No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella) (2 page)

P
arker Jackson was a ladies’ man
, and he knew it. Sure, he was busy with school and time spent with his Dad, but the most important thing was having fun, and that meant women. He was only twenty-two years old, and he planned on enjoying his coming-of-age years.

He had always been a golden boy, the product of his divorced parents’ attempts to outdo one another. He was aware that he lived a privileged life, and he always did his best to appreciate all the gifts he had been given.

He glanced around the bar and caught the eye of more than a couple of women, one of them a cute brunette who seemed to be eyeing him up and down. He would eventually narrow down the field and pick one lucky girl with whom he’d spend some ‘quality time’.

His time in college had been one party after another, with a few classes thrown in along the way. He passed them all, some just barely. It was all for show, since he would be taking over the family business when his Dad passed it down to him.

He frowned at the thought of his Dad. Everything had always been fine between them, until his last phone call home…

“Parker, hey son, how are things?”

“Hey, Dad. Good, as always. I figured I’d call and say hey. I know it’s been a while.”

“Yes, and I’m glad you did, Parker. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

There was an obvious hesitation on the phone as his father did his best to get settled. Concerned now, Parker felt anxiety creeping up his throat. The last time they had talked like this it had been before his mother died.

“Dad, is everything okay?”

“Yes, yes, everything is fine, Parker. The truth is, everything is more than fine. I’ve actually been dating someone. A nice woman, her name is Linda. She is…well, she’s great.”

“Dating…wow, that’s cool, Dad. I mean, it’s about time, really. Just don’t get sucked into anything I wouldn’t do.” He laughed.

“I was going to ask, do you think you can come home early for Thanksgiving? I’m having a party and I want you to come. It would mean a lot to me.”

The tone of his voice alone made Parker stop what he was doing. If it was important to his Dad, then it was important to him.

“Of course. No problem.”

“Great, Parker. Oh, and bring a suit.”

They laughed for a few more minutes before they said goodbye, and afterwards Parker was lost in thought. That had been over a week ago and something, though he wasn’t quite sure what, bothered him about the entire exchange. Something was going on, and he was determined to find out what it was.

He knew his Dad had done a bit of dating, but it seemed that his father was serious about his new girlfriend. He was a little worried about the entire thing, but he’d have to wait and see how it played out. He took another sip of his drink and looked once more around the room. The cute brunette he noticed earlier was still watching him, and he took in her figure and face.

Yes, she would be fun. Most definitely.

He got up and straightened his black shirt and slacks. He was tall, standing at six-foot-one, and he had jet-black hair cut close on the sides, with just a hint of a wave on top. He smoothed back his hair and started in her direction.

T
he days seemed
to fly by as he threw himself into wrapping up the semester. He was a quick learner and crammed in a last bit of studying for the exams before the break.

He moved through life with a fluid grace, and did his best to smile at every woman he saw along his way. He knew it was wrong to flirt so openly with all of them, but he believed every woman was beautiful. And that had started with the first woman in his life—his mother.

She had been everything his father ever wanted in a wife. He remembered the stories his father told him about their early years. They met in college, and both studied business. They had plans, none of which included falling in love. She was stubborn, and at the same time, as delicate as a flower. They butted heads on most things, but ultimately settled down and loved each other completely.

When Parker was thirteen and at camp, his father called him to come home. That’s when he found out she was gone. She’d been in a car accident. It was a simple case of ‘wrong place at the wrong time’. But, it hadn’t been simple at all. She’d been snuffed out like a candle, before he was old enough to know how to cope with the loss.

He had been so young, and then between puberty and his father’s grief, he’d gone to the wild side. It took a long time for him to grow up. In a lot of ways, he still had so many things to learn. Watching his father grieve his mother’s death was the hardest thing he ever had to witness. Some part of him decided then and there to never get married—it simply hurt too much to fall in love, then lose someone. Although the odds were in his favor of not losing someone he loved, he refused to take that chance.

Only once had he come close. Amelia was the sweetest girl he’d ever met, and beautiful to boot. She would have given him a family and a home, but despite how perfect she was, Parker knew she wasn’t right for him.

They still spoke from time to time. She had a new boyfriend. The relationship was somewhat fragile, and occasionally she would run to Parker for comfort. Comfort he could handle, and he gave her the best parts of him when they did see each other. Afterwards, Amelia would always tell him it was Parker that she really wanted, but before long she would creep out of his bed and back into her crazy world. That routine had to stop at some point, and Parker knew it.

He sighed and slammed the book in front of him closed. One more exam, and he would be ready to head home. Maybe then he would relax, and finally make sense of his father’s party tomorrow. A he headed out to his class, he did his best to keep his thoughts from the phone call with his Dad. Whatever it was, he would know soon enough.

D
ating
! Her mother was dating. Of all the things she wanted to hear about, that was the last thing on the list. They talked about it through and through, and yet Olivia was still stunned, even a month later.

She never knew her father—he’d been a name in a book her mother gave her years ago. He quickly and quietly left them behind to explore his music career and never came back. Her mother was tough, always made sure they had everything they needed, and rarely thought about herself.

