Finding Us (Finding #2) by Shealy James Page A

guy who was quietly snoring beside me was mine. The best part was he didn’t want anyone else; he made that very clear. The first day I met him in Max’s dorm room, I knew he was the hottest guy I had ever seen in person and still is, no doubt. Over the past four years though, he had shown me all the good and the bad inside of him, and I couldn’t help but think the good far outweighed the bad. He was everything a girl could want in one very attractive package.
    Once I started focusing on Parker, I felt my anxiety about the upcoming changes wane. It was then I realized how badly I needed to pee. I tried sneaking out from under his arm and off the bed in an effort not to disturb him, but just as my feet hit the carpet, Parker’s arm came around my waist and pulled me back to him so his lips were at my ear.
    “I thought the sneaking out of bed in the morning ended a long time ago, pretty girl?” He teased me with his lips against my ear then my neck.
    “I just was going to the bathroom.”
    “Hmph,” he pulled away and let me get up. “I guess I can let you do that if you must. Hey, why don’t we go for a quick run and go to the café on campus we went to the very first Saturday we spent together?”
    “That sounds like a great idea. Should we invite Max?” I asked him as I climbed out of bed.
    “That’s up to you, baby. I know you’ve been laying here freaking out for the past hour about him moving out, so if you want him to be there, he should be there.” I knew Parker thought my anxiety over all of these changes was ridiculous even though he hadn’t said as much. Call it separation anxiety or whatever, but it was still really hard for me to imagine not having Max live steps away from me. I sighed and climbed back into the bed and snuggled into his chest drawing a little more comfort from his warmth before I faced the day.
    “Hmmm…Maybe we should spend a little more alone time right here before we go,” he suggested.
    “Oh? What did you have in mind?” All I was wearing was one of his t-shirts and panties, so I had a good idea what he wanted when his hand snuck under the shirt. “Oh! You have the best ideas Parker Pryce.” I giggled as he tickled my side before his hand moved to my breast. I immediately stopped laughing and reveled in the touch of his expert hand.
    “I thought you’d like that. Now, let’s see what we can do to make you feel better…”
    
    Things changed quickly after graduation. I was a mess on the inside, but I tried to keep my crazy under control for everyone else’s sake. I would rather spend a day with my mother than let them think I was becoming the weak little Maggie who everyone felt they needed to take care of again. I just wished that “fake it ‘til you make it” saying actually worked.
    Sarah went home to the farm the day after the ceremony. Her parents kept her too busy to even call from the moment she arrived. On top of missing Sarah, Max and Becca moved in together then he proposed to her on the top of Stone Mountain at sunrise one Saturday in June. We had a big celebratory brunch at our house where I tried to show my excitement for their pending nuptials, but all I could think about was how little I saw of Max now that he and Becca were living together.
    Sarah was missing from the table. Max was getting married and was no longer just my best friend. Law school would be starting soon. Everything was different, and selfishly I wanted to rewind and start over again.
    Fortunately I had summer to adjust to our new lives. Even though things were rapidly evolving, Max and Becca were still around often enough. Sometimes Billy or Grady came over for a bit, but that didn’t last. Billy obviously missed Sarah and didn’t feel as connected with us without her. Supposedly they had just been having fun, but I don’t think Billy felt that way because he clearly had strong feelings for her. Grady, on the other hand, apparently hated leaving Alexis alone for too long