“I’m sorry,” Alice answers again, turning back to the house and I glance up at the windows one last time, stalling when I meet a set of ice blue eyes that own me completely. Her eyes are red and tears steadily drip down her cheeks as she turns away from me. When the curtain falls back into place, my stomach rolls and I climb in my truck, vowing to be back tomorrow.
And the next day.
And the next
And the next.
Every day until she finally agrees to talk to me because there is no vision of my future that doesn’t have her in it.
* * * *
A car horn blares behind me and I jump, turning away from the EQA Events sign to glance over my shoulder as I blow out a breath. My eyes burn from another night of barely any sleep since I’ve spent the last twelve hours camped out here, waiting for a glimpse of her. I’m fucking frustrated, on edge, and more than ready to get some goddamn answers from the woman I love with everything I’ve got. Quinn’s assistant, Willa, arrived ten minutes ago and now I’m just waiting to see her. I’ve spent the last two days wondering why she won’t talk to me and if she’s even half as miserable as I am. I finally understand what Storm, Chance, and Kodiak went through with their own women now that the current pain in my ass and love of my goddamn life is avoiding me like the plague. This is probably some karmic retribution for giving them so much shit at the time.
A flash of blonde hair catches my attention and I watch as she climb out of her new car and rounds the hood. She’s just as gorgeous as always but the dark circles under her eyes give her away and as much as I hate to see her in pain, it makes me feel a little bit better that this isn’t easy for her. She glances out at the street and I duck down in my truck, whispering a curse, but she doesn’t see me or if she does, she doesn’t acknowledge my presence. Sadness is etched into every curve of her stunning face and my stomach rolls.
What the fuck happened to put that look in her eyes?
I watch her until she disappears into the office and run my hand through my hair as I suck in a breath. I’ll give her a few minutes and then, it’s showtime. I’m not leaving without some damn answers and if I have to beg her for another chance or forgiveness, I’ll do it. Not that I have any clue what I might be apologizing for. Pulling the engagement ring out of my pocket, I stare at it and wonder if I’m ever going to be able to slip it on her finger. When I saw it in the store, I knew it was fucking perfect for her and I imagined a whole life for us - all three of us since Brooklyn has stolen my heart just as much as her mama has. The thought of spending my life without the two of them…
No.
Fuck that mess.
I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life and if I’m going down, I’ll go down fighting.
Blowing out a breath, I turn off the car I borrowed from Blaze and open the door before stepping outside and squaring my shoulders. As I cross the street, all the questions that have been running through my head since I left her house yesterday return and I ball my fists at my sides. There is no scenario where I don’t get the answers I need today. It’s not an option. And then once I know what we’re dealing with, I can start to fix it.
The bell on the door jingles as I pull it open and step inside. Willa continues staring at something on her desk as she smiles.
“Hi. What can I help you with?” She glances up and her eyes widen. “What are you doing here, Lucas?”
“I need to see her,” I answer. She shakes her head.
“I can’t let you do that.”
I take a step forward and she stands. “I need to see her, Willa.”
She shakes her head again, her gaze hardening. “And I said no. You need to leave.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Lucas, don’t make me call security. She’ll talk to you when she’s ready.” She reaches for the phone and the last of my patience slips away. I don’t give a damn who she calls and I’m not leaving this damn building until I see Quinn. She grabs the receiver and I let out a grunt of frustration as I march toward Quinn’s office door. She steps in front of me.
“Lucas!” she yells as I dodge her and approach Quinn’s office door. “I’m calling security.”
I turn and shoot a glare over my shoulder. “So call them.”
“Willa,” Quinn’s voice crackles through the phone’s speaker. “Let him in.”
Fucking finally.
I open the door to the office and step inside before stopping dead in my tracks. Quinn is seated behind the desk and just like yesterday, she’s crying. It fucking rips through me like claws and I can’t fight the pulling sensation deep down in my gut, telling me to go to her and wrap my arms around her. Crossing the room in three quick strides, I stop next to her chair and do just that.
“God, I missed you, baby,” I whisper into her hair and a sob bubbles out of her but I ignore it. Whatever is going on is serious and I need just a few more seconds to hold her before I find out what it is.
“Lucas,” she gasps, clinging to my shirt so I hold her tighter, hoping to take just a little bit of her pain away as worry eats away at me. Pulling back, I meet her eyes and try to force a smile to my face.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on here, baby? Why I had to hunt you down at work just to get you to talk to me?”
Another sob spills out of her mouth and she nods as she presses the back of her fingers to her lips. “You should sit.”
“Think I’ll stand,” I growl. Her eyes beg me for compliance and I pull her back to me, pressing my lips against her forehead before releasing her and rounding the desk. We both sink into our chairs and she sucks in a breath.
“I don’t know where to start.”
I nod, running the tip of my finger along my bottom lip as I study her. “Why don’t you start with what happened at the baby shower?”
“We…uh, we have to start before that.”
“Meaning?” I ask, arching a brow.
“Do you remember when I told you about Brooklyn’s father?”
My stomach turns as I remember the night she told me about her past and I nod. “Yeah, I remember, babe.”
“The man who raped me… he was never found and I’ve never seen him again…” She sucks in a breath as more tears fall down her cheeks. “Until we were at the baby shower.”
I blink and stare at her, my mind stalling on her words. “Are you saying one of the guys raped you? Quinn, they would fucking never…”
“No, Lucas,” she whispers, her tears falling faster. “It wasn’t one of the guys.”
“There was no one else…”
My sluggish thoughts screech to a halt and I stare at her for a second, searching for any kind of clue that she’s not implying what I think she’s implying.
“No,” I whisper and she nods, staring down at her shaking hands as she presses them to the table and another sob rips through her.
“I’m so sorry, Lucas.”
I jerk out of my seat, knocking it backward as I stumble away from her. “No.” She meets my eyes and I can see the certainty in her gaze. I run my hand through my hair as I pace back and forth across her office. “No. It’s not possible.”