“I’m sorry.”
Parker’s gaze softened. “You don’t have to say you’re sorry.”
“Yes, I do. I treated you badly. I shouldn’t have been so obsessed with Lucas. I see it now. It was stupid and I don’t like him that way anymore, and I see how it totally ruined our friendship.”
Parker stepped forward. His gaze swept over me as he clutched my biology notebook. “You liking Lucas didn’t ruin our friendship,” he said quietly.
Wait, what? I was so confused. I had let my obsession go wild and had driven Parker away. I was sure of it. I looked up at him. “Then what did I do? Because I’ll fix it. I’ll make it better.” Tears welled in my eyes, but I didn’t care anymore. “Please. I need you.”
He slowly reached out, his hand cupping the side of my face. His touch felt so good, I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. I’d missed it so much. “It wasn’t anything you did.” His voice sounded choked with emotion. “It was me. I needed some time away. Time to figure things out.”
I looked into his eyes and saw something I hadn’t seen before. But as I pondered it, I realized that wasn’t true. I had seen it. After our kiss. It was a look of longing. Adoration. It made my breath hitch. Could it be true? Could Parker feel the same way about me? I wanted to ask, but the words stuck to my tongue. Instead, I blurted out, “Who is she?”
Parker’s eyebrows knit together in confusion and he dropped his hand. “Who is who?”
My heart pounded at what I was about to do. I drew closer to him until I could feel the warmth of him. “The girl you like. The one you wanted to date.”
He stared at me, his gaze intense. Probing. Scrutinizing. “You know now, don’t you?”
I did. But I wanted to hear it from him. “Say it.”
He leaned down until his lips were near my ear. “You’re going to make me say it?”
“Yes.”
His lips grazed my temple. “It was you.” He kissed my cheek. “It was always you.”
I melted into him, my arms pulling him closer. I pressed my lips to his, drew him in, until I could feel him with every inch of my body. I needed him like I needed to breathe. I couldn’t stand being away from him any second longer. He was my other half, and I ached for him.
He dropped my notebook on the sidewalk and wrapped his arms around me, kissing me so thoroughly my knees buckled and I thought I would melt into the cracks of the cement. My nerve endings came alive and I wanted to scream at the world. I was in love with Parker.
He finally pulled back and I drew in great gulps of air, not realizing how deprived I’d become. I hadn’t wanted anything but Parker. He pressed his forehead to mine. “I love you, Hannah.”
I was so filled with emotion, I couldn’t speak. He loved me. And I was finally able to see how much I loved him. We were complete. Whole. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more.
“Please say something,” he whispered.
I laughed. “Remember that day you came up behind me, and I was writing in that stupid Lucas notebook?”
He cringed. “Yeah.”
“I wasn’t writing about Lucas. I was writing about you.”
He squinted at me. “What?”
“I was trying to think of why I loved Lucas, but nothing came to mind. But when I thought about you, all these things came out. I should have known then, but I was being stupid. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.” I threaded my fingers through his soft hair. “I was falling in love with my best friend, and I didn’t even know it.”
Parker smiled and scooped me up into his arms. “And now?”
“And now, all I want is you.”
He kissed me again, and my world came together. I didn’t know what was going to happen with us, but I knew one thing. I was whole again.
Next Sweet Water High Book
I hope you enjoyed Hannah and Parker’s story. The next book in the Sweet Water High series is It’s a Prank By Lucy McConnel.
When Summer Snow is told she’s on the cut list for softball tryouts, she’s desperate to fix her swing. Her fear of being the only senior cut this year lands her at the local batting cages, bartering her time for free batting practice. The owner isn’t willing to make the trade; but, his son, Gabe the hottie rich kid, is willing to help her out when his dad’s not looking—as long as she cleans the men’s bathroom. Ew! But, whatever. Anything to make the team.
Even with a few nights in the cages, her swing’s not improving. Gabe’s sincere suggestions help and before she knows it, she’s daydreaming about the cute baseball player instead of the scholarship she's been working toward. A stolen first kiss at a party and she’s falling fast, but tryouts loom ahead of her. If she can’t keep her head in the game, Summer will end up watching, softball and Gabe, from the sidelines.
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It’s a Prank By Lucy McConnel.
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Her Sister’s Fiancé
Ava Gilmore has a huge problem. She’s in love with Oliver, her sister’s fiancé. What’s worse? She’s their wedding planner. Now her sister has run off to Paris and left her and Oliver to plan the wedding together.
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Other Novels by Victorine:
The Billionaire Series
The Fake Marriage Series
Falling for the Beast – A Beauty and the Beast retelling
More Novels and Stories
Falling for My Best Friend Page 11