Parker Sibling Series Box Set

by Leigh Ann Lunsford

  I feel his eyes on me the entire song. I mean every word of it. I miss him. I also meant what I said when I said it was too late. Still, he deserves to know he meant something to me; at one point he could have meant everything to me. Honestly, I wanted him to feel a bit bad. I may not be perfect, but I am a damn good catch. He had that and threw it away. If he felt anything for me, then this should tell him what I felt.

  The tension in the room is thick. Nobody wants to speak because they don’t know what to say. Max and I had a relationship that wasn’t public. My family knew we were dating, he was included in family stuff, but he always held back with that. I just never discussed the ins and outs, and my sisters respected that. I think it was because they knew this one meant something to me. It did, and now it doesn’t.

  Brielle speaks up, “This is Max’s choice. He doesn’t know what song I have chosen, but he gave me the reason behind it. He wants it known; he will wait. He said when someone consumes your thoughts daily, or they are in your heart and mind, they get under your skin. He doesn’t want that feeling to go away and wants to feel more of it.” She spoke all that without looking at me, and I know that was hard for her. Addison is staring at me, probably trying to tell what I am thinking, and Tyler is looking at Max. Colby is glaring at Brielle. He still isn’t really keen on me dating or having a social life. It reminds him of what is coming for Riley, which Brielle reminds him about all the time.

  “All of Me” by John Legend begins to play. That girl is good. I won’t meet anyone’s gaze, and they are all staring at me, including Max. This is going to be harder than I thought.

  I speak up, “Next time Brielle picks a game, I vote for . . . not happening.” I want them to know I am uncomfortable, and luckily they get it.

  Mitch surprises me, “Brielle, stop the music. Max, come take a walk with me.”

  God, I could kiss him right now, but that is kind of gross. He is like an older brother, like Tyler and Colby. Still, right now I would risk the gross factor for what he just did. They both disappear from my room.

  “Cambree, you can’t fight it forever. You will either give in to it or run for the rest of your life. I don’t know your relationship or what happened. What I do know is how that boy looks at you, and how you feel about him. It is written all over you, baby girl. So, I can tell you, this may be your first love, but he is always going to be your love. There is no way to wipe away what you feel. You may not have realized it yet, but I am telling you it is there. The decision has to come from you, but I am here for you, whenever you need me, no matter what you decide.” Surprisingly, it was Tyler talking to me. He is right. I am afraid I will always love him, and one thing I could never deny is that I do love him. It was almost instantaneous for me. Hook, line, and sinker with that boy.

  Chapter 8

  Max

  I wish everyone else would have left the room instead of Mitch dragging me out. I could have gotten through to her. She feels something for me, and she may think she won’t give into it, but I will make her. Before I can turn my fury on Mitch, he beats me to it.

  “Don’t push her, Max. She has had a lot happen to her in a short amount of time, and she has a lot more facing her.”

  “Fuck you, Mitch. How would you feel if somebody got in between you and Kayleigh? You act like I am the one who hurt her, but I want to protect her. Be with her.”

  “Yeah, you did hurt her. You started something with her, when there were lies and half-truths between you. Not once did you think about what that would do to her. How many times did she tell you about the lies of her childhood? How many times did she tell you that she just wanted her family to trust her with the truth? Too many to count. You would come to me and tell me this, and every single time, I told you to tell her or cut her loose. That is on you, now give her time.”

  “Pot calling kettle black. It took Kayleigh telling you she was pregnant before you told her everything. How was I supposed to tell Cambree everything when it involved her family?”

  Mitch is pissed. “First, don’t pretend you know why I told Kayleigh anything. My mind was already made up. Don’t compare the two. Second, if you care about that girl and know her like you think you do, then you should have trusted she would have taken your involvement to the grave. She has family loyalty, they all do, but those girls love with their whole heart, and you have destroyed a piece of hers, so I am telling you again, back off!”

