Page 135 of Forbidden Game

I shake my head, ignoring the way it thuds with the motion.

“If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been Stevie.” My heart tears at that thought, but I push the “what if” out of my mind. “You couldn’t have stopped the car, Parker.”

It is something that has taken me years to learn, and I wouldn’t let the same emotions eat Parker alive like they had me.

Nothing that night would have stopped that drunk driver from smashing into Carson and me. Even though there were parts of me that had said it wouldn’t have happened if I’d driven a few miles slower, or taken a different route home, or even if we’d stopped to get Carson the drive-through fries he’d wanted. There were always a million alternatives, but I couldn’t live with regrets. Carson would hate me if I did. So, I would be that person for Parker.

“Besides, I’m fine.”

Clearly, the watery smile I give him isn’t very convincing because his gaze hardens.

“You scared me half to death. You weren’t waking up, Syd. You weren’t waking up. The doctor’s said you would be fine but… Lee and Deer came to last night, and you just—” His voice cracks and a stray tear rolls down his cheek. “Fuck, love.”

“I’m here, Parker.”

“You can’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not. You’re stuck with me.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t healthy to be codependent.”

His teasing makes me smile, and he leans down and places a soft kiss to my nose. Warmth spreads throughout my body, healing me from the inside out.

“I didn’t know, Syd.”

I cock my head at the words, not understanding. “What?”

“Your brother.”

My chest aches momentarily, and I glare at my dad with a sigh. “Really?”

“I was emotional. My anger might have been a little misplaced.” He avoids my stare, looking very interested at a patch of light on the ceiling. “I was worried I’d lost another one.”

I can’t get mad at him for that. Plus, I knew I was going to have to talk about it with Parker eventually.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“It’s fine, Bug. You’re fine.”

The doctor comes in then and gives me a check-up, adjusting my IV and making sure I don’t have a concussion or anything worse now that I’m awake. As he starts to leave, he is almost knocked over by the tattooed man barreling into the room.

“Is she awake?” Aleks asks.

Stevie and Jackson are hot on his heels, wheeling Lee and Deer in with them. My chest rips and repairs looking at the small smattering of bruises on my girls.

Aleks’ green eyes light up when he sees me, and he all but shoves Parker aside to wrap me in a hug.

“Ow,” I wince.

“Dude, careful.” Jackson wrenches him off me, and he goes tumbling onto the floor with an oomph.

“Really, babe?” Stevie holds a hand out to lift him up.

I laugh at the scene, grateful for the slice of normalcy.

“How are you?” Stevie rounds Jackson and sits on the side of my bed opposite Parker.

I had a feeling I was going to be answering some iteration of that same question a lot.

---