AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wish I could fall through a hole to the Earth’s core. Things are so tense, and awkward, and to make matters worse, I can’t help how attracted I am to him. He’s more muscular than I was envisioning, his sharp features emphasize his size. However, I’m kinda pissed Penelope dragged me all the way up here when he apparently didn’t agree to this situation. Parker moves closer to Penelope and seems even more significant when standing next to his little children.
“I can do fine by myself,” Parker fires back. Penelope glares at him with her arms crossed over her chest, unmoving.
“You’re not all by yourself, though,” Penelope argues. She glances down at the kids. Jackson looks petrified while Evie looks curious. “Why don’t you two go inside with Kacee while I talk to your dad, alright?”
“Okay,” Evie says, holding her hand out for me. Parker glares at me but doesn’t say anything as I step around him and let the kids lead me into the house.
I pause in the doorway, then turn back to face Parker. I don’t know where I get this burst of strength, but I ride it anyways. “I’m sorry if you weren’t expecting me. I didn’t mean to surprise you or anything.”
Parker looks at me, then turns away, effectively brushing me off. I try n
ot to feel upset as I continue following Evie and Jackson into the cabin. Once in the living room, I try to hide my frown, then glance down at the two kids standing in front of me. They’re looking up at me like they’ve never met another person before.
“Hi,” I offer.
“Hi,” she replies with a smile. “I’m Evie. I’m six.” She motions to her brother. “This is Jackson. He’s my little brother, and he’s five.”
“Hi,” Jackson offers. I grin at him and lean down to shake his hand, then Evie’s.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I say. “Sorry if I upset you. I didn’t know you weren’t expecting me.”
“That’s okay,” Evie says, shrugging as if it’s no big deal to her. I realize she’s probably the mouthpiece between the two siblings. “Daddy doesn’t like visitors.” Evie giggles while covering her hands over her mouth.
“I’ll be gone soon enough, I’m sure,” I tell her with a smile.
“I hope not,” Jackson says. He glances over at his older sister.
“We like when Auntie Penelope visits,” Evie explains. “Are you really her best friend?”
“I am.” I smile. They both look excited, and Evie reaches out a hand for me to take. I do, and the little girl leads me to the couch.
“Don’t worry about Daddy,” Evie tells me. “Sometimes he just gets mad or sad at people. But he’s really nice.”
“That’s good,” I say. I can hear Parker and Penelope arguing outside, but I settle for pretending I can’t. I look around the living room and notice the high ceilings and the lit fireplace. The couch is worn-in and comfortable, and I can see the kitchen from where I’m sitting. Jackson sits down on a woven rug on the floor in front of the fireplace while Evie jumps up onto the couch to sit next to me.
“What do you kids do for fun up here in the mountains?” I ask, figuring it’s a safe enough question to start with. Evie and Jackson turn to each other excitedly.
“We play games!” Evie exclaims, already starting to climb off the couch. “Do you want to play one?”
“What kind of a game?” I ask with a chuckle.
“A board game!” Evie tells me. “We have all sorts of board games in the closet. We play them every day. Do you want to?”
“Sure,” I say in agreement, and Evie sprints to a closet set back against the farthest wall. She digs around for a bit while Jackson hops around excitedly. I glance back at the door, wondering with a little bit of dread what’s happening on the other side, but instead of worrying, I turn my attention back to the kids. I can tell they’re craving interaction outside of family and less than five minutes with them, I already know I want to be the one to stay and help them. If only Parker allows me to.
3
Parker
As soon as the door closes behind Kacee, Penelope turns on me. I’m ready for it, of course, but I’m worked up and angry, and more than ready to argue with her.
“You know, you came off like a total jerk,” Penelope shouts.
I throw my hands up in the air. “Good! What were you thinking, bringing a stranger up here like that after you know how I feel about that? You weren’t thinking, that’s the problem.”
“She’s not a stranger, she’s my best friend,” Penelope argues. “You never met her because you live like a hermit and refuse to visit me.”
“I live in the mountains for a good reason,” I snap. “You just said you were coming back up, you didn’t say you were bringing another person with you. What if she was crazy or something? Or the kids don’t like her?”
