Out of My League, Part 3

by Sharon Cummin

  “Not at all,” I said.

  “They really were in this together,” he said. “I'd love to be a fly on the wall back there. Lance has to be a total mess.”

  “I hate to ask you this, Parker,” I began.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Do you think you could stay long enough for my parents and grandma to get here?” I asked. “If one of the kids has to go to the bathroom, I'm screwed. I'm so sorry. I know you have to get home to rest. They shouldn't be more than an hour.”

  Then I thought about what I was asking from a friend, and I opened my mouth again before he even had the chance to answer me.

  “You know what? Just go ahead and go. I'll be fine. I'll just barricade us all in here.”

  “I'm staying,” he said, in a stern tone that told me there was no changing his mind, but I tried anyway.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “Thank you, Parker,” I said, and I meant it so much more than he would ever know. “Thank you for everything. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you the last few months.”

  He looked into my eyes, and the feeling that ran through me was something I'd honestly never felt before. There was something there. I could feel it down deep, and the way he was looking at me told me that he felt that shit too.

  “That's what friends do, right?” he asked, keeping his eyes on mine.

  I nodded but didn't reply. There was no way I could. Anything I would have said in that moment would have had him running for the hills, and there was no way I was going to let that happen.

  The door opened behind him, and in walked my parents and grandma. Damn! I'd just asked him to stay and was looking forward to at least a few minutes with him. He'd been so busy, and I'd missed him. Guess they hadn't been kidding when they'd said how close they were. How darn fast were they driving, I wondered?

  My grandma stepped around Parker and looked down at me.

  “Don't look so happy to see me,” she said, with the biggest smile on her face.

  “Oh, I am,” I said, as I got up and hugged her before moving to hug my parents as well.

  Once the kids realized they were there, they all jumped up and began hugging them too.

  “I guess you didn't have to stay after all,” I said, as I looked up at Parker.

  “I'll stay for a bit,” he said. “Once Sammie has the baby, I'll leave, unless it takes her all night.”

  Grandma sat down, and my parents headed for the hallway.

  “Lauren's water broke,” I said, before they got to the door.

  Grandma let out a loud laugh.

  “Have you seen Lance?” she asked.

  “No, and I don't plan to either,” I answered.

  “They're going to throw him out of here,” she said.

  “Yes, they are,” my dad said. “We'll be back after we check on the girls and Lance.”

  I watched through the window as they walked out the door and down the hall. Those were my parents, and I'd missed them so much. It felt so good seeing them again and knowing that I'd be seeing them more often than I had in years.

  “Wouldn't it be cute if one of them had a girl and one had a boy?” grandma asked.

  “That would be adorable,” I answered. “They could grow up being best friends.”

  “Maybe they could get married,” Jenny said, as she looked over at us from where she was playing with the other kids.

  “No way,” Parker said. “That would be gross.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “Because they're related,” he said, looking at me strangely.

  “Lance is adopted,” I said, giving him a disgusted look.

  “I'm not talking about Lance,” he said, and I heard grandma call out his name as he continued. “I'm talking about Lauren and James. They have the same dad, Cassie. That's gross.”

  “They have the same dad,” I whispered, and I heard my grandma gasp as I said it.

  I felt the tears begin to fall, as I turned toward my grandma.

  “Is that true?” I asked, with the most unsteady tone I'd had in months. “What he just said, is it true?”

  I watched her slowly nod as sadness filled her eyes. Then I turned back to Parker, who had a confused look on his face.

  “Cassie,” my grandma said, and I turned back toward her.

  “No,” I said. “You knew. You knew they had the same dad. How could you not tell me? Out of everyone in this family, you're the one person I thought would always be honest with me.”

  “Shit!” Parker snapped. “You didn't know.”

  I shook my head, feeling completely lost.

  “I had no idea,” he said. “I'm so sorry, Cassie. They're going to kill me.”

  “Six months,” I said. “I've been here for six months, and not one of them has ever led on that James and Lauren were related. I guess he was close to his sister after all. It's just that sister wasn't me.”

  “Cassie,” my grandma said. “I told them.”

  “Told them what?” I asked.

  “That they needed to tell you,” she said, with guilt in her tone.

  “When?” I asked.

  “At Christmas,” she answered.

  “That was four months ago,” I said, in almost a whisper. “Shit! My mom even seems closer to her than she is to me. I have to go.”

  I picked up Jake's carrier and looked down at Jenny and Jeff.

  “It's time to go,” I said.

  “Not yet, Mommy,” Jenny said.

  Then she looked up at me, and her face took on a sadness I never wanted to see there again.

  “It's okay, Jenny,” I said. “It's just time to go.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  She got up, grabbed Jeff's hand, and came over to me with him right next to her. My tears began coming even faster than I could wipe them away, and I knew I had to get out of there before I had a total meltdown.

  When I pulled the door open, I heard my mom's voice, and my heart broke even more.

  “It's a boy,” she said. “Sammie and James had a boy, and they're naming him Jason.”

  Then her eyes connected with mine.

  “Cassie,” she said, worry replacing the happiness she'd just had. “What's wrong?”

