Page 51 of When We Dare

“Why don’t you just call me Parks? That’s what most people call me,” he said easily.

“I like that.” I felt the tension bundled tight in my chest start to unwind. I appreciated that he wasn’t denying the awkwardness and uncertainty surrounding all this.

My mom squeezed my elbow before releasing it and clasping her hands together. “I don’t want to pressure you two.”

I slid my gaze to hers. “It’s okay, Mom. I know that you want us all to be one big happy family inside of five minutes.”

Parks’s laugh was a raspy chuckle. “She sure does.”

He glanced to me after he spoke. After a beat, I could tell he wasn’t sure if he should’ve said that.

I grinned. “He knows you well, Mom.”

She let out a tiny sigh, unable to stop smiling.

“So, Mom, you told me you were coming for a visit, but I don’t know where you’re staying, or how long you guys are going to be in town. What’s the scoop?”

“We’re staying at Wildlands Lodge, so I thought we could get dinner there. Parker said he could meet us, but I don’t know how you feel about that,” she said.

I didn’t mind that at all. More than anyone, in this situation, Parker would completely understand how I felt.

“I think it sounds great. Let’s go over now,” I said.

All things considered, meeting my father went okay. It kind of surprised me, but he seemed like he could be really good for my mom. They had walked their meandering paths and looped back to each other. Both of them seemed more stable now. Parks was staying out of legal trouble, and my mom wasn’t as desperate as she used to be. They shared a kind of worn kindness, an acceptance of where they’d been and where they were now.

My mom checked in with me about the bar exam. I eyed her. “Mom, I won’t tell you the date of the exam because you’ll keep asking. It’s sometime in the next few months, and I’ll let you know when I pass.” I prayed Iwouldpass.

After we finished dinner, Parker walked with me out to the parking lot. I’d sensed a little tension from him tonight. Until we stopped by my car, I chalked it up to the meeting of the parents.

He looked down at me, his eyes narrowing. “What’s going on with you and Hudson?”

“Um, what did he tell you?” I hedged.

“He saidyoubroke it off. I need to know if I need to kick his ass,” Parker muttered.

Even though my heart thumped along, feeling sore anytime I even thought about Hudson, Parker’s comment drew a drylaugh. “I don’t need anybody to kick anybody’s ass on my behalf,” I offered. “It’s also true that I broke it off.”

Parker ran a hand through his hair, scuffing the toe of his boot on the frozen gravel. “Why?”

I wasn’t about to tell him I’d gotten in over my head. It wouldn’t do any good for him to be angry with Hudson about it. Even though it hurt like hell, Hudson hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I just did. I’m not in the right place to get serious, so it seems best to break it off.” Okay, that was sort of the truth, but not really.

Parker studied me before finally shrugging. “Fine. Well, Hudson seems pretty upset about it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you gonna kickmyass now on behalf of him?”

Parker’s eyes widened. “Hudson’s a good guy,” he sputtered. He had no clue what to do with this situation.

“Look, I’m an adult, he’s an adult. It’ll be a little awkward for a minute and then it’ll be fine. I appreciate your concern. Now, how are you feeling about the happy couple?” I gestured toward Wildlands behind us.

Parker laughed softly. “It’s kind of funny. To be honest, I wish they had reconnected sooner. Even though my dad had crappy judgment, he was never a bad guy. I guess they figured it out when they were both ready. What do you think?”

I paused for a minute, collecting my thoughts. “I feel pretty much the same way. It’s nice to meet your dad, or I guess, our dad. That’s gonna take a little bit to get used to.”

Parker gave me a hug. He squeezed tight and then let go. His hugs were almost like a physical form of punctuation.

I smiled up at him when I stepped back, my feet crunching on the frozen ground. “I’m really glad you reached out to me.”

---