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No, I’m not here to talk about parties.
“I’ve been seeing a woman at work, and Bailey found out.”
He blows out a breath. “Can’t say I’m surprised, but fuck, Quinn.”
“You’re not?”
“No, I’m not. You’ve been acting sketchy for a while. I just didn’t want it to be true.”
“Yeah, well…”
“So what do you want from me?”
I shrug. “Advice. A time machine. I don’t fucking know.”
The silence between us is heavy while I avoid his eyes. He’s not only my friend, he also cares about Bailey, and I’m sure he’s feeling disappointed in me.
“Do you love this other woman?”
“Fuck no. I love Bailey.”
“Were you and Bailey going through a bad patch?”
I shake my head, feeling like the asshole I know I am. It’s almost like I wish I could say we were having problems. As if having a reason would somehow excuse it.
“Then why cheat on her?”
Isn’t that the question. My shoulders bow under the hint of anger I hear in his voice.
“I’ve never been with anyone but Bailey. Then Justine came along, and she’s sexy as hell. She was into me, and I let my dick do all my thinking.”
“That’s it? You got a boner for someone and then decided, what the hell, let me blow up my whole life? That’s not you, man.”
“Fuck! I know,” I say, jumping up and raking my hands through my hair. I’m agitated, and my body’s demanding that I move. That I do something. That I get in my car, get to Bailey, and force her to forgive me. Instead, I pace. “You’ve got to help me. She said we’re over, and I can’t,” I take in a breath, just the thought of it, a knife shoved straight into my chest, “I can’t lose her. Tell me what to do.”
He groans and falls back against the couch. “Keeping your dick in your pants is what you should do.”
“Not helping,” I bark.
“Yeah, that ship has sailed,” he mutters. “Look, I don’t know what to say,” he says, shrugging helplessly. “All you can do is be completely honest with her. Lay all your cards on the table, show her how sorry you are, and hope she can forgive your sorry ass.”
“I really fucked up,” I breathe.
“Yeah, you really fucked up.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
BAILEY
“WOW, THISis beautiful,” I breathe, unable to keep the awe out of my voice while taking in the view.
This morning, I woke up alone in my apartment, wondering what I was supposed to do with myself and second-guessing my decision to avoid everyone for as long as I could. The last thing I imagined was that I would be standing on Kallan’s porch, looking out at the lake and feeling as if I was in the middle of the woods.
But here I am, and I could stand here for hours just soaking in the sounds of wildlife instead of cars and people. It’s like a slice of heaven.
“It is,” he says, handing me a beer and leading me to the Adirondack chairs that are perfectly positioned to take in the view. “Wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I saw this piece of land, but once I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to have it.”
“Did you build the house yourself?”
