Page 114 of Someday You Learn

“That’s understandable.”

Sniffling, I continue. “I gave Parker back his ring before I left.”

Shecloses her eyes, exhales loudly, and then stands heading to the kitchen. “Yeah, I’m busting open the wine. No way are we getting through this without some alcohol.”

***

An hour later, I’m three glasses in and my brain is feeling quite fuzzy.

“I fucked up,” I blurt, hiccupping as the words leave my mouth.

“Pobody is nerfect, Cashlynn.”

I lean forward to focus on Hazel as wine sloshes around in my glass. “Are you drunker than me?”

She shakes her head. “Girl, I’m still on my first glass.”

“Then am Ithatdrunk that I heard you say pobody is nerfect?”

“No, you heard that correctly.”

I can literally feel the wheels in my brain turning. “Care to explain?”

A soft smile spreads across her lips. “My father used to say that to me when I was growing up. He learned it from a Vet that he worked with at the Carrington Cove Veteran’s Center, but he said it was a great reminder that nobody is perfect.” I still stare at her, trying to process. “It’s a play on words, Cashlynn. You just switch the beginning letters, and…”

I hold up my hand and nod. “I get it now.”

“So, the point is, you and Parker both made some mistakes here, but now you need to decide what you want to do about it.”

Staring down into my wine glass, I feel my eyes sting with tears again. “I really love him, Hazel. I fell in love with your stupid brother and I don’t want to live without him.”

She laughs. “Then tell him that. Just…not tonight.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m way too intoxicated to apologize.”

“I don’t know. I always believed that alcohol is like a truth serum. It gives you the courage to say things that you wouldn’t normally.”

“I don’t need it to help me. I know what I need to do. I need to apologize, kiss him with my tongue, and then suck his dick.”

Hazel spits wine all over the floor. “Jesus, girl. Warn a person before you start talking about sucking their brother’s dick to them, all right?”

I laugh so hard I snort, but then my laugher turns into tears. Hazel leaps from her spot on the couch and rushes over to me, taking my wine glass from my hand and pulling me into her chest. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

“I really messed this up, Hazel—with my dad and Parker. I’m almost thirty. Shouldn’t I know better than this?”

“Hey. We all learn at our own pace, right? Some of us take longer to learn important lessons, some of us need experience to gain that knowledge, and some of us get really lucky and find someone who wants to learn right alongside you.”

I peer up at her, trying to see her through my tears. “I wanna learn everything with Parker.”

“Then tell him that, and promise to never lie about anything, especially to each other, ever again.”

Chapter twenty-two

Parker

I squat down one more time then re-rack the bar, stepping away as I try to get my heart rate under control.

But even lifting weights can’t burn off the nerves racing through my body after Cashlynn left my house last night. My sister texted me as soon as she arrived, and about two hours later after Cashlynn fell asleep, letting me know that she was all right and they had a good talk.

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