Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Blake
T he tires crunch over asphalt as I pull the SUV into the hospital parking lot.
A quick check of the review mirror reveals Quinn sitting silently in the back seat, her small hands buried in Sprinkles’s fur, and my heart sinks.
Sadie had called yesterday, requesting to see Quinn. I spoke to her doctor afterward to confirm that my sister was in the right mental space for an emotional visit before asking my niece if she wanted to see her mom. The question had killed Quinn’s sparkle, and while she agreed to go, she’d clung to me the rest of the night.
When I pull into a spot and park, Holden turns to me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come, too?”
My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I think that would only set Sadie off. But we might both need a hug when we come back to pick you up.”
He reaches out to squeeze my arm. “Done.”
I peer out of the windshield at the entrance to the hospital. “Should we have told Chloe you were coming to see Grady today?”
Holden shakes his head. “You saw how she was last time. She had a full breakdown. A lot has happened to her, and now she’s had a setback. She needs a few days of peace first. We’ll bring her next time.”
“Yeah, well, keeping her in the dark isn’t much better,” I mutter. “She’s been off ever since that laptop arrived.”
“She was wearing her frog onesie when I checked on her this morning. She only does that when she needs comfort.” Holden’s brow furrows with worry. “We should replace the blankets on her bed with new ones that hold our pheromones, because the current ones obviously aren’t working anymore.”
I exhale, pushing down the restlessness that comes with the feeling that we’re sneaking around behind her back. That’s just the anxiety speaking from my upcoming visit with my sister. “You’re right. Want us to pick up pizza on our way back? We can all take it easy tonight.”
“Sounds good.” He turns back toward Quinn. “Make sure he gets two buckets of the cookie dough, okay?”
She nods, her expression far too serious for her age. “Okay.”
With a final moment of hesitation, Holden climbs out and strides across the parking lot to disappear through the sliding doors.
A quiet sniffle comes from the backseat.
I twist to face my niece, searching for the right words to soothe the worry in those sweet brown eyes. Eyes so much like mine that it hurts. “Hey, princess, it’s going to be okay. Your mom…she’s trying real hard to get better for you.”
The lie tastes bitter, but I force a smile. What else can I say? That Sadie’s broken beyond repair? That she’ll likely let Quinn down again and again until there’s nothing left to break?
No. Quinn deserves better than the ugly truth. She deserves a childhood untainted by the failures of the adults around her.
My knuckles pale as I grip the steering wheel. No matter what happens with Sadie, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. To shield Quinn from the fallout.
With a steadying breath, I put the car in gear and pull out of the lot.
The drive to the rehab center passes in virtual silence.
At first, I try to coax Quinn into telling me about her unicorn detective’s latest adventures, but when it becomes clear she doesn’t want to talk, I let it drop.
Pulling into the parking lot, I cut the engine and turn to face Quinn, who fidgets with her dress as she stares at the facility.
I force a note of levity into my voice. “Ready, princess?”
Quinn’s hand shifts on the Newfoundland’s head. “Can Sprinkles come in with us?”
“No, he needs to stay in the car.” I reach past her to pet Sprinkles between the ears. “But he’ll be here to hug when we return, okay? We won’t stay long.”
Quinn’s bottom lip trembles, but she unbuckles her seatbelt before her small hand grasps the door handle. I’m out of the SUV in an instant, rounding the vehicle to help her out. Her tiny fingers lace with mine, squeezing tight.
Together, we walk toward the entrance, the automatic doors sliding open with a hiss.
I approach the front desk, Quinn’s hand still clasped in mine.
The receptionist lifts her head, her gaze shifting between us with sympathy.
“We’re here to see Sadie Patel,” I say, signing the visitor log.
The receptionist’s fingers fly across the keyboard. “She’s in the common area.” She passes me a visitor pass. “Down the hall, third door on the right.”
“Thank you.” With a smile down at Quinn, I encourage her forward.
As we near the common area, the faint murmur of voices reaches my ears. I pause, my free hand hovering over the doorknob.
Quinn looks up at me, her bottom lip quivering.
“It will be okay,” I reassure her, hoping with everything I have that it’s true.
She takes a breath and straightens her spine.
Bracing myself, I turn the knob, and we step into the room.
The common area is a stark contrast to the sterile hallways, with worn couches and a flickering television in the corner. I scan the room, searching for my sister, and spot her perched on the edge of a faded armchair, her bleached blonde hair hanging in stringy clumps around her gaunt face and her vacant stare fixed on the floor.
Quinn sticks close to me, staring at the other patients in the room. Most ignore us, but a few stare back unblinking.
As we approach, Sadie’s head snaps up, and her lips crack when she smiles. “Quinn, baby.”
Quinn’s grip on my hand tightens, her little body trembling as she huddles close to my side. “Hi, Mommy.”
Sadie’s attention shifts to me, a flicker of resentment darkening her features. “Blake.”
Before I can respond, a familiar figure steps into the room from a different door, his presence commanding the room.
Our father’s eyes narrow with contempt when he spots me. “Blake. It’s about time you showed your face around here.”
I bristle at the implication that I haven’t been here the entire time, but I restrain my temper, not wanting to argue in front of my niece. “I’m here because Sadie asked to see Quinn. If I’d known you’d be here, too, I would have come later in the day.”
