My Forever Read online

  “So what do you have planned for you big day?” I asked Parker later that day when he stopped by.

  “I don’t know—what do you want to do?” Parker looked at me expectantly.

  “Parker, it’s not my birthday. If there was one thing you wanted to do on your birthday, anything at all, what would it be?” I pushed, crossing my arms in front of my body.

  “I just want to spend time with you,” he answered simply, grabbing at my hips.

  I giggled, pulling away from him. “You’re already going to be with me, that’s a given. What about a birthday dinner?” I hinted, hoping he took the bait.

  “A birthday dinner it is. Whatever your highness wants, she gets.”

  “Oh shut up!” I smacked him across the shoulder causing him to crack up.

  “Kiss me,” Parker instructed suddenly, stepping closer.

  “And why would I ever do such a thing?” I teased, sticking my tongue out playfully.

  “Wow, I can’t believe you just turned the birthday boy down…you’re going to have some serious explaining to do later missy.”

  I broke into a smile. “It’s not your birthday yet.” God, I had missed him; I had missed us.

  “It’s my birthday week—a weeklong celebration of everything me…now kiss me,” he ordered yet again. Only this time I complied. I basically collided with him as our lips pressed together.

  I had forgotten how magical his kisses were.

  His hand was caressing my face as our lips continued to find one another’s.

  I pulled away, gasping for air. “Damn, where have you been hiding that?” I joked referring to our mind-blowing kiss.

  “I didn’t hide it, just stored it away for the right time.” He was smirking from ear to ear, obviously proud of himself.

  “You want to go swimming?” I changed the subject finally. “Everyone is headed up to Northfork for the day.”

  “Yeah, that sounds awesome. Let me run home real quick and grab some clothes and stuff and I’ll meet you back here in an hour, sound good?” He wasted no time. Parker loved the water. He had an unhealthy fascination with it. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist the invite.

  * * *

  It was his birthday but Parker insisted on picking me up and taking me out to dinner to my restaurant of choice. It was the perfect set-up for my surprise party I had planned for him.

  More than fifty people had rsvp’d, but I received a text message from Kendall warning me it was more like double. They had basically taken over every inch of Venti’s, a popular restaurant, bar, and live music venue we all liked to frequent.

  As we pulled up to the restaurant, Parker looked around suspiciously. “I wonder why it looks so packed—it’s only a Thursday night.”

  I kept quiet till we reached the front doors and we began to enter, the lights dimmer than usual at my request.

  “Surprise!” More than half of the restaurant shouted in unison.

  Parker looked back at me as if to ask how. “Dylan and Kendall helped a lot. Now go, enjoy yourself. I have a few other surprises up my sleeve for you tonight.”

  Parker kissed me sweetly on the top of my head and then began greeting his friends, family, and acquaintances.

  I quickly spotted Kendall and joined her at her table. “Not too shabby.”

  “I’d say we did a hell of a job mate.” She patted me on the back lightly.

  “Where’s Dylan?” I asked.

  Kendall tipped her chin upwards toward Parker; sure enough Dylan was right by his side.

  “You guys seem better,” Kendall stated after a few moments of silently staring.

  “We are better.” We were the best we had been in months.

  “Good,” she replied—always a big fan of Parker’s. Hell, I was his biggest fan.

  Dylan showed up out of nowhere then. “The band is set-up downstairs and ready to go whenever you say.”

  I nodded, glancing out into the restaurant attempting to locate my boyfriend.

  I slid out of the table and began walking towards Parker. He was in conversation with another boy in our grade. They both turned to look at me as I approached.

  “Do you mind if I steal him for just a bit?” I addressed the unfamiliar stranger.

  “No, go right ahead.” He motioned with his hand forward.

  “What’s going on?” Parker whispered into my ear, sending chills down my spine.

  “It’s surprise number two.” I led him down the stairs and to the dimly lit basement. There was a light shining directly on the stage and as soon as the band caught sight of us they began playing their single.

  Parker looked stunned, glancing back and forth between me and the stage. “How did you pull this off?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Happy birthday.” Parker was kissing me quickly then before I could continue.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to the stage. It was like our own little concert, just for the two of us.

