Chapter Thirty-Nine
Bram
I ’ve never felt such happiness as I did when I was finally able to hold Quinn in my arms and kiss her. Again and again.
Smiling, I shut my bedroom door so I can change out of my work clothes. My cell phone rings and a picture of Cyrus pops up. What will he think when he learns I haven’t ruined Quinn by marrying her?
In fact, I love her.
A slow smile spreads across my lips as I greet my brother. “Hey, Cy.”
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You took off early.”
“I had a meeting. Remember?”
“I know. And I know who it was with.”
I rub the bridge of my nose. Dad must have told him. “Nothing stays secret in this town.”
Cyrus laughs. “Of course not. The Peach Beach group chat is all abuzz about your meeting with Pastor.”
“Yeah, but you heard it from Dad. Right?”
“Titus.”
“Listen, did you need anything? Quinn and I were about to go for a walk on the beach.”
“A walk, huh? How are things going there? How’s Quinn?”
“We’re good. She’s good.” I suck in a breath. “I love her.”
Silence.
“Hello? Cyrus?”
“You love her?”
“Completely.”
He mutters something on the other end that sounds like a curse.
“Huh? What was that?” I smile, almost wishing I would have told him in person just to see the look on his face.
“You made me lose a bet, that’s what that was.”
I laugh. “You bet on my love life? With who?”
“Titus. Who else do you think? Are you sure you love her? What happened with Lois?”
“Lois was just a childish crush.” I grab clothes out of the drawer to change into. “Cy, I love her. I can’t believe I’ve wasted all these years wanting to marry the wrong sister.” My voice grows thick with emotion. Whatever I’d felt about Lois is nothing compared to the depth of my feelings for Quinn. My eyes are completely open now. Lois and I would have been a disaster.
“Huh,” he replies. “Well, I was not expecting that.”
I chuckle. “Me either, to be honest. I mean, I hoped and prayed for it. But—”
“Does Quinn love you?” I hear the sound of the French doors shutting. Quinn must be waiting for me outside.
“I don’t know yet. But I’m going to find out. Talk later, Cyrus.” I hang up with him still trying to get the last word in.
After changing into clean clothes, I go out to the backyard. Quinn isn’t there. Frowning, I glance down at the beach, but can’t see anyone from this far away. I take a couple steps, before a voice stops me. “She went the other direction.”
I glance up to see Mrs. Graham watching me from her rocker on her back patio. “Oh, she did?”
Mrs. Graham purses her lips and gives a curt nod. Her normal cheerful expression appears pinched and troubled.
“Is everything okay, Mrs. Graham?”
She shakes her head. “I-I’m not sure. But your girl looked awfully upset when she came out. I tried calling out to her, but she made a beeline in that direction.” She lifts a knobbly finger and points toward the left side of the beach. “I’m going to go pray.” And with that, she hobbles back into her house, leaving an unsettled feeling in the pit of my gut as I take off in the direction she indicated.
I finally catch sight of Quinn in the distance and start to call out to her. Until I hear a deep hissing sound that makes my blood run cold. Quinn isn’t moving as she stares into a grove of Magnolia trees.
Moving as quietly and slowly as I can, I make my way toward her while my gaze darts around trying to catch sight of King Arthur. Finally, I see him just within the trees, still hissing a warning.
I’m too terrified to speak. Afraid that the noise will cause him to rush at Quinn. I am right behind her now, but she hasn’t flinched. Slowly, I bring my hand up and wrap it around her mouth to keep her from screaming.
“It’s me, Q,” I whisper in her ear. Her body stiffens at the sound of my voice. “Don’t scream.” I release my hold on her mouth but stay close so I can whisper instructions to her. “We need to move slowly backward, okay?”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I guide her gently back. We move several paces away until Arthur’s hissing stops. Still, I don’t trust the creature.
“Quinn, get behind me and go home.” Without waiting for her to obey, I tug her behind me and quickly slide in front of her. King Arthur hisses again.
“Go. Now.”
Her hand grips my arm as she protests, “But Bram—”
“Now,” I interject, giving her a slight push—as best I can with her behind me.
After a moment, her hand falls from my arm, and I hear her quiet footsteps as she leaves me to face King Arthur alone.
Taking a few more steps back, I pray he’ll see I’m not any danger to him. Once I’m far enough away, I send Jett an angry text.
