Chapter 17 Quinn #2
“Now I know why.” Ash’s voice was dry as he stood, not to leave but to pace.
My apartment was a decent size, but Ash was six-four; he was making me feel claustrophobic.
“When you told me that day in the classroom that either you or I would have cheated first, it really stunned me.” Walking over to my shelf, he picked up the photo of the four of us.
Jett and I were standing together, his arm over my shoulders.
Gray stood beside me, his arms crossed against his chest, and Ash to the right of him.
I loved this picture. Jett and I were laughing, Ash was grinning, and Gray stood stoic in the middle, a slight smirk on his face.
“You want to know something?” he continued without waiting for an answer. “At first, I thought it was Jett.”
That shocked me. “Really?” I pulled my legs up onto the seat, and my chin rested on my knees. “I guess most people would since they don’t understand our friendship.”
Ash grunted as he sat back down. “He’s so protective of you, but after my own paranoia calmed down, I realized Jett and you together wouldn’t work.
” Dark blue eyes met mine. “But Gray . . .” He bit the side of his thumb as he looked back at the photos.
“Gray was always possessive of you. I just didn’t see it, I guess. ”
“It’s not your fault,” I said as I watched him struggle with what had happened.
“I can’t help but feel that it is though,” Ash admitted as he looked my way. “I mean, I got the girl, or thought I did, and Jett warned me not to mess it up. Did he know?”
“No.” My reply was immediate. “He only found out last week.”
“Nah.” Ash shook his head in denial. “There’s no way he didn’t know before then.”
“I think he suspected,” I whispered as I leaned back slightly. “But he never asked me outright until last week.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Who? Jett?”
“No, Quinn, why didn’t you tell Gray you were pregnant?” Ash’s heavy stare met mine, and I forced myself to hold it.
“When I found out, I’d seen him a few weeks before with another girl, and I was pissed.
We were never anything really, a few stupid hookups that meant little.
” I felt the burden of truth weighing heavily on me.
After all, what were we? Two hot and heavy make-outs and one night together. That was it.
“Another girl?” Ash looked at me curiously. “Who?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, I didn’t ask.”
Ash couldn’t hide his grin. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”
I gave a rueful laugh. “Yes, it really does.” We sat in silence for a while longer, both lost in our own thoughts, before he spoke again.
“You hurt me. I was so pissed at you. We hurt each other, and I genuinely wished you ill.” He didn’t look apologetic when I glanced at him, my surprise showing at his harshness. “But what you went through? I’m truly sorry, Quinn, I’m sorry you felt that you had no choice and that you were alone.”
The lump in my throat was sudden, and I looked away. “It’s over,” I mumbled. “It’s best to move on. Everything happens for a reason, isn’t that what they say?”
“I don’t give a fuck what anyone says,” Ash said as he reached over and grabbed my hand. “I may not be the Devil you wanted, but I still know you. I know that you need to talk about this.”
“With you?” I countered as I pulled my hand away.
“If it helps?” He scratched his jaw. “I won’t lie, it’s going to be uncomfortable as fuck, but if you think it would help, telling me, then I can do that.”
I didn’t deserve that; I didn’t deserve this level of friendship. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” I said instead. “I’m sorry we’ve been fighting ever since.”
“Meh.” Ash grinned. “You were always a bitch.” He winked at me, and I laughed.
“We should maybe have had this talk sooner.” I curled my legs under me as I shifted on the couch.
“I don’t think I would have been ready,” Ash admitted as he stretched his legs out in front of him. “Still not sure I’m ready to forgive and forget, and I still really want to punch Gray.”
“You should totally do that anyway,” I told him eagerly.
Ash gave a low rumble of laughter as he tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “I always thought Onyx was on my side, but he wasn’t, was he? He was on Gray’s.”
I scraped my teeth over my lip as I took in Ash’s profile. “I can’t answer that. I think Onyx is always on Onyx’s side, to be honest.”
“That’s true.” Ash grinned as he spoke. “He’s wrecked the Merc.”
“I know, how?”
“Took a baseball bat to it after Gray punched him.”
I sat silent for a nanosecond before I exclaimed. “What really happened?”
“Ran his mouth, Gray took offense, punched him, bust his lip, so Onyx bust his car.”
Covering my face with my hands, I groaned. “Why are they both so stupid?”
“Can’t answer that. Sketchy DNA, I think.”
I snorted as my shoulders shook with laughter. “Hmm, definitely the genetics to blame,” I agreed.
“So,” Ash looked everywhere but at me. “How do you feel knowing what we found?”
“Um, I don’t know . . .”
“What kind of people were they? That they could fool you? I mean, you’re . . . you.”
I’d asked myself the same thing a thousand times. “I was desperate, I think.”
“No one’s that desperate, are they?” Ash looked at me with accusation. “I mean, okay, you changed your mind, but what would you even need the money for?”
“Money?” I asked him. “I wasn’t getting paid.”
Ash’s face paled as he closed his eyes, and I heard him curse under his breath.
I suddenly felt sick. “Ash, tell me. Tell me right now,” I demanded as I stood on shaky legs.
“Quinn, I thought you knew,” he whispered, his eyes full of anguish.
“Knew what?”
“The people who take the babies, they don’t adopt them, they sell them.”