Free The Mighty Quinns: Eli by Kate Hoffmann

“I gotta get out of here.”
    â€œDarling, please don’t be angry with me. I’ve just tried to do what was best. I really believe Max is your father. You look like him. You look like your brothers.”
    Eli shook his head. He could forgive his mother for a lot of things, but she’d never lied to him. And now, this whole fairy tale of his fatherhood might be a complete fabrication. For all he knew, his father was still alive and completely unaware of his existence.
    He glanced down at the papers that were clutched in his hand. He wanted to burn them, to forget any of this had ever happened. What did he need it for? He knew exactly who he was. Would a million dollars and a few siblings change that?
    Eli strode to the back porch and grabbed his pack, shoving the papers inside.
    â€œWhere are you going?”
    â€œI have no idea,” he said.
    â€œPlease, don’t leave. Let’s just talk about this. I don’t want you to be angry with me.”
    â€œI’m not,” Eli said. “You’re right. You were just trying to protect me.” He paused and cursed beneath his breath. “But there are times, Annalise, when I wish you’d just get your damn act together and at least pretend to be the parent in this relationship.”
    He slipped his pack onto his shoulders and jogged down the front steps. Eli wasn’t sure where he was going, but he couldn’t stay here any longer. There were too many things to sort through in his head and it would be impossible to do with Annalise hovering over him, trying to plead her case.
    As he jogged out to his truck, his mother watched him from the front door of her bungalow. “I love you,” she shouted. “Please don’t forget that.”
    There were plenty of places he could go to lose himself, favorite spots that he and Buck had explored over the years. But he steered the truck out of town, in the direction of the trailhead that would lead him to his grandmother’s cabin. It felt right to go there, to be with Lucy, to find out what she thought of everything that was happening in his life.
    Cursing softly, Eli pulled over to the side of the road. When had she become so important to him? Lately, he couldn’t go an hour, much less a day, without thinking about her. And now, when his life had suddenly turned into a chaotic mess, she was the only person he wanted to see.
    Hell, he should be able to handle this on his own. Life’s little problems had never confounded him in the past. But there was comfort in knowing that Lucy would listen and tell him what was simple and true. She had an uncanny way of cutting through all the crap and getting right to the heart of the matter.
    Still, after their disagreement earlier that day, Eli wasn’t sure she’d welcome him back. He understood her need to maintain her independence, but was she really intent on driving him away? Or was there something else at work?
    In just a very short time, they’d formed a unique friendship. More than a friendship, a romance. And though it didn’t follow the normal course that most romances did, it was still something that continued to intrigue him. He didn’t want to put it aside simply because Lucy had some misgivings or fears that she couldn’t articulate.
    She might insist she didn’t need him, not in the traditional sense, but right now, he needed her. And though he was treading in very unfamiliar territory, without even a map or a compass to guide him, Eli had to follow his instincts. Right now, those instincts were leading him back to the mountain.
    * * *
    S HE ’ D SLEPT IN that morning, her naked body curled beneath the soft, faded quilt, her face buried in the down pillows. Though she’d looked forward to Eli’s visit, the aftermath was almost too much to bear.
    Groaning, she reached for the video camera on the bedside table and flipped open the screen. She found the footage she’d taken