Page 148 of Forbidden Game

I risk a glance in the rearview mirror, then the side mirrors. There is no one else around.

Nerves wriggle their way through my body, and I flex the iron grip I have on the wheel. So far, it has been going well.

I push down a little more, watching as the number climbs.

Every time I think I might freak out, every time my shoulders tense and my thighs lock, Parker’s there with soft words and deft fingers, chasing the fear away.

I focus on the feeling of his thumb rubbing strong circles up the length of my neck. The way his fingers occasionally drum out a calming beat across my skin.

After a few more minutes pass, he reaches forward and turns up the music volume, allowing a small trickling of sound to filter through the car. A smile tugs at my lips as I recognize one of my current favorite songs.

I’m cruising at a solid thirty miles per hour by the time the car crests the hill. I notice that the highway begins to fall away to the natural elements, the asphalt broken up by sprouting weeds and dirt.

“You can stop here.”

I nod, bringing my foot to the brake and inching the car to a stop. Parker reaches down to shift the vehicle into park with his free hand, but he uses the one on my neck to angle my face toward him.

The golden smile on his face is contagious, and I feel the corners of my lips tugging as my own face splits into a grin.

“You did it. You fucking did it, Syd.”

His free hand cups my jaw, and he pulls me into a dizzying kiss. All the nerves running through me pop and fizzle like champagne, turning into sheer joy. My heart warms, and my tongue slides against his for the briefest moment.

Then, I laugh.

I laugh with no regret, the sound bubbling out of me. My head tilts back, and I close my eyes as my chest continues to rumble with the giggles.

Parker’s thumb glides across my cheek, and I distantly register the wetness. Tears pool in the corners of my eyes, spilling from me with no stop.

I just laugh harder until it turns into a sob.

Parker rushes from the car, running to my side and pulling open the door. He undoes my seatbelt and pulls me into his arms. I curl into his chest, letting him slowly lift me up as the tears continue to flow freely from my body.

They aren’t sad tears, not completely. Yes, there’s a part of them that still mourns my brother, that weeps for the fear and pain I went through in each accident.

But more than anything, they are tears of freedom.

They’re the realization that I’m moving forward. That I’m letting go of the last tendrils of hurt that I was clutching onto. That I am finally allowing myself to heed my brother’s words and live.

No regrets.

These tears are grateful. Grateful for the man holding me. The man who vowed to never leave my side and has proven just that. The man who has pushed me just as much as I’ve pushed him. The man I’ve held feelings for, for far too long.

The man I just might be in love with.

***

I blink through groggy eyes as I land on a soft mattress. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and I register Parker tucking me into his bed.

“What time is it?”

“Half past.”

The last thing I remember is being curled up in his arms as we sat on a bench and watched the sunset fall behind the ocean, chatting ideally about life. I told him about my brother, our childhood and everything between. The nights when I would catch him sneaking in after curfew. The afternoons he would pick me up from school and take me for fro-yo. That he’d indulged me and played dolls as a preteen when anyone else would have laughed. The way he’d also played video games, and I would sit with him on the couch as he played and would doodle in my coloring books. How Carson had been my knight, but that I’d been the one in control of the car when his life ended. How his death broke me for years. That I’d moved to California in memory of him.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “For everything.”

“I’d move the moon for you, Sydney. You don’t even need to ask.”

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