on the front porch. The second he’s out of sight, Quinn grabs my arm and drags me back down the steps toward her car.
“What are you doing?” I question.
“I don’t like this. He’s being weird, and this house . . . it’s scary, Anna. The neighborhood isn’t exactly the kind of place you want to be when it gets dark. I think you need to leave him here, and you come and stay at my place. We can share my room, and if you need something to take your mind off of X, you can help me and Brock with the wedding.”
I pull back, halting Quinn in her tracks and she releases me. “I’m not leaving him, Quinn. He needs me.”
Her lips pull into a tight line as she studies my face. “Are you sure? It feels wrong to leave you here.”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life,” I honestly tell her.
That earns me a small smile from her. “You love him.”
It’s not a question but a statement. I should’ve known that Quinn would be able to figure out how deeply I care for Xavier before I even had a chance to tell her. She’s excellent at reading me.
“I do,” I admit. “I love him so much that it scares me—like, it’s hard to breathe when I think about not being with him.”
“Damn, cuz. You’ve got it bad. I understand though. We Cortez women tend to do crazy, irrational things when it comes to the men we love, so I know there’s no dragging you away from this place, no matter how much I don’t want you to be here.”
I nod. “Thank you for understanding. I promise, I’ll be safe.”
She reaches out and grabs my hand, giving it a little squeeze. “I meant what I said earlier. Things get rough, you call me. I don’t want you over here, stressed or in a dangerous situation.”
I curl my fingers around hers. “I will.”
She quickly wraps her arms around me and then whispers in my ear, “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Quinn pulls back and gives me a small smile before turning on her heel and walking to her car. I wait until she’s buckled up inside and cranks the engine to life before I swallow hard and make my way back up to the front door to find out what is awaiting me on the other side.
I take a hesitant step inside and allow my eyes to adjust to the dim room. The curtains in the living room are drawn tight, and the only light entering the room comes from the open door. There’s a steep staircase leading to the second floor in front of me, and the rest of the living room is set off to the left. The furniture is dated but appears to be in pristine condition under the plastic covers. A round woven rug covers the hardwood floor that appears to run into the dining room attached to the living room. Our luggage is sitting on top of the rug in the center of the living room, and there’s no sign of Xavier anywhere.
I close the door behind me and begin to explore. On the wall are several pictures of a rather pristine lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat. She reminds me a lot of the upper-class women who attend horse races. In most of the pictures, the woman is with a dark-haired beauty with soulful brown eyes. When I look at this woman, there’s no mistaking the resemblance to Xavier, which probably means this is the mother he lost when he was only eight years old.
“You hungry?” Xavier’s voice cuts through the otherwise silent room. “We could go out and eat since we don’t have any food here yet.”
“I’m not hungry just yet.” I continue to study the pictures on the wall, and my curiosity needs confirmation to what it already knows. “Is this your mother?”
Xavier blows a rush of air out of his nose before walking over to where I’m standing. He stares at the pictures, and instead of answering my question, he moves in to take the frames off the wall. “I forgot all these were up here. I should’ve had Nettie take them down a long time ago.”
I wrap my fingers around his wrist as he reaches for the next picture. “You don’t want to leave them?”
“No,” he replies instantly. “I don’t like to be reminded of the past.”
Since I’ve known Xavier, all I’ve done is push him to talk about his past