“You moved in the day I left. My bed wasn’t even cold yet.”
“It’s the circle of life. When the older brother leaves home, the younger one gets all his shit. I don’t make the rules.”
Reed turned to Max. “Did Mackenzie steal your room too?”
“No, but they moved to Ransom soon after I left for college. Besides, Kenzie always had the best room. Needed the extra space for all her clothes.”
“Allmyclothes?” I protested. “I’m not the one with fifty pairs of the exact same sweatpants.”
Max chuckled. “It’s hardly fifty, and they were on sale.”
“Snacks have arrived,” Paige declared as she entered the room. All she was holding was a small bag of sour gummy worms, but then Grayson followed behind her, his arms laden with popcorn, chips and more candy.
“Mind if I sit here, Mackenzie?” Paige asked.
I scooted slightly closer to Parker to make space for her.
“Room for one more?” Grayson added, making me scoot again. I was now so close to Parker I was practically in his lap.
“Isn’t this nice?” Paige said as she offered me a gummy worm. “Want one?”
“Uh, sure.” I wasn’t a huge fan of sour candies, but I was willing to do just about anything to distract myself from the warmth of Parker’s leg pressed against mine. My skin wouldn’t stop tingling, and I was hyper aware of every movement he made.
Parker seemed completely oblivious, though, as he snacked and chatted with his brothers. And he was equally at ease as the game began, issuing instructions to the players on the TV like they might actually hear him. Meanwhile, next to him, I was having a meltdown, feeling like each second lasted an eternity.
“Everything okay?” Parker murmured. His voice almost made me jump. I’d thought he was too immersed in the game to notice me. “You look stiff,” he added.
“This is just how I sit.”
He frowned. “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s a tense game.”
He glanced at the screen and his brow furrowed further. It was only the first period and already Minnesota was two goals up and dominating. Thankfully, Parker didn’t question my excuse further and returned his focus to the TV.
I kept my attention on the game too, but I wasn’t watching. I was trying to convince myself that I wasn’t affected by Parker Darling. Not one bit.
Finally, Parker’s mom called out from the other room, “Dinner!”
I jumped up like I’d been electrocuted.
Parker gave a surprised laugh. “Hungry, Mackenzie?”
Paige jumped up beside me and linked her arm through mine. “Sour worms weren’t quite cutting it for me either. I’m starving.”
As she led me out into the hallway, she leaned in close. “Don’t worry about Parker, you’ll get used to him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you know, he can be a little infuriating sometimes, and he has absolutely no filter, but there’s a lot more to him than most people think. He’s honestly one of the sweetest guys I know, in his own way. He’d do anything for the people he cares about.”
I wasn’t sure why she was telling me this, and when Paige noticed my confused look, she hurried to explain.
“You just seemed uncomfortable sitting next to him.”
I almost laughed. “You think I was uncomfortable sitting next to him because he’s a jerk?”
She shrugged. “I mean, yeah. I figured it was either that, or you like him…” Her voice trailed off before she gasped. “Wait,doyou like him?”
