Beth

Beth was lying on her bed when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She rolled her eyes and pulled one ear bud out and yelled at the door. “I don’t want to talk about it, Mom!”

All Beth wanted to do was listen to ‘Evita’ and feel sorry for herself.

Even though she’d known it was useless, Beth had begged her mother to let her out of going to Brenna’s wedding when she got home from school. Of course her mother didn’t even entertain the idea. So Beth didn’t feel inclined to entertain her mother just now. But when her door creaked open Beth sat up, hopeful for half a second that her mother had reconsidered.

But it wasn’t her mother standing in the doorway, it was Parker and he was holding a pale blue box with her favorite name on it.

“You didn’t!” Beth said jumping out of bed.

“I did,” Parker replied.

Beth ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “And this is why I love you!” Beth exclaimed.

Parker set the box of macarons down on Beth’s bed and they began systematically sampling them. They each only took one bite so they could share the other half. Beth was already through the first row when she sighed and smiled up at Parker.

“There she is,” he replied, grinning back.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

“I guess they’re magical after all,” Parker said, quoting her.

Beth laughed. “You’re never going to let me forget that are you?”

“Nope. Not ever.”

“I was like eight when I said that,” Beth protested.

“Fritz’s macarons are magical and as long as I have them in my life there’s no problem I can’t solve,” Parker recited in his annoyingly perfect imitation of Beth’s little girl voice.

Beth couldn’t contain her laugher. “God, even at eight, I was a drama queen.”

“I’ll give ya that.”

“So was it as bad as it felt today?” Beth asked referring to her argument with Jared.

“Bad enough that I went to Fritz’s.”

Beth nodded and held up a lavender and earl gray macaron to Parker, who clinked his Madagascar vanilla bean macaron against hers like they were sharing a toast. And perhaps they were. Sadly, it was to Beth’s family drama and failing relationship.

She popped half of the macaron into her mouth and let the sugary goodness dissolve on her tongue. The flavor was divine. And for the entire four seconds it took to enjoy the perfect pastry, she didn’t think about Jared or Brenna once. If that wasn’t magic she didn’t know what was.

“Have you talked to him?” Parker asked warily.

“No. But I talked to Caroline.”

“Yeah? What great wisdom did the queen of bad choices have for you?”

Beth popped another bite of macaron in her mouth. This one was blood orange and spice. “She thinks I shouldn’t push Jared to come to the wedding because it’ll make him look lame in front of the team. She says I need to give him his freedom because guys hate it when girls get all clingy and demanding.”

Parker made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. It was his not so subtle way of disagreeing completely without having to say so. Beth hated when he did that. She cut her eyes at him. “I’m guessing you have a different opinion?”

“That’s for sure.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I don’t think you want to.”

“No, I honestly do, Parker. Tell me what I’m doing wrong because I can only eat so many macarons before I feel sick and I-I . . .” her voice warbled. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Hey,” Parker said soothingly. He slid closer to her on the bed and she leaned into him. Before she knew it, she was sobbing into his shoulder.

Parker held her, stroking her hair while she shook in his arms. He was so good in a crisis. Beth couldn’t think of anywhere safer than in Parker’s arms. He always knew to let her cry it out. It was rare that Beth let herself get this upset. And even rarer that she let anyone comfort her. But when she did, it was always Parker. When their dog Muffy had to be put down. When Beth’s nana died. When her father got a job offer in California and she was convinced they were going to have to move.

Each time, no matter what the reason, Parker had held Beth without question, gently stroking her hair while she cried out all her worries. It was one of the things she loved most about him, his quiet strength. And the way he always made her feel like she could take her time. He didn’t rush her to get over things the way the rest of her family did.

After a few more minutes of crying, Beth collected herself. She sat back, untangling herself from Parker and wiping her eyes. “I’m done,” she said sniffling.

“First of all,” Parker said in a voice full of kindness, “You aren’t doing anything wrong. Your boyfriend is the one with the problem.”

Beth huffed a laugh. “So my boyfriend is my problem?”

Parker stiffened and for a second he looked like he was going to say something, but instead he got up and walked across Beth’s room to her bathroom. He came back with a box a tissues and he seemed more relaxed.

“What do I know, Beth? I’m not really an expert on relationship advice. But if I had a girlfriend like you, you wouldn’t have to ask me to come to a wedding. I’d want to be there. I’d want to be anywhere you were. Otherwise what’s the point of being with somebody?”

Beth blinked at Parker, her heart pinching painfully at his words. Why couldn’t Jared be more like Parker? Or why couldn’t Beth be the girl Parker wanted to be with? Life was so unfair.

“Beth, you’re amazing. Any guy who doesn’t see that doesn’t deserve you. And believe me, they’re the one with the problem.”

“Thanks, Park,” she whispered.

He waved her off. “All I did was bring Fritz’s.”

“You know that’s not true.”

Parker smiled. “Well, if Jared doesn’t get his head out of his ass, I’ll go with you to the wedding.”

Beth laughed at the irony. “That’s actually what Car told me to do.”

“What?”

“She said I should ask you to go to the wedding with me.”

Parker rubbed his neck. “Well, I guess not all her advice is horrible.”

“So you’d really go with me?”

“Of course I would.”

Beth smiled. “Just like old times?”

“Just like old times.”

Parker

Parker went for a run after he left Beth’s. He needed to clear his head, and all the sugar from the macarons was making him jittery. That or maybe it was being so close to Beth. It was nearly impossible for him to be around her. His chest physically hurt when they were in the same room. And holding her while she cried had been excruciating. All he wanted to do was kiss her and tell her that she was the most amazing girl in the world, and if she was his she’d never have to beg him to do things with her.

He hated hearing Beth doubt herself. Especially because of some prick like Jared who didn’t appreciate her. What the hell was wrong with Jared? He was dating Beth Bennett for God’s sake. She was easily the most perfect girl in Boston, if not the world. All she wanted to do was spend time with him. Didn’t Jared realize there were guys who would die to be in his shoes?

Parker shook his head, still in shock that he’d just offered to go to Brenna’s wedding with Beth. It was a terrible idea but he’d done it anyway.

He scoffed at himself. ‘Like old times?’ Yeah right! Nothing about what Parker felt for Beth was like old times. He envisioned the other Bennett weddings he’d attended as Beth’s plus one. There was dancing and hand-holding and walking down aisles. Bennett weddings were bonafide romance fests, and the thought nearly crippled Parker. He had no idea how he’d ever survived four weddings without telling Beth how he felt about her.

It would be pure torture to do all the things he longed to do with Beth as a placeholder for Jared. It would be like getting to live a dream for a few days, only to have it violently ripped away. Because Parker knew the instant the wedding was over the illusion would evaporate and Beth would go back to Jared, leaving Parker alone and more broken than ever. He couldn’t survive that. He was barely getting by as it was. He had to find a way to make Jared go to the wedding with Beth.

Parker shook his head with disgust. He was such a coward. Never in a million years did he think he’d be rooting for Jared to win one when it came to Beth. Parker sucked cold air into his lungs and pushed himself harder, pounding pavement like it could somehow beat back his traitorous heart.

* * *

Six miles later Parker still didn’t feel any better. He couldn’t get Beth out of his mind. He’d tried his best to be a good friend. He’d even bit his tongue when she asked what he really thought of Jared. But now, Parker was kicking himself for not just telling her everything. It would’ve been the perfect opportunity to tell Beth what Caroline had proposed after the lacrosse game and what he suspected it meant. But when it came down to it, he knew hearing that would only hurt Beth worse—and that was the one thing Parker could never do.