I’m walking on very precarious ground. “I know. And I get it. I’m sorry this has been hard on you.” Pausing, I’m then unable to refrain from saying, “You know who else this is really hard on?”
Her head jerks, eyes flashing. “Don’t make me feel sorry for her.”
“I’m just saying. It’s a tough deal all the way around. She’s feeling it, too.”
“You’re still talking to her?”
“Not really. She seems to think it’s more important to just be your teacher. She doesn’t want to make things worse for either of you.” I shrug. “I’m guessing on some of that. But knowing Quinn, that’s what she’s probably thinking.”
For the first time in days, a brief flicker of uncertainty passes through Olivia’s eyes. I hold my breath, hoping she’s coming around. I will her to see things from a broader perspective.
“You miss her.” It’s not a question, but a simple statement that tells me she’s starting to see what’s been in front of her this whole time.
I swallow hard and nod. “A lot.”
“You like her.”
Slowly, I nod again. “More than a lot.”
“Okay. Can I sleep now? I need to think about all this.”
“Sure, baby girl.” I lean forward and drop a kiss on her forehead before I stand to leave.
At the doorway, I stop to flip the light switch, but before I do, she catches my eye. “I love you, Dad.”
My heart squeezes. “I love you, too, baby girl. Good night.”
In my bedroom a while later, I get into bed, knowing it’s unlikely I’ll find sleep easily tonight. Will Olivia eventually accept what I feel for Quinn? Will she forgive us for everything that’s happened this week? With a sigh, I scroll through social media, hoping it will make me tired.
An incoming text from Quinn has my chest tightening. After sh
e didn’t respond to me before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Quinn: Two things: I got a text from Becky.
Quinn: She prefers that I don’t tutor Olivia anymore. I’m also pretty sure Olivia is no longer open to it anyway.
I wait a few minutes for whatever the second thing is, but it would seem she’s having trouble. The little dots jump on the screen, so I know she’s there, but no texts come through. Then they stop for a minute, and they start again. Holy shit, this is killing me.
Liam: Okay. Understood. Was there something else?
Quinn: Yes. But …
The phone rings in my hand, and sure enough, it’s Quinn.
My voice is deep and raspy. “Hey.”
She can’t disguise the sigh before she answers back with a “Hey,” of her own.
I can’t stand this. “So, whatever the second thing was, you didn’t want to say via text?”
“No. It seemed like a bad idea after I started.”
Her voice sounds funny to me. Like she’s been crying and is trying to control herself. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I can’t promise I’ll know how to respond, but—”
“Liam, I’m pregnant.”
“What? You—you’re—”