Love, Diamonds, and Spades (Cactus Creek #2)(33)

“Rylan, honey. You need to give it time.”

“I don’t think time is going to fix this one, Mom. You can’t even begin to imagine what she’s already gone through, and what she’s preparing herself to go through. Alone. She doesn’t want to drag me into it.” A bitter laugh burst out of his chest. “She doesn’t want me to give up the museum project for her, and she’d rather I be out dating and having fun instead of holding her hand through this.”

He dropped his head into his hands. “Is dad there? Do you think you could put him on speaker?”

“Sure, just a sec.”

“Hey son. I’m sorry about Quinn and Cooper. I wish there were something we could do.” His father, always quick with the good advice, didn’t have more than that to offer.

“Dad, when Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, if that had happened when you two first started dating, knowing what you know now about how hard the battle was going to be, do you think you guys would’ve survived it?”

His dad was silent for quite a bit, before he answered, “You know, I’d like to think so. But honestly, I don’t know. Maybe not.”

Great.

“Honey, what your Dad means is that we know a lot of survivors who ended up having a lot of problems in their marriages, some even got divorced. It’s a tough thing for a couple to go through. While your Dad and I love each other more than anything, the intensity, heartache, and scares of what we went through would’ve probably been too much for a new relationship.”

Rylan released a dejected sigh. “So you don’t think Quinn and I could handle this. That’s what you’re saying.”

“Actually…I think you could.”

“So do I, son,” added his dad. “You’re a way different man than I was when I first met your mother. And Quinn…she sounds like she’s already gone through ten times more than what your mother had at the time. Plus, we’ve known for weeks now that you’re in love with this woman, am I right?”

More in love than he’d ever thought possible. “Yeah. I love her.”

“Then you two might have a shot.”

If only he could buy miracles with hopes and wishes. “Mom? Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Sure, honey. Anything.”

“If back then, you’d known what you know now, would you have tried to do what Quinn is doing? Would you have tried to push Dad out of your life?”

“Honestly, yes,” she replied softly. “I would do exactly what Quinn is doing now…if I loved him enough to do it. I would’ve tried.”

He sat and processed that last statement long after he hung up with his parents.

Quinn loved him, he was almost certain. But he couldn’t possibly know how much was ‘enough.’

By the next morning, he realized, it didn’t matter.

He loved her and Cooper more than ‘enough.’



*



ON SUNDAY MORNING, Quinn woke up to the sound of a loud scuffling shuffle in her back yard. She froze and tried to adjust her eyes to the early morning light. The sound came through again loud and clear so she reached under her bed for the bat Luke had bought her back in college, and made her way over to the back door.

She thrust it open and jumped out. “The cops are on their way, assho—” She lowered the bat. “Rylan? What are you doing here at his hour?”

Rylan eyed her and then her bat. “Ten to one, you didn’t actually call the cops before running your Xena Warrior Princess out here. Bat blazing.”

She scowled. “No, I didn’t.”

“Sounded convincing though. And the pink panties to distract him while you bopped him on the head was particularly ingenious.”

Quinn flushed and pulled her shirt down a bit.

“That’s my shirt, by the way.”

“You gave it to me!”

“That’s because you tricked me into putting my favorite shirts into that evil contraption you call a clothes dryer.”

She bit her lip to keep from chuckling. Really, the man did have some awful luck with laundry appliances.

“Ah ha, you admit it.” He picked up a big shovel and started digging into the ground alongside her house.

“What are you doing?” And why are you still here? It hurt her eyes to look at him, he was so beautiful. She’d been preparing herself to not see him for a while. Not that her heart had listened. Every night since she’d seen him last, she’d dreamt of him. Missed him. Loved him beyond belief.

Only to find him here this morning. Doing… “Rylan, seriously, what are you doing here?”

“You made it clear we can’t date. But we’re still friends, aren’t we? We were getting there, at least, before we started dating. So I’m here now as your friend. I get that you don’t want to date me and burden my life. Don’t agree with it one bit, but I understand. I know you have more than enough things to worry about right now, and relationship issues is the last thing you need. That’s not why I’m here. I’m just…offering to be a friend. You can’t fault a friend from wanting to be there for you.”

God, when would he realize he was much too good for her? “Rylan, you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m afraid it’s my right as your friend, sugar. So if you’ll excuse me, I have some planting to do—I researched a bunch of plants that are supposed to be good for asthma and overall respiratory health. Then I have to go meet Lia’s brothers for a new knob and deadbolt for your door—you don’t mind if I keep a copy of the key, right? It’ll help on those nights that I’m coming over to cook you dinner to take to the hospital.”