Reliving Yesterday ✔

Chapter 36.

With Parker, there was always that sense of having my best friend. It had been that way ever since we met, or at least ever since we were aware of each other. Parker has always been my safe haven. my comfort, my fun, my confidante. Parker had been through so many rough patches in his life and even on the days he couldn't crawl into my bedroom, he's called me and cried to me on the phone. Everything we had been through from day one lead here, to him and me, me and him, cozied up on my couch, talking into the night like we hadn't seen each other in years; and in a sense, maybe we hadn't, but all was right in the world because Parker and Alex were back and better than ever.

We must have talked until we fell asleep, or at least until I fell asleep because I woke up, covered with blankets, on my bed, with the bright sunlight streaming into my room through a crack in the curtain. The door to my room was ajar and there seemed to be a sense of peace that was drifting into and out of my room and throughout the entire house. I pushed myself off bed, without even thinking about it, being the happiest I had ever been in a long time.

I only brushed my teeth and washed my face before bounding out of my room and I was immediately hit with the wonderful smell of an excellent breakfast lingering the air around the house. Everything the house used to smell like when mom went full out and made a big breakfast just because she wanted to, was wafting through the air and I stopped on the landing to remember her.

There was only one person in the world who could remind me of her and not make me want to bawl all the time and that was Parker. So, I had no doubt he was the one behind the wonderful aromas filling the house. I sauntered downstairs, almost in a daze, wondering how everything managed to fall into place.

Before I entered the kitchen, I could hear voices and they weren't just the dulcet tones of the Imagine Dragons streaming from the radio, but the voices of the two most important men in my life; my dad and Parker. I had almost forgotten that dad was due back today. Walking in to the kitchen, I almost didn't want to interrupt their talk of cars and their engines, but I felt like I had to.

I walked over to where my Dad was sitting at the island counter, watching Parker flip perfectly made pancakes on the griddle.

"Hey, Princess," Dad said, warmly, pulling me closer to him, making Parker turn around to face us. A slow smile began to spread across Parker's face and there, in that moment, between my Dad and Parker, I had everything I had ever wanted in the world.

"Hey, Dad," I replied, "What time did you get in?"

"Around an hour ago," he said, not looking the least tired, "I cam just in time to see Parker start breakfast."

My eyes wandered over to the other side of the kitchen until they met Parker's piercing green ones. I smiled back at him.

"And don't worry," Dad added, "He brought me up to speed with the goings on while he was away. And I can't say I'm in the least surprised."

"Dad!" I gasped.

He shrugged. "What? Was I not supposed to say that?"

I just shook my head and Parker laughed, passing a plate of pancakes to my father.

"Attaboy, Parker," Dad said, before plunging his fork into the pancakes.

I sat down next to him and the three of us chattered away through breakfast like we'd been doing it everyday, our entire lives. When Dad finished, he got up.

"Well, Pumpkin, I'm going to take a nap."

"Sure, Mr. H," Parker said, earning a whack on the hand from me. Dad smiled.

"Sure, Dad."

"Wake me up in two hours if I'm not up, will you?"

I nodded.

He made to leave the kitchen.

"Oh," he said, stopping at the door, "And let me just say now that there will be no sleepovers anymore."

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