The Broken Pieces novel Chapter 44

We both sat down and I pulled a curl behind my ear before speaking up first. "So what are you here for?"

Parker's eyes heavenward before bringing his attention onto me. "I fucked up, Emily. And for that, I'm sorry. I truly am."

For the first time, I think I stayed silent and allowed him to continue. "When we were kids, I dragged you on, I still did now and I hope to make that up to you one day. It wasn't okay for me to play with your feelings in the past and nor was it okay now."

He glanced heavenward again. "I'm praying that I can change. I thought I was done but apparently, I'm not. And I'll keep working on it. I'll work on myself."

A dreadful silence fell between us and before I spoke. "Thank you."

He smiled politely at me before speaking again. "I thought I was saving you Emily, but now I realized that you're stronger than I last remember and you can save yourself." He took in a deep breath before chewing on his cheek before continuing, "it was selfish of me to believe that I could be some hero to you like I imagined all those years ago. To believe that you wouldn't be able to handle yourself."

"I got scared," he admitted, "I didn't want you to get hurt. I was so sick of you being hurt that I couldn't help myself but try to protect you. But in the end, I only ended up hurting you like everyone else-,"

"You didn't hurt me now, Parker," I revealed as I glared at the ground, unable to bring myself to see his face. I clear my throat before starting again. "Okay I'll admit it, when I saw you again, it hurt but not because of you... it was because of the memories. The memories that I'd tried so hard to keep down for the last few years just came coming back and I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do with them, but I know I can't run from them anymore."

"No matter how hard the memories are, no matter what pain they carry, they're still valuable." I finished and silence fell upon us again.

"Why are you still here?" Parker asked in the night's sky after moments of complete and reckoning quiet.

"What?"

"Why are you still here?" He asked clearly this time, his eyes finally finding mine and pulling me into the swirl of emotions he always kept in them. "Why are you still here? The world is wide, but you stay in this bubble with villains in every corner. Why?"

I thought for a second; my eyebrows furrowed. And I gulped. "I don't know," and I have a half shrug. "This is where I grew up. It's familiar."

"Just because it's familiar doesn't mean it's home," Parker spoke to himself before abruptly turning to me. "Emily Rose Shivers, you have to promise me something."

"Back at my shop, you said, 'before I leave...' Are you leaving?" I asked again and Parker raked his hands through his hair again before nodding slowly. "Yeah, my work's done here and I gotta get back the work. DOD and the airport need me." He answers a pitch of melancholy slipping through his nonchalant tone.

"Oh, okay." I grab the door hand of his truck and slip out, "thanks." I say before shutting his door and walking away.

My mind raced as I heard him sigh and began to start his car again.

Saying, 'fuck it' in my mind, I whirl around and just as Parker is about to drive out of my life, I run up to his truck and bang on the window.

The gorgeous man jumps in surprise and rolls down his window. "What are you doing?" A beautiful laugh left his lips as grinned at me in shock.

"And you, Parker Bowmen, need to promise me something. That if we meet again and we are both single, we will try again. No past, no lies, just the present, and the future. Scout's honor?" I propose, my head cocked to the side with a playful smile on my face.