Chapter 30
QUENTIN
Just as I”m gearing up to march over to Carmina, ready to lay all my cards on the table, Derek plants himself firmly in my path.
Before I can dodge him, his arm swings around my shoulder like we”re old pals, but his grip is anything but friendly. ”Not so fast, little brother.”
In what feels like a coordinated ambush, Killian appears on my other side, grinning mischievously but with serious eyes.
”Party”s this way,” he says, nodding towards an isolated room at the far end of the yacht.
The last thing I see before being unceremoniously hauled away is Carmina’s gorgeous face.
Great. Just what I need.
We stumble into the room, and there sits Alton, looking like he”s temporarily abandoned world domination to grace us with his presence.
Hustled over to my own seat, I glance around, unable to contain the snort that escapes.
”Alright, spill. What happened? One of you get engaged again or something?” I eye Killian. ”What, it”s your turn now, and you couldn”t wait until the actual engagement party?”
Alton”s expression is completely unreadable, which is never a good sign. Derek and Killian exchange a look before turning back to me. ”We just need to talk,” Derek says, his tone unusually serious.
I sit up straighter. ”What”s going on?”
Killian leans forward, clasping his hands together. ”It”s about Carmina.”
”What about her?”
”She”s fine,” Alton answers, his blue eyes drilling into me. ”It”s you who”s not.”
”Yeah,” Killian chimes in. ”And frankly, we can”t take it anymore. The pining. The moping. We”ve let it go on for the last three years. But these past few days? Bro, you”ve been insufferable.”
”Seriously,” Derek adds. ”You might as well be holding a sign that says ”I miss my main squeeze, please pity me”.”
I feel a flush creeping up my neck. ”Hey, it”s not like that.”
”Oh really?” Alton raises an eyebrow. ”Because from where we”re sitting, it looks a lot like that.”
I take a deep breath. ”Look guys, I appreciate your concern. But I”m fine.”
They all exchange skeptical looks before Killian finally speaks up. ”Okay, but we all just proved you”re not. We had a plan.”
I narrow my eyes. ”What kind of plan?”
”A distraction,” Alton answers with a smirk. ”We wanted to see if you”d take the bait.”
My stomach drops as I realize what they”re suggesting. ”Oh no, no way.”
”Bribing Delilah to hit on you was easy,” Derek says with a chuckle. ”We just promised her an early signed copy of Danity”s upcoming book. By the way, you owe us big time for that.”
”But the important part is that you didn”t take the bait,” Killian says with a satisfied smile. ”You didn”t fall for it, which means you”re not really interested in anyone else. Or even pretending anymore. No more rushing to get a date just to make Carmina jealous.”
”And that”s why we need to talk,” Alton finishes.
I sigh and rub my temples. ”God, it”s like an intervention all over again.”
The room falls eerily silent. Their faces are all business, a startling contrast to the laughter and music permeating the walls behind us.
”Oh, wait. You”re serious?” I scan their faces—Derek”s stern frown, Killian”s attempts at sympathy, and Alton”s impassive scrutiny. Panic flirts with my insides. ”This is an intervention, isn”t it? Fuck me.”
Derek finally breaks the silence, his voice laced with that CEO authority he never seems to shelve. ”Quentin, this is because we care?—”
”—And because we don”t want you to do something remarkably stupid,” Killian cuts in, never one to mince words.
Alton just raises an eyebrow, a silent command for me to sit and listen.
I slump further in the chair, preparing myself for the worst, already plotting a dozen escape routes.
Because, clearly, my love life is now subject to board approval. And from the looks on their faces, they”ve already made a decision.
”So, what are we talking about here?” I ask.
”Your love life,” Killian says bluntly.
I roll my eyes. ”Oh great, so now you”re going to tell me how I should date? Thanks but no thanks.”
Derek shakes his head. ”We”re not dictating your love life, Quentin. We just want to make sure you”re not walking away from something good.”
I scoff. ”Since when am I known for doing that?”
