Page 91 of Returning to Rockport

“Thanks.” I say softly as he steps back.

“No problem.”

An uncomfortable silence fills the room, making me wish I could run away and keep the hope that him and I might have a future together alive. The way he’s refusing to make eye contact with me right now, tells me that hope is about to die a very painful death. It’s my fault, really. I should have known better than to fall for my brother’s unattainable best friend. What’s that thing my mother always says? Better to rip the band aid off? Well, I guess we should get this over with.

“You kissed me.” I declare with as much confidence as I can manage.

He bites his lip and nods, still looking at the ground. “I did.”

“And now you’re here to tell me that it can’t happen again.”

He exhales. “Ivy was right. That kiss was a mistake.”

If I thought hearing my best friend say it hurt, hearing it come from his mouth is a whole different kind of blow. I do my best to hold back the tears, but my voice waivers anyway. “Okay, cool. You did what you came here to do. You can go now.”

“McKenna.”

“No. Really, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’ll, uh, see you later.”

I go to slip past him but he stops me with a gentle grasp on my wrist. As I look up at him, a tear escapes from my eye and slides down my cheek. Colton catches it with his thumb, wiping it from my face. There’s something I don’t recognize in his expression. Something that makes my every nerve ending come alive and want to obey anything that comes from his mouth.

“Maverick would kill me.” He whispers.

Of course my over-protective, over-invasive, asshole of a brother is what’s keeping me from getting what I want. Even the thought of it makes me want to scream. Why does he have any influence in what I do?

“I’m not a little girl anymore, Colton.”

A humorless laugh emits from the back of his throat. “Oh, trust me, Princess. I know.” His one hand moves from my wrist to the small of my back, and he uses it to pull me closer – making it so my body is pressed against his own. I stare up at him, eyes full of wonder, and he sighs when he finds his resolve. “I’m going to hell.”

Without another word, his lips meet mine for the second time and it’s absolutely invigorating. As soon as I gasp, he slips his tongue into my mouth, making me his and his alone. Every single thing in my mind is instantly replaced with all thoughts of him. I may not make it out of this unscathed, but I’ll bask in this feeling for as long as I can.

PARKER AND I STAY seated on the couch across from each other, neither of us saying a word. I spent the last hour telling him everything – from the fling Colton and I had before college, to the way we ended, all the way to how it started again. Seeing the pain etched across his face as he listened to me admit to cheating on him, threatened to rip my heart to shreds. I never intended to hurt him, or maybe I never intended for him to find out. All I know is that it’s all come out in the wash, and now I have to see where we go from here.

“Are you in love with him?” He asks. I open my mouth to speak, but he shakes his head. “Wait, don’t answer that.”

Leaning forward, he rests his elbows on his knees. His hands cover his face and make it hard for me to gauge his expression. A part of me wonders if I should go try to comfort him but I don’t know how that would be accepted, so I stay where I’m at.

“I’m sorry.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, you’ve said that already.”

The weather outside has since let up, but the mood in this room is still just as dark. It’s two o’clock in the morning, and yet I’ve never been so wide awake. My phone still lies where I left it on the counter – all texts remaining unanswered. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined this is how tonight would go. How could such a great day, have such a shitty ending?

“Okay.” Parker announces with a new-found certainty.

&nb

sp; My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “Okay?”

He nods. “Okay. We can get through this.”

“We can?!”

His eyes meet mine for the first time in over an hour, and narrow as they study me. “Is that not what you want?”

“I- I…”

Is it? I’ve hit a fork in the road, the time and place where I need to decide, and all I want to do is set up camp right here and stay forever – in this limbo where I can have them both. As selfish as it may be, I can’t picture my life without either one of them.

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