“Doll.” Zelda stood up and moved over to the sofa, wedging herself between the arm and Quinn, wrapping her in one long arm. “You’re not going to be alone. How about I come stay at your house tonight?” She glanced up at Gia. “You come too, G. We’ll have a slumber party. It’ll be like old times, only we’ll include your mom, too. I’ll bring over a couple of bottles of wine, we’ll watch the sappiest movies I can find, and we’ll order pizza.”
“Are Leo and I invited to this slumber party?” Tucker’s tone was teasing, but I saw the weight of the look he shot Zelda.
“Nope. Girls only. No boys allowed.” She stuck out her tongue at him. “You have cooties, and you’re mean.”
“Mean, huh?” Tuck murmured, but I wasn’t sure anyone else heard him. “Okay then. Taylor, how do you feel about playing wingman to a guy on two wheels? We’ll hit some bars and drink a toast or two to Nate. No sappy movies, but we can probably manage wings and pizza.”
“Uh ...” I ventured a peek at Quinn, to see if she had any reaction to this suggestion, but she’d closed her eyes and snuggled between her two girlfriends. And what was I looking for, really? Did I want her to ask me not to go out drinking with Tuck? Considering I’d been careful not to give her any encouragement—not yet—it was unfair to expect her to assert a claim on me that neither of us had discussed.
But if Quinn wasn’t reacting to our plan, Zelda was. Her eyes flashed at Tucker as she raised her chin.
“Trolling for chicks, Eli?” Her tone was brittle and challenging, with an undertone of something that in anyone else, I might have taken for hurt.
“No, Zelda.” Tuck’s words were soft, almost gentle. “No women. Just a boys’ night out, in memory of Nate. Leo and I miss him, too, you know.”
What might have been relief washed over Zelda’s face, and she nodded. “Have a good time.”
“Before everyone scatters, can I say something?” Quinn pushed to sit up. “I want you all to know how grateful I am for you. I’m aware that this last year ... it was weird. I know not everyone understood the choices I made.” She flickered a glance my way. “I know some of you were angry at Nate for putting me in that position of having to make that choice. But you stood by us anyway. I can never tell you how much that meant to me. Even if we didn’t talk all the time or text or see each other, I knew you had my back. Your support helped me give Nate the only thing he wanted at the end. And even though it was hard, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was the most wonderful gift to be able to give him.”
I thought about the last time I’d seen Nate, when he’d talked about what it was like to be married to Quinn. She was right; she’d given her best friend everything he’d always dreamed of. For the first time that day, tears blurred my eyes.
Tucker and I made the rounds to say goodbye, first to Sheri and Mark and then to my parents. My mom raised her eyebrows at me when I said I was going out with Tuck, but she didn’t say anything except to remind me that I had an early flight the next morning.
“I know, Mom. Don’t worry, I’ll make it back in time to grab my bag and get to the airport. I can always sleep on the plane.” I kissed her cheek.
Quinn was waiting by the door as we put on our coats. She looked small standing there in the hallway; her shoes were still off, left over by the sofa in the den, and the black dress she’d worn was a little big on her.
I stopped and pulled her into a hug, working hard not to react when she slid her arms under my coat and gripped the back of my shirt. She buried her face in my chest, breathing deep, and I wished like hell I could just scoop her into my arms, take her away from all of this and never look back. I wished we could forget the past and the present and only focus on a future that the two of us could share.
But it couldn’t happen. Not yet.
“Hey.” I nudged her chin up with my two fingers. “Mia. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to get through this, and you’ll figure out what happens next. And you’ll rock it, like you do everything. All right?”
Her huge eyes, filled with tears, looked dubious, but she nodded.
“And if you need anything at all, you call me. Text me whenever. Phone me day or night. I’m around, and nothing comes before you. Got it?”
“Yup.” With no little effort, she stepped away, pasting on a smile. “I’ll be fine. Have a safe trip back, Leo. Be well.”
With one last glance back, I followed Tucker out into the frigid late-afternoon gloom, feeling as though I’d torn out a piece of my heart and left it standing in the front hallway of my parents’ house.
“As God is my witness, I’m never going to drink again.” I cradled my aching head in my hands, resting my elbows on the kitchen table.
“Hmmm.” My mother pushed a mug of steaming coffee toward me. “I think I’ve heard that before.” She smirked. “I think I’vesaidthat before, come to think of it. What was it that pushed you over the edge?”
“Tequila shots. Tucker’s idea. I hate that guy.”
“No, you don’t.” Mom’s voice was mild. “Eli’s a lovely young man, especially given what he’s been through. He doesn’t seem bitter at all. And if I were him, honestly, the last person I’d want to hang out with would be you.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom. You know how to make a guy feel loved.” I winced a little at the sound of my own voice and reached for the coffee.
“No, you know what I mean. You’re living Eli’s dream. Playing pro ball and all that. The fact that he doesn’t seem to resent you is pretty amazing.” She sipped her own mug. “Do I even want to know how you got home? I know you didn’t drive in this condition, but I see your rental car in the driveway.”
“I called Tate. I was pretty sure he was around, and he was. He’s still living with his grandfather, believe it or not, and he took a cab over to the bar where we were and drove my car to drop off Tuck and then bring me home. He’s sleeping in my bed upstairs, which is why I was on the sofa. I figured it was the least I could do.” I flashed my mom my most winning smile, or a reasonable facsimile of it. “It would be awesome if you could fix him a nice breakfast when he comes down, and maybe drop him at his house? I told him I’d take him home on the way to the airport, but I don’t want to wake him up if I don’t have to.”
My mother heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Of course I will. Tate’s a good boy.” She looked at me meaningfully, maybe insinuating that not all of us were quite as good. And she might have had a point: I sometimes thought that Tate was a little too Boy Scout to be true. I’d known him since just before we’d started college together down at Carolina, and he’d become a close friend.
“Thanks, Mom. You’re a peach.” I tried some more coffee. It felt like it was going to stay down.
