Page 66 of No Turning Back
I swallow. “Well… the main characters are friends, and then…”
“And then?” he prompts, leaning closer.
I open my mouth, only to snap it shut when Sam’s phone buzzes.
He lingers there a moment, as if debating whether to ignore it. Then he leans back with a frustrated sigh. “It’s Parker. They’re leaving.”
The spell shatters. I draw in a shaky breath as he gets to his feet and dusts himself off.
“I’ll come with,” I say quickly, pushing myself up too.
By the time we make it back to the house, Martinez is in the driver’s seat, headlights cutting across the yard. Parker lingers by the front door, hands shoved in his pockets.
Sam says, “I’m gonna say bye to Emmett,” and heads toward the truck. I make my way up the porch steps and drop onto the first one.
Parker slides down beside me with a sigh. “So he told you.”
I nod. “Yeah. Why didn’t you?”
He stares out into the dark for a long moment before answering. “When?”
I smile sadly. “I messed up, huh?”
His arm drapes across my shoulders, gentle, familiar. “You didn’t mess up. You were dealt a bad hand and you reacted. That’s all.”
My throat tightens. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “For shutting you out back then. I just…”
“I get it,” Parker cuts in softly. “You were hurting. And you lashed out. We all would’ve.”
I turn to him, studying the lines in his face, the man he’s become. A small, broken smile escapes me. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Parker exhales, his arm tightening just a little around my shoulders. “Because I still care about you, Quinn. Always will.”
Then his tone shifts, steady but sharper. “But you can’t keep doing this. Pushing people away. Pretending you don’t need anyone, then getting angry when you feel left behind.”
I flinch, the words cutting deeper than I want them to.
He meets my eyes, calm but unflinching. “We didn’t replace you. Not then. Not now. But you built that wall, Quinn. And you left us on the other side.”
The silence hangs between us, thick and heavy.
“I’m sorry for hurting you,” is the only thing I can manage.
Parker nods toward the yard where Sam stands. “You hurt him more than you realize.”
I shrug. “He hasn’t said anything.”
“He’ll never say anything,” Parker replies quietly. “He loves you too much for that.”
My chest tightens. “I love him too,” I whisper. “All of you guys.”
Parker exhales, shaking his head with a half-smile. “When will the two of you figure it out?”
The sharp honk of the truck horn breaks the moment. Martinez leans out the window, gesturing.
Parker groans. “We should go. We left the kids with Emmett’s mom.”
My eyes widen. “You have kids?”
