“Now that it’s been cleaned I like it. At first I was a little leery about living in those kind of conditions being pregnant. I’m no medical expert, but I’m sure that mold spores aren’t good for anyone. Not that I don’t appreciate your family giving us this place to stay, because I most certainly do.”
Parker chuckled. He grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his lips. “You’re so cute. I knew what you were sayin’. Just so you know, my mom and aunt would never have let you spend the night in this place if they thought it wasn’t safe.”
“You’re right. I must sound like a spoiled brat.”
“Maybe a little.”
I smacked him, even though I knew he was teasing me. “Cam, if I thought you were a stuck up snob I never would have slept with you. Okay, maybe I would have at least once, but I probably wouldn’t have gone for the second or third time.”
We both laughed. Then the room got quiet. “I know we have to talk about what’s next for us, Parker.”
“I thought we already did.”
I shook my head and looked down at my hands. “No. I mean after the baby comes.”
He put his hand on my knee. “I know you’re a problem solver, and that you always have to have the right answer, but we’ve just gone through a shit ton of emotional stress. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take a couple days to reflect on us bein’ safe, and then we can open that can of worms. Right now I need you to cooperate. The doctor said you need to take it easy, and he didn’t just mean physically. You’ve got to relax your mind, and let your body heal.”
“You’re saying that like you actually care about this baby,” I had tears forming in my eyes when I said it. I think in the back of my mind I was fearing that Parker was only being supportive for my benefit, no matter how many times he’d reiterated his feelings about us becoming parents. It wasn’t just Parker though. It was everything. Too much had transpired for me to be able to comfortably relax. I wasn’t wired to let things hover around without being resolved. I needed closure, like a case in the courtroom. Just thinking about it made me think of my parents. I was so angry that they treated me the way they had, but I still loved them. They were all I had as far as blood relatives. Sure, I had a couple aunts and uncles, but they’d used my parents for loans and get out of trouble free cards too many times. We hadn’t had contact with any of them since I was a kid. One set of grandparents were deceased, while my other two were placed in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s. The last time I’d been to visit, neither of them knew who I was.
Parker waited until I looked up into his eyes. “Babe, stop. I care about you, and that means that I care about our baby. I’m just tryin’ to get things figured out before we have to focus all of our attention on a newborn. Please trust me, we’re goin’ to figure it out, together.” He seemed like he was getting sick of reassuring me. I wondered if I sounded like a broken record. At any rate, Parker didn’t fuss about it. He was so caring, and his family was even surprising me. Whatever their problem was with Parker in the past, they’d obviously gotten over it, or at least pushed it to the side.
“Do you think they’re looking for me?”
He knew right away that I was speaking about my parents. “Yeah, I do. They want to find you and lock you up in a tower. Hopefully your hair will grow fast so you can throw it out the window and let me climb up to rescue you.”
I finally laughed. “I’m not a fairytale princess.”
“I know, but it would be kickass if you were,” he added.
I let my head fall into his chest. Immediately both of his strong arms wrapped around me. “What would I do without you?”
He let out a loud sigh. “Stay a virgin and take over the family business, I suppose. Guess I fucked that plan to shit.”
An air-filled laugh escaped me. “Yeah, I guess you did.”
For the rest of the night Parker and I got our things unpacked. We watched some television, and snacked on fruit. Even though we didn’t discuss anything of importance, it felt good being able to hang out without rules. We didn’t have a curfew, or a class to go to in the morning. It felt peaceful, almost surreal that while in the midst of all our troubles, we’d discovered a place where we could just be together.
I had to appreciate how much Parker seemed to lighten up once his parents got on board. Silently I wondered if whatever they’d held a secret had been resolved. I didn’t understand how my pregnancy would impact that particular issue, but I was content with seeing my boyfriend relaxed while being around them.
Later that night I fell asleep in Parker’s arms. He was right about the bed. Once we’d gotten it to an agreed setting we were quite comfortable. My mind was able to relax, and look forward to the positive, instead of dwelling on what we couldn’t change.
Chapter 25
Parker
I could tell that she was struggling with everything that had gone down. I didn’t blame her for being upset. If my parents had tried to force my hand I would have been in her same position.
As the first few weeks passed, it was getting easier to make our own routines. Due to my situation with school, I was having to report to two classes a week. The rest of the courses I was able to turn my work in online. Each Tuesday I’d take my uncle’s truck and drive the long ride it took me to get back to Pennsylvania. For the most part it wasn’t a hassle. I knew that my future was more important than ever, because I’d have a baby to support.
While Cameron was still indecisive about what she wanted to do with the current school situation, she continued turning in her assignments, and communicating with her professors. Unlike me, she was able to take most of her courses online. Her grades were so good that they didn’t even question her reasons for being away. Three out of her eight class workload even gave her the rest of the course material to work on from home. When I traveled once a week, I’d stop by and turn them in for her. She’d given them the reason being a medical emergency, with no real details pertaining to being pregnant. It was irrelevant in the big picture. No matter what her current condition was, it was the reason that she wouldn’t be returning back to the campus.
