Page 51 of Happenstance
The only thing that broke the tense situation was the sound of Ava’s voice. “Heads up, little brother.”
Parker barley pulled me out of the way as a knife sailed through the air and dug into the door. What the hell?
Preston looked over at the blade, and then at his sister, while holstering his gun. “Stop calling me that.”
“But you are my little brother,” Ava argued with a smile.
“Three minutes hardly constitutes as little.”
“I’m still three minutes older.”
Preston muttered under his breath and pushed his way past us. I buried myself further in Parker’s arms, wondering if I’d just embedded myself in the Manson family, as Parker lost his shit on his sister.
“What the fuck, Ava!” he yelled, “You could’ve stabbed her.”
“Oh calm down, she’s fine.”
Parker’s dad joined in the yelling. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Ava Whitley gave crazy a new definition. If aliens invaded the planet, they’d take one look at Ava coming down the street with a smile on her face and a can opener in her hand, and turn around and leave. I say this because I’d seen what she could do with a can opener. Poor Bobby Tompkins. I bet he missed his ball.
“Come on, child.” Nan wrapped her arm around my shoulders and steered me away from the squabbling family. “Let’s explore your new house.”
I glanced back at the Whitley’s hands flying through the air, and locked eyes with Lillianna. The matriarchal head of household wasn’t paying attention to the others, she was too busy glaring her hatred at me.
Welcome home, Lana Crawford. The hellfire rains at ten.
Chapter 16
Lana
Nan and I spent what felt like hours wandering the house, and I still don’t think we saw everything. The kitchen alone took forever to explore. Each room was furnished with top of the line furniture and fancy little decorations. I couldn’t help but notice the care Parker took in decorating. The paintings on the wall were of my favorite flowers, orchids, or of places on my dream vacation list. There was at least one troll doll in every room we entered, and the color scheme was made up of my favorites, Royal blue and lavender.
What really caught my attention was the large portrait hung up in what I assumed would be the nursery. It was the only empty room in the house and was right next to the master bedroom, which was almost as big as Nan’s house. Nan and I stood there, staring at the warm brown eyes we hadn’t seen in five years. Gramps was the best man I knew. I missed him everyday.
Nan brushed a tear off her cheek. “How did he get this?”
My fingers grazed over his smile. I didn’t care how Parker got the picture. None of the bad mattered anymore, because the man I loved most in the world was back. I didn’t care about anything else. Gramps’ smiling face would be the first thing my children saw every morning. That was the only thing that mattered.
“There you are.” Parker walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Everybody’s leaving.”
I turned my teary face up to him, smiled, and kissed his cheek. “I better go say goodbye then.”
Nan didn’t join us for awhile, and I wasn’t going to interrupt her. She deserved her time alone with her husband. By the time everyone left, I was utterly exhausted. Mostly from dealing with Ava. She’d be almost out the door and turn around to talk to my belly. Telling the babies that Auntie Ava couldn’t wait to meet them.
She was more excited than anyone else. Every time her palm flattened on my stomach, her eyes lit up. She’d already booked a company to come in and baby-proof the house, as well as marked down all the best places to shop for baby stuff. While it was kind of sweet how much she loved her future niece and nephew, getting cozy with Ava Whitley was not high on my list of things to do. A couple hours ago, the girl threw a knife at me, and that wasn’t the worst thing I could imagine her doing. Hell, I think Preston would be a better option to chum it up with.
Once we were left alone, I couldn’t help but think how easy this all seemed to be. I was worried about the move. Thought I’d be a lot more stressed out than I was, but the Whitley’s made me feel oddly comfortable. And then I walked into the bedroom.
I told myself that nothing was going to happen between us. Parker and I would be more like roommates raising our children. Parker, apparently, had other ideas. He was sprawled across the bed with his hands behind his head. My eyes immediately fell to his exposed chest. Following each dip and curve embedded in his tanned skin, down to the V dipping into his pants. Grey sweatpants, to be specific. Women’s kryptonite.
“Alone at last.” He smirked up at me.
Alone.That word did not sound good right now. I looked everywhere but at the half naked man. Studied the swirling carvings in the cherrywood posts on the bed. Sturdy posts that a girl could be tied to. Tied and used hard…okay, don’t look at those.My eyes fell down to the dark carpet under my feet. Thick and soft flooring that would cradle my knees…alright, carpet is a bad idea too.So was the furniture, which could easily support my weight, and the eggshell walls Parker could press me up against.
Everything in the room sent my mind somewhere else. Decorations and pictures falling on the floor. Navy bedspread tangled up with the silky sheet underneath. I couldn’t pull my mind out of the gutter. I decided my best option was to escape to the bathroom with a big comfy pair of flannel pajamas. Which I had to get from the dresser that was a perfect height to prop me up on.
Thankfully Parker didn’t argue when I slipped into the bathroom. He just shot me a cocky smirk as I shut the door. He knew I wasn’t going anywhere. How pathetic was it that a small part of me was grateful he allowed me privacy to change? My eyes wandered around the opulent bathroom.
Beautiful dark blue tiles were laid across the far wall, depicting a waterfall scene. Next to that was a stand alone shower, jacuzzi tub, and his and her sinks. Other girls might’ve admired the extravagance. Maybe even been flattered that Parker obviously spared no expense. Not me. This big house with the grand expenditures only reminded me of one thing. The morning after the best night of my life. Parker threw money at me then, just like he was doing now. This place, with all the furniture and welcome home party, was only another way for him to buy me.