Alton finally speaks up. ”Since Carmina broke your heart.”
My breath catches at the mention of her name. It”s been over just about two days now, and the pain is still as raw as it was in that brightly-lit hospital hallway.
”So this is an intervention for my broken heart? Can”t you guys just buy me some ice cream, maybe a cognac, and call it even?”
Derek gives me a stern look. ”This is serious, Quentin. We all know you walk away when things get tough. And frankly, Carmina is not the kind of woman you walk away from.”
I swallow hard, suddenly unable to meet their gazes.
They”re right, of course. I”ve always been a runner when it comes to conflict or difficult emotions. But this time, it”s different. This time, I want to stand and fight for the woman I love.
”I know,” I say softly. ”I messed up with Carmina before. After the company retreat, what happened between us, what we shared...I wasn”t ready to handle it. And I regret that every single day.”
”No offense, bruh,” Alton”s former perpetual frown makes a reappearance. ”But I”ve talked to you since you came back from San Fran. You”ve been nervous about taking in a cat. A pet.”
”Pork Chop.” I nod, already knowing where this is going.
”Listen, I”m not trying to discourage you; I just want you to take a step back and really think about this. Are you ready for the sacrifices and responsibilities that come with loving someone? Especially in Carmina”s case? Being responsible for two kids. Seriously. You”ve seen it with Shelby and Lena,” he continues, his voice soft yet firm. ”Being a father, being committed to someone completely—it”s not just about the good times. It”s about sticking it out through every tantrum, every fever, every moment of self-doubt. It”s a twenty-four-hour job with no time off. And each day, you wake up and decide to love them deeply all over again.”
Derek steps forward. ”And now you”re looking at jumping into the deep end of being a partner to a parental guardian. This kind of commitment requires you to be a better listener, a better communicator, a better man. To put someone else’s needs before your own.”
”I may not know much about love,” Killian adds, his amber eyes meeting mine with empathy. ”But from what I”ve seen from these two,” he points, ”and Ryder? Loving someone isn’t just about feeling. It”s about readiness. Are you ready for this?”
I pause, taking in their words.
They all make valid points, and I can”t deny that I”ve been hesitant about fully committing to Carmina and Pork Chop. But then again, love has never been easy for me. It”s always been a struggle, a constant battle between my head and my heart.
But this battle was already won. The war was over the moment I saw Carmina at the company retreat.
I was just too stupid to realize it for three years.
I lift my chin, scanning the faces of my family. ”Guys...I”m ready. I”m ready to commit to Carmina, to her family, to a life with her.” I stop, snorting softly. ”I”m in love with her. I”ve been in love with her. And I”m ready to do whatever it takes to make this work.”
”Whoa.” Alton”s voice deepens. ”You don”t throw that word around lightly. Or ever. Are you sure?”
”I”ve never been more sure about anything in my life,” I reply without hesitation.
My heart races admitting it out loud.
There”s a collective sigh of relief, followed by smiles and nods of approval.
”Welcome to the club, buddy,” Derek claps me on the back. ”We”ll have to initiate you at some point.”
”Yeah, especially when Pork Chop starts teething,” Killian chuckles.
I laugh, feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders. I may not know everything there is to know about love and commitment, but I do know one thing: I”m ready to take the leap and give my whole heart to Carmina.
And with my fam in my corner, I already feel ready for any challenges that might come my way.
”So,” I glance at the small crowd of men in front of me, ”what”s the next step? Am I going to be put through some sort of boyfriend-slash-husband boot camp?”
Everyone laughs, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like everything is falling into place.
”No boot camp necessary,” Alton grins. ”But we do have one last initiation step to uphold.”
My eyebrows shoot up. ”What is it?”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the door behind them opens, and in walks none other than Carmina herself.
Her nearly-black hair falls in curls to her collarbone, and she”s wearing a simple white silk dress that accentuates her slender curves.
My heart thumps faster at the sight of her.
She looks breathtakingly beautiful, as always, and the urge to sweep her into my arms and never let go is nearly overwhelming.
