Page 109 of House of Desire

With a tear-soaked voice, she brings us back to the present.

“You love her, don’t you?”

I couldn’t stop the smile that comes to my face if I wanted to.

“Yeah, I do.”

“What if I told you it would be different with us? That we could move forward?”

My heart breaks at the sad hopefulness in her eyes because I can’t give her what she wants. We can’t go backwards, so I shake my head.

“It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m hers. I never stood a chance against her.”

She nods with dejected acceptance and pushes the blanket off of her, standing from the couch.

“I needed to know for sure. After I saw you on House of Deceit and then Desire, I couldn’t stop thinking about how maybe you were in a better place, too. Even when I was getting the degrees and building a life for myself, I think I always had this hope that maybe we could find each other again.”

“You never did tell me what you ended up studying,” I say, because I am curious for a peek at the woman she’s become in the aftermath of our loss.

She smiles at me and it’s like the first one she ever gave me.

“My freshman year I found an amazing therapist and she suggested that I join a grief group for those who had lost children. I joined for a time and made a couple of friends. One day, I realized how much it helped me to help others. Now I’m a nurse in the NICU.”

“That’s amazing. I’m glad everything worked out for you,” I tell her honestly.

“Me, too. I’ll go get my stuff together.” She stands from the couch, folding the blanket, before heading toward the hallway. Her steps pause and I look back at her, her eyes already on me. “Thank you, for letting me insert myself into your life. I know I didn’t do any of this right either, and I’m sorry about that. I just want you to be happy, Parker. I hope you know that.”

“I do. And I want you to be happy, too.”

I stand and make my way toward her, holding my arms out to her, and as we embrace, it feels comfortable like a worn sweatshirt, but we don’t fit together like we used to.

“I missed you, Parker,” she mumbles.

I drop a kiss on top of her head. A goodbye to the past. “I missed you, too, Brittany.”

The cold of the concrete has seeped through my jeans, my ass going numb an hour ago. A car makes its way down the street and finally it’s Anastasia. I stand from my spot on the ground, making a mental note to buy her some outdoor chairs, and watch her come to a stop next to my truck.

“Hey, you’re early,” she says, and I feel a little bad for surprising her.

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” I tell her, honestly.

My eyes don’t leave her as she makes her way to me. I always thought she was beautiful, but after not seeing her for over a week, I’m starving for every inch of her. She stops in front of me, tilting her head back just a touch to look me in the eye.

“I’m glad,” she says. I give her a small smile, but otherwise make no move toward her.

“No hello kiss?” she asks, her voice soft.

“Are you sure?” I ask, hope sprouting inside me.

She lifts up on her tiptoes and gives me a chaste kiss.

With a deep exhale, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her hard against me as I press my mouth against her. Her arms go around my neck, pulling my hair free of its tie, her fingers tangling in the strands. My tongue swipes over her bottom lip asking for permission she eagerly gives.

The groan I release at her taste would be embarrassing if not for her moan as our tongues tangle together, my hands dropping to her biteable ass, gripping her so hard, I hope there will be bruises tomorrow.

With the self-control of a saint, I pull back, panting. “Should we go inside?”

“Definitely,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me after her. As she goes to unlock the door, she wraps my arm around her. I let my finger trace the skin where her jeans rest, dipping just barely below the waistband.

---