Page 60 of Toxic Obsession

Wynter hiccupped, and I pulled her against my side, letting her cry. I was surprised that she allowed me to hold her. I rubbed her back, absorbing her pain. It was so strong, I could taste it on the tip of my tongue.What the hell did I do? Why had I listened to Adam?

Instead of wasting my energy trying to figure out why I had trusted Adam, I reminded myself to focus on making shit right. Once Wynter and the girls were on the same page, and I knew she had a safe place to sleep, I had some calls to make.

Wynter pulled away from me, then Everlee hopped off the couch and grabbed the tissues on the coffee table. “Here, hon.”

Wynter peeked at her, then removed a Kleenex from the box. “Come on. Get comfy in the recliner.” She slipped an arm around Wynter and led her to the chair. “Quinn, you can sit on the floor.”

If the situation weren’t so damned serious, I would have chuckled. At least the girls hadn’t kicked me out of the house. It was most likely because we’d been friends for a while. I’d even bailed Leighton out of a bad evening with a drunk asshole at a party. Maybe that would help them not hate me for the rest of my life. Maybe. I had a feeling there would be more surprises along the road Wynter and I were on. Not only would I have to tell her about the file and where I got it, but I also needed to talk to her about Bell’s pregnancy. At this rate, I no longer believed a fucking word that came out of Adam’s mouth, but I had to be careful not to let him know.

Dread twisted my gut. What was Adam afraid I would learn if Wynter didn’t leave Whitmore? A more accurate question … what was he hiding? For now, I needed to help Wynter explain what happened that day, then hope by the end of the conversation, the girls still welcomed her with open arms.

Chapter32

Quinn

Iarrived home around four in the morning. Once the girls had listened to Wynter’s side of the story, they all cried and hugged. I finally felt it was okay to leave Wynter alone even though I didn’t want to.

I hadn’t escaped their questions about how I planned to fix what I’d done to Wynter, though. The three of them could start their own law firm after college the way they had interrogated me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to make it better, but I shared where I would start. I was almost positive they were mentally taking notes, so they could follow up and make sure I was doing what I promised. They weren’t the only ones. I was well aware that Wynter would watch my every move. This time, I refused to let her down.

After I snatched a few hours of sleep, several cups of coffee, and a shower, I was ready to face the world. Anxiety pulled and tugged at my insides, but I knew what I had to do.

For Wynter. For Bell.

Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at Coach’s house. I’d asked if he and Kane could meet with me. I had to get ahead of the shit show that I anticipated would go down on Monday. If it got bad enough, I would hire a bodyguard for Wynter. No way would I allow her to be beaten down again. Hell, I’d done enough damage. It was time that I grew the fuck up.

Kane parked his car next to mine in Coach’s driveway, then hopped out. I approached him with my hands shoved in the front pockets of my jeans.

The early fall day was dry, which was rare for mid-October, but cooler than what we’d had so far that football season. I knew the storm was coming.

“Hey.” Kane slapped me on the back. “I’m guessing we’re here about the video last night?”

Shame twisted my gut into knots. “Yeah. Figured I better start making things right by talking to Coach before Monday.” I winced. “I’m pretty sure he’ll kick me off the team.” At the time, my anger had been in the driver’s seat, and all I could see ahead of me was the road to revenge. I hadn’t been able to think through the consequences and how it would drag me to hell too.

Kane rubbed his jaw. “I can’t say, but …” He glanced at the mansion, then back to me. “I’ve done some stupid and mean shit, too. I hurt Brie, a lot, but she still found a way to forgive me. Hopefully it will work out for you and Wynter. I mean, if you still want her.”

I hated how well this motherfucker saw right through me. “I do.” I blew out a heavy sigh. “I just realized how much I cared about her too late. There were other factors involved, too. I’ll have to catch you up after I talk to Coach. I wanted you here since you’re the QB … and hopefully not furious with me. Remington wasn’t happy about the video, but he helped me splice it together. I won’t tell Coach that, though. As far as he’s concerned, I did it all. No one else was involved. Back me on that, please.”

“As I said, I did some mean shit to Brie. I can’t throw a rock at a glass house I lived in first. If I’d known, I would have tried to stop you, but we’ve all fucked up. It’s what we do after the fact that defines us.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t cost me a spot on the team. I’ve allowed my hatred and anger to drive my choices … just like Adam.” The realization punched me in the chest, leaving an even bigger hole inside me. “I can’t end up like that sorry son of a bitch. I have to get my shit together. If I lost my chance at pro ball, then I’m the only one to blame. I was too fucked up about Bell to have thought the consequences of the video all the way through.”

“Adam got in your head, huh?”

At least he hadn’t saidI told you so. “I let him.” This time my hatred was directed at myself. “I need to get this conversation over with. My entire career is hanging in the balance until I know what Coach is going to decide.”

“Have you considered that Adam has fed you lies since you were little? He’s brainwashed you, man. That shit is hard to break out of. Maybe the fact that Wynter got hurt in all of this will help you see Adam for who he really is. A piece of shit.” Kane paused. “As for Coach, I’ll do what I can, Q.” Kane’s expression grew more serious.

Kane’s words about Adam hit me like an eighteen wheeler moving at a hundred miles an hour. It hadn’t ever occurred to me until he’d said something. “Thanks.”

Kane texted Coach that we were there and together we walked to the entrance in silence and waited for someone to answer.

The door swung open, and Coach’s wife said, “Hi, boys.”

“Mrs. Cooper.” I offered her the best smile I could conjure up, then followed Kane into the house.

“Coach is waiting for you both in his office.”

“Thanks.”

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