Page 91 of Unexpected Love

My eyes shift to Dad, pleading with him silently to make her see reason.

“Sweetheart, he’s right. You need to go home and be with Liv. She won’t handle it well when she hears what happened.”

Mom’s eyes bounce between Dad and me a few times before her shoulders fall in acceptance. She pulls me into a fierce hug, holding on longer than necessary. But, I don’t rush her, appreciating the love and support she’s offering.

“We love you, son.” Dad squeezes my shoulder before pulling Mom away from me.

“Love you, too. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” I offer a tight smile, watching Dad practically pull Mom out the door.

It’s quiet; Lyle and Reid giving me a few more minutes to digest everything. It’s a shitty situation, but I know I did the right thing, and that’s all that matters.

thirty-six

AVA

“Ava!Wait! This isn’t a good idea.” Quinn rushes up behind me.

I may be four inches shorter than her, but when I’m on a mission it’s as if I’m six feet tall. “No. This is a fantastic idea.” I charge ahead, storming toward the hospital doors. “It’s long overdue. I should have done it back in Boston before I came here.”

“Ava, Gage doesn’t want you to do this,” Declan says from behind Quinn.

“Well, he isn’t here right now, is he?”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not. That’s the point!” I stop so abruptly it causes a chain reaction. Quinn runs into me, grabbing my shoulders to keep us both steady, and Declan does the same to her.

“Squirt—”

“No,” I interrupt, holding my palm out to stop him. “I know what you’re trying to do using that nickname, and it won’t work.” I let my hand fall and swallow the lump forming in mythroat before continuing. “If I had just done something about Brian after the first night in Boston, none of this would have happened.”

“Ava.” Quinn’s voice is stern, more than I’ve ever heard it before. “None of this is your fault, so you need to get that idea out of your head.”

“Quinn—”

“No.” Tears well in her eyes, and I’m immediately on edge. “This isn’t about me, and I don’t want to make it about me, but when we make it through this, you and I are going to sit down and talk about how I know without a shadow of a doubt that this isn’t your fault.”

Declan’s hands never left Quinn’s shoulders after he ran into her, but I see them tighten a fraction as he steps further into her space, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

“If you want to go in there and give Brian and your parents a piece of your mind, then we’ll be right behind you. But you will not walk in there thinking this is your fault.”

I don’t know what happened to Quinn, but I can guess based on how she’s talking to me—like she knows exactly what I’m thinking—and I hate that she gets it.

My eyes shift to Declan’s. “She’s right. We’re behind you every step of the way.”

“Thank you,” I tell them, pulling them both in for a hug before turning away and marching to the desk in the main lobby.

“Good evening. Visiting hours are over for the night. Unless you’re family, you’ll need to come back tomorrow.”

“My husband, Brian Wellsley. I believe my parents are already with him.” The lie comes a little too easily, but all I care about is getting into that room—and I’ll do whatever is needed to get there.

“Oh, yes, of course. He’s been taken up for observation. Third floor, room 314.” The look in the receptionist's eye tells meeverything I need to know. Brian has already made his presence more than known in this hospital. The fact that he didn’t even need to check the computer in front of him to tell me where Brian is proves it even more.

“Thanks.” I offer a tight smile before turning for the elevators to our right.

We’re quiet on the ride up to observation. I don’t know what Quinn and Declan are thinking about, but all I can focus on is figuring out how to get Brian to drop the charges. I’ll never forgive myself if Gage loses his job over this. I know Quinn doesn’t want me to blame myself, but it’s easier said than done.

There’s a sick satisfaction seeing the bruises on Brian’s face when we walk into his room. I’ve never wished harm on another human being, but there isn’t a single ounce of me that feels bad for Brian.

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