Chandler and Tanner paused the intense game of Madden they'd been playing seconds prior to our return. The entire ride back had somehow managed to be even more tense than the trip there. Parker kept his eyes trained ahead, lips pursed, and head occasionally shaking from one side to the other as if he were at war with his own mind. I'd decided to just not speak to him, it'd be best for both of us. I did better burying my emotions and ignoring them; if he hadn't been the murderer than we surely had more important things to worry about.
Tanner picked up on the tense air between us and looked to me. "What happened? Did you guys find something?"
Parker slapped the photo against his best friend's chest so hard Tanner stumbled back a few steps before he disappeared down the dark hallway. Chandler raised a brow, then shrugged a shoulder and went back to his game. Tanner, dropping his gaze to the photo, opened his mouth to speak but quickly slammed it shut again when he read the back of the photo. After a few minutes of silence, he whispered, "What the hell is this?"
"You know as well as I do." I said with a shrug. "Though, I'm starting to think it's a lot more than you're telling me. I just learned a lot of shit about Parker. I wouldn't be surprised if you've been lying too."
"Excuse me?"
Too exhausted to argue, I crossed my arms, "You've told me everything you know?"
"Of course, Mia. I—"
"Did you know Parker knew about the twins?"
The quick aversion of his eyes was answer enough. I dropped my arms to my sides and started toward the hall, but he intercepted me halfway. "Mia, come on, that's not fair. I didn't lie. I just didn't say anything and—"
"And I'm sure there's more than this you're keeping from me," I cut him off again, shaking his hand off. "when you decide you want to tell me, you know where I'm at."
**
Dear Mia,
We went to the mall today with the boys to look at dresses for Prom. You and Tan were having a blast, it was cute. Kept denying that it meant anything either, but sis, he's totally, without a doubt in love with you. I'm glad. I'm glad you have them if. . . if something does happen to me. I know Tan won't let anything happen to you. And Park. . . Park acts like he doesn't care, but he does. A lot.
Love you,
M. F
Seeing that the next passage was all capital letters I shut the diary and set it on the dresser behind me, not having the energy tonight to have another realization slap me in the face like a ton of bricks. I was uncomfortable in this dumb chair, and though Tanner and Parker had promised a mattress would be delivered a couple days ago, it was yet to get here. I'd been spending the time the kids slept in the next room, leaving the door open a crack and taking the baby monitor with me. Tanner had slept soundly next to me, with the exception of getting up here and there to go tend to the kids when he saw how tired I was.
But I refused to step foot outside of this room right now. The recording and photo had both gotten under my skin and I was so anxious that anytime I dozed off I jumped up from the old chair and nearly hit the ground. I had no idea who to trust anymore, not after what happened tonight. What else was Park hiding? Was Tanner hiding some massive secret too? Chandler?
"You keep depriving yourself of sleep and worrying you're going to kill yourself, Mia." Tanner's voice filled the quiet room. I immediately looked to the kids to my left, but they hadn't budged. "The kids need you. Which means you need to take care of yourself."
"You try sleeping when your every thought is plagued by images of your dead sister." I whispered. "Try sleeping when the killer is still out there and messing with your head and you have no idea who to trust anymore."
Finally lifting my head, I shook it moments later when I saw he must have just gotten out of the shower. He wore only a pair of low riding boxers, fresh drops of water falling from his messy, dark curls, and rolling down his toned chest.
"You can trust me, Mia."
I rose to my feet shakily. "How do I know that? I thought I could trust Parker too, but it seems like everyone just wants to keep secrets."
Though I very much would of liked him to turn around and go back to his room, or at the very least put a shirt on, he closed the distance between us and pressed me against his wet chest, but I couldn't care less about my own shirt dampening.
"I did know that Parker knew about the twins, but he told me to keep my mouth shut about it. Was nobody's business." Tanner confessed. "I didn't talk to Maya much after graduation. We hung a few times at parties, but I kept my distance after our encounter that night at the party. I didn't feel anything for her, I felt everything for you. And even an accidental drunken night would have ruined any chance I had with you. Parker talked to her here and there, but she kept her distance. I suppose most people would seven months pregnant and not wanting anyone to know."
I wrapped my arms around his waist and let myself relax a little. "I'm scared."
"Don't be." he brushed his bruised knuckles along my cheek. "Nobody will touch you or either of those kids, Mia."
I touched my hand to his, knowing the next question would raddle him a little
"Do you think Parker did it?"