  “Funny, bro. I used to have your family loyalty. What if I don’t want to back off? Are you so determined to take your rightful part as their big brother, their savior, that my feelings don’t matter? That what I want isn’t as important as what she wants?” I know that was a shitty thing to say, but I am so confused, I don’t know which way is up anymore. I can tell I have hurt him, and that is all I do lately, hurt people.

  “I am going to let that insult go, Max. You know I always have your back, no matter what. I am not telling you this to be a dick. I love you, and from what I know of her, I love her, too. You have the full picture of what is going on, she doesn’t. I admit, because she is my little sister, and I can’t claim that role like I want to, I am a bit more protective. But you also know what you did was messed up. She practically begged you to tell her the truth, and you ignored all the signs. I know what you feel for her is real, just like I know what she feels for you is more real for her than she knows. What I am telling you is that you shouldn’t push this relationship with her. You have to let her come to the realization she wants this. If you push her into something she isn’t ready for, you will regret it, because she will too, and that isn’t what you want. You want permanent, and so does she, but you have to let her get to that road on her own. You can play your games, and try and manipulate her feelings, or you can back off, be there for her in the way she lets you, gain her trust back, and then you will have something real and lasting. That is your call, bro.”

  He goes to head back towards Cambree’s room but stops before he gets too far. “One more thing. I will never sacrifice our relationship or the memory of Hope for anything. Yes, I want to scream from the rooftops that they are my family, but more than that, I want them safe. Part of that is because I know how great it is to be a big brother, and that is because you taught me that. Never doubt that, Max.”

  Shit! I really screwed up on that one. I hurt someone else because I can’t control my feelings. I don’t like feeling out of control, and I damn sure hate feeling like I can’t do anything for the people I care about. If I ever come face to face with Brent Hall, I will murder him myself. I have made enough friends along this journey. I am sure I can get off with justifiable homicide. Hell, I may even get a medal for removing the trash off this earth. Like a humanitarian award for cleaning up our streets.

  As much as I want to go back to her room, I decide to take a walk outside. Cool down, let Mitch’s words sink in, and maybe call my Ma. No matter how old or how tough I think I am, my Ma always makes things better. She has been through enough and seen the ugly side of things. She is the perfect amount of sweet and tough. Reminds me of the Parker girls and Hope. God, this ache in my chest hasn’t been this prominent since we buried her. The problem with this case that I didn’t factor in is not only is this bringing all kinds of painful things up for them, but for Mitch and I as well. Probably my Ma, too.

  I pick up my phone and dial. She answers on the third ring, “Hey, my sweet boy. You are calling your old Ma so late, what’s wrong?” Shit, I didn’t even think of the time.

  Looking at my watch I see it almost eleven o’clock at night.

  “Shit, sorry Ma. Just a lot went down today, and I needed to talk to you. Didn’t mean to make you worry.”

  “It is fine, Max. What has you so worked up you need your Momma to fix it?”

  I fill her in on Cambree’s attack, the mistakes I made in our relationship, and end it with Mitch’s words to me. All this took over an hour, and I feel better. She is silent for a while, and I wonder if I put her to sleep. “Ma?’
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  “Oh, I am here, sweet boy. I just never thought I would get to hear the days Max was in love. Don’t deny it boy, it may not be there yet, but there is no doubt in my mind, what you feel for her will become an all-encompassing love. It only happens once, and you need to cherish it. I know you hate it, but you need to listen to your brother. He is right, but more than that, he loves you. It is hard on both of you, but remember how you would try and protect Hope, both of you? That is what he is dealing with, protecting you and Cambree. You are both his siblings, and that is not a fun place to be right now.”

  She is right. I accused him of picking one of us over the other, and that is the furthest thing from the truth. He is trying to do right by both of us. “I gotta go, Ma. I need to find my brother and apologize for being a grade A asshole.”

  “Maxwell Baird, you watch your language, and you don’t need to find Mitch. He knows. Just take care of each other.”

