"Just a tiny bit," she slurs, motioning with her fingers.
I glance over to Brayden. He’s now full-on making out with his new guy. Which means he’ll be preoccupied the whole night. Which means I'll be the one to drive Quinn home later.
She reaches for my Corona, but Bennett grabs her arm to stop her. "I think you've had enough, Peters."
"I think you should mind your own business, King,” she snaps. “Also, get your damn hand off me. Fuck knows where it’s been."
Bennett’s jaw ticks and he pulls his hand back. “Whatever. Get your ass drunk. I’m not your keeper.”
“Is it just me or is it like watching some sort of foreplay?” Aria interjects, looking intrigued as her gaze flips back between Quinn and Bennett.
“Just you,” the two of them reply at the same time before glaring at each other.
Aria lets out a delighted cackle. “I knew hanging out with you guys wouldn’t be boring.”
“Who said we’d be boring?” Giovanni chuckles.
Parker mutters something incoherent under his breath. He definitely has his hands full.
Wanting to ease his frustration, I take his hand and encase it in mine on my lap.
He shifts his gaze to me, the furrow between his brows disappearing, his eyes softening.
My heart flutters in my chest. I'll never get tired of seeing that look on his face. A look only reserved for me. A look that I hope will never go away.
Here's to hoping that nothing will ever change that.
CHAPTER 26
Parker
Making my way to the kitchen, a chuckle escapes me as I read Sawyer's last text. It's a GIF of a little girl sticking her tongue out. I never thought I'd be amused by something so silly, but here I am.
But then, it's Sawyer. She can send me all the silliest GIFs in the world and I'll no doubt be amused by every single one of them.
I'm such a sucker for that girl. My girl.
The words turn my chuckle into a full-fledged grin. Something that rarely happened in the past. Something I realize I've been doing a lot lately. And it's all because of her.
She makes me smile, and she makes me so goddamn happy I'm starting to wonder why the hell I ever denied myself of this, why I waited for her to make the first move—that last part I'll never live down. And now that we're finally together, damn if I'll let her slip through my fingers a second time.
Perhaps I'm being selfish by being with her, for going after something I'm not sure I'm allowed to have. But just the mere thought of not being with her has my chest tightening in protest, making it hard to breathe.
Letting her go will never be an option. I'll just have to learn how to juggle my responsibilities along with having a girlfriend. It shouldn't be that hard, considering I've done it before.
Besides, Sawyer knows where my priorities lie. She perfectly understands my situation, unlike Peyton. That's one of the things I love about her.
Tension rises on my shoulders at that thought. Is that what I really feel for her? I know I've always wanted her, but love?
I don't get the chance to dwell on it. My attention is drawn by the scene in the kitchen. It's a scene I thought I'd never see again.
"Parker, look! Mom cooked dinner," Ethan exclaims, beaming as he shovels food into his mouth.
"Ethan inhaled most of the beef, but there are some mushrooms left," Aria snickers, earning a toothy grin from Ethan.
I ignore them, my eyes shifting to the woman sitting at the head of the kitchen island.
Mom gives me a warm smile. "Parker, sweetie, join us. Dinner's already getting cold."
"You cooked," I say slowly.
Even as those words leave me, I'm not entirely sure that my mother is really in the kitchen, looking the most sober she's been in years. Instead of the silk robe she usually wears, she's in a dark green dress, and her light brown hair is swept up in a tight bun.
How is this possible? Why does she suddenly look put-together? People with addiction don't magically go back to their old selves. So, what's going on here?
She lets out a timid smile. "I just missed cooking. It's been a while."
"Tell me about it," I mutter under my breath, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Aria.
Conversation flows easily—at least between the three of them. I remain quiet, merely observing as they talk. It doesn't escape me that Aria and Ethan are hanging on to Mom's every word, eager to hear what she's going to say, looking the happiest they've been in years. It's the only thing that's keeping me from firing questions at our mother. Because this is too good to be true, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.
I get the opportunity a couple hours later, when my siblings finally distance themselves from her. A damn good thing, too. Because I catch her in her room staring at the pill bottle in her hand.
"What are you doing?"
I knew dinner was too good to be true. I knew she'd fall back to her old habits. But as much as I hate to admit it, there was a part of me that hoped. Hoped that she truly changed. Hoped that she was back to the way she was.
Now, that hope has effectively died down.
Startled, Mom jerks her head up. But instead of guilt—which I expected to see—there are tears in her eyes, her features distraught.
In two long strides, I'm right next to her. And that's when I notice that she's trembling. "It's okay," I say gruffly, prying the pill bottle from her shaking hand.
"Take it away. Flush it down the toilet. Get it away from me, please," she sobs, gripping a fistful of my shirt.
The desperate plea in her voice squeezes my chest, making it hard to breathe. Seeing my mother looking so small and broken
