“Were you afraid to come in or…?”
“Not afraid. Giving you space.”Shit.My voice came out too rough. “Might hop in now.”
“Cool.” She brushed by me without giving me another look. I hesitated. Were we supposed to continue to hang out? Did I offer her another drink? I sighed, stepped into the spacious shower and ran soap over my face. I needed the cold water. I was a goddamn headcase.Why am I fucking worried about her?She’s damn well sure of herself and doesn’t need me overthinking anything.I quickly washed my hair and turned off the water. I’d offer another drink. That was it. It was simple and would give her the opportunity to say no and leave.Perfect.
I exited the shower and expected her to be waiting in the bedroom. She wasn’t there, or in the basement or kitchen. “Fiona?”
No one replied and I took a quick look onto the porch. Her glass was gone, no sign of her anywhere. I walked to the front window and couldn’t see her car either.What the fuck?
Gideon: Did you leave?
Fiona: Yup. Had things to do.
Gideon: At eleven at night…
Fiona: Yes. At eleven at night. See you tomorrow.
I read her messages again and frowned. I’d tormented myself worrying about what to do and she’d left without a goodbye. I should be relieved. I should be thankful I didn’t have to fill any awkward chats. But I wasn’t andthatbothered me.
* * * *
Heavy metal music vibrated the walls of my weight room. The violent and aggressive beats fueled my blood and I gritted my teeth as I pushed through a workout. I had to be ready by February and I was done feeling sorry for myself. My muscles screamed in protest, but I continued with the squats and collapsed into a chair when I’d finished. Sweat poured down my face and I chugged water—then my phone rang.Cheryl.
“Yo.”
“Gid.” Cheryl’s voice broke and I instantly sat up. “Are you free?”
“Yes. What’s going on?” I stood and paced. Anxiety spread through my chest within seconds and I had the phone in a deathlike grip. “Is Quinn okay?”
“She’s fine. We’re fine. It’s Vic. I heard from my lawyer, Sean. You know him. We have a court hearing at the end of this week. He…he wants supervised visits.” She let out a pathetic cry and I leaned against the wall. I couldn’t lose control—I had to remain rational for her and Quinn.
“Okay. It’s better than custody. Supervised visits are every couple of weeks, right? Sean mentioned that, I think. Did you ask Sean who would be supervising? You know, as a worst-case scenario?”
“N-no. I d-didn’t.”
“Find out the worst-case situation and build from there. There’s no evidence of Vic paying a dime for the past seven years and that’s not in the best interest for Quinn. She doesn’t know who the hell he is, couldn’t pick him out of a crowd. He hasn’t contacted you despite your attempts to find him. He doesn’t have a leg to stand on, Cheryl. I don’t see how this will work.”My gut tells me he doesn’t have money, either.
“There could be an error in the system or they could find out we were drunk and Mom and Dad—”
“Stop.Thathas nothing to do with it,” I yelled at her. She sucked in a breath and I felt worse. “You’re a great mom. End of story.”
She remained silent for a full thirty seconds before she spoke in an unfamiliar soft voice. “I wish Mom and Dad were here. I need them, Gid. I can’t do this alone. I just can’t. Who’s going to watch her? Who’s going to tell her that the guy who left her wants to be her dad now? I can’t. I refuse!” She sobbed and my eyes stung. “I’m losing my shit.”
“I’ll come over there. Help with anything you need.”
“I appreciate that, but she’s going over to a friend’s after school today. The one day I wanted for myself, I’m a fucking mess and crying all over the place. I’m pathetic. I’m a sad excuse for a mom.”
“Cheryl. You’re… Stop. Quinn is the luckiest girl in the world because you’re her mom. Look, why don’t you come to the game tonight? Come help coach and be around teenagers. You’ll get to see what you’ll have to deal with when Quinn’s old enough to date.”
“She’s not dating. I made her sign a napkin and got it notarized,” she rambled and let out a snort. “I might. I need to calm down, eat ice cream, cry. Maybe drink a bottle of wine. But I appreciate you trying.”
“I’ll come over after the game regardless. Let me know what you need.” I pulled on the neckline of my shirt and hated to ask her the finance question, but I had to. “If you need any…money to help pay for Sean, you’ll let me know, right?”
“I can pay for my own lawyer, Gid.”
“I understand. But I’m going to do whatever the fuck I can to protect Quinn. You must know that. It’s not about you or your independence. It’s about Quinn and keeping the three of us together.”
She sighed and a little of the fight left her voice. “I love you, Gideon. I’m glad you’re in our life.”
