Consequences of the Heart

Chapter 19

Quinn's POV

I wake up the next morning a little sore but also feeling great but that suddenly changes when place my hand on Brenton's side of the bed but feel it empty. I quickly open my eyes to see that Brenton is not next to me. "Brenton?" I call out but get no answer which causing my worry to spike. I get out of bed and walk into my closet and into the bathroom to see it empty but the smell of his body wash fills my nose. "Something is going on." I say before heading out of room and I head downstairs calling and texting Brenton.

Once I am downstairs I see my brother passed out on the couch looking like he once again got into yet another fight last night at work, and the sound of my grandma humming in the kitchen. I head into the kitchen to see Etta wrapping presents. "Look at the little elf hard at work." I say leaning against the wall as Etta finishes up wrapping up the present. "You keep your snooping nose away, these are for Christmas morning." Etta says sitting down in the chair as she gives me an odd look. "What is wrong honey? You look as pale as a ghost." I take a deep breath before walking over to the window and look outside.

"I am just worried grandma, I woke up and Brenton doesn't seem to be anywhere and he isn't picking up his phone either." Etta just shakes her head placing her finger on his cheek, "Don't worry about him so much Quinn, in fact you don't have to worry because I saw him earlier this morning." I turn my panic attention to Etta and sit down next to her, "Tell me everything." Etta looks at me with a worried look on her face,

"There is not much to tell Quinn, he came down around six this morning and told your father that he got a call from a friend and needed to leave right away." I sigh in relief of knowing that Brenton is okay but yet something tells me that I am missing something that is right in front of my face, "Did he mention what friend?" Etta shakes her head as the conversation from the tattoo parlor runs through my head.

"Dear, I am starting to get the feeling that you are sort of going off the rails a little bit." I stare at my grandmother wondering how she could think that I am going crazy, "I am fine Etta, it is just after him being away for so long it affected me more than I thought it did." Etta sighs but I decide to change the subject. "What happened to Jared?" I ask and a look of disappointment comes across the face of my grandmother.

Your knuckleheaded brother got into yet another fight while at work." I feel the same look of disappointment come across my face as well because Jared getting into fights like this happens more often then you think. "What happened this time?" I ask standing up and walking over to freezer to get ice packs out for him. 

"He wouldn't tell your father or I much about what happened thanks to that bull-headed pride of the Callahan men, but from what I gathered I would say that it was over a young lady." A small smile comes to my lips as I walk into the living room and place one ice pack on his eye and the other ice pack on his abdomen. "Love you." I whisper into his ear and give him a kiss on his cheek which gets him to stir in his sleep.

It is now the middle of the afternoon and I am currently sitting in the living room talking with Emery who brought Caily with him, Anthony, and Tiffany. I have my hair in a ponytail while wearing the biggest sweatshirt I could find that stops right above my knees and pair of black jeans. "Where are Amara and Clay?" I ask snuggling into Anthony as I sit on his lap. "Amara is out of state with her parents visiting family." Anthony replies to my question then wraps his arms around me. "Clay is pulling yet another double shift at the at shop." Emery starts chuckling which gets us all to look at him and Caily.

"What is so funny over there?" Tiffany growls and lightly kicks Emery who still chuckles, "We all know that Clay has to work all this overtime because you are a very high maintenance, I am just the one that has enough courage to tell you." Tiffany grabs a magazine off the coffee table and throws it at Emery who catches it before it can hit Caily. "I can think of something that you should say while we are here." Tiffany snaps and the two lock eyes before Emery clears his throat and leans back against the chair.

"I thought so." Tiffany says with a prideful smile on her face before going back to the fashion magazine in her hand. "What happened last night on that double date?" Anthony asks and I look up at him figuring out what parts to tell them and what parts to keep to myself. "It was fun, Brenton and Brick gambled and got food while Penelope and I walked around and did some window shopping." I feel the worst person in the world for lying to my friends when we promised that would start over and stop the lying. 

"Then at the end of the night Brick, Penelope, and Brenton all got new tattoos." Anthony nods his head with a glimmer in his eye, "I need to talk to you all about something. Last night while at the tattoo parlor Brenton's buddy Brick said something that I want to get your thoughts." All of them nod their heads with eager looks on their faces.

"Brick said one night while hanging out that Brenton vanished for a couple hours, when him and Cord found him he was with some girl named Mandi Hazelwood and getting his stylized scorpion tattoo that is on his back." The four of them look at one another with the same look on their face. "Quinn that doesn't sound good, it kind of makes it sound like....." Caily starts but then Tiffany cuts her off finishing what she was going to say only in the Tiffany way,

"Girl if I didn't know any better I would think that Brenton was cheating on you with this Mandi girl." I look at Tiffany hating how blunt she can be but at least I know that I am not alone thinking this. "Tiff, we all know Brenton and we know him well enough to know that would never cheat on Quinn, just like Quinn would never cheat on him." Anthony says and hearing those words gives me the feeling of just wanting to die right there.

"He disappeared for hours and suddenly turns up in a tattoo parlor with another girl, sounds kind of sketchy to me." Tiffany response as the sound of the front door opening and closing is heard form the kitchen. "HELLO!" I hear the sound of Brenton's voice say from inside the kitchen,

"IN HERE BABE!" I yell back and soon enough Brenton walks in wearing an open white bomber jacket with a black tank top underneath, his gold chain necklace around his neck, black basketball shorts that are sagging enough that you almost see all of his light blue Calvin Klein boxer briefs, and on his feet are a pair of sneakers, "I never thought I would see the day that Brenton Greywood would be sagging." Anthony says with a laugh but I notice that something has caught the attention of Tiffany,

"How did you rip your tank top Brenton?" Tiffany asks as Brenton glares at her but I then notice that Tiffany is right because I see the rip, "Must have caught it on something." Brenton replies messing with his chain necklace, "I will be in the bedroom if anyone needs me." Brenton gives me a kiss on my lips before heading upstairs into my room. "Still think he is all Mr. innocent?" Tiffany asks with a serious look on her face and part of me is really starting to wonder about what is truth and what is lies.