Page 15 of Mother Parker
“I’m your older brother. I’m only trying to protect you,” I said.
Autumn’s nostrils flared and her cheeks turned red. She pointed a finger and poked it at my chest.
“Who do you think you are after all these years, leaving me and Cam alone to fend for ourselves? Where were you when your younger brother needed you? Where were you when I needed you? You don’t know my life. You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know anything about me. You still just see me like the little tween I was when you left to join the Navy. Well, I’ve got news for you, mister. I didn’t need you to protect me then, and I don’t need you to do so now.” And with that, she stormed out of the kitchen.
Silence prevailed between Wyatt and me, and I stared at the door as if waiting for my sister to come back. But she didn’t.
And she wasn’t wrong. I’d screwed up. I kept screwing up. Was there no relationship in my life I could keep intact?
It was like…like I was that dude that could turn everything he touched into gold, only my touch turned everything to shit. No wonder Becca walked out on me.
“I’m really sorry about all this, Parker. You’re absolutely right, and I’ll make sure to keep her out of all this,” he said, breaking the deafening silence.
I shook my head and breathed out.
“We’re both dickheads,” I said and walked out.
Autumn wasn’t in the main bar, and she wasn’t outside when I left the Outpost.
That was fine. It was probably for the best. I’d only make things worse if I talked to her now. I always made things worse. Even when I had the best intentions.
I walked back to Ford and Shepherd’s home—this time avoiding Crow-boy’s house. I bethedidn’t turn everything he touched into crap. I bet people loved being around him, unlike when people were around me.
“If it isn’t Officer Grumpypants,” Ford said as soon as I walked through the door.
A frenzy of barks greeted me as their little brown furball came at me, swinging his tail and slobbering all over my hand.
“I was just saying how I’d missed that frown.” Ford laughed.
He was wearing loose-fitting clothes and held a tape measure in one hand.
“I’m not in the mood, Ford,” I said.
Ford’s grin only went wider.
“Do go on, Officer Grumpypants. You’re putting on quite a show. Also, my name is Ash. We’re not on SEAL Team 13 anymore. Idohave a first name,” he replied.
Biscuit, the excitable dog, let go of me and went straight for his bowl of water, and I followed Ash through to the living room and into a small room with a tiny window and nothing but boxes inside.
“What are you doing?” I asked him as he started measuring the wall.
“I’m going to turn this room into a reading nook, and you know what a reading nook needs…”
He turned to me, hopeful I had the answer for him, but I had no idea. The last time I read a book was when I was still a teenager and read fairy tales to my younger brother in bed.
“A bay window, Parker. A bay window. Anyway, what’s wrong with you? You’re even grumpier than when you left,” he said, shaking his head.
“Nothing,” I said.
“What happened to your head?” he asked.
I repeated my previous statement and rubbed a hand over the Band-Aid.
Crow-boy’s face invaded my head for a moment with his big brown eyes, the apologetic expression overshadowed by a smile he seemed incapable of taming, and his touch, the remnant of which I could still feel burning my arm like a brand.
Ford raised an eyebrow and stared me down.
“That’s a lot of nothings in a row. There’s no such thing as nothing in this house. Come on, precious, tell Mama Asher what’s wrong,” he said.
