anyone.
“I sent Luke home. I thought it would be good for Carter to be home tonight. I think the babies are confusing enough. And even though he loves his grandparents, I don’t think he really understands why he’s been bouncing all over the place the last few days. Besides,” she said with a smile, “I thought it would be good for him and Luke to have one last, quiet night together. After this, the house is going to be anything but quiet.”
The realization that she would not bother to ask to stay in Quinn’s spare room tonight vaguely flitted through her mind. The thought wasn’t all that important so she didn’t dwell on it.
“Where are the girls?” Carly asked as she settled back into the ugly vinyl chair. It was the same one she’d used every time she’d visited.
“In the nursery. I’ve had them in here most of the time but I really needed to get some sleep. So when Luke left to go get Carter, I had a nurse bring them down. I was just getting ready to have them brought back in,” Quinn said. She was eying up her sister, clearly aware that something wasn’t right. “But…I think I’m going to wait a little bit longer. You look like you need to talk. And don’t pretend that everything is okay. You can’t blow me off as easily as you do Mom.”
Carly nodded and tried to roll her eyes but they filled with tears instead. She kept her explanation brief, just like she’d done with her mom. Usually, she would tell Quinn everything. But with this, some parts were just too humiliating to get into. Besides, she knew her sister would worry about her regardless. She wanted to keep that worry to a minimum. Quinn had more important things to be concerned with right now.
For the most part, she kept her eyes averted, not wanting to see the look of pity that she knew would be on her sister’s face. She stopped once to pluck the box of tissues off the nightstand. She was sure they were for patients only but she really didn’t care.
“What is it about me that’s so damn unlovable?” Carly asked between sniffles. She was grateful that Quinn had just let her speak, without interruption. If she’d had to stop to answer questions, she knew she probably would’ve broken down completely.
“Oh, sweetie,” Quinn said, “it’s not you. I promise, it’s not you. Any guy would be so lucky to have you. It’s not your fault if they are too stupid to see it.”
“I’m the one that’s stupid. How could I not see this coming?!” Carly said. Then she squeezed her eyes closed as she pulled herself together again. “No. You know what? I’m not going to do this. He made it pretty clear that he’s over me. So why let myself get all worked up over him?”
Not only that, but she hadn’t wanted to dump on Quinn. She had needed to let her know what was going on. But she was not going to burden her sister with her problems at a time when she should be concentrating on her new family.
“You have every right to be upset,” Quinn told her. “Cry if you need to cry. Or get mad. Do whatever you need to do. This is kind of a big deal.”
She hated the sympathetic way Quinn was looking at her. Yet she realized that she was annoyed with her mom for not looking at her that way. Obviously, she was just in the mood to be unhappy about everything.
Carly threw her hands up in the air. “It doesn’t matter. I know you never really liked him anyway. I should’ve trusted your judgment.”
Quinn’s eyes had gone wide. “What? I never said that!”
A knowing smile worked its way onto Carly’s lips. “You didn’t have to. I could tell. I know you tried to hide it. Thanks for that, by the way. But I could still tell.”
“Well,” Quinn carefully said, “if you got that impression, it was only because I didn’t really care for how he treated you. He just never seemed…oh, I don’t know…very respectful.”
Carly wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, she opted for changing the subject. “You should
“I sent Luke home. I thought it would be good for Carter to be home tonight. I think the babies are confusing enough. And even though he loves his grandparents, I don’t think he really understands why he’s been bouncing all over the place the last few days. Besides,” she said with a smile, “I thought it would be good for him and Luke to have one last, quiet night together. After this, the house is going to be anything but quiet.”
The realization that she would not bother to ask to stay in Quinn’s spare room tonight vaguely flitted through her mind. The thought wasn’t all that important so she didn’t dwell on it.
“Where are the girls?” Carly asked as she settled back into the ugly vinyl chair. It was the same one she’d used every time she’d visited.
“In the nursery. I’ve had them in here most of the time but I really needed to get some sleep. So when Luke left to go get Carter, I had a nurse bring them down. I was just getting ready to have them brought back in,” Quinn said. She was eying up her sister, clearly aware that something wasn’t right. “But…I think I’m going to wait a little bit longer. You look like you need to talk. And don’t pretend that everything is okay. You can’t blow me off as easily as you do Mom.”
Carly nodded and tried to roll her eyes but they filled with tears instead. She kept her explanation brief, just like she’d done with her mom. Usually, she would tell Quinn everything. But with this, some parts were just too humiliating to get into. Besides, she knew her sister would worry about her regardless. She wanted to keep that worry to a minimum. Quinn had more important things to be concerned with right now.
For the most part, she kept her eyes averted, not wanting to see the look of pity that she knew would be on her sister’s face. She stopped once to pluck the box of tissues off the nightstand. She was sure they were for patients only but she really didn’t care.
“What is it about me that’s so damn unlovable?” Carly asked between sniffles. She was grateful that Quinn had just let her speak, without interruption. If she’d had to stop to answer questions, she knew she probably would’ve broken down completely.
“Oh, sweetie,” Quinn said, “it’s not you. I promise, it’s not you. Any guy would be so lucky to have you. It’s not your fault if they are too stupid to see it.”
“I’m the one that’s stupid. How could I not see this coming?!” Carly said. Then she squeezed her eyes closed as she pulled herself together again. “No. You know what? I’m not going to do this. He made it pretty clear that he’s over me. So why let myself get all worked up over him?”
Not only that, but she hadn’t wanted to dump on Quinn. She had needed to let her know what was going on. But she was not going to burden her sister with her problems at a time when she should be concentrating on her new family.
“You have every right to be upset,” Quinn told her. “Cry if you need to cry. Or get mad. Do whatever you need to do. This is kind of a big deal.”
She hated the sympathetic way Quinn was looking at her. Yet she realized that she was annoyed with her mom for not looking at her that way. Obviously, she was just in the mood to be unhappy about everything.
Carly threw her hands up in the air. “It doesn’t matter. I know you never really liked him anyway. I should’ve trusted your judgment.”
Quinn’s eyes had gone wide. “What? I never said that!”
A knowing smile worked its way onto Carly’s lips. “You didn’t have to. I could tell. I know you tried to hide it. Thanks for that, by the way. But I could still tell.”
“Well,” Quinn carefully said, “if you got that impression, it was only because I didn’t really care for how he treated you. He just never seemed…oh, I don’t know…very respectful.”
Carly wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, she opted for changing the subject. “You should
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