Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley 4)

A fight.

“Fuck you,” I spat. “Get off me. I need to go find Erin.”

“She’s not here,” he said in a low voice. “Take a fucking breath.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, asshole.”

He moved my wrists together so he could brush a lock of hair out of my eye with his free hand. “I didn’t do this,” he promised softly. “I didn’t do this.”

I stared into those familiar eyes, eyes that reminded me of the forests near Aster Valley because they captured every shade of green at once, and knew he was telling the truth.

“What happened?” I asked again. This time, reality set in. I remembered Parker worrying last night that Erin had been acting funny. I remembered my sister outside Erin’s room with the same story of cold feet.

“She broke up with me. In a letter.”

“Where is she?” I asked, yanking my wrists out of his grip and pushing him off me so I could go find her and talk some sense into her.

“Denver.”

I got to my feet and froze. “What?”

He nodded without taking his eyes off me. “It’s over, Jules. For real this time.”

All at once, a flood of memories washed in. Parker spending the night after homecoming and telling me the date had been fine, but he didn’t “like her like that.” Parker calling me from college and telling me Erin had shown up unannounced and begged to go to a drinking party. He’d laughed and told me it was like corrupting a sister. Parker calling me from his first year of pro skiing and telling me he didn’t know how to tell Erin he wanted to focus on his career instead of a relationship. Me calling Parker from grad school to ask why I hadn’t heard from him in weeks and finding out it was because of his guilt over breaking up with her again.

At every turn, he’d been the one to resist their relationship.

So I’d just assumed he’d been the one to end it this time.

I looked around at Erin’s and my parents’ faces of shock, at Hazel and the other bridesmaids, who looked confused, and at the two other groomsmen, who’d made themselves comfortable with a beer at the bar.

“Fuck,” I said.

Parker snorted. “I guess that’s about right.” He tentatively pressed fingers against his jaw where I’d landed the punch.

I batted his hand away and pulled him to his feet, then stepped in closer to investigate the damage. It was already looking red, and there was a smeared dab of blood from where his lip had split. I ignored the familiar scent of his cologne. “Dammit,” I muttered. “I’m sorry. Let’s get some ice on that.”

“It’s okay.”

“None of this is okay,” I said, turning to the bartender to ask for a bag of ice.

Meanwhile, Erin’s dad stepped up. “What’s going on?”

Before Parker could answer, I beat him to it. “Rod, Erin changed her mind about the wedding.”

“What?” Rod looked between me and Parker before settling on Parker. “Did you talk to her? What did she say? Where is she?”

Parker sighed. “She broke up with me in a letter slipped under my door while I was showering. She wouldn’t take my call, but I texted with her a little. She’s back in Denver already.”

“Did she say why?”

Erin’s mom walked up next to Rod and leaned into his side. He slipped an arm around her and held her close. Hazel’s arms were crossed, and her jaw tightened in a familiar expression of anger and hurt.

Clearly, Erin hadn’t confided in her.

Parker reached for the ice I handed him and held it to his jaw. “Get one for your hand,” he murmured at me before turning back to Erin’s parents. “She said she wasn’t ready to settle down and wanted time to…” He sighed. “I don’t know. Try new things. Adventures. Something like that. I don’t really remember much after the not getting married part.”

“What does that mean?” Rod asked.

Parker shot me a pleading look, so I took over. “It means Parker just basically got left at the altar and shouldn’t be the one explaining why. Maybe you should try calling Erin.”

Lorraine didn’t look nearly as surprised as everyone else when she stepped forward to give Parks a hug. “You’re right, sweetie. I’m so sorry, Parker. But maybe this is for the best.”

Rod shook his head. “She’ll come around. Everyone gets nervous before the big day.”

Parker hugged Lorraine back. “I don’t think so.” His jaw began to wobble, and his eyes filled up. When Lorraine pulled back, my own mom grabbed Parker to give him comfort. These two women were the closest things he had to a loving mother, and he loved my dad and Rod like fathers. Being comforted by the four of them would be both wonderful and excruciating for him.

I grabbed Parker away from my mom’s tight grip and pulled him toward the hotel lobby and out of the bar.