“So you’re backing out?” he asks incredulously.
“I don’t know what I’m doing right now, Ollie. Can I please have time to deal with the fact that these animals defiled my workspace and showed me how quickly they could invade my life? You have no clue what that feels like.”
“And you have no idea what it’s like to know the man who shot and nearly killed you might walk.”
His words make me cringe. I can’t help but feel like I’m failing him. I hang my head, embarrassed, and frustrated by the no-win situation I find myself in.
“I’m sorry, Ollie.”
“Yeah, me too,” he says quietly.
Is he taking my uncertainty personal? Am I not supporting him by straddling the fence? The questions swirl around in my brain. I have no answers. The space between my ears is crowded, and my mood is dark. I’m angry, scared, and confused. This is calling to question my very character. Maybe I’m not the woman I once thought I was. It’s one thing to wonder what you’d do in theory, and another to live it in real life. It’d be different if it was just the two of us, but it’s not. A dull throb beings in my temples. I massage the pressure points in an attempt to stave off the migraine trying to creep up on me.
“Hey, you okay?” Ollie asks.
“I feel a headache coming,” I admit.
“What’s happening now isn’t about us. I know we have two different opinions on the best way to approach this. I’m not going to hold it against you.”
“Are you sure about that?” I whisper.
“I’m passionate about it, yes, but I can keep it separate from our relationship.” I tilt my head up, and he kisses me softly. “I love you, Quinn. That’s something I take very seriously.”
“I do, too.”
Just like that, we’re recalibrated, but I can’t shake the feeling in my gut.
Chapter Ten
Ollie
I curse myself for agreeing to my mother’s terms as I sit in the driveway of my father’s home with his wife, Karen. I can count on my hand how many times I’ve been here in my lifetime. I avoid it like the plague, opting to meet him on neutral turf. Now I’m stuck having Sunday brunch with just the two of them.
“Did you tell them I was coming?” Quinn asks.
“Me and my father don’t talk, so no.”
“What the hell, Oliver?”
I cringe at the use of my given name. “You’ll be a welcome surprise, believe me. Things between us are complicated at best, and I knew if I had to sit here by myself and shoot the shit I’d fail miserably. I’m only doing this for my mother.”
Sighing, she shakes her head. “I swear, God made you hot so you wouldn’t be murdered in your sleep.”
“Thank you?”
She huffs. “The only thing saving you from getting ripped a new one is the fact that making your mom date again is the sweetest thing I’ve heard of a son doing in ages. How’s it going for her?”
“Maybe too good. The woman’s been on a handful of dates already. The twinkle is back in her eyes. That’s all I wanted. She deserved more than a self-prescribed life of oneness.”
“You’re so cute when it comes to your mom, dude.”
I scowl. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this.
She laughs. “Come on, sitting here isn’t going to make the time move any faster.”
“Yeah.”
Climbing out of the car, I run around to open her door. Things have been tough for us since we met with Detective Kunes a week prior. I’m on board to testify, and she’s wavering. The attacks shook her up. I get it. I’m waiting around for my turn. Holding out my hand, I admire the navy blue and white polka dot skirt she’s wearing. The sleeveless number shows off her long legs, and muscular arms and shoulders. The yoga thing she has going on works for her. I wrap my arm around her waist and kiss her temples, proud to have her by my side.