Bare Hearts (7 page)

“I don’t think I‘ll be seeing him again, though.”

“You’ve been through a lot these last few weeks. Maybe you should just take some time for yourself,” she says, putting her arm around my shoulders.

“You’re right; I think I will go for a walk around the neighborhood.” Though taking time for myself is hard to do.

*****

It’s been nearly a week since I have last seen Parker. The hurt from losing my mom has lessened and my life is getting back to normal. But the picture of Parker and I on the rollercoaster remains on my nightstand. He is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. I often wonder if he thinks about me.

It’s Saturday, and after I eat some lunch, I change into my workout clothes to go for a walk. It always helps to clear my head. I grab my water bottle, but when I open the door there he stands in all his gorgeous glory. Pulling the door shut behind me, I step outside, but I don’t speak. I know he’s here for a reason.

“I’m only going to say this once, so pay close attention.” His hair looks as if he just ran his hands through it, kind of like bed head hair, and his eyes continue to pierce through mine, right down to my soul.

“Tell me you don’t feel anything for me and I’ll go. You won’t have to ever see me again.” He stands in front of me; his brows are furrowed and the look on his face is serious.

I swallow a lump in my throat. My mouth is dry and my heart is racing. I’m floored that he showed up, demanding me to face my fears. The freckles along his nose and cheeks are very prominent with the sun’s glow. “Are you done?” I ask him placing a hand on my hip.

“Actually no, I’m not. We’ve both suffered a loss, and were basically forced to grow up. We are supposed to be partying, living carefree, experimenting with things, and doing whatever twenty-two year olds do. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards for us. But if there’s one thing I do know, there’s something between us. I feel it just standing here. But I swear to god if you deny it I will walk away; just say the word, Lily. Now I’m done.”

I move closer to him, slowly inching my body closer and closer. He doesn’t move. “What happens when you re-enlist? What then? I can’t take another loss; I don’t have it in me.”

“I said I was thinking about it but if something came up to keep me here I wouldn’t go. Just say the word, Lily,” he whispers moving closer and gripping the back of my neck while cupping the side of my face. His mouth is mere centimeters from mine and I can feel his hot breath on me. “Say it, Lily. Tell me you want me to stay,” he whispers, looking deeply into my eyes.

“Stay,” the words edge out of my mouth in barely a whisper.

“Say it again, Lily. I want to make sure you heard it yourself.”

“I said, stay,” I say a little louder.

His lips collide with mine as he grips my face with both his hands. My head is spinning and the butterflies are dancing in my stomach. I couldn’t deny there is something there between us. We both know something is there.

“You are all I’ve thought about this past week. I couldn’t handle another day without seeing you and knowing how you felt.” His forehead rests against mine. “Let’s at least see where this goes.”

“Okay,” I say with a smile.

“Just don’t run again,” he commands.

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Now, are you going to let me take you out on a date tonight, or are we just going to stand here goo-goo eyeing each other.”

“You’re lucky I’m hungry,” I say with a smile.

“Go get ready, I’ll wait in the car,” he says.

Walking back in the house, I catch my Aunt crying on the couch.

“What on earth?” I say, looking at her with concern.

“I didn’t mean to spy, but you didn’t pull the door all the way shut and I couldn’t help but overhear you both. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” she says. “And you’re lucky you agreed to go out with him, because I was ready to throw myself at him if you didn’t.”

“Well, thank god for that.” I giggle.

Then we both howl, laughing hysterically. Seriously, there must be something in the water around here. I go upstairs to take a shower and get ready. Who knows where we will end up, so after my shower I opt for a pair of skinny jeans and a loose off the shoulder top paired with my black heels. I let my hair hang down my back while adding some light makeup to my face.

“Oh, don’t you look lovely,” my aunt says, standing up as I descend the stairs.

“Oh, my, gosh, it’s just a date, not senior prom,” I say, rolling my eyes but smiling at her.

She grabs my face, kissing both cheeks. “You two kids have fun.”

