Love, Diamonds, and Spades (Cactus Creek #2)(31)

Fear and rage and helplessness ripped through her, sliced her heart into ribbons.

As the pain continued to grow, she grabbed for her phone and stared at the number her fingers had already begun to dial.

She stopped herself just in time.

Then, instead of calling the one person she wanted, needed to talk to, she spent the next few minutes looking through photos on her phone.

And crying.

Until her alarm beeped at the fifteen-minute mark.

Then she went to the bathroom to wash her face.

She’d cried for exactly one minute after she’d found Brody cheating on her all those years ago.

And then she’d dried her tears and started on a plan to figure out how to be the best damn single mom she could be.

She’d cried for five minutes when the doctors had first told her about all the respiratory surgeries her newborn son would have to undergo, before she’d even had a chance to hold him, to tell him it would be alright.

And then she’d dried her tears and gotten down on her knees and prayed, and begged, and bargained with God nonstop until Cooper made it out of that first surgery alive.

She’d cried for ten minutes straight when her parents had been killed by a drunk driver, just a few months after Cooper was born, before they’d even had a chance to take him out of the hospital.

And then she’d dried her tears and sat beside Cooper every night in the hospital, telling him every story she could remember about her parents, so he would know what amazing grandparents he’d had.

So today she’d cried for fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes to be angry at the universe for torturing her son like this, for being so cruel.

Fifteen minutes to be angry at the universe for letting her feel happiness and then ripping it away.

Fifteen minutes to be angry at the universe for making her have to do the hardest thing she could imagine later tonight.

And now she was drying her tears so she could read through all the literature and paperwork the doctors had given her today, right after she got Cooper started on his next breathing treatment, got dinner ready, and figured out where she was going to find over $300,000 to pay for Cooper’s upcoming surgery and rehab, and simultaneously still keep paying back the $426,171 she still owed from his pediatric medical bills.

Fifteen minutes was all the time she could give her heart to cry.

Tears now dried, she put a big smile on her face and headed into Cooper’s room. Dropping the second vial of medicine in for his next treatment, she asked him brightly, “How does spaghetti sound for dinner?”



*



RYLAN STARED at the text message on his screen, counting down the minutes, to the very second, to do what Quinn had asked.

>>> I KNOW YOU’RE UPSET. BUT I NEED TO MAKE SURE COOPER GOES TO BED FIRST. HE HAD A ROUGH DAY. IF YOU WANT TO TALK, HE SHOULD BE ASLEEP BY EIGHT.

It was eight on the dot when he stepped up onto Quinn’s front porch and waited for her to open the door. He didn’t ring the doorbell. He didn’t want to wake up Coop.

Plus, he knew she’d be waiting for him at the time she specified.

The time she’d designated to break his heart.

She opened the door without a sound and wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Quinn, don’t do this.”

She was running. She was scared and overwhelmed so of course she was running. He didn’t fault her for it. But he’d be damned if he was going to just let her give up on them.

“Did Luke tell you?” she asked quietly.

“I should’ve heard it from you,” he answered instead. “I shouldn’t have been in Desert Confections buying chocolate for you two. I should have been right next to you, holding your hand, comforting Coop. I shouldn’t have heard it from Luke.” Voice raw with emotion, he repeated, “I should’ve heard it from you.”

Fear gripping his heart, he asked the first thing on his mind. “How’s Cooper doing?”

“He’s scared,” she murmured. “He’s old enough to understand so he’s pretty scared.”

He didn’t want to ask her how she was doing because that was an asinine question. Instead, he dragged her into his arms. He grit his teeth when she tried to pull back. “Let me hug you, Quinn. And hug me, too. Because I’m scared for Cooper, just like you are.”

Finally, her arms circled his waist and he held on tight. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, needing to know what had been going on in her head when she’d chosen to call Luke instead of him.

A long minute passed before she replied in a voice lacking all the quintessentially Quinn spark and fire he loved, “Because I didn’t want to ruin your day. You had just gotten that email regarding your bid on the museum project—”

“You think I care more about some damn project than you and Cooper?” Frustration and hurt throbbed in his voice.

“Of course not,” she replied, sounding just…tired. “Of course I didn’t think that. And that’s exactly why I didn’t call. I didn’t want you to do anything rash. This is your career. My problems shouldn’t get in the way of your career.”

He gripped her hands in his. “Honey, we’ll figure all this out together. I have a lot saved up—”

“No.”

“Damn you and your pride. I want to do this.”