A Broken Soul(28)

"Sure," Janice smiled and moved toward her husband. "Let me just say goodnight to Sophia."

The man looked from his wife to Quinn before saying, "I'll go with you." Then, just like that, they were both gone, but the tension still hung heavy in the air.

"You okay?" Quinn asked, giving me a start.

"Uh … " A nervous laugh bubbled from deep within. "I'm pretty sure I should be asking you that question. You get any more rigid and you just might crack."

He came closer, his face suspicious. "Did she say something that upset you?"

"What? No, not at all. She was really nice, actually. Why would you think that?"

I could tell he didn't believe me. "You looked upset when I walked in, that's all. Things with them can be … "

"Can be what?" I asked when he didn't finish his sentence.

"It's a difficult situation, that's all. They do what they can to maintain a relationship with Sophia, but we don't really talk."

I was shocked to hear him admit something so personal. He was normally so closed-off that his openness about his in-laws was surprising. I had expected those shutters of his to come down. Seeing as they hadn't, I decided to take my chances and asked, "Why?"

What he said next broke my heart. The words, coupled with the emptiness in his beautiful eyes killed me. "They blame me," he admitted raggedly.

I closed the gap between us in two steps, grabbing hold of his hands in an attempt to offer some sort of comfort, no matter how small. "What? No, Quinn, that's not-"

"It's all right. I blame myself, too. It's just … " He looked so ravaged, so pained. I would have given anything in that moment to take it all away from him. "I wish things were different between all of us. For Sophia's sake." 

"I think you're wrong," I told him softly, reaching up to hold his face in my hands. "She's worried. She told me herself that they miss you. She didn't sound like a woman who placed blame, Quinn."

His eyes grew dark as those shutters began to lower. "You wouldn't understand."

I was just about to argue, to tell him that maybe I could understand if he'd just talk to me, but Sophia called out from the backyard, interrupting the moment.

"I need to get out there. Thank you for everything today." He turned and walked out, effectively closing the door on our conversation and leaving me hurting for him.





Lilly



SINCE MY FATHER'S diagnosis it had been hard to keep from stopping by my parents' house unexpectedly every chance I had. The only thing that kept me from going over constantly was the fact that we'd changed our monthly dinners to weekly, so I was able to keep a closer eye on my father. Other than being tired and losing weight, he'd been in pretty good spirits recently. It wasn't until I walked into their kitchen the day after Sophia's party and got a look at my mother's face that I knew something wasn't right.

Her eyes were bloodshot, dark circles made them appear sunken in. Her skin was pale and her normally put together appearance was disheveled. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

She gave me a sad, tired smile as she slowly chopped a stalk of celery. "Oh, hi, sweetie. I didn't hear you come in."

I walked to her and took the knife from her hand. "Maybe that's because you're half-asleep? What's going on?"

She let out a weary sigh and all but collapsed onto the barstool at the island. "Sorry. It's just been a little rough. You're father hasn't had a very good week."

It felt like someone reached into my chest and squeezed. "Is he okay?"

Hearing the worry in my voice, Mom reached over and placed her hand on top of mine. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. He's okay. He's just been a little under the weather. You know how it gets when a person's sick. The nights are always the worst. I've been staying up to take care of him."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Lilly," she said softly. "You're already juggling enough with the studio and your big show coming up. Fall and Winter are a stressful time for you as it is. I didn't want to burden you."

That tightness in my chest returned and my eyes began to burn. "Mom, how could you think that? You're my parents. You and Dad could never be a burden. When Dad is sick, or you're not getting any sleep, I want to help. Please, let me help."

She looked so tired, so sad. This was the woman who kissed away every ache and pain, who held me when the kids at school teased me, who'd been my rock my entire life. I was twenty-four years old and she was still looking out for me. It was time for me to pitch in. I owed it to her to carry some of her burden for a change.