Page 44 of Love is a Lyric
“Hey, Quinny,” she answered.
But it wasn’t Quinn.
“Piper, thank God.” Conner sounded like he’d been running.
“What do you want, Conner?”
“Ouch, harsh. I just want to talk to Ben. You can make that happen, right? He isn’t answering my calls.”
“It’s no longer my job to make you happy.”
“But you enjoy it so much.” She didn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice. She’d never been a fan of his.
“Hanging up now.”
“No! Wait. Please, Piper. You don’t understand. Everything is on the line. Everything.Fatecan’t end over this.”
“You don’t get it. For once, this isn’t about the music. I won’t help you convince Ben to forgive you. He’ll deal with it when he’s ready.”
“Piper, you should be thanking me. I cleared the way for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Quinn was never meant to be with him. But you… you love him in the ways she didn’t.”
“I don’t… no… you’re…”
“You wrote the songs.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Quinn told you.”
“I love Ben. I do. He’s my boy, and I want him to be happy. He never would have left her. We both know that.”
She huffed out a laugh. “You’re trying to tell me you cheated with his girlfriend for his own good?” That was crazier than saying she loved Ben.
“No, I did that because I’m a self-serving prick. I know who I am. What about you?”
“No matter what you say, I’m not going to make him talk to you.”
Conner sighed. “Look, we have songs, but they don’t work without Ben’s music.”
They had songs… A growl ripped from her throat. “The pages I threw at Quinn. You’re using them.” She never thought her sister would stoop that low. Yes, throwing the songs at Quinn was as good as giving them to her, but Quinn knew what those songs meant to Piper. They weren’t the typical stuff she wrote forFate. The words helped her make sense of her life growing up. She’d poured every part of her into them.
The wound Quinn created ripped open once more. “Good luck drawing Ben back into your messed up world, Conner. I hope you and Quinn are happy together. I truly do.” She hung up, cutting off whatever else he’d tried to say.
Quinn could have the songs, after all, they were only words on a page. But she’d never again have any hold over Piper.
“You okay, Piper?” Ben asked as she rejoined the circle.
She nodded, not wanting to tell him about Conner’s call and ruin the peace this family created when they were together. She sank onto the bench next to Chase and leaned into him.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You really okay?”
“Getting there.” Quinn would always be her sister, but she’d never truly treated Piper like family.
Ben met her gaze across the flames, and Conner’s words came back to her. “I cleared the way for you.”
It didn’t make a lot of sense. In fact, it made none. Conner was right about something though. Ben never would have left Quinn if she hadn’t cheated on him.
