Page 73 of One Time Player

“He’s okay to be my friend,” I assure, but the words don’t even feel right now when I say them. Evan is so much more than a friend. My feelings for him are real, deep, and so scary.

I look at my parents and they both look astonished at my revelation.

“It’s better for everyone this way,” I confirm.

“It isn’t better for you,” Daddy retorts. “I think you should speak with a therapist and unpack everything that’s happened.”

“Okay,” I agree. “I spent a lot of time in Europe thinking about my life. I realized a few things, but maybe there is more for me to unpack.”

Mom and Dad both seem relieved.

“Okay, let’s eat now,” Dad urges. There is a huge spread on the coffee table.

“What happened with the wedding?” I ask, looking between both my parents. I take a plate and place a croissant and some fresh fruit on it.

Dad and Mom give each other a knowing look. “There were a bunch of smaller meeting rooms around the big hall where Hunter got married,” she begins.

“When we were talking to Andrew, your Uncle Oli thought he heard something off and uh. . .” Mom looks to Dad.

Dad blinks and nods.

“Oli kind of caught the bride with her knickers down.” Mom winces.

“What does that mean?” I ask, looking between my parents wide-eyed.

“Amy was having sex with one of the groomsmen,” Daddy blurts quickly.

Now it’s my turn to gasp. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“We kid you not,” Mom says, swallowing hard and looking wide-eyed. “Oli walked into the room and started cursing. I followed him and your dad followed me. We watched Amy getting it good against the wall. She wasn’t facing us and didn’t even know we were in the room.”

“OMG! Poor Hunter,” I sigh.

“She was saying how it was better off she married Hunter because Tyler, the baby daddy, doesn’t have money and she and the baby would be set. Tyler, the guy who was nailing her, said he didn’t like that he had to watch her with another man. She was trying to convince him it was for the best while he was drilling her,” Mom says, rolling her eyes and popping a grape in her mouth.

“Flynn,” Daddy chides Mom’s use of descriptive words.

I laugh because even though it’s awful, my parents can be adorable.

“Hunter is such a good guy. He didn’t deserve that,” I reply.

“He was devastated.” Mom nods. “He left for Fiji this morning without her. Said he needed some time.”

“That is so messed up. Aunt Sloane and Quinn were right to be suspicious,” I relay.

“Yup. Can’t beat female intuition,” Mom chimes.

“Poor kid,” Dad says, shaking his head. “Better he found out now before he got attached to a baby that wasn’t his.”

“He can just apply for an annulment,” Mom adds.

“Damn, this is going to hurt him though. How do you come back from that?” I ask.

When I look at my parents, they give me a warm and loving look. “You take your time and grieve but, Patty, you always need to move forward. Horrible things happen in life and we can’t understand why. Some of them are debilitating but when we are given a chance to move forward with our lives, we have to push no matter how hard it seems,” Mom advises, and I know she is talking about a dark period in her life when she lost both her parents so young.

“I’m doing my best.” I blink.

Both my parents get up and come to hug me. “You’re going to be okay. So is Hunter.”

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