Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Parker, are you upstairs?” I hear a woman’s voice call out. My stomach sinks to my feet. He couldn’t have, right? I mean, there’s no way he could be gone from a woman’s life for nearly five days without her checking on him.
“Parker Hudson, I know you can’t possibly still be sick. Okay, fine, don’t answer me. I’ll send Ezra up.” Jesus, I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality, stuck in limbo on what I should do. Do I hide, or do I meet this woman head-on, rip the Band-Aid off before it goes too far? Thankfully, a few more steps will bring me to the bathroom, where I can quietly shut the door as well as the world because I’m truthfully at a loss for words. My thoughts go on a wild ride. Is the reason he really doesn’t have a keypad for his front door because people can hack into it, or does he just not want it for some other reason? Though, if that were the case, would Parker really be ballsy enough to give me a key so easily?
“Parker, yo, you okay?” I hide out in the bathroom, slowly creeping until I’m behind the door, my back to the wall, where I slide down, my ass meeting the cold marble flooring, head tipping back. And I guess this is where I’ll be for the foreseeable future, because try as I might, I can’t see Parker doing something like this. I think back on the way he took care of me, how he holds me against him, how we just seem to mesh together so effortlessly. The tears I was trying to hold back seem to come from out of nowhere, kind of like this whole fiasco of me hiding in the bathroom instead of facing things head-on, a characteristic trait I wish I had. I’m not assertive. I’d rather hide and ignore the situation instead of looking it in the face.
“What the fuck are you doing here? Where’s Nessa?” There’s a frantic tone to Parker’s voice, the thudding of steps beating rapidly as he rushes down to meet Ezra and what I assume to be a woman who’s important to him.
“Vanessa is here? Son of a bitch, you didn’t tell me that, or I would have kept her from coming down a day earlier.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. The plot thickens, and not in a good way.
“She’s been here all damn week.” Parker sounds pissed. Me, I’m kind of heartbroken, but it’s time to dust my emotions off, pull my big girl panties up, and face whatever is out there.
“Parker Matthew Hudson, Ezra Hudson, what are you two getting into? I swear it’s like you’re still teenagers.” Great, now she’s joining the shindig, and the bad part is, I can’t not like her. If she’s like me in this case, the poor woman has no idea what Parker is doing.
“Hold on!” Parker yells down the stairs. I roll my eyes and stand up, unsteady on my feet. Hello, emotional overload. “Ezra, swear to God, do not go looking for Vanessa in that bathroom, or I’ll kill you.” His footsteps sound heavy on the stairs and stop in front of the bathroom.
I take a deep breath and open the door. “I’m right here, but I think it’d be best for me to grab my stuff and head home.” I conjure up the words, managing to keep the emotion from clogging my throat. I’d pat myself on the back, except that would not help matters right now.
“Why? Ezra is going back downstairs, or his eyes are going to be permanently glued shut.” There’s anger in Parker’s tone.
“Yep, I’ll just be downstairs. See you two later.” He turns around whistling. Neither of us says a word. My arms are crossed over on my chest, and I’m trying to stay as emotionless as possible, but it’s not happening. Parker studies me, no doubt reading what I’m trying to hide.
“Shit, Nessa, I’m so sorry. If I knew they were coming, I would have warned you. Ezra and my mom are known to butt into every aspect of my life without warning.”
“Wait, did you say mom? I thought—” I stutter. “I thought that was a different type of female.” I wiggle my eyebrows, the need to cry abating. Now I’m going to deal with a whole other set of reactions when it comes to the man in front of me.
“What? Fuck, no, babe. I get that you don’t know me that well, but I would never, scout’s freaking honor, I’d never, ever do that to any woman, least of all you.” He moves towards me. My fight-or-flight instinct is in full effect. I walk backwards. His hand moves, cupping my cheek, traveling towards the back of my neck, to hold me in place, not to hurt me. Nope, it seems Parker is all about protecting me.