She starts to speak but nothing comes out. She folds her lips over her teeth then tries again.
“Parker, did you give me a family, because being part of yours isn’t an option?” she asks, her voice sounding like she’s being dragged down by a thousand-pound weight.
I didn’t mean for her to think that I brought Mila here to soften the blow of losing us.
“Annika, we both needed time to sort through our feelings. It was never about leaving you—it was about you not trusting me with your pain. When you love someone,you have time to trust them. I’m sorry about how I responded. You’re strong, too smart for your own good, always using the word most clients can’t understand. I hoped once you faced the truth, trusting me would be easy. I knew given the chance you would make things right. And according to Witt, you’re making all the right moves.” I smirk for a bit.
“So… what did you do with information?” I ask.
“I assume he told you what was in it?”
“Yeah.”
She sucks in a cool breath and when she expels it, a puffy cloud drifts into the air. “I gave my deposition today and if necessary, I’ll fly to Novadia for the trial.”
“That’s huge. I’m proud of you.”
Her expression softens. “I had to do something. Thank you for making me realize it.”
“You did more than something. You quit giving your father power over you. No more running. No more hiding.” My voice is filled with pride at what she did. “You chose the harder path but it’s the right one. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
She stills.
Maybe I’m too late, judging by the tears in her eyes.
I rub my thumbs over her cheeks and peer into those deep brown globes of hers. “I’m sorry,” I mutter. “For how hard I was on you. It caught me off guard and I shouldn’t have lashed out.”
“You were hurt by my lies.”
“Honest to God, I don’t know why you didn’t trust me. Every time I caught the ball on Sunday, I looked for you. Saw your face in my mind, wondering if I would ever holdyou again. Make s’mores in the backyard or go fishing together again.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
“I’m sorry for not trusting you when I knew I could. I was going to tell you when we were skinny dipping but then?—”
“Paulina interrupted.” I recall that moment. Annika was gearing up to tell me something important and then on the way home, I got a phone call from my foundation and we didn’t come back around to it.
“Yeah.”
“Annika what hurt the most is you didn’t trust me with the worst, yet you kept asking me to trust you. But still, I should have found a better way. Should have thought it through before I … pushed you away.”
“So where does that leave us?” Her voice teeters.
“Will you still have me?”
“Have you? Are you kidding?” she asks and my heart sinks because maybe I’m too late or maybe I shouldn’t have come with Nadia and Mila in tow.
“If all I ever do is love you, it’ll be enough. That’s the legacy I want to leave, loving you both through the hard parts. Give me a second chance to be the man you need,” I say, pleading my case.
“That’s what I want too, but you’re not getting off that easy,” she teases with tears sparkling in her eyes. “I think I’ll need a grand gesture.” A tear runs down her right cheek.
“Oh, I can think of something grand.”
“Cocky much?”
I don’t want to make light of where we are and where we’ve been, so I rub my nose over hers, then to her cheek and her mouth. Our lips meet, slow and intentional.
“I choose you, every scar, every pain and I’ll be here to pick you up when you fall.”
The kiss deepens naturally, her hands gripping my shirt, my arms pulling her in so close a piece of paper wouldn’t fit between us.