Tanner didn't need any clarification on what I was asking, but he didn't answer right away. Instead he continued to caress my cheek before he finally whispered, "No. He. . . he was doing something else that night. Definitely wasn't with her."
"Just because he told you—"
"I was with him, Mia."
I frowned. "Doing what?"
"It doesn't matter." he shrugged a shoulder. "I answered your question."
"You said you weren't keeping anything from me." I said through my teeth. "What were you two doing that night?"
He reached up with his free hand and rubbed his forehead. "Following you."
I fell back a step, out of his arms. "What?"
"I told him I didn't want to go or do it. But we were heading to pick up something for Maya and we saw you leave your parents in that sexy ass dress and he told me to keep driving instead of pulling into your parents driveway." Tanner explained. "We tailed you to the party. I told Park I had no desire to watch you mess around with another guy, but apparently he did. I had to follow him into the party to make sure he didn't do something stupid."
My stomach churned at the thought of both boys following me all night, watching everything without my knowledge. "That's—"
"It gets worse." He warned quietly. "I saw Maya out back with Stone. They were arguing, before I could step in, I saw you set your phone down and follow some guy upstairs and I had to use every ounce of willpower I had not to march my happy ass up those stairs and stop it from happening. Luckily, Parker's dumbass stopped me because he snatched your phone off the table and started going through it."
My eyes widened a fraction at that. That's how he'd known Maya had been trying to get ahold of me all night.
"If this is you trying to defend your best friend, you're not doing a very good job." I snapped. "I'm seconds away from going into his room and suffocating him with a pillow."
"I'm not defending him, but I'm letting you know how I knew for a fact he didn't kill Maya. Because we sat on the staircase waiting for you to come back out from the room, then headed back here so he could get wasted. According to the reports you've shown us, she was killed while we were still at that party. So that literally eliminates Park, Chandler, myself, and you from the suspect list in one go."
I glanced over my shoulder to ensure the kids were asleep before I slipped passed Tanner and opened Parker's door before he could stop me. He was sitting on the side of his bed, feet on the cold floor, elbows dug into his thighs, head cocked a fraction. He'd most definitely been eavesdropping on the conversation.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't slap you right now." I said, edging closer to him. How quickly the love and admiration I'd always felt for him had turned to hate. I suppose it was truly a very thin line between the two.
"The killer is still out there and trying to turn us against one another." Parker answered, not even bothering to be on the defense. "The more we sit here and point fingers, the easier it'll be for them to strike again. You're mad at the wrong person."
I shook my head. "You invaded my privacy."
"You acted like a impulsive child and I needed to see if Maya had said anything to you yet about her stalker."
"I acted like an impulsive child because I wanted to have sex?" I huffed with a sigh. "You're just pissed I wasn't sitting and pining after you for once in my life."
A flicker of anger ignited his blue eyes as he stared up at me. "You should really stop talking and go sleep, Mia."
"You loved it, didn't you? Knowing I would have done anything for you. Would have given everything up if it meant I could have you for even a second?" I continued instead of taking his warning. "Who wouldn't love being worshipped? But the second you saw me veering off and finding someone else who would actually care for me, you didn't like that shit. You sit here and accuse Maya of dragging me into all her drama, but you were just as bad."
Parker shot up from where he sat and moved so he was in front of me. I could hear the quick intake of breath from Tanner behind me as he prepared himself to step between his best friend and me.
"You drive me fucking crazy, Mia." He growled. "Both of you did. Always in my ear, always on my mind. Except with her it was because I was constantly having to bail her out of shit. For you. I. . . I needed to protect you, Mia. I had to make sure you were okay. Loving me, being in a relationship with me would have been the very opposite of that. Maya dragging you into her bullshit drama nearly destroyed you more than once. I did love you. I still do. But you're right. I am not better than your sister was. That's why you and those kids at a distance is what's best for you."
Thirteen-year-old Parker obsessed Mia would have jumped with joy hearing the confession, but all it did was finally break me. Parker's words was the final hairline crack that finally sent me spiraling. And despite the fact I wanted neither man to see me completely fall apart before their eyes, I sunk to my knees as a quiet sob escaped me. Parker made an attempt to comfort me by outstretching his hand, but Tanner quickly stepped in front of him with a dark, pointed look.
"Just don't."
Without another word, Tanner swept me from the floor and carried me to his room and set me on top of his bed. Bawling up his comforter in my hand to keep the twins from being startled awake by my scream, I brought it to my mouth and shouted into the darkness. I felt the bed cave beside me, and Tanner slowly brought me back into his warm embrace.