Bram: Come get your gator, Jett. He got way too close to Quinn.
Jett: Oh, crap. Be there in ten. Can you help?
He really needs to fix King Arthur’s pen. What if Quinn had earbuds in and hadn’t heard the hissing? A shudder courses through me at the thought.
Bram: You’re on your own this time. I need to check on Quinn.
Jett: No worries. Titus is with me. Tell Quinn I’m sorry.
Titus isn’t going to be too happy about the situation, but that’s what he gets for hanging around our crazy cousin.
Picking up the pace, I jog the last hundred feet toward home. I need to make sure Quinn is okay. She was terrified. Mrs. Graham’s words keep coming back to mind. How Quinn looked upset when she started her walk. That was well before she saw King Arthur. So what upset her?
“Quinn,” I call as I enter the cottage. Everything is quiet and dark except for a light coming from the hallway. Trepidation creeps up my spine as I head toward Quinn’s room where the light is flicking from inside.
The door is open and Quinn is in a flurry, gathering clothes from her closet and tossing them in a suitcase.
Suitcase?
“What’s going on?” Fear clutches my chest. Rushing into her room, I try again. “Quinn, what are you doing?”
She sniffles as she shakes her head. “I-I can’t do this.”
My stomach drops, and my heart twists. I move to her, taking her arm and turning her around gently. Tears run down her face, and the look in her eyes breaks my heart. “Sunshine, what’s wrong?”
Fire flashes in her eyes, and she jerks her arm away from me. “Don’t call me that. Ever again.”
I try to think of a reply, but I’m stunned. What has changed in such a short amount of time?
“Quinn, you have to talk to me. I want to fix it, but I can’t if I don’t know why you’re upset.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes. “Really, Bram?” Her tone is full of sarcasm, yet I can hear a thread of hurt there. “You don’t know why I’m upset? Maybe finding out that my husband doesn’t love me, but is instead in love with my sister has me upset. Do you think that might be it?” She crosses her arms protectively around herself, releasing a ragged breath.
The words rock me. She must have overheard my conversation with Cyrus. I should have listened to Titus and told her sooner. But she still has it all wrong.
“Q,” I reply softly. “I can explain.”
Shaking her head, she turns back to her suitcase, stuffing more items inside. “No. I don’t think you can. I was a fool. An idiot. Of course, you love Lois. Why wouldn’t you? She’s perfect.”
“I don’t love Lois.” I swing her back around, tipping her chin up so she’s looking at me when I explain. “Listen to me, Quinn. I do not love Lois. Yes, I thought I did at one time. But I don’t have any of those feelings for her now.”
Quinn squeezes her eyes shut, another tear escaping. I hate that I’m the one causing those tears. “How can I believe that, Bram? I heard what you said on the phone.” Her voice comes out soft and uncertain.
I wait until she opens her eyes before I smile down at her. God, please let her believe me.
“I know what you think you heard, but you heard wrong.”
“You lied to me!”
“No, I didn’t. Please let me explain.”
She presses a finger into my chest. “I asked you if you were ever in love and you said no.” I flinch at her heated words and betrayal flashes through her eyes. “Did you lie about never being with another woman, too?”
I rear back as if she’d slapped me. “What? No. Of course not.”
Quinn scoffs and drops her hand. “I don’t know what to believe, Bram.”
My hands fist together as I battle the urge to gather her in my arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about Lois that night. But I didn’t know how.” Quinn rolls her eyes, but I plunge ahead. “And I wasn’t lying about never being with another woman. You were the first.”
She rolls her lips together but doesn’t say anything.
“I was telling Cyrus how foolish I’d been for wanting to marry the wrong sister—Lois—for years. Because if Lois and I had gotten together, it would have been all wrong. It’s you, Quinn. You’re the only one I want.” Cupping her face, I skim my thumbs across her smooth skin. “I love you, sunshine.” Her eyes widen for a moment, but I press on before she can argue. “I didn’t know love until you became my wife. I love the way you sacrifice for everyone around you. I love how you light up the room anytime you walk in. Your smile and laugh make my days so much brighter. I love your fierce, yet gentle heart that longs to help those less fortunate than you. Quinn Baxter, I love you more than anything. Please forgive me for being so incredibly stupid. For not seeing you sooner.”