  I end the call and sit in the night for a while . . . or early morning. I am sure everyone is winding down. Cambree needs her sleep. I start to get up and head that way to say goodnight, but I am startled by Addison headed towards me. She looks determined, yet timid at the same time.

  “Can I have a minute?” she asks.

  I point to the bench I am sitting on, and she takes a seat. I don’t know why she is here, but I can hear her out.

  “I won’t sit here and pretend to know what happened with you and my sister. I will tell you in the time she was with you, she was happy. Or as happy as she lets herself be. I will sit here and tell you, if you think she is worth it, and you aren’t going to hurt her again, then I won’t stand in the way. Make no mistake, if I see you aren’t serious or I see you pursuing her is not what she needs, then I will get involved. Although you don’t know me that well, I can be your worst enemy if you mess with my family. I may not always be in your face like Brielle, but I can be just as lethal. That girl up there is like my first-born. She may not be naturally mine, but she is mine in every way that counts, so don’t underestimate me.”

  Damn, I don’t know who I fear more . . . Brielle or Addison. I guess I need to lay it out for her. “Make no mistake, that girl up there means something to me. We were over before I fully got to explore what that means, but know I am not dicking around with her feelings. You are right, you don’t know the whole story, and while most of the blame is mine, let me tell you that your sister can be stubborn as hell and won’t always listen to the truth.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know, Max. She gets it honestly, but I believe eventually she will listen. I blame Brielle for all her bad qualities.” She starts laughing and rolls her eyes.

  She stands up to leave and says, “We are all heading out for a hotel in a few minutes; the staff thinks she will be released tomorrow since she isn’t showing any complications. She is just about asleep, but I would like for her not to be alone. If that doesn’t work for you, one of us can stay.”

  I jump at the chance. “Not necessary. I am where I want to be, and I won’t be leaving until she does.” Addison holds my eyes for a moment, and I make sure I don’t waver so she knows where I am coming from.

  “Good,” she whispers. “I will go let the others know.”

  After she walks away, I take a deep breath, trying to focus on what I need to do, and how to do it. All the focus in the world is not giving me the answers to those questions. So I stand and walk in.

  Chapter 9

  Cambree

  Once I finally got everyone to agree to get a hotel for the night, I sighed in relief. I think the deciding factor was the doctor telling them I would probably be released tomorrow, and I reminded them we had a long drive home. I won’t be able to drive for about seven days, per the doctor’s orders. He made my sisters promise to take us to our regular doctor to make sure there we no side effects but because there were no lingering symptoms besides being sore and bruised he felt I was safe to go home.

  We will all be in one car . . . how fun. I am wondering if I can talk Colby into putting Brielle and Addison on a plane so he and Tyler can drive me back. Tyler won’t be brave enough to suggest it, but Colby can handle Brielle. I thought I would be fine by myself for the night, I mean I am in a hospital, kind of makes kidnapping me hard, and there are security guards and a police officer around, but I feel the fear closing in on me.

  All the whispering and meetings in the hall are starting to irritate me. I wish someone would be up-front with me about what is happening. It happened to me after all. It makes me question why I didn’t fake amnesia when I woke up. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with Max, or my family at this moment.

  I haven’t processed exactly what happened to me. I gave my statement to the detective, and I replayed the story to my family, but I was disconnected through it all. Now, I am just scared. I don’t know what Brent wants with me. Hasn’t he caused enough pain already? Hell, he still has my brother. I wanted to go home before this happened, but now I want to be there more than ever. Yet, I feel like if he wants me that bad, I may bring danger to my family’s doorstep. They all assured me we would be safe.

  As all my muddled thoughts are running through my mind, I hear the door to my room open slowly and quietly. I hold my breath and think maybe if I don’t make a sound whoever is here won’t come in. I know it isn’t hospital staff because they throw the light on and barge right in. Pure terror is overcoming my body, and I feel as if I am going to pass out. The door shuts gently behind whoever entered, and I hear footsteps coming towards my bed. As they get closer, I finally release the breath I have been holding. I smell his cologne and know it is Max. I can’t stop the shaking that has overcome my body. Adrenaline and fear can be a bitch.