  I shook my head at her but didn't speak.

  “Cassie,” my dad said, as he reached out for me, but I pulled away before he could touch me. “What happened?”

  I looked at him and thought for a moment.

  “I don't belong,” I said. “I never have. I should never have come here.”

  Then I walked by them and toward the elevator as quickly as I could with three kids.

  “Cassie,” I heard Parker yell, but I didn't stop.

  The elevator doors opened, and I stepped in. When I turned around, he was standing on the other side.

  “Go,” I said. “Just go back to them. They're your friends.”

  “No,” he snapped. “I didn't know. I swear I didn't. I'm so damn sorry.”

  “Be careful tomorrow,” I said, as I pushed the button for the first floor. “Good luck, Parker.”

  “Cassie,” he growled out, as the doors closed, and he was gone.

  I got out of there as fast as I could. Once the kids were in their seats, I got in and took off toward our apartment, so damn glad I didn't have to go back to Sammie and James' house. When I parked in front of our apartment door, I let out a long breath.

  “Three more months,” I whispered to myself. “Then I'll have the house. I can go back there.”

  I had to pay James back with the money I was getting from the divorce, and I'd still have a lot left after that. I didn't want to use Jeff's money to support the kids and me, but I'd do it if I had to. What did it matter anyway, I thought? Nobody really gave a shit about me, and I honestly couldn't blame them. I deserved exactly what I was getting. I was the one that had walked away from them. Why I thought I could fix it, I didn't know.

  A k
nock on my window had me jumping in my seat. When I looked over, I saw Parker looking back at me.

  “Unlock the doors,” he said. “I'll help you get the kids inside.”

  When I didn't do it, he growled out my name along with a threat of breaking a window, which was one more thing I couldn't afford, so I hit the unlock button. He opened Jake's door and got him out of his carrier.

  “Come on, kids,” he said. “Let's get inside.”

  Jenny and Jeff were headed toward the apartment when my door opened.

  “Come on,” he said, as he reached in and grabbed my keys.

  I got out and heard the door shut behind me. His hand tapped at my back to urge me to move. When we got to the door, he let us in. I walked over and let my body fall down onto my couch.

  “I don't belong here,” I said, as I looked up at him.

  “Yes, you do,” he said, as he walked over to put Jake down in his play area.

  “How long has he known?” I asked him.

  “Not as long as you think,” he answered.

  “Do you know how he found out?” I asked.

  “I do,” he answered.

  “How?” I asked.

  “You need to ask him, Cassie,” he said.

  “No, tell me,” I said. “You'll tell me the truth, even if it's not what I want to hear. I know you'll be honest. Please tell me, Parker.”

  In that moment, I trusted Parker more than I'd ever trusted anyone before in my life.

  Chapter 22

  Parker

  I heard her grandma call my name in warning, but I couldn't stop the words that were already leaving my mouth. The look on her face said it all. She didn't know. I felt that shit down deep. How could she not? Her brother had another sister. That's a big deal. They were both around her constantly. How had she not seen it? How had they kept it from her? Why had they kept it from her? That was the biggest question of them all.

  When her parents walked in, she was already leaving. Hearing her say she didn't belong pulled at my heart. They should have stopped her, but they didn't. She also said she shouldn't have come, and that freaked me the fuck out. Was she going to run, I wondered? I wouldn't have put it past her. She'd come a long way since she'd moved to Pennsylvania, and there was no way she needed to feel anything but proud of herself.

  I went after her, but she didn't want me there. She needed a few minutes alone, and I gave that to her. She was already upset from what she'd just found out, and I wasn't about to make it worse by causing a scene in the middle of the hospital.

  I popped my head back into the waiting room to find her dad, standing there, staring a hole through me.

  “What the fuck did you do?” Scott snapped.

  “Me?” I asked, shooting him back a shitty look of my own. “It wasn't me that just broke your daughter's heart. It was all of you. I'm the one going after her.”

  I turned to her grandma when I said that last part. She motioned me over, stood up, and hugged me.

  “Take care of her,” she said, as she pulled back and handed me a folded piece of paper.

  I shoved the paper into my pocket and took off out the door.

  As soon as the elevator doors opened on the first floor, I took off toward the parking lot. She was just pulling out, so I hurried to my car and took off after her. I pulled into the lot of her apartment complex and parked a few vehicles away. When she didn't get out right away, I walked over and knocked on her window. She needed to be inside, in the apartment that was hers. She needed to be where she belonged, and I was going to make sure she got there.

  When Cassie asked me if I knew, I wasn't going to lie. As much as she was hurting, there was no way I was going to add to the list of people that had been dishonest with her. I told her she needed to ask her brother, and that was true, it was his story to tell. Then she shocked me. She said I'd tell her the truth, even if she didn't want to hear it. She said she knew I'd be honest. What was I supposed to say to that?

  I got Jenny and Jeff ready first and tucked them into bed. Then I got Jake ready and settled him in as well.

