26. Stella

Chapter Twenty-Six

STELLA

I laced my fingers together under the table, trying to contain the tension humming inside.

Parker smiled at me. “Are you okay?” he asked politely.

I let out a low laugh. “I am. This is kind of strange, you know?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Oh, I know. I’m just glad we connected.”

For a few minutes, our conversation was stilted again. I figured it might be like this for a while. After we got through the initial awkwardness, it was easy. I liked Parker. Beyond being a nice guy with an understated sense of humor, I sensed he was a man trying to do better in life. When he spoke about our father, I could feel the underlying love and an almost resigned acceptance of what sounded like a chaotic, unstable childhood.

After we talked for a while, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His gaze became serious.

“What is it?” I prompted.

His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. “I promised myself I was going to be honest with you.”

“Okaaaay,” I said slowly. “I promise I don’t bite.”

“I know.” His lips twisted to the side and he eyed me cautiously. “You’re finishing law school and studying for the bar, so I figure maybe law is important to you. I didn’t make the best decisions when I was younger.”

“Who does?” I countered. “Plenty of us do dumb things, especially when we’re younger.” My specialty was falling for assholes, but I left that out for now.

He nodded soberly. “As you know, my dad bounced in and out of jail. When I was in high school, he dragged me into it. I want to say it’s all his fault, but at first, it seemed exciting to me. I felt cool and tough. Not that dealing drugs is cool, but you get my drift. I spent six months in juvenile detention as a result.”

He went quiet at that, and the sound of him swallowing was audible. He held my gaze, and I could see the anxiety flickering in his eyes. He was bracing himself for me to judge him harshly.

“Are you expecting me to run away from the table now and pretend like we never met?” I finally asked. I shook my head sharply. “We share the same father. Maybe my mom didn’t get caught up in illegal things, but your dad isn’t the only one—” I paused, considering how to phrase this. “With questionable life choices. It sounds like you’ve tried really hard not to let that follow you into adulthood, and I really respect that.”

Parker’s shoulders sagged and his head dipped down toward the table. He tunneled his hands through his hair as he straightened and let them fall flat to the table. “Thank God. Some people still think getting in trouble in high school marks you forever.”

I rolled my eyes. “Look, I did go to law school, but my initial interest in it was because I wanted to make sure I made enough money that I didn’t end up living life like my mom. I love her so much, but she’s always been looking for someone to take care of her because she barely gets by. She dropped out of high school. She eventually got her GED, but it’s been hard for her to find steady work. I wanted some stability.” I took a breath, gathering courage. “She’s been in a few abusive relationships. She assures me our dad wasn’t abusive.”

“Dad’s never been abusive,” Parker cut in.

“I’m glad to hear that. And back to your worries, I’m not all judgy just because I want to be a lawyer. I promise,” I added.

He smiled a little. “Maybe you don’t need to know this, but I haven’t been on anything other than the right side of the law since the trouble I got into in high school. One of the best friends I ever met was when I was in detention.”

I held his gaze, feeling my lips slowly curl into a smile. “That’s good. Life is never simple and I’m glad you’re doing better now.”

He took another deep breath in and let it out in a whoosh. “Well, that’s good.”

“What’s good?”

“That you don’t think I’m a loser.”

“Parker! Of course, I wouldn’t think that,” I protested.

He shrugged. “Some people do.”

I studied him for a few beats. “Did you think you’d tell me this and I’d pretend like I don’t want to be your sister?”

“I didn’t know.” His gaze was earnest and serious. “Once I knew you existed, I promised myself I’d let you know the truth from the beginning so you didn’t think I was hiding it.”

My chest felt tight, and I breathed slowly through it. “I’m really glad you reached out.”

His smile was slow. “I can be your big brother now.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty used to handling things myself.”

“I mean, if you need me to kick somebody’s ass, or threaten to,” he corrected quickly.

I burst out laughing at that. “I guess I appreciate that.”

“I haven’t even told my dad I found you yet.”

“My mom told him. She kind of can’t help herself. She’s all excited about us being a family now,” I said dryly.

“It seems like they’re both in better places than they were when they were younger. It’s a goddamn miracle my dad isn’t up to his old shenanigans and is actually making a living legally.”

Parker’s voice held a hint of disbelief, and I couldn’t help but laugh again. “Although my mom hasn’t lived a life of crime, she squeaked by. She sounded pretty happy to hear your dad’s doing better. She says they want to come visit us.”

“How do you want to handle that?” he asked.

I leaned forward as I waggled my brows. “We’ll deal with it when it comes. Meanwhile, let’s try to grab coffee at least every other week or so. My schedule’s a little crazy these days because I’m studying for the bar, but I want us to, well, be siblings.”

Parker’s eyes were bright as he smiled. There was anearnestness to him that I liked.

A few minutes later, we walked out and, impulsively, I gave him a hug. It just felt right. “I’ll see you soon,” I said when we stepped apart.

“Absolutely,” he said.

When I drove away a few minutes later, all the anxiety I’d been feeling around this had dissipated. I felt surprisingly good. Parker was a genuinely nice guy. I contemplated calling my mom, but I wasn’t ready for her to freak out over my feelings on this because that’s what she would do. I decided to give it a few days before I updated her. It felt serendipitous that Parker ended up in Willow Brook.

A few weeks passed, and Parker and I settled into a comfortable pattern. We got together for lunch or coffee about once a week. I finally told my mom that we’d met and I felt good about it. She was excitedly planning a trip with our dad. I didn’t even know what to think about their rekindled romance. She declared it to be “fate” and was thrilled.