After the third week I came out of class to find her father standing in front of me. His arms were crossed over his chest, and the stern grin let me know that he wasn’t in the mood for small talk. “Parker, you’re going to tell me where my daughter is immediately.”
I wasn’t afraid of this guy. “She and the baby are safe. That’s all you need to know.”
“I’ve told you before not to cross me,” he threatened.
“Get out of my face. I ain’t crossing shit. Your daughter is old enough to make her own decisions. If she wants to have my baby, and raise it bein’ a stay at home mom, it’s fine by me. Get over your God complex. She’s not a tool.”
“Her mother and I will find her, and when we do this will all be over with.”
I laughed in his face. “The only thing that’s over is this conversation. Get out of my fuckin’ face.” There was a time when I used manners, and respect, but this dude had lost that privilege a long time ago. I wasn’t wasting my time dealing with someone who thought he could control my girlfriend.
“I’ll have you followed.”
His words cut me like a knife. I turned around and put on a fake smile. “Follow me all you want. I’m headin’ back to my frat house to take a fuckin’ nap. You really think I’d be stupid enough to lead you right to Cam? She’s in a safe place that you’ll never find.”
Realizing that I had to come up with a different strategy of an exit plan, I began walking away from the bastard, before I let my anger drive my fist into his face. He’d made the mistake of letting me know that someone was going to follow me. I had to come up with a plan to lose them, before I hit the state line. It was going to require some assistance from my family, which I already felt I’d abused enough.
Reluctantly, I dialed my brother’s landline, praying that Ashley would answer, because everyone else would still be at work.
/> “Hello?”
“Ash, it’s me Parker. Don’t hang up.”
“I’m not that rude, Parker. What’s wrong? Your brother isn’t home.”
I hated even asking. “I’m in trouble. I’m at school, and Cameron’s father has now threatened to have me followed so that he can locate where we’ve been hidin’. I wouldn’t be callin’ if I wasn’t out of options.”
“What do you need?”
“I need someone to drive here. Look, I know it’s a long way, but –.”
“I can be there in a couple of hours. The twins are about ready to take a nap, so I’ll put them in the car now. It’s easier if they sleep the whole way.”
I couldn’t believe she was helping me. It wasn’t like we were enemies, but Ash had hard feelings even after I’d done everything I could to make things right.
“Should we call Shayne?” I certainly didn’t want to be on his shit list again.
“I’ll call him. Don’t worry about it. He’d want me to help. Besides, I think it’s time that you and I talked.”
I wasn’t looking forward to that part. God only knew what she was going to throw at me. “When you get to the state line call me. I’ll let you know where to meet. I’m thinkin’ I can get someone here to give me a ride. It blows that I’ve got to leave the truck, but I can’t let them find her. It’s a good thing that exams are next week. We’ll have the whole summer to relax.”
“We’ll see you soon, Parker. Don’t forget to call me.” The idea of her including the kids in that comment was unnerving. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them. The truth was that I loved them, so much that sometimes it hurt to admit. I knew they belonged to Shayne, and I’d vowed to never let anyone know. Every time I was around them I’d feel uncomfortable, like if I reached out I was overstepping my boundaries. I didn’t want to be their dad, but the connection was irrefutable.
Once I was back at the confines of the frat house, I spent a little while catching up with my buddies. They wanted to hear all about me fucking up and knocking up my girlfriend. Since weeks had gone by I’d been able to accept that maybe we were meant to get pregnant. Cameron and I were at a weird place. Her parents had a huge hold over her decisions, and now she finally saw them for what they were.
Also, moving in together, and sharing in what we’d been through had brought us closer together. There were many nights that I considered telling her about the twins, but I knew that there was a chance she’d never forgive me, or be able to get past the fact that number one, I was already a father, and number two, I had twins with my brother’s wife.
It was a lot for anyone to wrap their head around, especially someone that I wanted to marry. After giving my friends the low-down, I went to gather some more of my things from my room. It was a shame knowing that I’d waited so long to get it, and I was already having to leave it behind.
I snuck out the back of the house so if anyone was trying to follow me, they wouldn’t see me leave. One of my frat brothers drove me to a nearby gas station, where I met Ashley. I climbed in the car, greeted by her being on the phone, Rebekah sound asleep, and Eli smiling from cheek to cheek. “Hey, little guy.”
Ash handed me her phone. “Shayne wants to talk to you.”
“Hello?” I didn’t know what to expect.
“You okay, Parker?”
“Yeah, I am now.”
“Ash is goin’ to pick up Cameron on your way back, and bring her to our house. We’ll order pizza or somethin’ easy. Peyton’s bringing the baby over and wants you both to be there too. Is that cool with you?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Good. Be nice to my wife. You owe her one.”
I looked toward Ash, who was looking back at the kids. “I know. I’ll be nice. See you later, bro.”
For the first few minutes we said nothing to each other. Then Ashley broke that silence. “So, are we goin’ to talk about the baby on the way, or are you goin’ to pretend that it’s not happenin’ around me?”
I looked out the window, instead of in her direction. “Are you worried that I might change my mind or somethin’?”
