She lifts her head and whispers, "How?"
"Well, for one thing, you can stop being a hateful bitch and start on being a better person. Instead of projecting your issues on other people, learn to deal with them. Take full accountability of your actions."
Her cheeks heat up, shame stealing her features. Then grudgingly, she nods. "I'll work on that."
"Good." I start to trot up the stairs again before remembering something. "Oh, and Peyton? Try pulling the same stunt you did with Liam on Parker, and I'm going to make sure you'll regret the day we met."
There's no way in hell I'm letting her take Parker from me. If she thinks I'm going to step back the way I did with Liam, she has another thing coming.
Her eyes widen at the threat, her mouth hanging open. Once again, I shocked her with my words.
"Don't you have a class to go to?" I say sweetly.
She's already scurrying downstairs in the next second.
I watch Peyton go, satisfied with myself, knowing full well she'll never bother me again. Maybe she'll listen to my advice. Or maybe she won't. Whatever. I don't care just as long as she stays away from me.
Not wanting to bump into anyone else, I glance up as I reach the last step—only to stop dead when I see Jamie smoking at the landing. How long has he been sitting there?
"How long have you been listening?" I ask, stopping in front of him.
"Long enough." He lifts a shoulder carelessly, taking a long drag of his cigarette, not giving a crap about the fact that smoking is not allowed inside the school. "That was good on you to tell her off, Pretty Girl. She needed to hear that."
I don't respond. But instead of heading to class, I drop down beside him. "I saw you and Carson together." I see him tense up from my periphery. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone. Not even Parker. Care to tell me what's going on with you two?"
"It's complicated," he simply says, exhaling a cloud of smoke over our heads.
I let out a dry laugh. "Isn't everything?"
"You and Parker don't have any complications."
"Not anymore. But in the beginning..."
"No shit," he scoffs. "That guy had no idea how to deal with you, especially after he let Liam take what was his."
My stomach twists with jealousy. "Are you talking about Peyton?"
He looks at me as if I'm dumb. "No. I'm talking about you."
I should be offended by the idea of being claimed by someone—and maybe if it was any other guy I would be. But hearing from Jamie what I already know—that Parker has always wanted me to be his—makes my heart explode with happiness and satisfaction.
I've always been his.
CHAPTER 28
Sawyer
The next few weeks pass by in a bliss. At least that's what it feels like to me. Not a day goes by that Parker and I are not spending time together. We're together in and out of school.
Sometimes he takes me out somewhere to eat. Like a couple days ago, we went to a Japanese restaurant right outside Holy Oaks. But most of the time, we're holed up in his house—watching movies or playing video games in his gaming room or swimming around in his pool. His friends often join us—and sometimes Aria, too—which annoys him.
He says he wants me all to himself, his teasing words making my stomach explode with butterflies. But then everything he says gives me the same feeling. Hell, his mere smile wreaks havoc on my insides. That's how bad I've got it for him.
But tonight we're doing things differently. Instead of me going to his house, Parker is coming over to mine to officially meet my family. It's only fair, considering I've already met his. Besides, Avery has been casually mentioning his name around Dad, and I knew it was just a matter of time before he started getting suspicious. The last thing I wanted was for him to find out the truth from other people—so here I am, nervously glancing at my phone to see if Parker is already on his way. Although I don't remember asking him to let me know.
But it's the polite thing to do, right?
"Will you relax? You're making me dizzy with all your fidgeting," Avery hisses from the loveseat.
I glare at her. "You know this is your fault. If you had kept your mouth shut about Parker, I wouldn't have been anxious about him coming over here right now."
She rolls her eyes. "Oh, please. I haven't told Dad anything. And are you seriously telling me you had no plans of introducing your new boyfriend to us?"
"Of course I had. It's just," I exhale a long breath, "isn't it too early to bring him here? I mean, we haven't been together for long—"
"Yet you're a lot happier than you ever were with Liam," she interrupts with an arched brow.
I blink at her. "How do you know that?"
"Because it shows. You basically glow whenever his name gets mentioned. Like hearing his mere name literally lights up a stick inside you."
I feel my cheeks burn. "Shut up."
My sister smirks then turns serious. "It's true though. So, yeah, now is the right time for us, especially Dad, to officially meet Parker."
A grin breaks across my face. I'm still nervous but her words make me feel a lot better.
As if on cue, the doorbell rings.
My eyes grow wide. "He's here."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go get your guy." She hops up to her feet. "I'll make sure dinner's ready."
"Avery," I say.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Any time, sis," she winks before heading toward the kitchen.
Taking a deep breath, I make my way to the door—but not before taking a quick glance in the hallway mirror. I've put on a light makeup, curled my hair a little and threw on a flirty sundress. I feel pretty, and I hope Parker agrees with that assessment.
He's standing on my front porch, wearing white button down shirt
