The Seduction of Alex Parker(53)

“There’s something I need to do,” she spoke with seriousness.

“Adam?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

Walking over to the bed, I sat down next to her and Parker went wild all over me.

“Why don’t we have him over tomorrow for dinner and the two of you can talk.” I grabbed hold of him and pinned him down, rubbing his belly.

“I think it’s best if I talk to him at his house. Come here, my little baby.”

I leaned over to kiss her.

“Not you. The dog!” She smiled as she got up from the bed.

“I don’t think I’m going to like sharing your attention with the dog,” I spoke.

“I have plenty of attention to go around,” she spoke as she grabbed my face and kissed me.





Chapter 37


Emerson

The next morning, as I was cooking breakfast, my phone rang and it was Adam.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Hey. I saw you called last night. I was out and, by time I got home, it was too late to call you. Where are you?”

“At Alex’s house.”

“I see.”

“Adam, we need to talk. I need to talk to you.”

“I’m going to the cemetery at eleven o’clock. If you want to talk, that’s where I’ll be.”

The tone of his voice was flat. He was still hurt and mad at me and it killed me inside that I did that to my brother.

I took in a deep breath. “I’ll meet you there.”

“When you turn into the cemetery, take a left on the first turn. Go down about a quarter mile and their graves are on the left.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

Just as I set my phone down, Alex walked in with Parker.

“Did he go?”

“Yep. He sure did.” He walked over and kissed me. “What’s wrong? You seem upset?”

“Adam just called. I’m meeting him at the cemetery at eleven to talk.”

Alex sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be okay. This is something I need to do on my own.”

“Okay. But if you need me, I can be there in a flash.”

I broke our embrace and kissed his lips. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know you’ll be.” He softly smiled. “Is breakfast ready? I’m starving.”

“Yes. Breakfast is ready. Go sit down.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Nah. You only love me for my mad cooking skills.”

“Maybe, but I also love you for your mad f*cking skills.” He smirked.

“Get your ass to the table, you dirty-talking man.” I slapped his ass with the spatula.

“Make sure you bring that to bed tonight.” He pointed at me with a grin on his face.

****

The pit of my stomach was twisted in knots as I pulled into the cemetery. Making a left on the first turn, I saw Adam’s car parked at the curb. I pulled behind him and took in a long, deep breath as I got out of the car. Feeling sick to my stomach, I leaned against the car for a moment to collect myself. I could see Adam straight ahead, kneeling on the ground. Slowly walking over to him, I stared at the headstones that displayed my sister’s and parents’ names.

“Hey,” I spoke as I placed my hand on my brother’s shoulder.

He turned and looked at me, squinting his eyes as the warm sun beat down on us.

“Hey. Thanks for coming.”

I knelt down beside him. “The headstones are beautiful.”

“Yeah, they are. When did you get back?” he asked without looking at me.

“Yesterday.”

“Are you staying?”

“Yeah. I’m staying.”

“So you and Alex are a thing now?”

“Yes. We’re dating and living together. Is that okay?”

He glanced over at me. “Are you happy?”

“Yeah. I love him, Adam.”

“Then it’s okay.” He reached over, grabbed my hand, and gave me a small smile.

“Listen, I’m so sorry for everything. You’re my brother and all the family I have left and I really screwed us up over the past eight years.”

“I understand now why you left, Em. But I was here to help you get through it.”

I looked down at the ground and pulled a weed. “I didn’t want help, Adam. I just wanted to escape the reality of what happened. It was a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from and the only sense of peace I could find was to try and live the dream Emily and I had. You were right all along; I was running. Running away from the accident, the deaths, and my home. But I’m home now and this is where I’m staying.”

He hooked his arm around me and pulled me into him. Laying my head on his shoulder, I smiled.

“I’m happy you’re back, sis. I want our relationship back.”

“I will spend the next eight years making it up to you.”

“Only eight?” He laughed.

“Yeah. I was only gone for eight, so why would I take any more time than that?”

He sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how Alex puts up with you and that mouth.”