“Why? So you could keep poisoning my granddaughter against her mother?” Our father reaches into his suit jacket. “Well, your little charade ends now. I have legal documents here that challenge your guardianship. Quinn belongs at home, not with some wannabe hero with a savior complex.”
My heart pounds, his words crushing me. I’ve fought so hard to give Quinn the stability and love she deserves. And now, with a few pieces of paper, he threatens to tear it all away.
Sadie’s eyes dart between us, her expression a mix of hope and desperation. “Quinn, baby, come to Mommy. We can be a family again, like we’ve always been.”
Quinn trembles, her small voice quivering as she speaks. “But Uncle Blake takes care of me. He keeps me safe. And Uncle Holden cooks all our meals. And Uncle Dom and Nat play with me. And Sprinkles protects me. I’m part of the Misty Pines pack now.”
I brush a hand over her head. “That’s right, princess.”
“Enough!” Our father’s face contorts with rage, his fist slamming on the armrest of the couch. “I won’t have you filling her head with lies. She belongs with her mother, and I’ll be damned if I let you stand in the way of that.”
He brandishes the legal documents like a weapon, but I refuse to give in this time. “You have no right to make that decision, not after everything Sadie’s put Quinn through. She needs stability, love, and a home where she’s safe.”
Our father scoffs. “And you think you’re the one to provide that? You’re barely an adult yourself, playing house with your little pack of misfits. Quinn deserves better.”
The words sting, but I refuse to let them shake my resolve. “Better than what? A mother who’s never there, who drowns herself in alcohol and leaves her daughter to fend for herself? You think that’s what Quinn deserves?”
Sadie flinches at my words, and she focuses on the floor. Shame colors her cheeks, and her shoulders droop. But I can’t let my sympathy for her cloud my judgment, not when Quinn’s future is at stake.
Our father takes a menacing step forward, his scent spiking with anger. “Watch your tongue, boy. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Sadie is Quinn’s mother, and that’s all that matters.”
Fear radiates off Quinn in waves, and it breaks my heart that she’s caught in the middle of this, torn between the love she has for her mother and the safety she feels with me.
“Please don’t take me away from Uncle Blake.” Quinn’s grip on my hand tightens, her small fingers digging into my skin. “I want to stay with him.”
Our father’s attention snaps to Quinn, his expression softening for a moment before it hardens again. “You don’t know what you want. You’re just a child.”
I can’t hold back the growl that rumbles in my chest, my Alpha rising to the surface. “She knows exactly what she wants. And I won’t let you take her away from the only stable home she’s ever known.”
Our father’s jaw clenches, his grip on the legal documents tightening until his knuckles turn white. “That’s not what our lawyers will say. They’ll dig into your so-called bondmates and find every skeleton in their closets that shows them as unfit to?—”
“Stop. Please, just stop.” Sadie’s broken plea breaks through his tirade. “He’s right, Dad. I… I can’t be the mother Quinn needs. I can’t even take care of myself.”
She crumples inward, her frail frame shaking as tears stream down her hollow cheeks.
Our father stands motionless, his mouth agape as he struggles to process Sadie’s admission. The legal documents in his hand tremble as his eyes flicker between Sadie and Quinn, uncertainty clouding his features.
Quinn’s soft sniffles fill the air, her small body pressed to my leg. The scent of her fear tinged with the sweetness of baby powder fills my nostrils, and fierce protectiveness sweeps through me. I rest a gentle hand on her head, my fingers threading through her silky brown locks.
Our father’s shoulders slump, the fight draining from his posture, and he takes a step back, the legal documents now hanging at his side. “I… I need some time to think.”
Without another word, he turns on his heel and strides away, vanishing through the doorway.
Quinn hiccups softly, her tears soaking through my pant leg.
I kneel, gathering her into my arms, my heart swelling with love. “It’s okay, princess, I’ve got you.” My lips brush her temple. “I’ll always be here for you.”
Stepping forward, I rest my hand on Sadie’s shoulder. “Keep working on getting better, okay? We’ll visit again.”
She doesn’t lift her head, doesn’t react, and after a moment, I step back.
Quinn sniffles and wipes at her cheeks. “Get better, Mommy.”
We linger a minute longer, but when Sadie still keeps her head down, I finally turn on my heel and leave.
When I step outside, I half expect my father to be waiting to ambush me, but the parking lot is empty, and I sigh with relief. I didn’t want to go to jail today, and that’s the only way he was going to snatch Quinn from my arms.
I bounce my niece, trying to brighten her mood. “What kind of pizza do you think we should bring back home?”
“Cheese,” she mumbles, then straightens. “Uncle Blake?”
“Yes, princess?” We reach the SUV, and I open the back door for her, Sprinkles rises to his feet and starts wagging his tail.
She climbs up and hugs the dog around the neck. “Can we stop for ice cream?”
“You want to go to Swoop and Swirl?” At her nod, I pretend to consider it. “I don’t know. Uncle Holden requested cookie dough… What should we do?”
Her expression brightens for the first time today. “Get both?”
“Sure.” I ruffle her hair. “But don’t tell the others. It will have to be our secret.”
She mimes zipping her lips.
I reach for the door. “Buckle up.”
As she does so, I close the door, shutting her inside, and hurry around to climb behind the steering wheel. Holden will forgive the minor delay if it means Quinn’s happiness returns.
And then we’ll pick him up and head back to our pack.