A lone tear spilled over onto my cheek as I smiled up at my dad. "I can do that, Daddy."
"That's my girl." He returned my smile and I knew that this moment was going to be yet another among years worth of happy memories that I held on to once he was finally gone.
THAT NIGHT, I decided it was best for me to stay the night with my folks. I wasn't teaching until later the following day and Mom really needed a break. She was so exhausted that when I tried to wake her for pizza, she mumbled a few unintelligible words, rolled over, and passed back out. I pulled a blanket over her and let her be, hoping that she'd catch up on the sleep she so desperately needed.
I closed down the house for the night and had just crawled into my old bed when my cellphone began to ring from the bedside table, the light from the screen creating a soft glow in the otherwise dark bedroom.
I was surprised to see Quinn's name, and quickly slid my thumb across the glass face to answer the call. "Quinn? Is everything all right? Is Sophia okay?"
His deep, rough voice came through the line, sending a tingle across my skin. "Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?"
A quick glance at the clock on my nightstand showed it was a few minutes past ten. "It's just kind of late. I didn't know if something was wrong."
He was silent for a second before whispering, "Shit. I didn't realize what time it was. I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"
I found myself smiling in spite of the weight still resting on my chest from the stress with my father. "No. I wasn't asleep. So, what's up?"
"I was just … " When he trailed off, I got the weird sense that he wasn't sure of himself, like he was nervous to be calling me in the middle of the night. "I knew you had dinner with your folks tonight and I wanted to check on you. See how you're doing."
Warmth spread threw my limbs and my heart gave a little jump in my chest. He was checking up on me. He knew how hard all of this was, and just wanted to make sure I was okay. At that realization, the weight seemed to lessen just a bit.
I was suddenly choked up at the show of support. "Thank you," I managed to say on a whisper. "That … that means a lot."
"So how's your dad doing?"
I let out a sigh and stacked the pillows behind my back in an effort to get comfortable. "He's had a tough few days. I'm staying the night to try and give my mom a break. She was exhausted by the time I showed up."
"I'm so sorry, Lilly."
"It's okay," I spoke. "It sucks, but it is what it is."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
God, this man. The more time I spent getting to know him, the blurrier the line between friends and something more became. He made it damn near impossible to not fall for him.
"Just talking to you helps," I answered truthfully. "It might sound crazy, but knowing I can vent to you if I need to really helps."
His voice was soft as he said, "I get it. Believe me. And I'm always here. You need me, you call. Day or night. Got it?"
I giggled into the phone at his bossy demeanor. "Yes sir."
His voice sounded thicker, gravelly when he spoke again. "I should let you get some sleep. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I breathed. "And Quinn?"
"I'm here." And he really was. That meant more to me than he could ever know.
"Thank you for calling."
"Always. Night, Lilly."
"Night, Quinn." I ended the call and snuggled down into the bed, closing my eyes on a heavy exhale.
Thanks to Quinn being my friend when I needed one the most, sleep came easily that night.
Lilly
I HATED HAVING to leave my parents the next day to make the drive back to Pembrooke, but the two of them had teamed up against me and practically forced me out the door. They said I had classes to teach and responsibilities of my own. I wanted to stay and help take care of them both, but they insisted they'd be just fine without me. I knew it was their way of looking out for me, but that didn't help to lessen the tension I was carrying around in the pit of my stomach.
I tried throwing myself into work, tried pouring all my stress and anxiety out in dance, but it just wasn't working. I was on edge, and it showed. By the time my last class of the day came to an end, I felt ready to snap.
Pasting a fake smile on my face, I began winding my way through the crowd of parents picking up their kids, looking for an escape, when a hand on my elbow caused me to stop. I spun around to find Quinn looking down at me, his pale green eyes full of concern.