The Wrong Heart

by Jennifer Hartmann

Parker continues. “So, I built you this violin. It’s a little shoddy—not my best work because violins are kind of a bitch to hand carve, but… it plays.”

Parker etched my words and purest memories inside of him, carrying them around until they outweighed his darkness. I’ve been a part of him for all this time.

Perfection is right now, this very moment, sitting on my favorite beach with Parker Denison as he siphons every last drop of remorse and fear, every lingering shadow, from my wildly beating heart.

With my toes in the sand, our hands entwined, my favorite song serenading us, and a sweet old dog as our witness, Parker tugs me towards the water’s edge. I let out an onslaught of delirious giggles when my bare feet hit the icy lake with a splash.

“Why am I the moon?” “You’re the guiding light in a dark sky,” Parker murmurs, his breath tickling the top of my head. “You shine strong when the rest of the world is asleep… when no one is even looking.”

“I’m the moon.” I’m Charlie’s sun, and I’m Parker’s moon. I can be both. I’m an eclipse.

“Seventy-nine scars, Melody. I’m a fucking monster.” “No. You’re a man,” I bite back. “You’re the man I’ve fallen head over heels for, scars and all.”

It’s him. Parker is Zephyr. Parker has Charlie’s beating heart inside his chest, functioning and strong. Alive.

“Did you see the sunrise this morning?” Parker doesn’t waver as he nicks my neck with his teeth, then lifts his head until we’re face-to-face, still moving inside me. “I did,” he whispers back, finding my eyes in the dark. “But I don’t think I saw what you saw.” Inhaling a sharp breath, I lift up to kiss him, soft and brief. “What did you see?”

“I saw you,” he says, quiet but firm. “I see you in every sunrise. Beauty… promise.”

I reach out, cupping her face between my palms and forcing her attention on me. Bending down, I drop my forehead to hers as she squeaks out a strained gasp. “Look at me. Fucking see me,” I rasp out, my fingers weaving through her soft hair. “I’m here, and I’m trying. I don’t have lavish gifts or words that will magically erase the stupid shit I did, and fuck if I know how to grovel, but I do have one thing… and that’s me. Right here, right now. Standing on your doorstep, asking you to give me another fucking chance. To look past my mistakes and see everything else. Look at the real me, Melody. The man you brought to life, who has no goddamn clue what he’s doing, but is doing it anyway because it fucking matters. You matter.”

I thought the sun died that day, and I would never shine again.”

“The sun never dies, though. It only sets,” I finish, licking fallen tears from my lips. “Then it rises, and a new day begins.”

“I love you,” I say again, coiling my legs around his hips while my hands cradle his face. “I love you so much, Parker Denison. You. All of your scars, your shadows, and your perfect, perfect heart.

“You shatter my walls. You vaporize my darkness, overthrow my demons. You destroy every goddamn misaligned belief I’ve carried with me all my life.”

“Goddamn, I’m lucky…” Bree’s fingers trail from my heart to my hand, and she gives it a light squeeze. “It’s not luck, Parker. This was all you.” I swallow, drinking in the scene before me. “You built this life, just like you built your home—from the ground up, with careful tools, hard work, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.” Her arm stretches outward, showcasing the fruits of my labor. “You put this here.”

The truth is, I never truly had a home until I had her. I had four walls and a place to lay my head, but no place to lay my heart. I planted roots here, but those roots had nowhere to grow. They were stagnant and shriveling.

We hold the key to our own happiness, and what we put on the other side of that door is entirely up to us. Our beginning doesn’t have to be our end.

He told me that every time a breeze rolled through it was a zephyr—a gentle promise of new beginnings.

Zephyrus was the god of the west wind, the god of springtime, a representation of fresh starts and growth. A beacon of hope and new life. For whatever reason, I carried that moment with me. As a scared child, locked in that closet, I’d feel him with me every time a gust of wind shimmied beneath the door, a calm presence amidst the darkness. My father. Zephyr. He became my companion, my imaginary friend, whispering in my ear to hold on. Winter doesn’t last forever. Spring is coming.

Melody will always be the sun, shining bright, a beautiful new beginning. But above all, she is my moon. The perfect end.

“Shine bright, Melody. Your smile is a gift to even the saddest soul.”

I would give anything to dance with him, but my body is weak, and my heart is fading. Inhaling a shuddering breath, I reply, “I think I’m too tired to dance.” I wish we could dance our way through infinite lifetimes, but I’m grateful for the one we had. The one we created together. It’s been such a good life. A great life. It’s the life I chose, and it’s the life I would choose a thousand times over.

“I’ll be right behind you, Melody. Wait for me.” “I’ll wait,” I nod, squeezing him as tight as my body will allow. My breaths are ragged and worn, my limbs fatigued, but our love is mighty. Eternal. Blinking away more tears, I turn to him, finding his beautiful green eyes fixed on mine. “What do you think is on the other side?” Parker doesn’t hesitate. He leans in, pressing a final kiss to my lips. “What you put there.” I smile. I’ll see you soon.