Walking outside, I see Parker leaning against his car. His arms are crossed over his broad chest and his ankles are crossed over each other. Sexy. As. Hell. And he’s mine.

“You look beautiful,” he says as he opens the passenger door for me, his blue eyes sparkling.

“Thanks,” I say sweetly, smiling brightly.

Five minutes later, we are at his place. I leisurely roam around the living room while he gets ready for our date. There are various pictures of his mom and dad during what I presume to be happier times. I pick each one up and examine it more closely, making sure to put it back in its original place. Each picture features his mom with a bright smile. He obviously gets his features, black hair and light blue eyes from her. However, his stature and strong jaw line come from his father. His father was a good looking man, at least in the pictures. There is a few of a younger Parker. He was very cute kid, and now he is just smoking hot.

I take a seat on the couch, and the memory of the last time I was on here brings a smile to my face and I bite my lower lip, remembering every single detail of what happened until I had freaked. Any girl in my position probably would have. I’ve only had one serious boyfriend in my life and look how that turned out.

“Okay, you ready?” Parker says, bounding down the stairs. He’s changed into a pair of jeans and a nice dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. His hair is still a little wet from his shower. I love the way his hair is messy on top, while the sides and back is shorter than the rest.

“I’m ready,” I say, standing up and hoping my cheeks aren’t flushed in a bright pink hue. He grabs his keys, and we head back out to his car and he opens the door for me once more.

“Do you like Italian food?” He asks as he slides behind the wheel, looking all types of sexy.

“Uh, yeah, I’m half Italian,” I say as a matter of fact.

“Oh really,” he says with pique interest. “De Luca, right?” He asks.

“My father is Italian,” I say.

“Is he in the picture?” He asks.

Just before I answer, we pull into an Italian restaurant that I recognize. I’ve been here on one other occasion; when I graduated college my mom took me to celebrate. Inside, the host takes us to a quiet section of the restaurant. The ambiance is romantic with candles lit on the tables, white tablecloth, and the silverware shines in the candlelight. It is perfect for couples even though I have been here with my mom and we enjoyed ourselves.

“You did well. The food here is phenomenal,” I say, glancing over the menu.

“You’ve been here before?” He asks, looking away from the menu.

“Once when I graduated college; my mom brought me here for a celebratory dinner.”

The waiter approaches, offering us the specials for the day and takes our drink order. I order the baked ziti, while Parker orders the baked manicotti. We both order a glass of red wine to go with the meal.

“So, I asked before. Do you have any contact with your father?” He asks once the waiter leaves.

“No,” I say, taking a piece of bread out of the basket to stuff in my mouth, so I can avoid the topic. My father is last person I want to talk about.
What if Parker knows the truth about him, and what would he think of me? I wonder how things would change. Would he still like me for me?

Chapter Twelve

“Is that all you’re going to give me?” I ask. I know there is something deeper when it comes to him. She avoided it earlier, but she had no choice but to answer.

“For now, yes; I just don’t like talking about him,” she tells me with a somber look in her eyes. I decide to drop the subject for now.

Inside, I am glad that I made the decision to pay her a visit at home and confronting her about my feelings. I knew, deep down, she wouldn’t be able to deny the attraction between us. If she did, I would have declared her crazy and had her committed. Luckily, we didn’t have to go with such an extreme measure.

The food arrives and we waste no time getting right to it. I grab a forkful of food and my mouth instantly dances from all of the flavors. “You were right; this is amazing,” I say, pointing to the food with my fork.

“I told you,” she says smiling.

We have a light conversation in between bites, when all of sudden Lily stops chewing her food mid-chew. A look of shock spreads across her face as her eyes lock onto something or someone in the corner of the room.

“What is it Lily? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I ask, concerned and looking in the same direction.

“We need to leave. That man over there is my father,” she says, pointing in his direction, as she continues chewing her mouthful of food. I look in that direction, as she is already waving the waiter down.

“Can we get this to go?” She asks, looking up at the waiter.

