Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire Page B

That’s an honorable title.”
    â€œWhatever that means. He’s not as bad as everyone makes him out to be.”
    The sky turned purple and then pink as the sun broke above the horizon. Parker looked at his watch, glancing over the railing to the thinning crowd on the lawn. “Looks like the party’s over.”
    â€œI better track down Shep and Mare.”
    â€œWould you mind if I drove you home?” he asked.
    I tried to subdue my excitement. “Not at all. I’ll let America know.” I walked through the door, and then cringed before turning around. “Do you know where Travis lives?”
    Parker’s thick, brown eyebrows pulled in. “Yes, why?”
    â€œThat’s where I’m staying,” I said, bracing for his reaction.
    â€œYou’re staying with Travis?”
    â€œI sort of lost a bet, so I’m there for a month.”
    â€œA month?”
    â€œIt’s a long story,” I said, shrugging sheepishly.
    â€œBut you two are just friends?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThen I’ll take you to Travis’s,” he smiled.
    I trotted down the stairs to find America and passed a sullen Travis, who seemed annoyed with the drunken girl speaking to him. He followed me into the hall as I tugged on America’s dress.
    â€œYou guys can go ahead. Parker offered me a ride home.”
    â€œWhat?” America said with excitement in her eyes.
    â€œWhat?” Travis asked, angry.
    â€œIs there a problem?” America asked him.
    He glared at America, and then pulled me around the corner, his jaw flitting under his skin. “You don’t even know the guy.”
    I pulled my arm from his grip. “This is none of your business, Travis.”
    â€œThe hell if it’s not. I’m not letting you ride home with a complete stranger. What if he tries something on you?”
    â€œGood! He’s cute!”
    Travis’s expression contorted from surprise to anger, and I braced myself for what he might say next. “Parker Hayes, Pidge? Really? Parker Hayes,” herepeated with disdain. “What kind of name is that, anyway?”
    I crossed my arms. “Stop it, Trav. You’re being a jerk.”
    He leaned in, seeming flustered. “I’ll kill him if he touches you.”
    â€œI like him,” I said, emphasizing every word.
    He seemed stunned at my confession, and then his features turned severe. “Fine. If he ends up holding you down in the backseat of his car, don’t come crying to me.”
    My mouth popped open, offended and instantly furious. “Don’t worry, I won’t,” I said, shouldering past him.
    Travis grabbed my arm and sighed, peering at me over his shoulder. “I didn’t mean it, Pidge. If he hurts you—if he even makes you feel uncomfortable—you let me know.”
    The anger subsided, and my shoulders fell. “I know you didn’t. But you have got to curb this overprotective big-brother thing you’ve got going on.”
    Travis laughed once. “I’m not playing the big brother, Pigeon. Not even close.”
    Parker rounded the corner and pushed his hands inside his pockets, offering his elbow to me. “All set?”
    Travis clenched his jaw, and I stepped to the other side of Parker to distract him from Travis’s expression. “Yeah, let’s go.” I took Parker’s arm and walked with him a few steps before turning to say goodbye to Travis, but he was glowering at the back of Parker’s head. His eyes darted to me and then his features smoothed.
    â€œStop it,” I said through my teeth, following Parker through the remnants of the crowd to his car.
    â€œI’m the silver one.” The headlights of his car blinked twice when he hit the keyless entry.
    He opened the passenger side door, and I laughed. “You drive a Porsche?”
    â€œShe’s not just a Porsche. She’s a Porsche 911 GT3. There’s