“Should I be?”
I looked right at her. “No. Of course not. Why does everyone have such a hard time about this?”
“Don’t hate me for askin’, Parker. You’re back now, and it’s been weird for me. I’m not concerned for me, but more for your brother. It’s obvious that you’re plannin’ on keepin’ Cameron around, so it’s easy to assume that you might want to let her in on the big family secret.”
“Cam won’t ever know about the twins. The secret is safe, and we need to keep it buried. We’re goin’ to get married, and have our own baby on the way. What you and I had on that beach is in the past. Shit, we were too drunk to even remember it.”
“That doesn’t matter. Look in the backseat and tell me that’s not a reminder of what we did that night.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “This is not the conversation that I wanted to have with you, Ash. Look, I’m glad you’re married to my brother. I envy what the two of you have, but I’m not tryin’ to take your kids away. I signed over my rights when you were pregnant, and I’ve never regretted it. Cameron is never goin’ to know the twins are mine. I’ll take it to my grave.”
She seemed content with my answer, and I did understand why she was concerned. I suppose if I were in her shoes I’d be confused as well.
The car got quiet again, except for the little guy who definitely wanted out of his car seat. I turned and gave Eli attention, so that Ash didn’t have to pull over. It felt good to spend time with him, and even though that secret bond we shared was apparent, I didn’t address it. That was something I’d have to learn to ignore. When they got older and wanted to spend time with their uncle maybe it would be all right, but if they felt uncomfortable, I wouldn’t argue about it. This wasn’t an easy process for me, and I knew it was even more difficult for everyone else, because they had no idea how to act.
I called Cam a few minutes later to let her know we’d be picking her up. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she seemed out of sorts. “Hey, babe, it’s me. I ran into your dad at college, so Ash came and picked me up. They invited us to dinner, so we’ll be pickin’ you up in about an hour.”
“I’m not really hungry. Why don’t you just go without me?”
“You can still come over and hang out, even if you don’t want to eat.”
“No. I don’t feel well. I wouldn’t want the twins to get what I have, so it’s best that I stay home.”
Even though she was acting weird, I shook it off as hormones. Obviously they were going crazy from the pregnancy. “Okay. If you change your mind give me a ring. We’ll grab you on the way. I love you.”
She hung up before replying, but again, I ignored it.
Chapter 26
Cameron
My hands were still shaking when I hung up from the call. In a matter of thirty minutes my life had been thrown another loop. I felt hurt, betrayed, and most importantly, lied to.
I’d been busy reading over my term paper for the second time, feeling like my eyes were going to pop out of my head. There was nothing like trying to edit your own material. No matter how many times I’d comb through it there would still be issues.
At any rate, the prepaid cell phone that Parker had given me the day after we moved in had started to ring. Only Parker and his parents knew the number, so I got up and walked over to answer it. Sometimes during the day his mother would bring me things, or ask if I wanted to go into town.
I picked up the phone noticing Parker’s number.
“Hey, babe.”
While waiting for him to reply I started listening to the background sounds.
A female voice was speaking. “It’s obvious that you’re plannin’ on keepin’ Cameron around, so it’s easy to assume that you might want to let her in on the big family secret.”
I put my hand over my mouth, shocked that this was actually happening. When
I heard Parker replying, I knew he’d butt dialed me. Maybe I should have hung up the phone, but I just couldn’t. Curiosity got the best of me, as I sat down on the bed and received the utmost shock of my entire life.
“Cam won’t ever know about the twins. The secret is safe, and we need to keep it buried. We’re goin’ to get married, and we have our own baby on the way. What you and I had on that beach is in the past. Shit, we were too drunk to even remember it.”
“That doesn’t matter. Look in the backseat and tell me they’re not a reminder of what we did that night.”
I’d already begun to cry. It couldn’t be happening, I thought to myself. This had to be a nightmare. Was that Ashley’s voice that he was speaking to?
“This is not the conversation that I wanted to have with you, Ash. Look, I’m glad you’re married to my brother. I envy what the two of you have, but I’m not tryin’ to take your kids away. I signed over my rights when you were pregnant, and I’ve never regretted it. Cameron is never goin’ to know the twins are mine. I’ll take it to my grave.”
There it was.
The big secret that he’d begged me to leave alone.
The twins belonged to Parker.
It explained everything, and I didn’t know how in the world I’d ever be able to look at him the same again. I began to hyperventilate, falling onto the bed and pulling my legs up against my chest. While trying to wrap my head around what I’d just heard, my phone began to ring again. I wondered if it was just another butt dial, and if so, what else would I hear when I picked up the call?
Against my better judgment I lifted the phone to my ear only to hear Parker on the line, telling me we were going to have dinner with his family.
That was the last thing I wanted to do. There was no way I could ever look at Ashley and those twins the same way again.
THE TWINS WERE PARKERS.
Oh my God this couldn’t be happening to me. My insides were being torn apart as I attempted to imagine how all of this had happened. It wasn’t just that I felt uneasy, and betrayed. It was the fact that this family had a tremendous secret that they all thought they could bury.
Redeem Me Page 14
