A Broken Soul(63)

Mom linked her elbow through Dad's and gave his hand a gentle pat. "It's been a long day. I think we're both pretty worn out."

Compassion flittered across Quinn's face as he gave me a look, but I wasn't in the mood. He could take his pity and shove it, as far as I was concerned. I turned back to his parents and smiled as politely as I could. "It was so nice seeing you again. I'm going to walk them out. Thank you for coming out tonight."

Mr. Mallick's face was soft and kind as he reached out and gave my forearm a squeeze. "Of course, darling. Have a good night."

"You too." I leaned down, placing a quick kiss on Sophia's forehead before linking my arm with Dad's other one.

As we passed, I offered Quinn a glance and a nod before leading my parents from the auditorium. Once we reached the sidewalk Mom went ahead to pull the car around, not wanting my father to have to navigate the parking lot. I stayed with him, keeping a firm hold on his arm the whole time. I felt like I was getting slammed with heartbreak from both sides. One side was Quinn, the other was my father. And I felt ill-equipped to handle either. I wasn't sure how much pain one person could take before it all finally just became too much.

"Don't be too hard on him, baby girl," Dad muttered while we waited for the car.

I gave my father my eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Your young man. He's struggling. It's written all over his face."

I let out a sigh of defeat and looked back out into the night. "I know, Daddy. But what's the point if he's content to just hold on to that struggle for the rest of his life?"

His arm tugged mine, calling my attention back to him. "You love him."

I nodded, feeling the tears well in my eyes. "I do."

"Then show him there's a light at the end of the tunnel."

My dad. God, I loved him so much. "I don't know if I have the power to make him see it."

He reached up and brushed my cheek with his thumb. Until he did that I hadn't realized a tear and broken free. "Don't sell yourself short, baby girl. Whether this works out between you two or not, never forget, there's someone out there worthy of everything you are. It may be him, or it may be someone else. But either way, the heartache will eventually dull and you'll meet someone who will show you just how special you are." 

I grinned and gave a little laugh, resting my head on his shoulder. "My dad, the smartest man I know."

His lips brushed the top of my head as he said softly, "No, just a man lucky enough to have a woman show him how wonderful life could be. Then she graced me with a daughter who drove that point home."

Oh yeah. I loved my dad.





Quinn



THE MORE TIME I spent with Lilly, the more I grew to care about her. And the more I hated myself, because I just couldn't seem to stop hurting her. She was quickly starting to become a person who meant the absolute world to me. I was falling for her hard and fast, no matter how much I told myself I didn't want to. But I was such a goddamned coward that I was scared shitless when I woke up a few days ago and instantly wished she was next to me. That was the day I started slowly pulling away from her, despite my heart protesting.

I knew she sensed it. And when I called her a friend in front of our parents, I saw the devastation on her face. The smart move would have been to stay away, keep my distance to lessen the impact when my anxieties finally became too much for me to handle and I shut myself off permanently.

But I couldn't stay away.

I was a selfish bastard, but the idea of going to sleep that night after seeing her face was just something I couldn't take. That was why, after I dropped Sophia off at her sleepover, I found myself standing on the stoop of Lilly's apartment. I knocked and waited for what felt like an eternity for her to answer. The knot of tension in my gut coiled tighter with each passing second.

It wasn't until I heard the sound of the lock disengaging that I was finally able to take my first real breath.

Her eyes gave nothing away as she stood in the doorway, looking just as beautiful as ever. "What are you doing here?" she asked on a sigh. I hated that my behavior over the past few months had trained her to be skeptical. Deep down, I really did want to make her happy, I just couldn't seem get past all my hang ups to allow that to happen.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

Lilly's eyelids fell closed as she dropped her head and gave it a shake. When she finally looked back up at me, the hesitance that stared back at me from those warm amber eyes was almost too much to bear.

"You're always sorry, Quinn, and I'm really getting sick and tired of hearing your apologies."

I knew that one of these days I'd push her too far, but the thought that this could actually be that day sent a spike of desperation straight through my chest. I couldn't let her go. Not yet. Not now.