Page 27

PATIENCE

T hankfully, the rest of the night went without a hitch. She got through it, and Livie had her back all night. When they got home, she shared what Doc had said.

“Are you going to go see him?” Livie asked as they sat on the couch with a glass of wine.

“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”

“You already know what I think. Go over there. If it weren’t already midnight, I’d tell you to go now.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Lay it all on the line. Don’t hold back a thing. Tell him exactly how you feel and make sure he hears you. Then, if he still wants to be an ass, you know you did everything you could to make this work.”

“When did you get so smart about relationships?” Impressed, Patience smiled at her best friend. Livie hadn’t just pulled her head out of the sand; she’d come all the way out of her shell.

“I guess I learned a lot about how not to be after watching my family’s relationships at Thanksgiving. Plus, Theo. His parents are amazing. I hope that’s my future one day.”

Patience nodded. She remembered the stories Livie had told her when she’d come back from their Minnesota trip over Christmas.

“You’re right. I’ll do it.”

“Good. I’m beat. Are you ready for bed?”

“Yeah.”

They headed upstairs to their rooms. When Livie got to her doorway, she stopped and hugged Patience. “You’ve got this. You’re a strong woman, a doctor, and the most caring person I’ve ever met. Let him see all of that.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too. Night.”

As Patience got ready for bed, she felt lighter than she had in months. If nothing else happened tomorrow, at least she’d see him one more time.

P atience plugged Quinn’s address into her GPS.

Twenty minutes to get to his house.

Twenty minutes to decide what she would say to him.

She had a general idea if she didn’t chicken out.

Livie would cluck at her if she could hear the waffling she was doing.

Going back and forth about what to say. Before she knew it, she was pulling into the driveway of a cute older house.

The white shingles with blue shutters almost made her roll her eyes.

Navy, much? Quinn must have a yard person, with how well the yard looked.

Patience nibbled on her lower lip as she stared at this navy-blue front door. “You need to get out and knock.” She really did. Nausea ate at her stomach. It was a good thing she’d only had coffee before she left, or she’d probably have thrown up all over his lawn.

It’s now or never, girl. Now. She pushed open Carlene’s door. One more thing she had to thank Quinn for. He’d made sure that Henry had taken good care of her and Felicity’s cars. She hadn’t had another issue since that snowy night.

As she climbed out of her car, the front door opened.

Quinn.

Holy shit, he was sexy. His pale blue T-shirt fit him like a second skin.

She could count his abs from where she stood.

Her gaze traveled down to his torn jeans, clinging to his muscular thighs, and dropped to his bare feet.

Oh my. She had to swallow down the drool that threatened to run down her chin.

With one last internal, you’ve got this , she walked up to his front door.

“Patience? What are you doing here?” The surprised expression on his face made her smile.

“Hi, Quinn. It’s good to see you. Welcome back.” Her voice sounded raspy in her ears, and she cleared her throat. She needed to be strong for him, for them.

“Thank you. But how did you figure out where I live?”

“Let’s say a little SEAL told me. I wanted to see you before I leave for the summer.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything. With his lips set in a thin line, he ran his hand through his hair. A definite one of his tells. He was as unsettled as her.

“Congratulations on your graduation.”

“Thank you.” Oh, they were being so polite. Awkward, much? Was he going to even invite her in? It didn’t look like it. He was probably afraid she’d jump him. Well, he wouldn’t be wrong either.

“I hope you have a great time with your parents.”

“Enough small talk. You’ve been inside me, taken my virginity, and put me to bed. I think we’re a little beyond this bullshit.”

His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. “What did you want to talk about, Patience? You obviously came here with an agenda.”

Yes, yes, she did.

“You’re right. I came to say ‘see you in the fall’, but not goodbye. Never goodbye. I know you’re scared or think you’re taking the high road by distancing yourself from me. But I don’t agree. Listen to me, hear me. Please.”

“All right.” He nodded, but his expression didn’t change.

“Quinn, I see your darkness, your broken pieces. It doesn’t matter. I’ll always love you. Always! You can’t stop it no matter how hard you try. Remember that when I’m gone.”

Patience waited a moment for her words to sink in. To be honest, he looked stunned. But he didn’t say a word, just watched her with his peridot green eyes. Tears welled, and she blinked them back before they could fall.

“Have a fantastic summer.” She forced the words through her lips, barely holding on to her emotions. Then she got back in her car and pulled away.

Quinn didn’t move from his front stoop until she could no longer see him in her rearview mirror.