Chapter Thirteen
No More Waiting
Damien
There are moments in a man’s life when he realizes patience is no longer the right choice. I’ve been patient for a long time. Years, actually. Ever since Quinn Thomas first started showing up at House of Ink with cupcakes and that bright smile that made half the room forget what they were doing.
I waited.
I stayed quiet.
I watched.
Because she had a boyfriend and no matter how much I disliked Emette Black, I wasn’t going to step into the middle of someone else’s relationship.
But tonight? Tonight my patience has officially run out.
Quinn stands beside me in Mason’s gravel driveway, arms wrapped tightly around herself like she’s trying to keep the pieces of her heart from falling apart. The music from the party thumps faintly behind us, people laugh, and in the distance someone shouts a loud greeting.
Life goes on inside that house like nothing happened. Meanwhile the woman beside me just watched her boyfriend kiss someone else.
My jaw tightens. “How long?” I ask quietly.
She sniffs and wipes at her cheeks. “I don’t know.”
“That didn’t look like the first time?”
Her shoulders sag slightly. “I guess not.”
Anger curls in my chest like a living thing. Not at her, never at her. At him. At the guy inside that house who somehow managed to land a woman like Quinn and still treat her like she was disposable.
“That’s his loss,” I say.
She laughs weakly. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
“It will.” I say softly.
“Maybe.” She stares down the dark road for a moment. “I should go.”
The words hit me harder than expected. “Where?”
“Home.”
“Alone?”
“I drove here.” The words sound automatic.
“That’s not what I meant.”
She glances at me. “I’ll be okay.”
I don’t believe that for a second. “You don’t have to deal with this by yourself.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re standing in a driveway crying while your boyfriend makes out with someone else inside.”
“Ex-boyfriend.” The correction surprises both of us.
Quinn blinks then exhales slowly.
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “Ex.”
The word settles into the air between us and a strange mix of sadness and relief washes through my chest. Because hearing that should make me happy but right now she’s hurting too much for that to matter.
The front door of the house slams open behind us. Footsteps crunch across the gravel and a voice I recognize immediately calls out.
“Well, well.”
My spine stiffens because of course it’s Emette Black.
I turn slowly to see him walking toward us with that same cocky swagger I remember from high school. Hands in his pockets and that cocky smile tilted slightly to one side like he’s amused by the entire situation.
Quinn’s body goes rigid beside me. “Emette,” she says and even I can hear the tension in her voice.
“What?” he replies casually. “You left.”
“You were busy.” Her voice shakes.
“You could have stuck around,” he says casually and I fight the urge to grab him around the throat.
“I was busy, too,” Quinn says flatly. “Busy watching you kiss someone else.”
He shrugs. “It’s a party.”
The casual dismissal hits like gasoline on a fire already burning inside my chest.
“You’re unbelievable,” Quinn whispers.
“Relax.”
“Relax?” Her voice has gone up an octave and I can see her body shaking. Seems her anger is overriding her sadness.
“Yeah.” He gestures vaguely toward the house. “You’re acting like it’s the end of the world.”
“You cheated on me,” she accuses.
“It was one kiss.” He rolls his eyes like he can’t understand why she is blowing this out of proportion.
“That I saw.”
His smile falters slightly, then he notices me standing beside her and watching him. His expression hardens instantly.
“Well,” he says slowly. “That explains a lot.”
Quinn frowns. “What?”
He points at me. “Him.”
My patience officially reaches its limit.
“Careful,” I say quietly and Emette laughs.
“What? You think I didn’t notice the way he’s been hanging around you lately?”
Quinn looks confused. “Damien’s my friend.”
“Sure he is.” Sarcasm drips from every word as his eyes flick back to me. “Been waiting for this, haven’t you?”
My hands curl into fists at my sides. “Waiting for what?”
“For me to screw up so you could swoop in like some kind of hero.”
Quinn’s voice sharpens. “Stop.”
But Emette ignores her. “You always were the quiet one,” he says to me. “Watching everything. Not saying much. Just waiting.”
I take a step forward. “That’s enough.”
“Oh?” he says. “Are you gonna punch me now?”
The words drag a dozen old memories to the surface. Locker rooms. Hallways. Books knocked out of my hands. The same smug grin staring down at me.
Only now ... things are different. Now I’m not the skinny kid he used to push around. Now I’m the man standing between him and Quinn.
“Maybe,” I say calmly.
Quinn grabs my arm. “Damien.”
But Emette just laughs. “Go ahead. Show everyone what kind of guy you really are.”
I look at Quinn. Her eyes are wide and tears are still clinging to her lashes. And suddenly I realize something. Punching him won’t help her, it’ll just make things worse.
So I take a slow breath and step back.
“You’re not worth it,” I say.
Emette smirks. “That’s what I thought.” Then he looks at Quinn again. “Are you coming back inside or what?”
The question hangs in the air. Quinn stares at him for a long moment before she shakes her head.
“No.”
“No?” He looks confused and I almost laugh.
“I’m leaving.”
His eyebrows lift. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” There is no hesitation in her voice.
“Over this?”
“Over everything.”
For the first time all night, Emette looks slightly unsure. “Quinn...”
“No.” Her voice is stronger now. Clearer. “You embarrassed me tonight.”
“It was a mistake,” he says, his voice gentler now than a moment ago.
“You’ve made a lot of those lately.”
He glances at me again. “Because of him?”
“No.” She doesn’t even look at me when she replies. Because she is right, this moment doesn’t have anything to do with me.
“Then why?”
“Because I’m finally paying attention.”
Silence falls over the driveway and Emette looks between us. Calculating.
Then he scoffs. “Whatever.”
He turns and starts walking back toward the house but just before he reaches the door, he throws one last comment over his shoulder.
“Good luck with her, Grey.”
The door slams shut behind him and the music swallows him back into the party. Suddenly the driveway is quiet again.
Quinn exhales slowly. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Yeah.”
She rubs her face with both hands. “I feel like I should be angrier. Or sadder.”
“You’re in shock.”
“Probably.”
We stand there for a moment in the cool night air. Then she looks at me, really looks, and something in her expression softens.
“You followed me,” she says.
I nod with a shrug.
“Why?”
I shrug again. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”
She studies me like she’s trying to figure something out.
“What?” I ask, not sure if I want to know what she is thinking.
“You always show up.”
“When?”
“When I need someone.” The words hit deeper than she probably realizes.
Because the truth is, I’ve always been there. Watching, waiting, and doing my damndest not to interfere. But I am always close enough to step in when things went wrong.
She sighs softly. “I think I just ended a five-year relationship.”
“Sounds like he ended it first.”
“Still. Five years is a long time.”
I nod. “That’s a lot to handle.”
“It is.” Silence settles between us again.
Then she says something that makes my heart stutter. “Do you know what the weird part is?”
“What?”
“I’m not thinking about him anymore.”
“You’re not?” I ask lowly.
“No.” She tilts her head slightly. “I’m thinking about what you said earlier.”
My stomach tightens. “What did I say?”
“That I deserve better.”
I swallow. “Yeah.” Apparently, that’s the only word in my vocabulary tonight.
A small smile touches her lips. “Turns out you were right.”
The words land square in the center of my chest. Because for the first time since I met her, Quinn Thomas is standing here without a boyfriend. And the part of me that’s been waiting quietly in the background suddenly realizes something very important.
I’m not waiting anymore.