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“I’m sensing a real pattern with you, Quinn. If something doesn’t go your way, you leave. That’s not an ideal way to handle conflict.” I stood, furious at his attitude.
Why couldn’t he stay and talk this out?I swiped a stray hair out of my eyes, watching helplessly as Quinn gathered up his things.
“Neither is avoiding conflict by not mentioning it,” he snapped back, snatching his keys from my nightstand. “Have a good day at work.”
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
“Damn it,” I muttered, collapsing back onto my bed.
I was more confused than ever.
New York or Quinn.
I didn’t want to choose between career and love. Why couldn’t I have it all?
20
Quinn
After my morning chat with Delaney, I needed to get out of town and breathe fresh air. I picked up speed on my motorcycle, taking the road faster than necessary. It was early, so traffic wasn’t an issue. I relished the cold, whipping wind on my face, the vibration of the bike underneath me.
Surging through town, I reflected on how I’d screwed this up. I knew I should have left Delaney alone, from the first moment I saw her. God, why hadn’t I trusted my gut? I was a loner for a reason. Mainly, to avoid this fucking awful pit in my stomach. I should have kept things casual, easy.Somuch better in the long run.
Relationships never worked out for me. I don’t even know why I bothered.
I was fine alone. Better than fine. I had a great job, a nice-ish apartment, a cool family. Why couldn’t I just leave her be? She had all the red flags: best friend’s little sister, potential flight risk, sexy as hell. I should have run the other way, but what did my dumb ass do? Tumble into bed with her and get involved.
I sped down the road, leaving Peachtree Grove behind as the pavement turned into limestone gravel, the storefronts into trees. A few deep breaths calmed me down a little, my heart rate returning to mostly normal, as long as I didn’t think about Delaney.
Which proved to be impossible.
Shit.Would I ever stop feeling this way? It took me a solid year to get over Julia. Maybe longer, depending on who you asked. And I hadn’t felt one-tenth as much for her as I did Delaney.
Damn it.
I swiveled my bike around, doing a full one-eighty, and headed back to town. I needed to talk to Ryder. He’d have some advice. Maybe not good advice, but advice. Right now, I’d take anything I could get.
* * *
Imade my way down the long drive towards my parents’ house and noted Bree’s car parked beside Ryder’s SUV. Super. I didn’t feel like hashing out my love life with my brother and his girlfriend, although she’d probably be the most qualified, seeing as how she was a therapist.
Idling for a moment, I debated what to do. Maybe I’d just hit the gym.
“Quinn?” My mom looked down the drive, shielding her eyes from the sun.
Busted.
“Hey, Mom. How are you?” I cut the switch on my bike, parking it next to Ryder’s SUV.
“Good, honey. Want some breakfast? I just made an egg casserole and was taking some over to your brother.”
There were some distinct advantages living next door to your mom. I wondered how many times a week our mother cooked for that lucky bastard.
“I’m not that hungry.” I lifted my helmet off, hanging it on my bike.
“Really? What’s wrong?” My mom eyed me, her brows raised, worry clouding her blue eyes.
“Nothing.”
