No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella)(3)

“Dating…wow, that’s cool, Dad. I mean, it’s about time, really. Just don’t get sucked into anything I wouldn’t do.” He laughed.

“I was going to ask, do you think you can come home early for Thanksgiving? I’m having a party and I want you to come. It would mean a lot to me.”

The tone of his voice alone made Parker stop what he was doing. If it was important to his Dad, then it was important to him.

“Of course. No problem.”

“Great, Parker. Oh, and bring a suit.”

They laughed for a few more minutes before they said goodbye, and afterwards Parker was lost in thought. That had been over a week ago and something, though he wasn’t quite sure what, bothered him about the entire exchange. Something was going on, and he was determined to find out what it was.

He knew his Dad had done a bit of dating, but it seemed that his father was serious about his new girlfriend. He was a little worried about the entire thing, but he’d have to wait and see how it played out. He took another sip of his drink and looked once more around the room. The cute brunette he noticed earlier was still watching him, and he took in her figure and face.

Yes, she would be fun. Most definitely.

He got up and straightened his black shirt and slacks. He was tall, standing at six-foot-one, and he had jet-black hair cut close on the sides, with just a hint of a wave on top. He smoothed back his hair and started in her direction.




The days seemed to fly by as he threw himself into wrapping up the semester. He was a quick learner and crammed in a last bit of studying for the exams before the break.

He moved through life with a fluid grace, and did his best to smile at every woman he saw along his way. He knew it was wrong to flirt so openly with all of them, but he believed every woman was beautiful. And that had started with the first woman in his life—his mother.

She had been everything his father ever wanted in a wife. He remembered the stories his father told him about their early years. They met in college, and both studied business. They had plans, none of which included falling in love. She was stubborn, and at the same time, as delicate as a flower. They butted heads on most things, but ultimately settled down and loved each other completely.

When Parker was thirteen and at camp, his father called him to come home. That’s when he found out she was gone. She’d been in a car accident. It was a simple case of ‘wrong place at the wrong time’. But, it hadn’t been simple at all. She’d been snuffed out like a candle, before he was old enough to know how to cope with the loss.

He had been so young, and then between puberty and his father’s grief, he’d gone to the wild side. It took a long time for him to grow up. In a lot of ways, he still had so many things to learn. Watching his father grieve his mother’s death was the hardest thing he ever had to witness. Some part of him decided then and there to never get married—it simply hurt too much to fall in love, then lose someone. Although the odds were in his favor of not losing someone he loved, he refused to take that chance.

Only once had he come close. Amelia was the sweetest girl he’d ever met, and beautiful to boot. She would have given him a family and a home, but despite how perfect she was, Parker knew she wasn’t right for him.

They still spoke from time to time. She had a new boyfriend. The relationship was somewhat fragile, and occasionally she would run to Parker for comfort. Comfort he could handle, and he gave her the best parts of him when they did see each other. Afterwards, Amelia would always tell him it was Parker that she really wanted, but before long she would creep out of his bed and back into her crazy world. That routine had to stop at some point, and Parker knew it.


He sighed and slammed the book in front of him closed. One more exam, and he would be ready to head home. Maybe then he would relax, and finally make sense of his father’s party tomorrow. A he headed out to his class, he did his best to keep his thoughts from the phone call with his Dad. Whatever it was, he would know soon enough.





Chapter Three





Olivia





Dating! Her mother was dating. Of all the things she wanted to hear about, that was the last thing on the list. They talked about it through and through, and yet Olivia was still stunned, even a month later.

She never knew her father—he’d been a name in a book her mother gave her years ago. He quickly and quietly left them behind to explore his music career and never came back. Her mother was tough, always made sure they had everything they needed, and rarely thought about herself.

Suddenly, Olivia thought of her mother being alone all these years. Never once did her mom go out on dates. Sure, there was the occasional girls’ night with friends, but she could never recall one man coming around. She dedicated her life to Olivia, and raised her into the woman she was now. A twinge of guilt rushed through her. Her mother deserved some happiness no matter how distasteful Olivia thought it was for her to date.

She tossed her things into her car, thoughts about the upcoming party prominent in her mind. All her mother told her was to bring a nice dress. The drive home soothed her. She loved to go home on breaks from school. She was in her final year—the home stretch, so to speak. Soon, she would be able to get her life together the way she really wanted it. Then and only then, would she consider a plan for a family one day, and a husband. It was still a foreign concept to her, to share one’s life with another person. What would that even be like?