”Is this part of the initiation too?” I ask, half-jokingly.
Alton shakes his head with a smile. ”No, just an added bonus for you. The next part of your initiation begins much later.”
”Let”s just say it involves a lot of alcohol and some questionable dance moves,” Derek smirks.
”And maybe a few embarrassing photos that will definitely surface at your wedding reception,” Killian adds with a grin.
”We”ll give you two some privacy to catch up,” Alton says, gesturing for the others to leave.
I groan but laugh along with them. With a few raised eyebrows, they all file out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and Carmina.
As Carmina makes her way over to me, her eyes locked on mine, I can”t help but feel like everything in my life has led up to this moment.
The good and the bad, the heartbreaks and triumphs—they all brought me here, to this beautiful woman in front of me.
Still seated, I glance up at her, taking in her lovely features. She looks just as nervous and excited as I feel.
”So,” she says, playing with a loose strand of hair. ”I guess you had a talk with the guys.”
”More like they gave me a crash course on the secret society I apparently just joined,” I reply with a small smile. ”The society of being a jackass in love.”
”Mmm.” She walks in closer. ”Were you a jackass before or after you fell in love?”
I lean back, pretending to think. ”Definitely before. Falling in love just made me a bigger one.”
She gives a regretful smile, her eyes sparkling. ”Well, I guess that makes two of us then.”
”Two jackasses in love,” I say, holding out my hand for her to take. She takes it with a laugh, and I pull her onto my lap. She straddles me, her arms wrapping around my neck, and we sit there in comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying being close to each other.
”I can”t believe you”re really here,” she says softly, tracing patterns on my hand. ”I almost thought we would never get to this place again, the place where we can be together like this.”
”Me neither.” I tighten my hold on her. ”We made it here, Carmina. Against all odds. And I don”t want to waste another second.”
She nods, and for a moment, we both just bask in the wonder of it all. Two broken people who somehow found their way back to each other.
Tears unshed, Carmina looks up at me, brown eyes glistening. ”I”m sorry for how things ended between us, Quentin. I never should have pushed you away like that.”
”You had your reasons, and I had mine. But I forgive you. And I hope you can forgive me too, for all the stupid mistakes I made.”
”Of course I do. I always have.” She swallows. ”I love you, Quentin. I”ve been in love with you for so long, even when I was trying to deny it. And now...now I don”t want to hide it anymore.”
I cup her face in my hands and press my forehead against hers. ”I love you too, Carmina. More than anything.”
And then our lips meet in a tender kiss, sealing the promises our hearts have already made to each other without our permission. Promises to never let go, to always fight for each other, and to cherish this second chance we”ve been given.
We sit in silence once again, but this time it”s filled with a sense of peace and understanding. We both know that we can”t change the past, but we can make a better future together.
I let out a sigh of relief, feeling more at ease than I have in days. Years, really. All because of her.
I sigh. “So, you knew about this intervention all along?”
She nods, a mischievous glint in her eye. ”Who do you think planned it? Or the one before it?”
”You little sneak,” I say with a grin, pulling her closer to me.
”Hey now, don”t be mad. It was all for your own good.”
”I know, and I”m grateful.” I lean in to kiss her softly, feeling all the love and happiness radiating from within me. As we pull away, my mouth pulls into a smirk. ”So, what now?”
”Well, I hear there”s a secret handshake for members of the society of jackasses in love. Want to learn it with me?”
”I can think of better ways to spend the rest of the night.”
She stares at me, at my smirk. ”Quentin…”
”What?”
”No. No. No. We can’t. We can”t abandon our own party. We threw this entire thing together!”
”Exactly. Our fae-like party planners Puddle and Glitter would be very disappointed if we didn”t christen the joint before the night is over.” I look over Carmina”s shoulder. ”That door locks, right?”
”Let”s find out.”
She grins and takes my hand, leading me towards the door. I laugh as she pulls me toward it, her eyes on fire as she shuts it behind us with a resounding click.