Page 51 of No Broken Promises

Casper laughs, a short barking laugh, and I have to admit that I never thought I’d see her smile again. Not after Cassie, our other sister, died.

“Figures. He’s just like his momma. Twisting you up in knots longer than anyone could possibly know.”

“That’s what I need your help with, Casper.” I clear my throat and then lower my voice. “Stryker told me?—”

“Stryker’s an idiot,” she cuts me off.

“Yeah,” I agree. “But he’s right about this. Apparently, there are people in Birch who hold a grudge against her. All because they think that Parker, I don’t know, cheated on me with Danny or something.”

Casper eyes me speculatively. “You’re telling me she didn’t?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Remy, even Cassie, Kennedy, and I thought she broke your heart. You can’t tell me that you didn’t see it.”

Clearly, the expression on my face gives her the answer she needs. “You’re flippin’ kidding me. You did something to her, didn’t you?” She doesn’t curse, being in teacher mode. She does, however, give me the stare that I’ve seen make children and men alike cower in their shoes.

I nod, realizing exactly what I’d done to Parker. How my actions have created something so much worse than I ever thought possible.

“I’ve got to fix it. The things I said to her, I didn’t mean them, but I destroyed her, Casper. I took every single one of the things she loved, and I crushed them in the palm of my hand. You don’t understand.”

I can’t exactly tell her, or anyone else, why it was so important. It burns, deep in my soul, that on top of everything I’ve done, Parker continues to suffer at the hands of our community and friends.

Casper stares at me, openmouthed, and I can see the anger simmering under the surface. Her face turns almost as red as her hair, and my sister’s eyes flash with an emotion that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in them—disappointment.

“She never told me.” The excuse feels cheap and disgusting even as I say it.

“Why would she?” Casper counters with a question. “You weren’t anything to her, Remy. And honestly, I’m really flippin’ angry at you right now. You left and never came home. It was clear to everyone that you were staying away because of Parker. And now you’re telling me that you let her take the blame for everything. People hated her, Remy. She lived on the outside of this community while people talked sh-crap about her. About how she hurt you. She did everything she could to prove that she belonged here. And it took years for her to be welcomed back. The only reason she had friends at first was because of Danny's family.” Her voice starts to rise, and we’ve drawn the attention of some of the children in her class, but Casper doesn’t stop. “You better fix it, Remy. Because if you don’t, I wouldn’t blame Parker for never giving you a chance. And even then, I’m not sure if you really deserve it.”

I can’t even defend myself because I have no idea what Parker has gone through. No clue what she’s endured during the years that I was gone. And the fact that my sister who is so sweet she teaches kindergarten, out of everyone, is angry about it, tells me more than I need to know. Plus, on top of everything, Parker now has to deal with someone throwing a fireball into her house, and there is something niggling at the back of my mind. Maybe they are going after her because of me.

While I watch Nox play with Daisy and the other kids, my heart races uncontrollably in my chest. Being overseas, I’d gone through almost every feeling I ever thought possible. I’d lost friends to war, been afraid for my life. I’d spent the night terrified that I was about to die when my convoy got stuck beyond the fence and the enemy was closing in. I’d spent more time than I’d ever admit completely petrified of even moving or living my life.

Yet the idea that I’ve caused any pain for Parker, even accidentally, sends a terrible feeling through my body.

I screwed up, royally.

“I have to find a way to fix it.” Silently, I add on to my statement.

To keep Parker and Nox in my life.

Before I lose them forever.

21

PARKER

Remy finds me wrapped up in a blanket on his bed, crying. I hear the front door open, but I can’t stop the tears. I even hear the telltale clacking of Daisy’s nails on the wooden floor, but there is nothing to stop me from crying.

The bed shifts, and Remy is there. He wraps himself around my body, keeping the blanket between us.

“I’m sorry, Parker.” His voice quivers slightly as he says my name, but the sobs still continue.

I think he’ll start with defending Eddie Stryker and what he said about me. Only he doesn’t, and somehow that makes everything worse. He just sits there, holding me in his arms, and I cry for all the years I’ve spent hearing those whispers.

The ones saying that I am a whore. That I cheated and broke Remy’s heart. All the while, my heart was the one lying in tatters. I lost friends, people I’ve known my entire life who just stopped talking to me without knowing what really happened.

By the time I worked up the courage to admit what happened or tell anyone the truth, Danny had already died. So, I kept my mouth shut and lived for the days I got to spend with Nox. And when I heard the whispers again after Remy came home, I pretended they didn’t exist since listening to those whispers will destroy the pieces of my soul I still manage to hold on to.

I cry, not knowing how or caring enough to make the tears stop. The entire time, Remy holds me in his arms, whispering soothing words against the outside of the blanket. I can’t understand what he is saying, but the noise is enough to bring me slowly out of the broken sobs that torment my body.

When the tears have just about gone away on their own, Remy lifts the blanket off my face and cradles my cheeks in his hands.

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