“You’re not your father, Coop. In the four years I’ve known you, you’ve never hurt anyone.”
A bitter smile curves my lips. “I believe my father would disagree.”
The bastard had it coming.
It’s no excuse. I know better than anyone that actions have consequences. My actions yesterday were inexcusable. Full stop.
“There were extenuating circumstances,” Reid says, like the fact that I attacked my father is no big deal. “But since you’re determined to think the worst of yourself, let’s talk numbers. Did you resort to violence when that freaky stalker chick snuck into our dorm freshman year and got naked in your bed?”
Hell no. I’d let the RA deal with it.
“Did you retaliate against Professor Langdon when she called you a dumb jock sophomore year?”
Now way. I’d aced her class and made her eat her words when I got the top score.
“Exactly how many women have you hurt since coming to Waverly?” Reid presses.
“None!” I wipe my palms on my thighs and study my hands. “I’ve never laid a finger on a woman.”
“Well, there you go, dumbass.”
“I nearly put Quinn on her ass yesterday.”
“That wasn’t your fault. She slipped. We all saw it.”
God, I wish that was true. But I know better. I’ve seen firsthand where that kind of thinking can lead.
“Don’t make excuses for my behavior,” I growl. “That’s how it starts.”
“I’m not excusing shit. You shrugged off her touch. So what? That isn’t what caused her to fall.” He lets out a frustrated sigh and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Those floors were over polished. Hell, Parker’s mom slipped on the way in.”
I stiffen. “She did?”
Reid grins. “Yeah. Gave the security guard hell for it, too.”
Were the floors really that slippery?
Dammit. I don’t remember. I’d been wearing my cleats, and I’d been so caught up in my anger, the only thing I’d processed was the splint on mom’s wrist.
“Look,” Reid continues, “you can spend your life punishing yourself for your father’s mistakes or you can take your shot and make your own damn mistakes.”
If only it were that easy.
“I won’t take that chance. Not with Quinn.”
“You’re one stubborn bastard, I’ll give you that.” He pauses, changing track. “Do you love her?”
“Of course I fucking love her.” The words explode from my mouth, surprising us both. But now that they’re out, there’s no turning back. “She’s incredible. Smart, sarcastic, quirky as hell. And the sex—”
“TMI.” Reid flinches like he’s dodging a mental image of Quinn and I. “The point is, you’d never hurt Quinn. But taking that chance, it’s her choice, not yours. You get to decide if you want to be with her, but that’s got to be about you and your feelings. You don’t get to decide if she wants to be with you. That’s a choice only she can make.”
Fuck.
He’s right. The realization hits me like a three-hundred-pound linebacker.
The night I met Quinn, I hadn’t trusted her to know the right path for herself. I’d taken away her agency instead of giving her the space to choose what was best for her. I’d been so sure I knew what she needed, but I’d been wrong.
I was wrong then, and I’m wrong now.
