Page 31 of Someday You Learn

“Oh my God, Parker! Let’s do it!” Willow screams in the background.

I let out a groan. “I’ve got a million other things to figure out first, okay?”

“You said she’s moving in tomorrow?” Dallas asks as I stand from the bench again and reach for my water bottle, taking a long drag. Cashlynn texted me last night asking if Saturday would work, and honestly, I needed a day to brace myself. I still have a full shift today, and I won’t even be home till late.

“Yeah…”

“Then you should bring her by Mom’s for dinner on Sunday.”

Realization slams into me. “Fuck. I have to tell Mom, don’t I?”

“Sorry to say it, little brother…but if she finds out about your engagement from anyone else, you know there will be hell to pay.”

“She’ll never buy it.”

“Maybe not, but you know Mom. She might just be so thrilled that you’re dating again that she won’t question it. She worries about you.”

“Right. It’s more likely that now that you and Penn are off the market, I’m her next project.”

“She’s got Hazel, too.”

“Yeah, but that won’t last long. You know our sister is a hopeless romantic just like Dad was. There’s bound to be some guy that sweeps her off her feet soon.”

“You know, with the way you two watchBridgerton, you’d think you’d be more open to love.”

“That show is a masterpiece, but it’s not real life, okay?”

My brother laughs at me through the phone.

There was a time when I was a hopeless romantic too, but then my heart was ripped from my chest, thrown into a blender, and poured down a garbage disposal. WatchingBridgertonnow just lets me escape from reality and live in a world that’s so different from the one I’m living in now.

“This isn’t going to end well, is it?”

Dallas hums thoughtfully. “I wish I had the answer for you, Parker. All I know is that I’m really fucking proud of you.”

“Why?” I ask, genuinely curious, because I’m not sure what I did to warrant those words. But Dallas has always looked out for me, even when I didn’t want him to, and I’ve always looked up to him. He was never afraid to stand up for what he wanted, even to our own father. He’s sacrificed a lot for others, both in service to his country and for the people he cares about. And the love he has for his wife has turned him into a man I respect immensely, even though he still doesn’t know how to mind his own fucking business.

I wanted to be that same type of man for Sasha, but that just wasn’t in the cards. And part of that was my own fucking fault.

“Because you didn’t run from this,” Dallas says, bringing me back. “You could have easily bailed and left Cashlynn to figure it out on her own, and no one would have blamed you.”

I stare out at the street. “Believe me, I wanted to.”

“But you didn’t. You’re helping her out, and I think on some level, it’s because you understand her decision more than you realize.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll figure it out.” He says something to Willow again, before coming back on the line. “I’ve gotta go. Husband duty calls.”

“Ha. Better you than me.”

“You say that now, but when you get to show up every day for the one person you can’t live without, you might just change your tune.” With that, he ends the call, leaving me alone with his words.

The thing is, I did have someone to show up for, someone I thought I loved and would do anything for. And I did—at least, I thought I did. Looking back at it now, I can see that even though I gave her everything I could, it wasn’t enough.

That’s why I have to keep my distance from Cashlynn. I’ll count down the days until I get my life back, and I’ll keep my heart out of it. Because when you go above and beyond for someone, you run the risk of getting crushed in the process.

Chapter six

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