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Parker tackled one de back to her father’s house, but now another one stood right in front of her

"Yeah, sure," Parker muttered as she opened the door wider and stepped back out of the way so he could enter

Garrett walked past her and out of habit she breathed in deep, the s its way around her and intoxicating her

She closed the door behind hi heart before turning to face hi at her when she turned

"I can’t believe you’re here," she told hie out of her voice

"I can’t believe it took ," he replied with a sad sernails and then caught herself, quickly shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and out of the way

"You’ve been crying," Garrett stated, taking in the tear streaks on her face and her red, puffy eyes

Parker looked down at her feet, nodding her head "My dad left me a note"

"I’m sorry"

Parker looked up at his face and could see the concern and worry there It onlyhere when I needed you? Or walking away froh?"

Parker had rationalized with herself for weeks in the hospital that she knew Garrett would have stuck by her side if he could Even though there was a sensible reason for his absence while she healed, she realized now that it didn’t take away her feelings of abandon out at hiiven hi her alone--in the hospital and with Milo

Garrett broke eye contact, looking away in shah "If I could have been with you these last fewthere and not knoas going on or if you were okay I would have given anything to not have to leave your side, Parker"

She closed her eyes to ward off any more tears at the sound of her naically, in my head, I understand you had a job to do and it couldn’t be helped I shouldn’tyou couldn’t control"

Parker left out the fact that her head and her heart were currently at ith everything that happened She knew the reasons for the choices he made, and yet, her heart couldn’t find any reasonable explanation for the pain he’d caused her

The silence stretched between theet back to the easy nature they used to have In all the years they’d known each other they’d never been at a loss for words They were always talking, laughing, or pissing each other off

"I met your friend Olivia," Garrett said after a few minutes

"She’s not my friend She was just my nurse," Parker quickly corrected

"She definitely acted like a friend She’s a bulldog, that one Very protective of you"

"That’s just Olivia’s nature I’m sure she’s like that with everyone I think history has proven I don’t do ith friends," Parker explained

The ease hich she said the words and the conviction in her voice saddened Garrett and angered his she had to deal with over the years She deserved to be loved and cherished and taken care of The fact that Garrett had a hand in the way she felt now broke his heart If he hadn’t let her down in the Doht still believe in friendship She ht still believe in him

"You do very ith friends Better than anyone I’ve ever known The ones you had just never deserved you," Garrett told her softly

He didn’t need to include himself in that statement, it wasn’t hard to deduce that it was implied Garrett failed her He knew that and he lived with that fact every single moment of every day since they left the Doht about what she would say to Garrett when she saw hi close to hier and disappoint as they were together She realized now though, it wouldn’t be so easy to let it go

It was time to meet the next demon head on

"After what happened between us, I still don’t understand how you could look me in the eye and not knohat you meant to me How you could honestly believe I was such a horrible person that I would throay everything we shared for a man I never really loved"

Each word Parker spoke was like a knife to Garrett’s heart He wished he could deny what she accused him of, but he knew every word of it was true He hadn’t knohat he meant to her He hadn’t believed she would stay with him if Milo were still alive

Garrett’s head would still be in the clouds about that now if Brady hadn’t stepped in and set hi to io find Parker, tell her you love her, and ride off into the sunset with her, correct?" Brady had asked with a laugh as theylot of the court house

"I don’t think it’s going to be that si Parker’s cell phone again "I don’t know if she’s going to want anything to do withto pretend like nothing happened between us? Hell, she’s probably ain He was dead, he caain and she’s the one who had to do it"