“You’re sweet, Melody. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” I insist, fingers curling at my sides. “Nobody’s heart is wrong. We’re given the heart that is meant for us, and if someone else doesn’t see the beauty in it, it’s not meant for them.”
Something flashes in her eyes, something brief yet poignant. It’s like she’s drinking in my words and soaking them up, absorbing their truth. But then it flickers, fades away, replaced by something else. Defeat, maybe.
I’m angry in that moment. Violently angry. I’m furious at every unfit woman in the world who claims the title of “mother” when they are anything but. They are not a guidance or warmth or nurturing hug. They’re a disease. They infect vulnerable, innocent children, poisoning them with untruths and cruel delusions, branding them with scars they will carry forever.
Parker’s mother.
Amelia’s mother.
Even Charlie’s mother, with her wicked words and sharp tongue, after she had once told me that I was like a daughter to her.
I’m angry in that moment, I’m so angry at mothers like that, but I’m also grateful.
I’m immensely grateful for mine.
Amelia reaches out her hand, giving my upper arm a gentle squeeze as her coffee dings with readiness. “I’m really glad to know you, Melody.”
A tear slips out just as Parker saunters up to our twosome, his attention shared between the both of us. “You okay?”
I’m not sure which one of us he’s asking, but I respond with a tight nod.
“I’ll leave you two alone now,” Amelia says, securing the plastic lid on her Styrofoam cup, her violet gaze assessing us, a slim trace of joy sparkling through the sadness. “Have a nice evening.”
Parker clears a hitch in his throat, scuffing his shoe along the linoleum. “See you next week, Amelia.”
His words seem to halt her retreat, and she falters, neck craning to spare him a final glance. “You said my name,” she responds through a grin. “Instead of Emo Chick.”
“Oh, uh…” Parker stuffs his hands into his pockets, shuffling in place. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Thank you.”
Amelia shares her smile with me, and then she’s gone, pushing through the double doors with her veil of midnight hair trailing behind her.
Turning to Parker, I nibble my lip, swiping away the fallen tear. He’s glowering at the doors that fall shut, but his expression is wrinkled with confusion as opposed to hostility. I take his hand in mine, and he flinches at the contact, his instinct to pull back—but he doesn’t. He allows me to interlace our fingers together as his gaze trails back to me. I smile up at him, then lead him out those same doors Amelia just disappeared through.
We traipse through the parking lot, hand-in-hand, and it’s such a simple thing, holding the hand of someone you care about. But with Parker, it feels like a big thing. I catch him glancing down at our interlocked palms every now and then as the hot summer air coasts along our faces, and when we reach my car, I’m reluctant to let go.
Turning to face him, I maintain our hold. “Do you want to go do something? Maybe grab dinner?”
“Dinner?”
“Yes… you know, so we can talk. Spend time together.”
Parker blinks at me, the glow of the burgundy horizon reflecting in his green orbs. “Like a date?”
My smile is instant, just like the colony of butterflies that awaken in my belly, their wings dancing and dizzy. I nod up at him. “Sure. A date.”
“Oh…” His unoccupied hand snakes back to scratch at the nape of his neck, his eyes darting around the parking lot, as if he might find his answer there. When they float back to me, it appears he did. “Yeah, okay.”
“Really?”
“I don’t see why not. I worked up a bit of an appetite earlier.”
His subsequent wink might as well be an arrow to my heart. My balance teeters. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Parker releases my hand, raising both palms to cup my face, gently pushing me back against the trunk of my car. Jade eyes swallow me up, leaving just enough for his lips to taste. Our mouths lock beneath a painted sky, my heart thundering in my chest, stunned by his unexpected kiss. And when his tongue dips out to flick along my bottom lip, a request for entry, I oblige with my own starved tongue, and we lose ourselves for a few blissful seconds.
Pulling back with a low groan, Parker dusts his thumb along my cheekbone. “Maybe after dinner we can go back to your place. I seem to be insatiable lately.”
My insides clench with anticipation. I drift away for a moment, fantasizing about a future that feels within reach. A fresh start.
A new man.
The concept is both compelling and… difficult.
I never truly believed there was any hope left after Charlie. The prospect of a new relationship, a different man in my bed, was harrowing, and it drenched me in guilt. Even now, a touch of doubt pinches at me, trying to sneak inside my healing heart.
But this feels right.
I don’t know why—I don’t know why I’m so drawn to this mysterious man with towers of baggage and high walls, but I’m determined to break through each and every barrier.
One smile at a time.
A grin pulls at my cheeks, and I lift up on my tiptoes, breathing my reply against his parted lips before I lean in for another kiss. “Sounds perfect.”
We officially had our first date.
I feel giddy, like a schoolgirl with a crush. Parker trails behind me in his pick-up truck as we make the respective drive over to my house from the Mexican restaurant, and the smile hasn’t left my face since we shared an order of flan and a parting kiss.
Parker likes flan.
He also likes burritos.
And spicy salsa.
Honestly, I think he just likes food.
Memories of the last hour embrace me with warmth as I pull up to the red light right before my subdivision. We didn’t do a lot of talking, but that didn’t bother me, and our gaps of silence were more reflective than awkward. Parker felt notably out of place, unsure of how to act or what to say, but the fact that he tried—that he agreed to the date, to spend time with me, was enough.
I asked him about his sister. Her name is Bree, and apparently, she’s a robot. She works long hours in the medical field, yet she still finds time to help Parker with his construction business. She’s always going out of her way to help people, especially him, and it tickles my heart to know that he’s had someone in his corner throughout his life.
I can’t wait to meet her.
The light turns green, and I glance at his headlights behind me, reflected in my rearview mirror. I’m swept up in a swarm of flighty nerves as my mind wanders to the future events of the evening. Should I take him into my bed or use the guestroom? I’m not sure how I feel about bringing Parker into the bed I shared with Charlie.
Maybe I should get a new bed.
I’m in auto-pilot mode as I make my way down the familiar street that leads to my house, approaching the driveway. Parker follows a car-length behind, pulling in and parking beside me when we reach our destination.
Heaving in a calming breath, I yank the keys from the ignition, swipe my purse, then exit the vehicle as the dusky evening air wafts around me, sending a tingle of excitement up my spine.