  I had my arms around his neck and we were swaying back and forth. I laid my head on his shoulder, enjoying the comfort.

  “It’s good to see you smile,” Parker whispered into my ear.

  “Thank you for giving me a reason to smile,” I countered.

  Things were beginning to fall back into place…it felt good, and it felt right.

  Nine – A Dangerous Mistake

  Parker

  It was obvious after my birthday just how hard Madalynne was working to return things back to normal.

  The celebration had been a smashing success; a fusion of all things and people I cared about.

  Seeing my favorite band Toy Bombs and having a private little concert to ourselves really solidified just how well Madalynne knew me.

  Toy Bombs had been my favorite band since I saw them live in concert when I was eleven with Maddy’s brother, Mason.

  Mason was actually who introduced me to the band. They were all the guys who had served in his unit then left with honorable discharges. Their music reflected their experiences; deep.

  Paired with Mason, they were what made me contemplate joining the military. But after Mason passed, even the thought of a soldier in uniform made my stomach churn a bit. It’s not that I stopped wanting to be a part of something bigger…I just put it on hold—I knew how badly losing Mason affected Madalynne. Hell, I knew how badly it had affected me and it was a feeling I never wanted anyone to have to experience; it was gut wrenching.

  Being that it was the summer, I had managed to pick up a part time job at my uncle’s hardware store.

  Jack, my favorite uncle.

  He was more like a poor role model who I looked up to growing up. He was the family member I was caught sneaking into double features with, the first person to introduce me to a strip club, and also the first person to slip me a taste of beer.

  I was only ten years old and I may have puked—but I admired Jack for always being an individual. He was my mother’s brother, and definitely the black sheep amongst his siblings.

  I had experienced a lot of my firsts with Jack; first sip of alcohol, first Chinese fire drill, and first lap dance. When Bo took his life, Jack stepped in and really took over where my parents couldn’t.

  He came over for months after Bo, attempting to coax me out of my room; my depression. Eventually, one day it just stopped hurting so much—and every day after that was easier. I owed a lot to Jack.

  “Parker, just the man I was expecting,” Jack greeted me as I entered his hardware store, Nuts N Bolts.

  “What’s up Uncle Jack?” I hugged him.

  “How would you feel playing a little hooky today?” His evil grin convinced me I may regret going with his crazy plan.

  “What did you have in mind?” I found myself asking out of habit.

  “I don’t know about you—but I’ve been itching to get back on the pavement; do a little racing.”

  Racing, one of Jack’s new fascinations. I had accompanied him to the race track a few times before, yet had never gotten behi
nd the wheel—Madalynne always threatened she would castrate me—the idea of how dangerous it was became her fascination.

  Of course I wanted to race. I was a guy after all. Going 90+ mph in a car? Yes, please. But I never wanted to unnecessarily worry Madalynne if there wasn’t a reason.

  “I was thinking we could finally get you on the track this time!” Jack’s enthusiasm was difficult not to share. Just imagining the excitement and adrenaline had my heart beating irregularly.

  “Seriously?” I asked, contemplating all aspects of his suggestion.

  “Yeah buddy! It’s time to see how well you stack up to Jumping Jack Flash.” His corny nickname for himself was something I would never tire of. It was his MO, something he had been doing since I was kid.

  “What’s your racer name going to be?” His brown eyes twinkled with excitement as he let his mind run wild with options.

  “Are we really doing this?” I asked, finally digesting the thought of me behind the wheel of a race car.

  Apparently he was, because less than an hour later I was being readied for my first loop around the track.

  After all the prep, I was finally ready to go. Pressing the gas pedal down, I was up to 50 mph in seconds. I guess I hadn’t realized how roughly I had pressed down. In another blink of an eye the car jumped another 25 mph to 75.

  This is awesome.

  I guess I had underestimated just how quickly the car accelerated and when I rounded the next corner, I overcorrected due to the speed, causing the car to spin out.

  This was the exact reason Madalynne had asked me to refrain from racing.

  She was right.

  It was the last thought I even had the chance to register before the car collided with the concrete wall.

