Author's note: Let Me Touch You For Awhile by Alison Krauss (I don't usually use song lyrics in my stories, but I couldn't pass up on a few lines of this song.)
Dedication: To Ren (Odakota) thanks for everything. This chapter's for you.
Jarod walked up to the grey stoned house, rang the doorbell and waited impatiently. When there was no answer, he pounded on the front door. Miss Parker looked through the peephole and cussed under her breath. She wiped the final traces of tears off of her face from her hour long crying session.
"What are you doing here, Jarod?" Her voice cracked and he knew she had been crying.
He entered her home and leaned against the closed door. "You left suddenly. Why didn't you stay?"
"It's your family reunion, not mines. It's only right for Kayla to be with you and Margaret. I don't belong there."
"I'm sorry. I hurt you deeply. I was cruel and insensitive. I called you names, I was disrespectful towards you and I made you cry." Jarod barely touched Parker's face when she hissed at him.
"Get away from me, labrat." She slapped his hands away from her. "And don't you touch me."
"Welcome back, Miss Parker. Never thought you still had it in you."
"What?" She snarled.
"That. Your spunk. Your terms of endearment for me. Your spit fire of a personality. It's back." He laughed.
"I'm glad you find it amusing. It's been pure torture to be around you. I'm exhausted and I don't want to fight with you anymore. I have no energy left to do so."
"I'm not here to fight with you. I'm here to bring you back to my place."
"You think just because I found your mother, now everything should be fine with us?"
"No, Melissa. It's never going to be fine with us. You still deceived me."
"Thank you for always throwing that in my face." Parker growled.
"The past will always haunt us. But, I'd like to thank you, though, for your succeeded efforts in finding mom. I only wished I could have saved Catherine for you."
"I know that finding Margaret does not justify for what I've done to you. I kept our daughter out of your life and I am truly sorry. You are right in a sense, that I'm not a sincere person, you've blurted it enough a thousand times since I've been back. You are right again, whereas, I might be selfish, I might be cruel and heartless when things don't go my way, but, you were always there when I needed help where it concerned my mother and the least I could do was to try and locate Margaret."
"You put your life in danger and supposed something had happened to you?"
"I knew Kayla would have been taken care of. So, what's it going to be now, Jarod? Like divorced couples, only we were never a couple, shall we take turns every other week with her? She'll be shifted back and forth to us until she's eighteen. Unless you have a better idea."
Jarod shrugged. "You've done a wonderful job of raising her alone. I only hope I can be as good a parent as you have been to her."
"I can see that she loves you a lot and you love her. Kayla is fortunate to have you as her father. I can't make you do anything you don't want to. I can't make you love me. You're not the first man I've ever loved, Jarod, but I'd like you to be my last."
Slowly, cautiously, Jarod took steps towards her. "I'd like to hold you now, if you let me." He held out his arms.
Miss Parker felt comfort in the warmth of his embrace. "There's no turning back, Jarod. I wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Melissa, I do love you, I've always loved you." He kissed her tenderly. "I know a way to make you smile. It's been a long time. Let me touch you for a while. Just let me whisper things you've never heard before. Just let me touch you, baby, just let me touch you for awhile."
Always believe what's in your heart. It only takes a moment to listen.
TBC - Chapter 9