Suddenly, Olivia thought of her mother being alone all these years. Never once did her mom go out on dates. Sure, there was the occasional girls’ night with friends, but she could never recall one man coming around. She dedicated her life to Olivia, and raised her into the woman she was now. A twinge of guilt rushed through her. Her mother deserved some happiness no matter how distasteful Olivia thought it was for her to date.

She tossed her things into her car, thoughts about the upcoming party prominent in her mind. All her mother told her was to bring a nice dress. The drive home soothed her. She loved to go home on breaks from school. She was in her final year—the home stretch, so to speak. Soon, she would be able to get her life together the way she really wanted it. Then and only then, would she consider a plan for a family one day, and a husband. It was still a foreign concept to her, to share one’s life with another person. What would that even be like?

As she pulled up to the house, she smiled to herself. Even outside, she could smell the food her Mom was cooking. Food always meant ‘comfort’ at home. She and her mother would spend all of their Saturdays cooking up one concoction after another.

Liv made her way inside as she glanced at the shiny black sedan parked in the driveway.

“Mom…Mom, you in here?” She turned the corner and found her mother locked in an embrace with a tall man who had his arms around her comfortably. Liv cleared her throat loudly.

“Livie!! Oh, Liv is here.”

Her mother hugged her tightly, and once they separated, Liv noticed how vibrant her mom looked. Wearing a smattering of dark colors and with her hair flowing, she was beautiful.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in, I was just…well, I mean, I was…”

Thankfully, her mother interrupted her. “Oh no, dear, not at all. Richard and I were just talking about you two.” She circled around the table to set out napkins and glasses for four.

“‘You two’? What are you talking about?” She scrunched up her nose, lost in thought.

Her mother waved her hand in the air. “Nothing, nothing. Why don’t you go on upstairs and change for dinner, dear? Oh no! I completely forgot to buy the sugar for the icing.” Her mom looked so forlorn, Olivia didn’t have the heart to let her down.

“I’ll run down to the store, Mom, it’s no big deal.”

She dragged her suitcases up the flight of stairs to her old room. The moment she went inside, her stomach lurched. Everything was gone. All of her pictures from grade school, her trophies for the Spelling Bee in 5th and 6th grade—it was all gone, apparently neatly packed away in the boxes along the wall. It was as though this had become someone else’s room. The only thing that remained the same was her bed. She put her things down, and drove a few miles down the street to the local market.

Why would her mother pack her things up like that? She would definitely ask her as soon as she got back home. She pulled into the parking lot and silently shot daggers at a red convertible taking up two parking spots. Some people were so inconsiderate. She found her way to the baking aisle before she saw him.

She knew almost immediately that he was the owner of the convertible. He was tall—very tall—and had short, black, wavy hair. He was dressed impeccably: black button down shirt, dark jeans, and black (obviously expensive) shoes. Something about the way he carried himself made her almost turn around and head back to the car.

What was wrong with her, anyway? He was just some guy, after all. She pushed her glasses up her nose and walked down the aisle while she looked for the sugar. As she turned to leave, she noticed that he was behind her. He gave her a quick once over and a half smile.

“I’m sorry to bug you, but can you help me with something?” He sounded harmless enough.

“Sure, what can I do for you?” He moved a little closer to her, and she breathed in his aftershave.

“Well, I’ll be honest, I need some sugar, but I don’t have the faintest idea of what kind I need. I mean, there must be five different types here.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair and appeared almost overwhelmed by the options in front of him.

She smiled at him, despite her better judgment. “Okay, let’s start with the basics. What’s it for?”

He gave her a confused look. “You mean, all of these are for different things? Wow, never mind. I actually don’t know, so…I’m just picking one.” He grabbed a four-pound bag of granulated.

“Glad I could help…or not.” She turned to leave.

“Wait, I didn’t catch your name. Since you helped me, maybe we could grab coffee sometime?” He gave her his best grin, and in that moment she figured she knew exactly what he was about.

“No, really, I didn’t mind helping. But, if you want to do something for me, try parking your car more considerately next time.” She turned and walked to the counter.

Why would he even ask her out, anyway? There was no possible way he could be truly interested in her. It was always some sort of game with men. She could never figure them out, and she wasn’t going to try with Mr. Convertible.

“You’re not very friendly, are you?”

She felt him behind her even before he spoke. Liv spun around. “What do you mean,
I’m
not friendly?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m just saying. I’m a nice guy and turning me down is fine, but you don’t have to be so rude about it.” He put his sugar on the conveyor belt behind hers.

“I wasn’t rude at all. On the contrary,
you
are rude for leaving your car in people’s way. I get the feeling you’re used to getting your way, though. You should really think about other people.
I’m just saying
,” she said with a sugary smile as she handed the clerk her money. She left before he could respond.

She fumed as she made her way outside.
What an ass.
He told her
she
was being rude. Of all the arrogant, pigheaded guys she’d met—he was a prime example of why she refused to date. All men were jerks!

