Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Your nephew. I thought you said that Gunner was your only living family member?” I questioned curiously.
“He is,” Parker admitted. “But it’s not for Gunner…it’s for Gunner’s son, Jett.”
“Gunner has a son?” I squeaked, surprised to hear that news.
I’d never heard anything about a son, and I watched a lot of baseball. One would think the announcers would mention it seeing as Gunner was so stinkin’ young.
“Had a son,” Parker said gruffly. “He was killed.”
“Killed?” I breathed.
Parker nodded once. “Killed. In a school shooting a few years ago.”
Suddenly, I started to think back to school shootings a few years ago, and only one came to mind that had happened in Florida.
“Oh, no,” I murmured.
If it was the one I was thinking about, it’d been a class of babies—four-year-olds—and quite a few of them had perished. There’d been three students in the hallway—from another class—that had died as well.
Sixteen children in total.
“Will Gunner be there?” I asked softly.
“Gunner won’t come,” Parker murmured. “He…can’t. One day, maybe he will. But that day hasn’t gotten here yet. It’s still too raw.”
I didn’t know what to say, and honestly, I couldn’t blame Gunner.
I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t do the same had I been in a similar situation—God forbid.
Chapter 18
Does anybody else get irrationally angry when they’re hungry or is that just me?
-Text from Kayla to Parker
Parker
We arrived in Florida at one. The ceremony was at two.
The ceremony was usually held at the football stadium since so many people came, and we headed straight there after getting off the interstate since there wasn’t really enough time to check into the hotel and get back to the stadium before it started.
And, because there would be so many people, I thought it’d be a good idea to get there early due to the lack of parking.
And, low and behold, my father had the same idea.
Dammit.
We pulled into a spot, got Carmen situated with a massive bone in the back seat, and started to walk inside. The entire time I was hoping my father wouldn’t see me.
Unfortunately, he did.
Dammit.
The moment we made eye contact, my father changed directions and started to head toward me.
“Swear to God,” I murmured under my breath to Kayla. “If you leave me because of them, I’m just going to chase after you and make you love me.”
Kayla’s eyes widened as she looked around, and immediately spotted the man and two women heading in our direction. “You wouldn’t have to work too hard.”
She looked back toward me with sympathy in her eyes.
Something passed between us, but before I could fully decipher what that might be, my father showed. His second wife, Ennis, was on one side, and I believe it was Marica, his fourth wife, on the other side.
Both wives had welcoming smiles. My father did not.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, no warmth at all in his voice.
“Why do you care?”
That wasn’t said by me. That was said by Kayla.
My lips twitched.
My father’s eyes narrowed in her. “Who are you?”
Kayla leaned into me. “I’m Parker’s fiancée, Kayla.”
The lie rolled off her tongue like hot butter in a warm skillet, and I was damned impressed that she didn’t choke on the words.
My father’s lip curled in disgust. “I guess the only one you could find was a naïve little girl straight out of high school?”
I found that amusing.
Kayla, however, most certainly did not.
“Listen here, bucko. I’m a grown ass adult, and have been for quite a while. I have an associate’s degree. And even if I am young, I had to do my growing up early. You have no right to judge me. You don’t know me,” she snapped.
Marica’s eyes widened in alarm. Ennis’s face turned hard. They were protective of my father. That’s why none of them had cared about me in the least. I’d never once been invited to Thanksgiving dinner. Or for Christmas morning presents and breakfast.
“For you to be with him, your judgment has to be lacking,” my father continued as if she hadn’t just defended herself. “What’s it to me if you ruin your life? He’s already ruined everyone else’s that was close to him.”
That dagger sank home deep. Just like he knew it would.
“When we have children, you will not know them,” Kayla said quietly. “A man who doesn’t love his son doesn’t get to love that son’s children. It’s sad, because you would’ve been their one and only grandparent. I don’t have a mother and father. They’re both gone. Parker’s mom is gone. I don’t have any siblings. He doesn’t have any either. You would’ve literally been it. Does it make you feel good that you’re taking that away from an innocent child?”
My father opened his mouth to reply but quickly closed it. What she said sank home for him as well.
That’s why he took care of Gunner after all. Gunner was his kindred spirit. Much like Gunner, my father’s own mother had passed. His own grandfather, who was now gone, too, was the one to take care of him.