. That’s my luck.
Not that it mattered. Because there I was, standing on Parker’s doorstep, waiting for him to answer the door and let me into his apartment.
This was going to be my moment. I was going to make my move.
To make Parker Brookstone fall in love with me.
Or at least take me to his bed. I deserved that at least, right?
Hot sex is better than nothing. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
I took a deep breath before I knocked on the front door.
My heart was in my mouth. I, for some reason only known to God, was hoping that today was going to be the day that my luck changed and Parker suddenly looked at me and told me he loved me.
I knew it wasn’t realistic. I knew life didn’t go like that.
And I knew I was only looking for more heartache.
He wasn’t going to just fall in love with me like that.
This wasn’t the movies. I’d known him for so long and he’d never fallen for me.
Not even when I looked super hot in short skirts and tight dresses.
Not even the time I “accidentally” walked into his bedroom in only my underwear.
Not even the time we’d gone to the hot tub and I’d worn my tightest, skimpiest bikini.
I hadn’t even seen him giving me a look of appreciation.
It was sad. I was a sad case. I wasn’t sure how I’d let it get to this point.
I felt like I was wasting my life away waiting for him to fall in love with me.
But I just couldn’t stop. I was hoping for the fairy tale, but I wasn’t sure the fairy tale would ever happen for me. Ever.
Parker opened the front door before I had a chance to knock or ring the doorbell. “Hey, stranger, why’re you just standing on the doorstep?”
“Sorry, I was daydreaming.” I smiled at him, giving him my most winning smile, trying to position my face in an angle that showed off my features the best.
“Come on in. Mila and Ryker will be here in a second.” He stepped back and ushered me in. “Ryker says the reservation for the go-karts is a little later than he’d originally thought, so we’re going to grab dinner first.”