Page 87 of Thirst Trap (Carter Brothers)

It was.

I mean, it wasn’t like I could get up.

That didn’t mean I wanted to do something that I loved, that I adored doing with him and my Nonna once upon a time, again.

There was only so much of my heart he could rip out and stomp on.

Singing with him would only break away the last few pieces.

“No.”

He ignored my protests and started to sing.

It was… bad.

He had only managed to get worse since he used to do this with my grandmother and me, but the song he chose made my heart fuckin’ hurt.

“Make You Feel My Love.”

“Goddammit, Quinn,” I breathed. “Goddamn everything about you.”

I threw the covers off, intent on escape, and realized that there was nowhere for me to go.

I could hear his brothers in the living room.

I’d heard Ande and Garnett talking in the kitchen when Quinn had gone out to get me a drink earlier.

In the last three days, I’d gone from numb to downright depressed.

The reality of my situation was overwhelming me.

I had no way to work for another ten days. I didn’t have a place to call home. I didn’t have any family left. My brother was in jail. My Nonna was still dead. Quinn was saying all the right things, but in my heart, I just couldn’t believe him.

Because, since he’d left me, nothing good had ever happened to me.

Literally, every single thing that had happened was bad.

Meaning, I couldn’t trust a freakin’ thing that came out of Quinn’s mouth.

The reality of my situation was just… too much.

I’d gone from being able to talk to wondering how I was going to get out of bed.

Quinn was right to worry.

And the fucker was still singing.

Tears started to form in my eyes, that I swore were from frustration and not sadness.

I turned away and stared out of the window.

Quinn had opened the blinds when he’d walked into his bedroom twenty minutes ago after he arrived home on his lunch break.

His comment of ‘the sun will do you good’ was probably correct. I knew the importance of a daily dose of vitamin D. But I didn’t want to see the sun. I didn’t want to see anything but the backs of my eyelids.

Quinn’s voice changed, going deeper, more hypnotic.

Then it came closer, and I was reminded why I always felt that he could sing.

---