Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
I don’t know how to handle this side of being with someone. My parents don’t fight. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them argue. Noah and Peyton only make googly eyes at each other. Ben and Elle, while they’d had their issues, are solid. These men worship my sisters, similar to the way my dad reveres my mom. How do I navigate what’s going on with Nola, if those people are my examples? It’s impossible.
Where did I fail?
Where did we fail?
The answers aren’t in the ocean. I’m not going to hear voices in the waves. The only one who can tell me where I’ve failed as a boyfriend, fiancé . . . as a man, is Nola. That’s if I can get her to talk to me. Of course, I will need to go inside and put my heart on the line and ask her what’s going on.
Instead of heading toward the water, I turn down the road that’ll take me to the house I bought for Nola. I drive by slowly, wondering if she’s even home.
Is she waiting up for me or did she go to bed? If she’s in bed, do I wait until the morning to talk about what happened this evening? Or is this something we sweep under the rug until next time.
The thing is, I don’t want there to be a next time. I don’t like feeling embarrassed in front of my family.
With a heavy sigh, I pull into the driveway and shut my car off. The problem with talking is this deep-seated fear I have that I’m missing something vital in our relationship. The last thing I want to do is hurt Nola. I love her far too much to cause her any pain.
She knows I’m sitting in the driveway. Our security system would’ve alerted her to someone being outside. I finally get out and enter through the garage door. The garage is too small for either of our cars to park in, so I use it mostly to store band equipment.
Inside, I set my keys on the table and kick my shoes off before walking up the stairs to our living room. The lights are dimmed, which is typical for us at this time of night. Instead of calling her name, I walk down the hall and knock softly on her office door.
“Come in,” she says almost instantly.
I twist the doorknob and crack the door slightly, and peek my head in. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she says, matching my soft tone.
“How’s the studying going?”
Nola sighs heavily and I brace myself for what she has to say. “It’s meh. I have a test tomorrow and . . .” She shakes her head.
Her words make me feel like an ass. Did I seriously doubt she had homework?
“Can I come in?” I ask, even though she’s already invited me. Nola nods and I enter, making my way over to the small sofa she has in her office. I sit on the cushion closest to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the tour earlier.”
Nola sighs again, swivels on her chair and presses some buttons on her computer before coming to sit next to me. She angles her body toward me, pulling her legs underneath her.
“It’s not the tour that bothers me. It’s that you think I can drop everything to go with you.”
I nod. She’s right. It’s exactly what I expected. “I really love having you on tour with me and I guess I just expected you to be there without asking you.” I shake my head.
“Did your mom drop everything to go on tour with your dad?”
Shrugging, I look at her. “Yes and no. It depended on how old we were and what was going on. The older we got, the less she went.”
“Quinn, I want to finish my degree and get a job.”
For whatever reason, hearing that she wants to work makes my heart hurt. “You know you don’t have to work.”
“I know, and I appreciate the offer, but I want to feel like I’m contributing to our relationship. Right now, you pay for my schooling, this house, car, and everything else. While I know I can go to the bank and take money out, I feel awkward. I want to be able to buy you something without you seeing it on your credit card statement or buy my parents a present without feeling like I need to justify the purchase.”
My eyes widen at her. “Have I ever asked you why you spend money?”
“No, but that’s not the point, Quinn.”
I know I’m not a perfect person, nor do I try to be. Nola’s my first girlfriend and the only woman I have loved outside of my family. To the best of my ability, I’ve tried to be the greatest boyfriend or fiancé I could be.
We’re quiet for a bit until she reaches for my hand. Our fingers link and I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. “I’m going to be better about checking with you before I make plans or agree to do things. Like tonight, with going to Peyton and Noah’s. I should’ve checked with you before I agreed.”