Page 91 of Loving You

“Oh, this involves you, Quinn, so can you hang on just a moment before you get back to work?”

Me? How could this involve me?

“Of course.”

“I’m moving back,” Ruby says and smiles. “For good.”

“Seriously?” Miles beams. “Colter finally caved?”

Ruby keeps a smile on her face, but their dad speaks up. “Max, let’s go check out Miles's new house, should we?”

“Did he put in a tire swing?”

“There’s a good chance.”

Max races out the back, his grandfather right behind him.

Miles crosses his arms. “What happened? Did he cheat on you?”

Ruby shakes her head.

“No, it wasn’t anything like that. We…” She fidgets with her hands as she looks away. “We broke up a few months ago.”

“What? A few months ago? And you didn't tell us?”

“Should I go?” I ask quickly.

Ruby shakes her head.

“It’s a long story, Miles. But everything is fine. Colter is even happy that I’m coming back, and Max will grow up here.”

“Yeah, okay. Sure,” Mile says. The sarcasm in his voice is lethal.

“It’s the truth, but the thing is, I'm moving in with Dad because the school is just down the block. But the last thing I need is him hovering over me right now. I need to be the best mom I can be right now to Max.”

“Maybe you need Dad to hover.”

God, he sounds like my brother.

“What I need is for him to move into the apartment you built him.”

Ah. The part where I come in.

Miles shakes his head. “Quinn is living there. I'm not kicking her out. She’d be go—” He cuts himself off. “I’m not kicking her out.”

“I know,” Ruby says softly, “but I was hoping that since she’s been staying with you anyway, maybe she could just keep doing that.”

She wants me to move in with Miles? I don't need a mirror to know that my eyes are wide as saucers right now.

He just said he wants space, and I’ve been in his house enough times to know that none of his spare rooms are furnished. Where would I sleep?

On the couch?

“I … we …” Miles starts. His face is clear right now that he has no idea how to reply to this request.

“We would love to help,” I say quickly before he starts to sweat.

I step forward and touch his arm so that he knows I’m aware of what this means right now. The hole we are digging just keeps getting deeper.

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