  He must notice my body shaking. I hear him mutter, “Shit, Camy. It is just me.”

  I turn my head and stare at him. “What are you doing back?”

  “You aren’t going to be alone tonight. I figured your sisters would have told you. I am sorry I scared you.” I can tell he is sincere with his words, and he looks crushed I was afraid of him.

  “Sorry, lasting impression I guess. You don’t have to stay in here. There are security and officers around. I am not your responsibility, Max.”

  “You aren’t my responsibility, but I do feel responsible for you and what happened today. If I hadn’t asked you to meet me, or upset you and made you run off, he wouldn’t have gotten to you.”

  “If it wasn’t today, it would have been some other time, and then you wouldn’t have been there to save me. Thanks for that.” I realize that I don’t think I ever said thank you, and that was such a lame attempt of gratitude. “Besides, it wasn’t necessarily you that upset me, just the situation. The fact that nobody is sharing with me about the status of Brent and what is happening is pissing me off.”

  He shakes his head. “We aren’t keeping anything from you. There is a process to go through and we are just trying to make sure you get better first. Go to sleep, Camy. Plenty of time to talk later, now you need rest. You are safe and I am not leaving.” It amazes me that those words ease the tension from my body. I don’t want him to be right, but he is. His presence makes me feel safe, and the guilt he is carrying around is totally unfounded. I don’t know how to alleviate that for him. Before he makes his way over to the couch, he asks, “Do you want me to put your phone next to you, I remember you have to listen to music to fall asleep.”

  It shouldn’t piss me off, but it does. He doesn’t get to remember the little things when he couldn’t share big things with me. I swear he has a switch that he knows how to flip on and off to get me riled up. He is so infuriating. “Not tonight, I just want quiet.” I am lying through my teeth, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing me so well.

  I hear a slight sigh, then my phone hits my bed. “Here, just in case.” He knew I was full of shit, but at least he had the decency to not call me out on the lie. “For someone who wants truth all the time, you sure know how to evade it.” Well, damn he called me ou
t. Passive-aggressive much?

  “Thanks,” I whisper to him. I turn over and set the music on low. I don’t want to bother him. “Waiting for Superman” by Daughtry starts playing, and I close my eyes. This time though, the attack isn’t going through my mind. His presence cocoons me in safety, and I will take that for just tonight.

  As the silence in the room settles, and I feel myself dozing, I hear, “I am not Superman, but I will protect you; heart, mind, and body.” It sounded like Max, but I must have already fallen asleep.

  Chapter 10

  Tyler

  Watching Addison struggle with what happened to Cambree was tough. Yes, it could have been worse, but also knowing what else is going down and having to keep it from her scares me. When, not if, she finds out I knew and was keeping secrets from her, I don’t see it ending well for me. But thinking of Colby and what he will have in store dealing with Brielle makes me thankful for what I will endure. Regardless, I know we are doing what is best for our families. I know in the end Addison will see this, and I am doing it to protect her. How many men say that? Hopefully it is the men still married with their families.

  Seeing Cambree bruised was hard. All I could think of was seeing her when she was seven and extremely cautious of what she did. She wasn’t the type to get dirty, or sweaty . . . just like Addison. I saw flashbacks of the cautious yet willful child she was, and I still see that indecision in her eyes. She wants something but hides from it. She won’t fully commit to putting herself first and going after what she deserves. Living in her sisters’ shadows, even though that wasn’t what they wanted, had to be tough. This past year when she found out about her parents’ history, she was lost. She regretted spending so much time wanting her parents in her life, and I think up until she knew the truth, she held a little resentment towards Addy and Brielle. It was totally justifiable, and even the girls agree. So many things between all of us could have been handled better, but the bottom line is that she and Dustin were loved and taken care of.