Chapter Fifteen
Audrey
A miya squeezes my hand. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too.”
I truly mean it. Although I was initially apprehensive, I’ve enjoyed myself immensely. The people here are so easy to be with; they welcome you into their fold and treat you as if you belong, as if you have always been a part of their group.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay and help clean?” I ask.
“I’m sure. There’s not much left to do. Lennon and I will load the dishwasher before we go to bed.”
Heather and Anson each give her a quick hug while Parker says goodbye to the others. He ruffles Dillon’s hair and tells him to be careful on his way back to his mother’s house. He then tells Wade that he’ll see him tomorrow when they start work at the condo.
I freeze when he stops at Eden, places his hands on either side of her stomach, and bends to whisper to her bump.
Heather sees my expression, and her eyes follow mine. “Shit,” she mumbles.
“What?” Amiya asks, glancing over her shoulder.
“Nothing. Thanks again,” Heather says before taking my hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
She guides me out the door and down the steps, just out of sight, before the tears begin to fall. We cross the street quickly, and she pulls me behind the truck.
She lifts her sleeve and wipes my cheeks. “Take a deep breath.”
I follow her instructions and try to compose myself as I hear Parker’s voice calling out to us and the sound of the truck’s door locks releasing.
It’s not an easy task in my inebriated state.
She leans back and gives me a quick inspection. “There. You look fine. Your mascara was already fucked up from the hot tub. No one will know the difference.”
That makes me laugh, and she wraps her arms around me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good now. Thank you for getting me out of there before I embarrassed myself.”
She presses her forehead to mine. “You know I’ve always got your back.”
“Everything all right?”
I look up to see Parker staring at us.
“Yep. Miss Head Bartender over here is sloppy. She’s used to getting everyone else drunk, but she can’t hold her liquor for shit,” Heather says.
“Hey!” I quip.
“It’s okay. We’ll get you home, and I’ll tuck you in,” she says as she grasps my hand and tugs me past Parker.
“Here, you sit up front, Audrey,” Anson says as he opens the front passenger door.
“No. I’m fine in the back seat,” I say.
“I don’t want you getting carsick,” he insists.
Not wanting to cause a bigger scene, I take the offered seat, and Parker slides in behind the wheel.
“You sure you’re good?” he asks.
I nod.
“Okay. I’ll take it slow. Just let me know if you need me to pull over.”
I curl against the door and stay silent as the three of them chat the entire ride, feeling angry at myself for my reaction. Parker keeps glancing in my direction, concern etched on his face.
“You can just drop us off at my house. We’ll come pick up her car tomorrow,” Heather says.
Parker reaches over and clasps my hand. “Is that okay with you?” he asks.
I tug my hand free and cross my arms. “Yeah.”
I can tell he wants to ask more, but he doesn’t. He just nods and drives us to Heather’s house.
He stops the truck in front of her driveway and turns to Anson. “Can you guys give us a minute?”
“Sure. I need the bathroom anyway,” Anson says.
Heather leans over the seat and looks at me in question.
“It’s fine,” I assure her.
Once the two of them are inside, he shifts to face me. “Audi, look at me.”
I school my expression and bring my eyes to his. “Yes, Parker?” I snap.
“What happened back there?” he asks.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit,” he says. “We were having a good time. You were having fun, teasing me with talk of anal beads, enjoying spending time with the girls, and then, all of a sudden, you shut down.”
“I was nauseous for a second. It hit me out of nowhere, and it passed. It wasn’t a big deal,” I lie.
“And now?”
“I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed.” He stares at me, trying to decide whether or not to believe me.
“Okay,” he finally says, reaching over and tucking a loose curl behind my ear, then sliding his hand down to caress my cheek.
I back away from his touch and open the door.
“Heather will bring me to pick my car up early in the morning. I’ll get the code to your garage from Anson,” I tell him and then step out.
“We can bring it to you. Maybe go for breakfast,” he says.
I shake my head. “I’ll see you at work on Wednesday.”
I shut the door and walk away. When I enter the side door, Anson and Heather are chatting in her kitchen. Anson gives me a weak smile and comes over to embrace me, placing a quick kiss on the top of my head.
“What’s that for?” I ask as he releases me.
“I’m just happy you didn’t toss your cookies on the ride home,” he says. “Are you sure you’re good?”
“Positive.”
“All right. We’ll see you girls later,” he says, holding up the bottle in his hand. “Thank you for the agua , Heather.”
“You’re welcome.”
He grabs the handle of the door.
“Oh, Anson. Can you give us the code for your garage so we can get my car in the morning?”
“Hmm, I don’t know if I can trust you two,” he teases.
“You think we’re going to steal your boogie board?” I ask.
“I’ll have you know, I have in-line skates in there too.”
“All your sports equipment is safe with me,” I promise.
He takes his phone out of his pocket, pulls up my contact information, and texts me.
“Thanks. You guys get home safe.”
Once the door shuts behind him, Heather turns to me.
“How’d it go?” she asks, and I know she is referring to my and Parker’s little powwow.
“He wanted to know why I shut down on him.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I went with nauseous and tired.”
“Did he buy it?”
I shrug. “I don’t care if he did. We aren’t a couple, and I don’t owe him any apologies or explanations. I can feel what I feel when I feel it.”
She nods. “True enough.”
“It’s ridiculous that seeing him caressing someone’s baby bump causes me to break down. It’s been more than a decade. I know it’s absurd.”
“Hey,” she says, coming to my side. “There’s no time limit on grief. As you said, you are allowed to feel how you feel, and you don’t owe anyone any explanation.”
She grabs a box of Fudge Stripes and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go curl up in bed, watch Food Network, and eat an entire box of cookies.”
“Sounds good to me.”