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“Shh, come here,” Parker soothes, his voice so velvety and calm, he almost sounds like a different person.
Untangling my own limbs, I crawl out of the corner and throw myself into his arms. He pulls me to his chest, and my sobbing only intensifies.
“It’s okay, you are safe. No one will hurt you,” he whispers sweet nothings into my hair as he strokes my back. Up and down, up and down. His touch is tender, gentler than I’ve ever felt.
“Did you call the police?” he asks after a moment.
“No,” I manage to say. Only then does it dawn on me. Why didn’t I call the cops? I was so scared, I thought Nate was going to rape me, beat me, and kill me. I had a phone, but I only called one person. Parker. The realization of that settles deep in my gut. What does that mean? Why did I call him when I should’ve called the cops?
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know.” And truly, I don’t. I don’t understand.
“Okay, let’s get you upstairs,” Parker coos. “We’ll talk more then.”
“Will you stay with me?” No way can I be alone right now.
“Of course.” Parker half carries me, holding up most of my weight as we climb the flight of stairs up to my room. We picked up my clutch and shoes on the way. Once we are in the room, I head straight for my bed, crawling under the blanket, and curl up in the fetal position.
Parker slides in a moment later, pulling me to his body. His warmth engulfs me, and I know I’m safe, for now.
Cupping me by the cheek, we stare at each other. The moment is intimate and makes me feel closer to him than I ever have before. “What happened?”
Then it hits me. All at once, I realize just how wrong I was. That I really did screw this up, that I really did hurt an innocent person. “Oh, my god, Parker. Nate… he told me that he did it. He told me he was the one who hurt my sister.”
“What?” Parker growls into my face, his whole body tensing, his eyes growing dark, and for a moment, I think he is going to get up, yell at me, maybe even hurt me himself. After all, I’m the reason his brother is in prison right now. I testified against him, helped put him there, though now, it’s obvious it was a lie. Brett is innocent and Nate… I shiver.
“I swear, Parker, I thought it was Brett, I saw him… and my sister together, and she swore it was him. I had no reason to doubt her. Why would she lie? Why would anybody lie about this? I-I just don’t understand. Nothing makes sense.”
Every time I think I calm down a little, my sobbing and shaking intensifies again. To my utter shock, Parker holds me closer, instead of pushing me away. It’s like he knows how much I need him, how broken and alone I am.
“Shh, we’ll figure it out. Everything is going to be okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
For the first time ever, I completely give myself over to him. I have never been so vulnerable and bare before him. I feel raw, all my walls are down. He holds my fragile heart in the palm of his hand, and I can’t help but wonder if he knows that too. Does he know that right now, he could crush my soul with the smallest touch?
18
Parker
She lied. Maybe not of her own volition, but by omission. As I lie in her bed, listening to her snoring softly, I can’t help but wonder where that leaves us. My brother is innocent, which I always knew. He’ll finally be free, but only after sitting in jail for two years. I should be throttling Willow, telling her that I always knew she was a liar, but instead of feeling angry, I’m sad.
Sad for my brother, sad for Willow, and as pitiful as it might sound, sad for myself. I check the time and read what I’m sending my father over again. It’s three o’clock in the morning when I hit send. I know he won’t care what time it is. Next, I email our lawyers, they might care what time it is, but we pay them well enough for it not to matter.
Time ticks by at the slowest pace ever, and no matter how many times I close my eyes, I can’t fall asleep. My mind is running a million miles a minute, without an end in sight. All I can think about is getting Brett out.
At six in the morning, my phone dings with an email from my father, telling me that everything is set to go. For some reason, my stomach tightens, maybe with fear, or nervousness, I don’t know. Willow hasn’t moved next to me, and because I haven’t been able to sleep, I’ve spent most of the night watching her sleep like a creeper.
