Chapter 14

Parker’s alarm went off. He groaned and rolled over. The clock sat right in front of his face on the nightstand and the numbers blinked in bright red, making him see spots. He turned the alarm off and sat up, used to having to force himself awake. If his body had its way, it would have missed every hot air balloon competition since he’d started—always begging for just five more minutes. But he had learned from experience that five more minutes turned into five more hours, and there was no way he was allowing that to happen. He had thought he’d only get to fly one day in the festival, but because he and Ruby came early, he’d be able to fly two. Sleep could wait.

Parker stretched and walked to the bathroom. He started to drop his pants but froze when a voice said, “Do you mind shutting the door first?”

Crap. Ruby. He wasn’t alone. Mortified, Parker slammed the door shut. He glanced down. His pants were still mostly up, and he still had his boxers up. But still.

After using the toilet, Parker walked out like nothing had happened, but he couldn’t ignore the twitch of Ruby’s lips as she watched him from the bed, like she was trying not to laugh at him.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I’m not used to spending the night with someone else.”

“I guess I should be glad for that,” Ruby said.

“Why?” Parker said, but it came out so quickly, Ruby seemed to suddenly put her guard up.

She got out of bed and gathered up her clothes for the day. “Because I don’t know that I’d feel comfortable being here if I thought you were that kind of guy,” she said.

Oh, right. “Yeah, that’s me. A decent, upstanding gentleman.”

The corner of Ruby’s mouth raised into a half-smile. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

That smile was the cutest thing Parker had seen yet, and it made him want to close the distance between them. Which was exactly why he shouldn’t. Parker stepped back until his back was to the wall. “You good if we leave within the hour?”

“Sure. Are we going to grab breakfast on the way?”

Breakfast. Parker always just grabbed a couple of granola bars out of his bag and then ate a proper meal after the flight. His stomach wouldn’t tolerate anything else this early. Making Ruby wait to eat wasn’t a gentlemanly thing to do, but there wasn’t an easy place to grab something to eat around here.

Ruby must have sensed Parker’s hesitation, because she asked, “What do you normally do for breakfast before a flight?”

“Eat a snack to hold me over, then eat for real after.” It sounded lame now that he’d said it out loud, but he was usually too excited for his flight to notice.

“Okay, then that’s what we’ll do,” Ruby said. “I threw a few things in my bag for the car trip that I forgot to eat, so I have plenty of stuff.”

Parker nodded, then realized that Ruby had somehow closed the distance, and she stood much too close, still holding her clothes, as well as her shampoo and other girlie things that he assumed helped with the beautification process.

Okay, so she wasn’t standing that close, but it seemed that anything less than three feet was too much for him to handle at the moment.

Parker stepped around Ruby and said, “I’m going to see if I can find an ice machine, but the shower’s all yours.”

Ruby nodded, but continued to watch him until after he had left the room. Parker looked down the building, but he knew he wouldn’t find an ice machine in a place like this. He’d just needed an excuse to leave. He leaned against the railing and pulled out his phone. This was the most anxiety-inducing moment of the day: checking the weather report. If there was any chance of rain, or if the wind was too strong, the balloon would be grounded, and they’d have to hope for better luck the next day.

Parker opened the app. No indication of rain today, and the wind speed was currently only three miles per hour. That was good. But it could also change quickly. Parker shook his head. He didn’t know why he was being so negative. He’d never had any issues with this particular festival. There were some places where you never knew if you’d made the trip just to hang out in a hotel room for two days, but this one had always been consistent.

“Hey, how’d you sleep?” someone said, right before an arm went around Parker’s neck.

He shrugged Rafael off. “As good as could be expected on these crappy beds, I guess.”

“You mean because you and Ruby…” Rafael waggled his eyebrows and elbowed Parker in the side. Hard.

Parker grimaced and threw Rafael what he hoped was a look of annoyance. “No, that’s not what I mean.”

Rafael held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “Hey, I’m not judging.”

“You see the weather?” Parker asked, steering the conversation in a different direction.

“Yeah, looks good. If we leave in the next twenty minutes, we’ll probably be the first ones in the air.”

“I’ll check on Ruby and see if she’s out of the shower,” Parker said, turning back to his room.

“You mean—” Rafael started.

“No, that’s not what I mean!” Parker interrupted. “That’s never what I mean, and you know it.”

“Doesn’t mean you should spoil my fun,” Rafael muttered. “You know I’m just teasing you.”

Parker released a heavy breath. “Yeah, I know. Sorry I snapped. Having Ruby here has been more stressful than I thought it would be. I didn’t mean to take it out on you, though.”

Rafael’s grin immediately returned. “I know, dude. Just messing with ya.” He laughed as he sauntered back to his room.

Parker laughed and shook his head. But when he looked up, he saw Ruby in the doorway to their room.

“How long have you been standing there?” he asked slowly.

