Worth the Wait by Rachael Tonks

Author:Rachael Tonks [Tonks, Rachael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: That Formatting Lady
Published: 2017-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Quinn

Our ten-minute walk turns into thirty minutes as we detour, taking our time. We sing, laugh and skip our way back to the one place I never wanted to return to, but the one place I know I have to suffer. Just for Liv.

“So, we’re here,” I say, crouching down in front of her at the side of the road. The overgrown bush protects us from being seen by anyone in the house.

“Come inside,” she says, giving my hand a little tug.

“I can’t, baby,” I dismiss her with a shake of my head. “I’ll come and meet you again on Friday? Sound good?” I ask, hoping to distract her from asking me again. I always find it difficult to say her and her beautiful face.

“I’d love that.” She throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. “Can Josh come too?” She pulls back, smiling at him over my shoulder.

“Maybe,” I turn to look at him and he gives a loose lift of his shoulder. “But I need to ask you something, Liv. Something real important, okay?”

“What?”

I swallow hard, racking my brain as I try to word my questions right. “I need to know that you’re okay. Nobody has hurt you. You would tell me, right?” I search her eyes for a reaction. “If anyone ever hurts you, even if they tell you not to say anything, you have to tell me. Got it?” I whisper.

“I will,” she says puffing put her chest.

“I know I’m not living here anymore, but that doesn’t mean I can’t protect you. Okay?”

I hold out my hand to her, and she takes it. We clasp them together, pulling down and nodding at the same time. “Got it,” she beams.

“Remember. Don’t mention this to mom or Jared. They can’t know you’ve seen me, or they might get cross. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“My lips are sealed,” she says, pressing her forefinger and thumb together, running them across her pursed lips. I reach out, pulling her close to me again.

“Love you, Livvy,” I choke out, not wanting to leave her here. I just wish my circumstances were better so I could take care of her myself. “Here,” I push my hands in my pockets, retrieving a twenty dollar bill. “Take this. Keep it all for yourself. Make sure to buy yourself something nice to eat.” I push it in her hand, wrapping her fingers around the bill.

“Love you,” she says before turning and taking the few steps closer to the house. She stops at the bottom of the steps. Holding out her hand, she blows me a kiss before taking one more step, completely out of sight.

“I hate this,” I let out a quiet growl before standing up from my crouching position. I hate that I have to leave her here.

Turning, I see Josh behind me, his stare hard on me. “You okay?” he asks, holding out his hand. I can’t help but take it, wanting what little comfort I can get from the innocent touch.

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