Page 62 of When Our Stars Aligned

“Don’t feel sorry for me. You’ve been through shit too.”

“Yeah, but nothing like what you’ve been through.” Aly looks at me with concern. “What happened to the baby? To Kinley?” Of course this sweet woman would ask about the well-being of the child.

“She’s fine, I guess. I don’t think the father is in the picture. I know Maranda lived with her parents for a while so she would have support. She married some guy about a year ago. My parents saw it in the paper and told me.”

That day, Travis and I celebrated with a steak dinner. While Kinley’s last name was switched to her biological father’s, Maranda refused to change her last name until she remarried. It killed me that this woman was walking around with my last name for so many years. It might not be a big deal to some people, but to me, it meant everything.

Many years ago, my pop and I started digging into our ancestry. The Parkers come from some impressive stock, including a decorated war hero, a doctor who opened a free clinic, and a distant relative who saved his entire village from a flood. It made me proud to know that I came from such a valorous lineage. But, heroism aside, my family represents love. Everyone has had happy, successful marriages, except me—the screw-up. Knowing Maranda was walking around with my last name for years was a constant reminder that I gave my name to someone who didn’t take relationships as seriously as I did.I contemplate telling Aly about this, but I’ve already said more than I planned.

I jump to my feet with a sudden burst of anger. “So that’s my story. The one good thing to come of it was that I did end up enjoying military life. Once my initial four years were up, I reenlisted for four more. I figured I’d do twenty and retire, but then I was injured.”

I walk to the kitchen and grab two bottles of water from the fridge. “Put some sneakers on. We’re going downstairs to the gym.”

“The what? Why?” Aly scrunches up her nose.

“You have a crazy-ass ex out there, so I’m going to teach you some self-defense moves.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“I do.”

Ever since I met Aly, I’ve had an overwhelming need to protect her. I know I can’t watch out for her all the time, but at least I can put some power back into her hands.

34

Aly

Five days have passed since Jax and I told each other our secrets. Since then, I’ve felt like the weight of the world has come off my shoulders. Even though I feel lighter, the thought of Trent showing up is still a possibility. During my last few months in Beaute, his actions showed me that he was more unhinged than I thought. True to his word, Jax has been showing me some self-defense moves, and if I’m being honest, it’s become my favorite part of the day.

Jax and I have fallen into a comfortable routine. We’ve been spending a lot of time with each other; we eat together and work out together. Our conversations are so natural and are never forced. It’s like we’ve known each other our whole lives. But our time together is about to come to an end. Michelle messaged me this morning to let me know that my room is finally finished. Ishould be happy to be moving back in with my roommates, but instead I feel an overwhelming sadness that I’m leaving what feels like home.

“Hey!” Jax says, startling me. He grabs onto the top of the doorframe, putting his large biceps on display. “Ready for your next self-defense lesson?” He pauses for a moment when he takes notice of the items I’m packing. “What are you doing?”

“Michelle messaged me earlier and told me that my room is done.” I zip up my duffel bag.

“You’re leaving?”

“Well, yeah, I mean, I’ll only be across the hall, but I don’t need to stay here any longer.”

“Yeah, yeah… I guess so.” He frowns and looks away for a moment. “Do you still have time for another self-defense lesson? We can do it here instead of going down to the gym.”

“Sure, that sounds good.” I’m already in yoga pants and a T-shirt, so I don’t have to change. I purposely dressed like I was ready for a lesson so he would ask. While I do appreciate the safety tips, I really enjoy the physical contact that comes along with it more.

Jax walks into his bedroom and comes out a moment later wearing only basketball shorts that sit low on his hips. I watch as he goes into the living room and pushes the coffee table up against the wall to give us a wide space to work. Thanks to our little self-defense lessons, I’ve gotten up close and personal views of Jax, and I will never not ogle him when his back muscles flex.

“Okay…” He turns to face me, and I hope he didn’t catch me checking him out. “So, let’s review. What is the most important part of self-defense?”

“Situational awareness,” I answer like a good little student, although I will admit that I’m pretty terrible at paying attention to my surroundings. I no longer talk on the phone when I’mwalking around outside, but the beautiful scenery around me often distracts me. Just the other day I walked right past my car because I was too busy watching a bald eagle flying overhead.

“Right. Now, we’ve already covered a few scenarios if Trent were to confront you face to face, but I don’t think we’ve practiced what to do if he comes up to you from behind.”

“Do you think he would, you know, do a sneak attack?”

“From what you’ve told me about him, he probably wouldn’t, but you can never be too sure.” He walks over to me and places his arms around my waist from back to front. I lean into him. The heat of his body goes right through my shirt and I wonder what it would feel like to have no barriers between us.

“Umm, Aly, you need to stand up straight for this,” he says softly in my ear. The scent of his bodywash is faint.

“Oh, right, sorry about that.” I straighten my body as my cheeks flush.

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