Ruby’s lips were pulled into a frown. “Long enough to know that having me along is a stress you don’t need.” She gave him a long look, then shut the door.

Parker groaned. That was not what he had meant. He moved to open the door, but then realized he’d left his key inside. Great. He was going to have to somehow convince Ruby to let him back in. Parker knocked. “Hey, Ruby, I don’t have my key. Can you please open the door?”

No answer.

Parker was grateful that most of the people at the motel were probably there for the balloon festival, because it was only about four-thirty in the morning, and he had a feeling he was going to have to make a lot of noise before convincing Ruby to finally let him in. “You misunderstood what I was saying,” Parker tried again. “If you’ll just let me in, I can explain.”

The door swung open unexpectedly. “You need to explain first,” Ruby said. “Why is having me here so stressful? I know I’m not the easiest to get along with, but I’ve been trying to be a good guest.”

“You’ve been wonderful,” Parker said, ignoring the fact that he had spent most of the time trying to make sure she was happy. It wasn’t an easy task, but that was not what he had been referring to when he said it had been stressful.

“So, what’s the problem?” Ruby asked.

“It’s hard for me to be so close to you,” Parker admitted. When Ruby blinked in surprise, he realized it hadn’t come across as he had meant it. Again. He took a deep breath. “I’ve always liked you, Ruby. From the first time I saw you in grade school. And then I watched you from a distance through middle school. And then from a closer distance in high school.” He paused and noticed Ruby’s tenseness seeming to ease. “But I was never good enough. And when I invited you here, it was like I was on autopilot, desperate for one more chance. But I was never on your radar, and I know I’m still not. So…being this close to you, smelling your shampoo, making you laugh…sleeping in the same bed…even with a barrier, it’s more than I can handle, knowing that it’s as much of an impossible dream as it was back then.” Parker stopped talking, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

When Ruby hadn’t said anything, Parker looked back up. She was no longer standing in the doorway, but was instead throwing stuff in a backpack.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Putting a few things together for our day out,” she said, her hair still partially wet and hanging over one shoulder.

“You still want to come?”

Ruby paused, then glanced up. “Yes, I do.” She stood up. “Do you realize what I’ve had to do to be here with you this weekend?”

Parker stared. “Um…”

“I got in a car, Parker. Do you think I would have done that if you didn’t make me feel safe? If you didn’t make me feel anything? I haven’t even done that for my best friend or my brother.” Ruby set the backpack on the bed and took a step toward Parker. “And I have to deal with an impossible amount of guilt every time I do something that I’ve spent years telling myself I shouldn’t. Every time you make my pulse quicken, I automatically think of Clark. Because if I don’t, I might forget him. I might replace him. And that would be unforgivable.”

Parker’s own pulse was out of control. Was this really happening? He had spent so many years when he was younger hoping for something he knew would never be. And now Ruby was practically telling him that she returned his feelings. But she was also telling him that she couldn’t ever let it be more. Because of a man who was dead. How could Parker compete with the memories of someone who was obviously his superior?

Ruby took another step toward Parker. “I’ve built myself a prison, and it seems you’re the only one who can help me break down the walls.”

“Me?” Parker said, pointing to himself. “I’m not sure how—”

“Don’t you see?” Ruby whispered, walking until she stood only a few inches from him. “You already have. Not completely. But it’s crumbling.”

Parker breathed in the scent of Ruby’s freshly cleaned hair. It smelled of strawberries. His breath hitched and he placed a hand on Ruby’s waist. “Is this all right?” he asked, his voice low.

Ruby nodded, her eyes never leaving his.

“What about this?” he asked, leaning in. Parker stopped just before his lips touched Ruby’s. Their lips were like magnets, and it was nearly impossible to stop them from making the connection, but he didn’t want to push Ruby away. He didn’t want to do something that was unwanted. It turned out, he didn’t need to worry about that part.

Ruby pressed her lips against his, gently.

Parker felt a hunger, wanting to kiss Ruby harder, pull her in. But instead, he stepped back. He didn’t trust himself to not scare her off. But he kept his hand on Ruby’s waist. “So…how’s that prison of yours?”

Ruby smiled, but it was a tentative one. “It’s going to take time,” she said.

Parker tried not to feel panicked at this. She wasn’t running in the other direction, so that was something. “Well, for the record, that was the best first kiss I’ve ever had.” There. He had acknowledged the kiss out loud. That made it real. They couldn’t take it back.

Whatever Ruby would have said was lost when a loud knock sounded on the door. “You guys ready?” Andy’s voice called.

Oh yeah. Parker had a flight today. “I’m glad you’re still coming,” he said.

Ruby picked up her backpack, threw in a water bottle and zipped it up. “Me too,” she said with a shy smile. Her hand brushed his as she walked past him to the door, and he could have sworn she did it on purpose.

This was going to be the best flight ever.