Page 84 of For Your Consideration

“You don’t see yourself clearly. At least not the way I see you.”

“I don’t want to know how you see me, Ash. My own mother didn’t want me, couldn’t take care of me, no family ever adopted me. I’ve never been wanted. No one wanted to stay around. The last guy I thought loved me kicked me out the second the stick turned pink.” My drunk rambling was revealing a lot. “I got through all of that. But I’m not sure I can keep doing it, ya know? Recovering, pushing it down, moving past it. With you, it’s all different. You scare me and I don’t have time to be scared.” I whispered the last part.

“The guys are coming here to pick us up, and boy, did I get a lecture,” Quinn sighed as she came back into the room. “Wade has already been sent up here to make sure we don’t move.” She sank back on the ground beside me.

“Five minutes out, sweetheart. Stay with Quinn.” He hung up without waiting for me to agree.

“Do you think I could escape before he gets here?” I asked, staring at my lock screen.

After my third shot tonight I changed it to a picture I’d taken when Sophie was sick. Asher was holding her, looking down at her with a small smile. It was the one I was using as his contact picture.

Definitely shouldn’t have done that but I didn’t change it back, blaming it on the alcohol.

“Nope.”

“Drats.”

“Theo was fine with us being out, just pissed that I hadn’t answered when he started calling, and then Ash riled him up, convincing him that something was off even though he had my location. He said he would have put off work and come out with us tonight if I had asked. He thought maybe we’d left the club without my phone or something.” She had a dopey smile on her face. “I love that man. He got a tattoo for me the other day.”

“I’m not surprised.” I let out a snort. “That man doesn’t take his eyes off you. He’s obsessed. What did he get?”

“A bouquet of lilies on his ribs because they’re my favorite flower.”

My heart melted right alongside her. Knight may intimidate me but there was no denying how much he loved Quinn.

“How did you know?” I rolled my head against the wall to look at her. “How did you know you loved him?”

“I told you a little about my relationship before Theo. He was terrible, emotionally abusive, but I got out. I did therapy and sorted myself out but I’d sworn off dating. When I met Theo, I wasn’t ready for him. I rejected him, twice, before he even got me to go for coffee.”

“Made him work for it.” I smiled and she returned it.

“I definitely did.” Her face had gone all dreamy. “It was more how safe he made me feel. I usually needed to be in control but when I was with him I could turn that off and trust that he had me. It was an incredible feeling. And honestly the man just knew me in a way that no one had before. I could be completely myself and I never felt like he was going to judge me for that. It’s hard to describe but there was just this certainty. I’d never loved someone like that.”

I swallowed because…some of what she was saying sounded like how I felt around Asher.

Calm, secure, settled.

“That sounds lovely,” I replied in a low voice, my eyes feeling a little misty.

She looked over at me and held up a finger. “You can’t cry because then I’ll cry.”

“It just sounds really nice, loving someone like that.” I waved a hand in front of my face.

“I’m really thankful you’re in my life, Sutton. Not just at work. I think of you as one of my best friends and I can’t imagine not having you with me.” Her eyes had gotten a little misty too.

“Don’t do this to us, Quinn!” I said as she started flapping her hands in front of her face as well. “I’m so lucky to have you too.”

Just as I rested my head on Quinn’s shoulder, the door flew open. Asher came into the bathroom with a scowl on his face, Knight behind him.

“This is the ladies room.”

Quinn snorted at my comment as Asher came to tower over us on the floor, crossing his arms over his chest. Both of us had to tilt our heads up to look at him and I squinted so I was only seeing one of him.

“What are you doing on the floor?” Knight asked, coming up beside his best friend, looking more amused than pissed off.

“I had to pee,” Quinn answered like that explained it.

“And I came with her.”