Her Marine Next Door - Aliyah Burke Page 0,71

now, he had other issues to address.

Back at his place, he stewed as he packed a bag for Cullen and put it in the truck, then he put his sleeping boy in the SUV. As he shut the door, he spied Gemma behind him.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking him to my parents’ house.” He got in his SUV and drove away.

Gemma was still there when he returned.

“We need to talk.” Parker pulled on every fucking ounce of training he’d gotten during his time in the Corps, because if he didn’t stay in control, he’d be up on murder charges.

When Gemma turned from folding laundry, he caught a glimpse of one of his shirts in the pile. She sidled in his way so he couldn’t see all that was in the basket.

“Sure thing. Just doing some housework.” She looked by him. “Where’s our son?”

And that anger pushed up once more.

“Safe. Which is more than I can say when he’s with you, apparently.”

She blinked. “What are you talking about? I always put his welfare first. I thought we went over this already. Your little bitch is lying.”

Seriously? This was why he’d opted to ask Cullen first, because this woman was a practiced liar. The more he looked at her, the more he could see it. He berated himself up one side and down the other; because he’d been so focused on continuing the charade with Skylar, loving the fact that she was in his bed, or he in hers, he’d neglected to protect the ones he should have been keeping safe.

Gemma was good, he had to give her that, showing everyone what she wanted them to see, but he could see the proof her makeup couldn’t quite conceal. And he didn’t doubt he knew exactly where the needle marks would be on her body.

“You need to tell me the truth, because if you lie to me yet again, Gemma…” He took another deep breath.

“Is this something else your ex-pretend fiancée is putting out there to continue to try to come between us?”

“This is about you going to her place and ruining things of hers, stealing her tools, and sabotaging her work. To think you’d consider doing that is fucking insane. But even that is second to the fact you’re still using, and you fucking left our son to fend for himself as you lay passed out on the couch.”

Surprise flashed before it was concealed by more of her feigned hurt. Tears welled up in her eyes. He didn’t care.

“I thought the two of you were no longer together. Don’t you see this is nothing more than a desperate attempt on her part to keep us from each other?”

“Drugs,” he seethed. “In my house. You fucking passed out while my son was here, because you don’t give a fuck about anything or anyone but yourself and your next score. That’s what this is about.”

“I did not.” Now came the anger. “I’m a damn good mother. I kept him alive for over three years. If I was such a danger to him, wouldn’t he be dead or pulled from me by the state by now?”

“Shit parents can keep their kids far too easily, so I’m going to see it that Cullen was lucky. That’s changing now.”

Her fingers flexed on the plastic of the laundry basket, but she didn’t look away from him.

“She’s spreading lies about me.” Gemma gulped a few times and put the basket at her feet, then moved toward him. “You have to know I’d never do anything to jeopardize him. It’s all her fault.”

“No, it’s yours.” He swallowed before admitting, “And mine. Because I was too fucking wrapped up in myself to see what Skylar had seen from the beginning.”

“Skylar, Skylar, Skylar.” Her high-pitched tone grated on his nerves. “Such an angel. Then why aren’t you with her?”

“Because I fucked up, but I’m not going to do the same when it comes to Cullen’s safety. You are no longer welcome here. I want you out within the hour. You should have money saved up, because you haven’t had to spend a damn dime on anything. Aside from your habit.”

Desperation leached into her gaze. “You don’t mean this, Parker. We make an incredible team. Your mom loves both of us. She thinks we should be together.”

“We will never be a couple, and your clock is ticking. Get the fuck out of my house.”

He put his back to her and stormed away. Instincts that had saved him many times over flared and he dodged