  Ten – Oh, the Mountains We Can Climb

  Madalynne

  I can remember exactly how I felt, and exactly how fast my heart raced when I got the call.

  “Jack?” It was strange that Parker’s uncle was calling me. Even though we had always sustained a close relationship—he never called me, ever.

  “Madalynne, there’s been an accident.” You would think I would have been more prepared for that statement given how many people I had lost in my lifetime; but I wasn’t.

  “Parker?” I gasped out, already frantically racing through my house to gather my jacket and purse.

  The possibilities were endless and my mind was not helping the situation whatsoever—coming up with a million different options of what could have possibly happened.

  “How bad is it?” I couldn’t help it, I needed to know what I would be walking into.

  “It’s pretty bad, how quickly can you get here?” Jack asked.

  His statement made my stomach churn.

  “Is he…?”

  “Oh, God no, but it’s not a pretty sight. Listen darling, I need you to meet me at St. Emmanuel’s.”

  Parker was in the hospital.

  Suddenly I couldn’t even think straight. Parker was in the hospital, it was bad, and all I could think of was how terrible of a girlfriend I had been the past couple of months.

  I’m a shitty person.

  * * *

  I wasn’t prepared to see Parker, my Parker like that, in such a vulnerable state.

  The doctor briefed me beforehand on all of his injuries; he had a concussion, a broken knee, a broken hand, and a few broken ribs.

  “It could have been much worse,” the doctor attempted to soothe me. It didn’t make me feel any better.

  Maybe if I had been more attentive I would have seen Parker reaching out to me and perhaps he wouldn’t have taken his uncle up on the reckless offer.

  He was asleep when I entered his hospital room. His face was twisted in pain and I wanted to take it all away.

  Seeing Parker wounded and helpless was one of the worst experiences anyone with a conscience could live through, let alone someone who loved him more than life itself.

  I grabbed his safe hand and gently squeezed it. “You really gave me a scare you ass,” I whispered.

  And then the tears began to burn the edges of my eyes, threatening to pour down. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” I was still whispering even though it was clear we were the only two in the room…I was trying to be respectful. Parker remained dead asleep as I continued my one-sided conversation.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch lately. I’m sorry I made you doubt me…” the tears were slipping down my cheeks silently.

  “If you wake up, I promise I will be better for you.” I knew he would eventually wake up, but I wanted to see his chocolaty brown eyes look up at me then.

  When there wasn’t even a slight stir, I turned to go, releasing his hand. The grip that took ahold of my arm was weak, but real.

  I looked back at him just in time to see his eyes fluttering open. “Are you here to yell at me?” He smirked lightly through his obvious pain.

  “That was a really stupid thing you did,” I replied calmly.

  Parker’s eyes fluttered to meet mine. “That’s it? No punishment?”

  “What am I—a slave driver?” I joked lightly.

  He laughed, then cringed in pain. “Damn ribs hurt like a bitch.”

  “Parker, if anything would have happened to you—I don’t know what I would have done…”

  “Shhh, they are just minor injuries—I was lucky. I’m here, you’re here, and we’re both breathing the same air.”

  “What I’m trying to say is I love you and without you I would be lost.” Cheesy—but to the point.

  Parker smiled at me then. “I love you too Butter Bean.”

  * * *

  I spent the rest of the summer nursing Parker back to health. By the time we were ready to return for senior year, his leg was the only remnant left of his accident—it was in a walking cast.

  It was the weekend before our first day and Parker and I were sprawled out on his couch watching Breaking Bad.

  “Are you going to miss this?” Parker asked referring to our hermit status the past couple of months.

  “Of course I will,” I answered honestly. When it came to Parker, the rest of the world didn’t really exist. He was my entire world.

  “But I am excited to see Dylan,” Parker said.

  “And Kendall,” I added.

  Parker ran his fingers through my hair gently. “Thank you for everything.”

  I shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

  “Don’t be modest—not with this.”

  “You’re welcome,” I fed him the answer he was seeking.

  “So any predictions for the year ahead of us?” Parker loved to ask me the same question at the beginning of any school year, and then see how my predictions stacked up to reality.