Chapter Fourteen

 

Out of the shadows, my former boyfriend showed himself.

“Parker, what the hell are you doing here?” I jumped to my feet, but not as fast as Eric, who stood in front of me.

“Your ex, I take it?” He whispered out the side of his mouth.

“Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately? Really?” Parker moved closer, but his features turned sinister in the mix of light and shadows. Enough to cause the hairs to remain standing.

“What are you doing here?” I swallowed down a lump of budding fear. Never in our entire relationship had I had reason to feel threatened by him, but my whole body was on alert regardless. “How did you…”

“Find you?” He finished my question before I had a chance. “Easy. Beth has geo-tags on her pics.”

I shot a glance up to the top floor where Beth was.

“She posted pictures to her IG account. It wasn’t that hard to figure out, especially after hearing her talk to her secretary about flying to the island.”

Parker was a gifted IT guy, that’s how I knew how to turn off geo-tagging. He’d taught me on our second date.

“What do you want?”

“I came for you and the baby. It’s time for you to come home.”

Eric inhaled sharply and inched to the left to cover me more.

I stepped around him. This was about my past. My indiscretions. My giant assed mistakes. “Parker, you left. You packed your drawer and took off. I didn’t hear from you for a week.”

At least. Maybe more. I was more surprised he’d physically left than I was heartbroken about it.

“Well…” He tilted his head back as his arms gently swung by his sides. “I’ve had time to think and reassess my life. Sure, I’m young to be a father, but think about it. The kid and I can grow up together. I’ll teach him all about The Avengers and Star Wars, and he can help me mature. It’s a win-win situation.”

Young would describe it. There were eight years between us, and he’d only graduated from university last year.

“I came here to make amends. To apologize and bring you back home. Your friends are waiting. They miss you. I’ve missed you.”

I huffed. “Oh yeah?”

The joke tickled me because it was only Beth who had kept in contact. To the others, I’d gone crazy, and they never returned my calls or texts. I didn’t believe for a nanosecond they missed me.

“They’re worried about you, Babe.” His voice softened. “Come home.”

There wasn’t anything drawing me in that direction. Despite the rumours and whispers, I was much more at home here in Cheshire Bay than I was back in my trendy apartment. I belonged on the beach; it was part of my soul. And I wanted to make something of my life with Eric. He’d been saying the sweetest things moments before Parker’s arrival.

“I’m not interested. In fact, I called a realtor, and the apartment is going on the market at the end of the month.” I rubbed Eric’s arm. “I’m staying here.”

“The hell you are.” His voice raised a full octave and echoed between mine and Eric’s place.

Enough to attract attention, and the light from the bonfire flickered as the group walked towards my deck, with Mitch, Arlo, and Jesse in the lead.

“What’s going on?” Mitch asked, his voice one of no nonsense.

Eric cleared his throat. “This is Lily’s ex-boyfriend, who has tracked her down despite her refusal to see him.”

“She’s carrying my child. I have every right to be here.”

“Bullshit.” Eric’s voice gathered strength. “You gave up that right when you walked away.”

“But that’s my DNA in her. She can’t keep me away. The people on the internet said I have every right to see my child. To watch it being born, if I choose, and to be a part of its life.”

“Actually…” I started speaking, but quickly snapped my jaw shut. One thing at a time.

Eric carried on. “Any man worth his salt would never abandon his baby or his baby momma. And you did both by walking away like a god-damn coward.”

“But I’m back.”

Eric stepped off the deck, feet firmly in the sand. “Gather yourself a lawyer and plead your case to the courts. They’d love hearing about how you deserted her when she needed you most. Oh, and to top it off, if you’re not already paying child support, they will come after you and make sure you do. So, get your finances straightened out.”

Parker stared up at me, one eye on the group to his left. “She can take care of me, right, Babe? You’ve always been my sugar momma.”

I shivered, but not from the cold. Yes, I made way more than Parker, but after a couple of years, or five, he’d catch up in salary. Parker hadn’t brought financial stability to the relationship.

He gave me his full attention. “Plus, you know how magical we are together. Sex between us was out of this world. We were banging, animalistic almost. Every girl since has been meh at best. But us?”

“Just shut up!” Suddenly, I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole.

Parker stepped closer and tossed his hands up in protest when Eric, Mitch, Arlo, and Jesse formed a line. “Look, all I want is to be with Lily and the baby.” He gave me his full attention. “When I told Mom and Dad they were going to be grandparents, they were so excited. Lily, they bought us a crib, and a car seat, and so many clothes. They’re so proud of me, and happy for us.” He faced me completely, arms dangling to the side. “Lily, we can work out our problems. I can be the man you need me to be. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. I drove all this way to see you.”

He got down on bended knee and put his hands into a prayer formation.

I stepped closer to the edge of the deck, not wanting to get much closer, and wrapped my fingers around the lip of the railing. “Anything at all?”

Cedar stalked behind Eric and up the stairs to me, where she put her hand on mine.

Eric glanced up at me, confusion twitching across his face.

“Whatever you want, Babe. I’m at your mercy. I need you. The Bald Avenger–”

I threw up in my mouth.

“We need you.”

For a heartbeat, I took in Eric’s face. He was the one I wanted, not Parker. In all honesty, and as awful as it was, Parker wasn’t that serious of a boyfriend for me. We’d only been together less than a year, and he wasn’t the one I saw a future with. He never had been. He’d been a placeholder at best. That’s why I never officially let him move in, and he only had a drawer.

“I want you to go home, clear your things from my apartment, and return the key to the super. After that, I never want to see you again.” I squared my shoulders and tipped up my chin.

Cedar rubbed my arm for moral support.

“Babe…” His voice nearly cracked, but he puffed it out in front of the three men staring down at him. “We can fix…”

“No, we can’t. There’s nothing to fix. You need to leave. Now.”

Eric stepped forward. “Your time is up, Parker.”

My ex’s face cracked and for a breath, I worried he’d snapped. “For the rest of your life, you’ll be tied to me. That baby connects us, and you can’t keep me from him. Mom, Dad, and I’ll see you in court.” He pointed a finger in my direction.

“Parker,” I called out and inhaled sharply. “That’s where you’re absolutely wrong. This baby isn’t yours.”

A collective hush fell over the area and all eyes stared in my direction. My life was more fubar than they realized.