Our Love

Wade

"You wanted to meet up to insult me?" Ben asked hatefully.

"No. I wanted to meet up to find out what you're doing with Quinn. I'm not stupid, and if you thought for one second I wouldn't start digging around, then you're crazier than I think. You can tell me now, or we can go back to the station and have a talk with your chief."

"What would you like to know?"

It took every ounce of self-control I had not to grab him up by the collar. I knew I had to bide my time though for everything to work out; I checked my phone religiously to see if backup was on the way while I kept him talking.

"How long have you been stalking Quinn?"

"Stalking Quinn?" He raised a brow in question as he grabbed a waitress and proceeded to order himself a coffee and muffin. My tolerance for him was shrinking by the minute.

"Yes, Ben. I know you've been stalking her. I know that you sent pictures of me with Denise and from The Route. You've obviously been keeping up with her activities, and I have a very strong suspicion that you may be behind some things that were blamed on someone else." I checked my phone again, hoping to see a message from his former partner, the one who had responded with him that day when everything about Quinn was exposed and when we all believed that Rex had somehow found her again and was here to torment her.

"Hmm. Those are some powerful accusations."

"They are. Tell me I'm wrong then; explain yourself."

Ben stood, pulling out his wallet and throwing a few bills on the table. He turned as if to leave the diner, but thankfully the chief of police and his former partner arrived right on time. I enjoyed the look of horror on his face entirely too much, knowing that he was caught and seeing the defeat wash over him.

"Officer Stevens. Mr. Asher." The chief greeted us before nodding to the partner. He stepped forward, keeping his head down while pulling out his handcuffs, and proceeded to arrest Ben Stevens for stalking and a whole host of other charges.

"Mr. Asher, I appreciate your cooperation and help with this matter. I can assure you that we will handle this, you and Ms. Gordon will have no further issues with Mr. Stevens. I will need you to come by the station at some point soon to get your statement; I'll be in touch about that." The chief shook my hand before leaving me there alone in the diner. I had the burden of helping unravel all of this mess, and I wanted to get as much of it taken care of as possible for Quinn.

I gave my Father a call and decided to meet up with him quickly before heading home to talk with Grant and Quinn. I didn't want to run into them at the office before having a chance to take care of everything, so we met at his house in town. I couldn't honestly remember the last time I had even been there, but this was worth it.

"Good to see you, son." He greeted, answering the door, already dressed in casual clothes. It was odd to see him so relaxed. For years it was always suits and ties and all business.

I nodded before following him into his living area; he motioned for me to have a seat before offering a beverage. I declined the offer and sat, ready to get this over with.

"Did you receive the information I sent?"

"Yes, I did." His eyes glared into me; I could tell he wasn't happy. "I had no idea about any of this with Scholts and the Stevens family. I promise you, Wade. I may not know Quinn that well, but she's a great employee and a kind young woman, I wouldn't do anything to put her in harms way." He sat back, holding his glass of scotch, taking a deep breath before he spoke next. "I terminated the contract with Scholts after you called. Once I read the email and all of that information, I knew what I had to do. The deal is void, I even spoke with Denise, and she will not be back."

"I think that was a wise decision. I spoke with Carrie earlier though, so I already knew. I paid out their contract. You won't lose any money."

"You did what?" I'd never seen him move so quickly. His glass was down on the table, and he was up on his feet. I couldn't tell if he was angry or just surprised.

"I paid out their contract. I had planned to buy them out, but Carrie informed me that you were working to terminate the deal, so I had her give me the numbers, and I paid out their contract." I ran a hand through my hair; I was surprised I had any left after today, the stress of everything, and running my hand through it non-stop. "Listen, I have no interest in working with you or for you again. I just have no interest in business, period. I like what I do now; I like working with my hands."

"Then why pay out their contract?"

"Just because I don't have an interest in it doesn't mean I don't care. I don't want to see you or your business suffer. Not to mention, my girlfriend and best friends both work there." I admitted as he sat back down, shaking his head.

"I'm not sure what to say. I can't accept that."

"You can consider it a retainer if I ever need consulting services." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Fine. We can revisit this. I am confused about one other thing amidst all this chaos." Swirling the liquid in the glass he had retrieved. "You said, girlfriend..."

"Yes? Quinn is my girlfriend."

"I spoke with Grant this morning, and they were holding hands, so I'm just naturally confused as to who is dating whom?"

Of all the things I'd dealt with today, this was one of the most awkward and unexpected. Explaining my relationship to my Father was the furthest thing from my mind, and now here I was. That fact that I could care less what he or anyone else thought about my relationship with Quinn didn't seem to ease the anxiety.

"Well, we're both dating her."

"Both dating the same woman? Until she chooses?" His face was full of questions.

"No. We're... It's unconventional. We both care about her, we both want her to be happy, and she cares about both of us."

"Okay. That's definitely unconventional."

"Well, all that matters..."

"All that matters is that you're consenting adults, and you're all happy." Interrupting what was about to be a rant on my part, he once again surprised me with his understanding. I left his house feeling lighter and perhaps with a tiny bit of hope that our relationship could mend eventually. For now, though, I had to get home to my girl and my best friend and update them on everything. After all of this frustration and mess, the three of us definitely deserved a vacation.