The waiter disappears to grab to-go-boxes. Before I can ask why she wants to leave, she tilts her head to the side to shield her face to keep her father from seeing her. Unfortunately he is already walking over toward our table. Here I am, confused as hell, because she didn’t want me to know anything about him.

As he approaches the table, I see he has on a dark suit. She definitely has his thick dark hair and big brown eyes. He is every bit Italian.

“Lily, is that you? Well I’ll be damn if it isn’t my only daughter.” He says, bending down toward her. I can already tell he is cocky. She tilts her head back up, faking a smile; I can tell it’s fake. It’s a grit your teeth kind of fake.

“It’s me, in the flesh. What are you doing here?” She asks flatly, as the waiter brings the to-go boxes.

“My baby all grown up. I just got out. And I heard about your mother. I’m so sorry.” He lightly rubs her cheek with a finger, and she moves her head to keep him from touching her. “Is this your boyfriend?” He asks while pointing at me.

“Yes, I am,” I say before she can answer. I feel my jaw clinch.
This guy is a total creep.

“Good to meet you. I’m Tony.” He holds his hand out to shake mine. I look at it, and then back up at him. Instead of shaking his hand, Lily and I get up to leave.

“We were just leaving. I suggest you don’t bother me,” she says coldly. Clearly, there is history with these two that runs deeper than I initially thought.

She stands and I follow close behind. Once we reach the car and get inside I ask her, “What the hell was that?”

“That is my father. He just got out of prison,” she turns her face, looking out the window.

“Prison; what the hell was he in there for?” I ask, concerned.

“Parker, he is in the mob. The less you know the better. He is not a good guy; in all kinds of illegal shit.”

“Is he dangerous? I’m not comfortable leaving you at your house if he is, or your aunt for that matter.”

“We’ll be fine,” she tells me.

“Lily, you need to tell me what I’m dealing with. Talk to me; now is the time to let me know,” I tell her.

“I told you, he’s into illegal shit; got locked up for it. Yes, he can be dangerous if you piss him off. He got locked up when I was around eight years old. I talked back to him once and he back handed me, and then he beat the living shit out of my mom. I was so happy when he got caught and got locked up. I thought he’d be out of our lives forever.”

To hear that story and what she’s been through, I just want to wrap my arms around her to make everything okay. Her words emanated pain and suffering.

“Maybe you and your aunt can stay at my house,” I suggest.

“Absolutely not. I will not be fearful of that man again. I am a grown woman now, and he can’t hurt me.”

“Then let me be clear, I’m staying at your house, just as a precaution,” I say, insisting.

“Fine, I’m sure my aunt won’t mind. I probably should try to get my aunt out of town, just to be on the safe side.”

I’m pleased she doesn’t put up an argument. “That might be a good idea, since we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” I say. “It kills me to know you’ve been through such horror. I want to protect you if something does go down,” I tell her.

I pull into my driveway, so I can pick up a change of clothes. “Wait here; I’ll be right back,” I say, closing the car door behind me.

Inside my place, I grab a change of clothes as quick as I can. In a flash I’m back in the car driving us to her place. Hopefully, her aunt won’t mind.

“I called my aunt while you were inside to let her know what’s going on. She is fine with you coming over,” she says. “Matter of fact, don’t be surprised if she gushes over you. She threatened to throw herself at you if I hadn’t agreed to go out with you today.”

I chuckle. “That is some funny shit. It’s a good thing you agreed to go out with me then.” I say trying to lighten the mood.

She smiles, but is silent the rest of the drive to her place. I know she is thinking about him, and it kills me to know what she’s been through.

Once we pull into the driveway, we make our way inside. Her aunt greets us as soon as we go in. She hugs me, kissing each of my cheeks, then doing the same with Lily, embracing her into a hug.

“Aunt Becca, you should probably head out of town. We don’t know what he is up to. And I’d hate to see you put in danger. I’ve already lost my mom,” Lily tells her Aunt.

“Do you think he scares me, because he doesn’t? I dare him to step foot on this property. You two kids go on and get settled in and I’ll lock up,” she insists, shooing us up the stairs.