  When I walked back into the living room, I found Cassie crying on the couch, and my heart hurt for her. She'd already had enough shit going on in her life, and her own family had just added to it. If they'd been honest when she'd gotten there, it wouldn't have ended up being nearly the mess it was. I sat down on the couch, reached out, and pulled her close. She nuzzled into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her.

  “What do you want to know?” I asked.

  “I don't know,” she answered.

  I could hear her phone dinging like crazy from her purse and reached over to grab it.

  “You want to answer this?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” she answered, and I turned it to vibrate, before setting it down on the table in front of us.

  “I know Lance and Lauren were working against each other on a project and fell in love. They were together before anyone found anything out. I believe your mom was there, and Lauren was talking about her parents. Her mom was a real bitch and kicked her out after her grandma passed away.”

  “Really?” she asked, as she looked up a little.

  “Yes,” I answered. “I guess her dad had taken off years before or something. Anyway, somehow your mom picked up on it. I think Lauren showed her a picture or something, and she ended up telling them.”

  “James watches out for her,” she said. “I thought it was nuts, but I get it now. My mom even seemed close to her. Do they talk on the phone and stuff?”

  “I don't know,” I answered.

  “She's not her daughter,” she said, with hurt in her words. “I should not have come here. If I had known, I wouldn't have.”

  “Don't say that, Cassie,” I said. “James can't help that his biological father was an asshole. You're his sister too.”

  “Just as much as she is,” she said.

  “That's not true,” I said. “It's different for you and him. He's known you since the day you were born. He grew up with you. He loves you.”

  I took her chin in my hand and lifted it so I could see her eyes, but she tried to pull away.

  “Look at me,” I said sternly, and she actually listened. “He loves you.”

  “I know he does,” she said.

  “Maybe he didn't tell you because he thought you already had enough on your plate,” I told her.

  “She was defensive the moment I got here,” she said.

  “Because she knows that he loves you,” I said. “She has nobody, Cassie. Lance and your crazy family are it for her. She's had it rough. James was a mess. He even talked to me about it. He said that he didn't want to hurt you, and you weren't even around, hadn't been for a long time. He has always worried about you. You are his sister first. She is too, I'm not going to lie, but I am telling you, it is not the same.”

  She put her head back down against my chest, and I held her in silence for a long while. Her phone hadn't stopped buzzing the entire time.

  “You really should get that,” I said. “They're already freaking out over two babies being born. I can't even imagine how worried they are about you. You should have seen your dad's face when I left.”

  “They all lied to me, Parker,” she said. “Every single person that's supposed to love me lied to me. I've never been one of them.”

  “Do not say that,” I snapped. “Every single one of them would put their life on the line for you. You don't know how damn lucky you are. I will not let you think any different either.”

  “I never went to watch James play,” she said. “Did you know that?”

  “Yes, I did,” I said. “Believe me, I knew then, and I know now too. He's made that very clear to me.”

  “I never cared about the game,” she said. “It was everything to them.”

  “You've come to see me,” I said. “I've seen how happy they've been to have you there.”

  Her phone buzzed again, and I picked it up.

  “It's been your dad, m
om, grandma, and James,” I said.

  The damn thing buzzed again in my hands.

  “And Lucy,” I added. “It won't be long before one of them is banging down your door.”

  While I was talking, I changed my name from Wannabe to Sexy Beast. Then I went back to her regular message screen.

  “Fine,” she snapped, as she snatched the phone from me. “I'll call my grandma. You'd better go. It's getting late.”

  “I'm so sorry,” I said.

  “It's not your fault,” she said. “It's theirs.”

  “I don't want to leave you like this,” I said. “If I wasn't going on the road, I'd stay.”

  “Go,” she said roughly. “I'm not your problem.”

  “I never said you were,” I said just as roughly. “Call your grandma.”

  “I will after you leave,” she said.

  “Now,” I demanded. “At least let them know you're okay.

  “Fine,” she said.

  I stood up from the couch to leave.

  “Call me anytime,” I said. “I mean it.”

  “I'm not bothering you anymore, Parker,” she said. “This is the busiest time for you, and I will not do anything to get in your way.”

  “Call me!” I said, much harsher than I should have.

  She shook her head and did something on her phone. Then she put it to her ear. I stood for a few moments to hear her tell her grandma that she was home and that she didn't want any visitors. I mouthed the word bye, and she mouthed it back. Then I turned the knob and opened the door. As the door was closing, I heard words I didn't want to hear.

  “In three months, I'll have the house, so I'll work for James until I can pay him back for everything. Then I'll be gone. Coming here was a mistake. I don't know what I was thinking.”

  I clicked the door shut, then I stood there.

  “Not everything about you coming here was a mistake,” I whispered. “Please don't leave.”

  I walked toward my car feeling like the biggest piece of shit for being the one to tell her something so huge and feeling even worse for having to leave her right after it happened, even if she didn't want me there in the first place.

  Chapter 23

  Cassie

  I didn't want him to leave. It took all I had not to run to the door when it closed behind him, swing it open, and beg him to stay, but I couldn't. I wasn't Parker's problem. He had somewhere to be, and that was way more important than him listening to me cry about my life. It felt so damn good having his arms wrapped around me, and I missed it the moment he let me go.