call Troy.”
“You can’t tell him anything.”
“I know that!” I screamed, spinning on him.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Well this is something that I never thought I’d see,” someone joked.
“Shut up, ass.”
As Parker and I continued our stare down, the banter went on behind me.
His eyes bored into mine, challenging me, daring me to walk away.
So I did, heading into the house.
I loved him. I honestly, truly did, but everything was getting to me. I needed my best friend. Troy could bring me out of this funk. This moment of self-pity. I hated feeling sorry for myself. There were others that had it worse than I did but right now? I was wallowing.
“Stop walking away from me.”
I jumped at the deep voice coming from behind me and tripped over my feet. Landing hard on my ass, a sharp pain shot up my tailbone and tears welled in my eyes.
“Keely,” Parker said softly, reaching a hand out to help me up.
Ignoring him, I wiped the tears from under my eyes and rose to my feet. “I’m fine.”
“Angel.”
“What, Parker? What?” I snapped.
“What’s going on? Why are we doing this?” He took a step towards me.
“I need to call Troy,” I mumbled, pushing past him.
“No. You need to tell me what’s going on first.” He stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Parker,” I said through clenched teeth. I sidestepped around him when he hooked his arms around my middle. “Please.”
“I love you,” he whispered over and over in my ear.
“Let me go.” I struggled against him but his hold only tightened.
“I love you,” he repeated. “I don’t say it enough.” His one arm stayed wrapped around my waist as the other hooked around my shoulders. His big body arched over my trembling one, holding me tight against him. “I promise to say it more. When we go to bed. When we wake up. I will tell you that I love you over and over again.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, rolling off my chin as I broke. My soul shattered, breaking into pieces as everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks came tumbling down around me.
“I’m sorry. For everything. For what I’ve put you through. For what Devin put you through. I love you so damn much.” He brushed his nose up the side of my neck. “I do. God, Keely.”
“Let me go. Please.” I squirmed against him.
“Not until you tell me that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” I attempted to push out of his hold but his strength won out.
“You’re not fine. Please, Keely. I can’t fight with you. Talk to me.”
I roughly wiped the tears from under my eyes and crumbled against him.
He held me as we fell to our knees.
“I miss you. I miss us. I want things to be normal. I want to see Troy.” A sob escaped me. “I want to go out and not be scared that Devin will find me. I just…I want him out of my life. I want…” I hiccupped.
Parker held me against him, whispering softly in my ear. He didn’t tell me that it would be okay. He didn’t tell me that everything would be normal. But he did tell me that he loved me over and over again. “Right now,” he cupped my cheeks, wiping the tears from under my eyes. “All I can give you is my love. I don’t know how this shit is going to play out. I can’t tell you that everything will be fine and normal again because I don’t know that. I won’t lie to you.”
I nodded, sniffing past a new onslaught of tears.
“Once this meeting is over, let me make you fly again, pet,” he whispered in my ear. “Let me bring you to your safe place.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I leaned my head against his chest. “I—”
“Keely?”
My head snapped up, my gaze landing on my best friend. “Troy? What are you doing here?”
He looked between Parker and I, his eyes finally settling on mine. Questions were clear on his face at seeing Parker, who he thought was no longer alive, here in the flesh.
“I asked Jones to pick him up.” Parker kissed my forehead and rose to his feet, pulling me up with him.
“What’s going on? You’re supposed to be dead. Keely, what the hell?” Troy threw question after question at me, his eyes dark with accusation.
“I can explain.” I took a step towards him but he backed up.
Troy ran a hand through his short hair. “Jones said it was an emergency.”
At that moment, Patrick