Page 82 of What We Got Wrong

“We appreciate both of you,” her dad added, and they all exchanged hugs again before Quinn and Liv climbed into Quinn’s car to begin traveling back to their apartment.

“They seem happy,” Liv said cautiously.

“They do,” Quinn agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. They drove for a few minutes in silence before Quinn spoke again. She knew she was venturing into dangerous territory, but she needed to say it, needed to get it out while they were still covered in the glow of her parents’ happiness. “Liv…this weekend felt a little on the outside of ‘just friends.’”

Liv took a sharp inhale, as if she hadn’t thought that Quinn would dare vocalize it. However, after a few seconds, she said, “I know. I feel it, too, Quinn, of course I do. I can’t, though, I—"

“I know,” Quinn interrupted her.

Because she didn’t want to hear all the reasons that this couldn’t work between them. Quinn had been the one to speak, to open up the conversation, but she didn’t need Liv to explain again the boundaries she’d already put in place. Quinn’s heart was full, and she slid her hand into Liv’s, embracing ‘for now.’

She could let it be enough.

Chapter 30

Quinn

Now

They’d been sitting quietly in Liv’s hotel room for a while when Quinn’s phone started buzzing persistently in her pocket. Quinn pulled the device out of her jacket pocket to see that her sister, Juliette, was video calling. For half a second, she considered accepting the call so that she and Liv could talk to Juls like they all used to, but she thought better of it, sliding her phone back into her pocket.

“If you need to take that, it’s okay,” Liv said.

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” Quinn assured her.

“Was that your wife?” Liv asked. She said it as a joke, but then her jaw dropped. “Oh my God, I never even asked if you were single. Was that your wife?”

“You didn’t ask, did you?” Quinn replied, amused, thinking back on their conversations that week. She let Liv sit with that for a moment before she said, “It was Juliette. I’ll call her back in a little while.”

“I’m sorry, but you still haven’t confirmed that you’re single,” Liv said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Quinn huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Regardless of the long period of absence from each other’s lives, Liv knew her better than that, knew that Quinn would never cheat on a partner. It seemed like Liv was realizing this, too, because she just nodded, almost to herself, ending the line of conversation.

“So, you don’t have to give me details,” Liv said. “But, your brothers and sisters…are they doing well?”

Maybe Quinn was still a complete sucker for this woman, but she looked like she sincerely wanted to know. Even still, Quinn wasn’t sure she wanted to have this discussion. “We really don’t have to do this.”

“I…I want to know if you would feel comfortable telling me,” Liv whispered. “The girls are, what…seniors in college?”

“Just graduated,” Quinn answered slowly. “Juls is in Seattle.”

“She moved across the country,” Liv squeaked. And Quinn got that response, honestly, because it was similar to hers when Juliette had told her where she was planning on going to school.

Quinn nodded. “She graduated from the University of Washington and already got a job out there.”

“Marine Biology?” Liv asked, radiating pride. There was a part of Quinn that warmed at the fact that she remembered, but she tried not to show it on her face as she nodded again. “She did it!”

“She did,” Quinn confirmed. “She spent last summer doing field research in Puerto Rico. And now she’s on a team that does some sort of tracking of marine mammals, or…something. I don’t understand everything about her work, but that kid has been the exact same nerd for her entire life.”

“I love that for her,” Liv replied, sounding almost proud.

Quinn agreed, thinking for a long moment whether she wanted to continue before adding, “Ev went into elementary education. She’s doing her student teaching in the fall…and she’s engaged.”

“To be married,” Liv gasped. Quinn couldn’t help but smile, nodding again. “No way!”

“I know. It’s wild,” Quinn agreed.