S
he was beautiful
. The combination of her natural looks and her pink-tinged cheeks as she went off on him, intrigued him to no end. He did his best to contain himself, and found it difficult not to follow her outside.

It was rare that women shot him down. It was even more rare for them to blow him off entirely, and yet, she had done just that. He could see the top of her head as he finished paying for his things. He should just leave her alone, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make his feet go in the opposite direction once he was in the parking lot. He stopped beside her door as she cranked up her car. Lightly tapping on the window, he watched her scowl as she looked over her adorable glasses at him.

“Can I help you?” She didn’t even try to conceal a frown on her face. It was obvious, she really had no interest in him at all.

“Yes, actually, you can. I need to find Forest Brook Avenue. Can you direct me in the way I need to go?”

“You’re on Forest Brook already. Glad I could help.” She started to roll her window back up, but he stopped her again.

“Listen, I don’t know what I did, aside from my poor judgment in parking, but here’s my number. I’ll take you to dinner and apologize like a gentleman should.” He didn’t say another word, just slipped his number onto her lap before sauntering off.

He could tell she was upset when he heard her peel out of the parking lot. He chuckled to himself—she was definitely
not
like most women. Truth be told, he found it refreshing. It was good for him to hear ‘no’ from time to time. Besides, he was always up for a challenge.

He pulled out of the store and headed down Forest Brook. He wondered if he would ever see her again. She was definitely someone he
wanted
to see again. Even now, he smiled at how angry he made her. He glanced over at the mailboxes as he passed them. Where in the world was 2420? He finally saw a yellow mailbox on his right, and quietly pulled in front of the house.

“You have got to be kidding me...” he chuckled under his breath. There, in the driveway, was her car. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” He got out of his car and made his way to the door. This was going to be a very interesting night.

He knocked lightly on the door and it was opened by a lovely woman. She greeted him with a huge smile.

“Hello! You must be Parker!” He was sucked into a hug before he was abruptly let go. “I mean, of course, you’re Parker. I’ve seen your pictures…your father always brags about you, you know? Look at me, rambling on and on about nothing. Come on inside. Liv will be down in a bit. I’m Linda.”

“Liv?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, yes, Liv is my daughter. She’s probably about your age, as well.” She gave him a warm smile as she called out to his Dad, who was in the kitchen.

So, her name is Liv
, he smiled to himself. She was going to be upset when she came down those stairs. And he was going to love every minute of this. He walked into the kitchen and then stood open-mouthed at what he saw.

“Dad?” Parker’s eyes grew huge.

Covered in a flowered, ruffled apron, his father was stirring something on the stove. His Dad—an oil tycoon, a billionaire—was wearing an apron and cooking.

“Parker!” The man took off the apron and walked over to him. They hugged before he pulled away. “Look at you! Parker, it seems like it’s been forever, and every time I see you, somehow you look older. Come, come, I want you to formally meet Linda.” They exchanged pleasantries, with the three of them chit-chatting about this and that.

“I made some space for you to sleep in the den, Parker. I hope that’s okay. We just didn’t want you to get a room, or have to drive all the way out to your father's place to sleep since it was getting late already for dinner.”

“I’m sure that’s fine, Linda, and thank you.” Parker gave her a warm smile. She was nice and genuine. Obviously, she was good for his Dad.

“I suppose I should go get Liv. She may be taking a nap after her long drive. And, she also had some kind of run-in at the grocery store.” She rolled her eyes slightly. “You two go ahead and serve, and we’ll be down in just a second.”

“Yes, dear, we’re on it.”

Parker was taken aback by the man that stood in front of him. His father was—well, for lack of a better word—domesticated.

As he helped set the table, he knew he should probably warn his father that the ‘run-in’ Liv had at the store was with him. But, it would be much more fun to watch how this played out. He settled into his seat, biding his time. He heard her voice before she even made it to the bottom of the stairs.

The shock on her face registered first, then her cheeks turned a bright pink.

“What in the hell are
you
doing here?” She crossed her arms.

Both parents looked at each other, surprised. Parker took the opportunity to rise and extend his hand to her.

“We haven’t been properly introduced. My name is Parker, and it would appear our parents are dating.”

She groaned loudly. “
Seriously?
” He gave her that half grin again. “Mother, this is the guy from the store.”

Her mother’s mouth formed an ‘O’, and Parker noticed his father frowning at him—yet, Parker still had a gleam in his eye.

“Parker, really?” his Dad asked, shaking his head.

Parker shrugged. “It was an honest mistake, and I apologized.”

“Apologized, ha! Gracing me with your presence while going out for coffee is hardly an apology.” Liv uncrossed her arms.

“Well, I guess that depends on who you ask, sweetheart.” He gave her a wink, which only infuriated her more.

“Okay you two, let’s try and enjoy dinner, please.” Liv’s mother had a pained expression on her face, and Parker noticed his father’s was similar. He knew when it was time to stop.

“I’m sorry, Liv. Really, I am.” He meant it this time.