Harrison
harrison
. . .
A s soon as I hang up with Liam, Quinn’s voice rings out, asking if anyone is home. I sit up and pull my legs off the coffee table while Oliver runs toward the door, yelling, “Win!” When Quinn enters the room, he has Ollie on his hip.
“Have you spoken with your sister?” I ask him.
“Nope. Why?”
“You didn’t even ask which sister?”
“Well, since I haven’t spoken to either of them, saying no seemed like the logical answer.”
“Smart ass,” I mumble under my breath.
“Ollie, did you hear what Daddy said?” Quinn asks the toddler on his lap. Katelyn started a swear jar and if she catches me, or anyone for that matter, saying things we shouldn’t, she tells us to pay up. It’s for Oliver’s college fund. Not that he needs one because we’ve already started a trust for him.
“Daddy pay. Daddy pay.” Oliver claps his chubby hands in excitement only because that’s what my lovely wife taught him to do.
“Where’s Mom?” Quinn tickles Oliver, who giggles uncontrollably.
“With your aunts.”
“Josie’s in town?”
I nod. “Liam and the kids are as well.”
“Noah’s pre-season game is at home. Why are they here?”
“We’re working on new music.”
“Ah.” Quinn nods. “So, back to one of my sisters?”
“Elle volunteered Sinful Distraction to perform at a charity event 4225 West is hosting.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says. “Eden called and asked if we’d do it.”
“Wow, and you’re okay with it?”
Quinn rolls his eyes and sets Ollie down. “You make it seem like I don’t like performing. I do. I don’t enjoy touring. There’s a vast difference. Besides, Eden asked, and it’s important to her.”
I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “I guess growing up on a tour bus ruined you, huh?”
Quinn shrugs. “It’s not that. I don’t like leaving Nola for long periods of time. She wants to work, and I respect that. Plus . . .” Quinn trails off.
“Are you afraid of Alicia?”
He nods. “I always wonder if she’s lurking out there, somewhere. It’s like I love singing, writing music, and being with my band, but then I think about her and then I don’t want to leave my house.”
“She can’t hurt you if you don’t let her.”
“She can’t hurt me or Nola, or you and Mom, as long as she’s not hiding behind someone.”
I sigh heavily. As much as I want to regret ever meeting Alicia Tucker, I can’t imagine my life without Quinn. He was my missing piece. My entire reason for living. That was until I met Katelyn and the twins. Then my life became about the four of them and giving them all the life and family they deserve. Life became better when we added Oliver.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Quinn shakes his head. “Nah. It’s my demon.”
While that may be, it’s not one I want him to tackle alone. “I’ll make sure security is tightened at the event. We won’t take any risks of someone getting backstage.”
“Thanks.”
For a long moment, he’s quiet. I don’t pretend to understand what he goes through when his mind wonders about the woman who left him on my doorstep. I always said if Alicia came back, I’d encourage Quinn to form a relationship with her. That was until she did some sneaky, underhanded shit. I’ve never thought about harming another person in my life until that moment.
Before I can say something profound to my son, the door opens again, and the high-pitched squeal of Evelyn rings out. “Grandpa!”
“Evelyn . . . oof.” I groan as she tackles me. On the outside, Miss Evelyn Jameson Ballard is a sweet little girl. But on the inside, she’s a holy terror, determined to cut me down at my knees.
“Sorry, Grandpa,” she says “grandpa” with a snicker thanks to Liam. He thinks it’s funny that I have this moniker because I’m older than him. I keep reminding him his time is coming, and if he’s not careful, I’m going to teach his grandchild to call him something ridiculous, like pewpew.
“It’s okay, love bug.”
I stand and give Jamie and Ajay hugs and rub my hand over James’s hair. He’s too busy playing with Oliver to say hi. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Katelyn called and told us to come over,” Jamie says. “I brought chips and dips.” She holds up a grocery bag before taking it into the kitchen. I look at Ajay and then Quinn. Both shrug.
“Don’t look at me,” Quinn says. “I came to hang out while Nola’s doing her thing.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and walk out to the patio, with Evelyn hot on my heels.
“Can I talk to Grandma?”
“Yeah, let’s call her.”
I sit and bring Evelyn onto my lap. Holding the phone out, Evelyn presses the video button next to Katelyn’s name. After two rings, she answers.
“Hi, Grandma!”
“Hi my sweet girl. Are you at my house with Grandpa?”
Evelyn nods. “Are you coming home soon?”
“I’m on my way.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Evelyn climbs down and heads back into the condo. “Hey, wanna fill me in?” I ask.
“I’m assuming you’ve spoken with Elle?”
“Liam, but not Elle.”
“Well, this is an all-hands-on deck situation. I invited everyone to come over for dinner.”
“Everyone?”
Katelyn nods. “Yes, except our son. He’s not answering.” I look over my shoulder to find him and Ajay deep in conversation.
“He’s on the couch, and any mention of free food will keep him there.”
She laughs. “Everyone should be there shortly. I called in an order for some barbecue, which I’ll pick up along the way. I think what you guys are doing is really commendable. Elle told me all about it, how Eden had the idea.”
“You know I’m game for whatever. By any chance, did Elle tell you when it is?”
“This Saturday.”
“Oh wow, so not much time to plan.”
“No, which is why everyone’s coming over. We’re going to divvy up some responsibilities so no one takes on more than they can. Chandler is going to watch the kiddos while the adults work.”
“All right. What can I do here?”
“Send the boys to get drinks. I don’t think there’s enough in the garage. Liam and Josie are bringing dessert, and they’re bringing Bianca, too. They were supposed to have dinner with her tonight, but she’d rather plan the shindig. Oh, and make sure you have the laptop set up. We’ll need to call Peyton later. She’s going to get the team to do something. They can’t attend because of Noah’s game, though.”
“I figured.”
“Okay, I’ll be home after I stop to pick up the food. I love you.”
“Love you more.” We hang up and I go back inside to find Quinn on the floor with the boys, and Evelyn on his back, trying to get him to act like a horse. “Okay, just got off the phone with the boss. We’re having a family gathering and by family, I mean everyone. Mom needs you boys to stock the fridge in the garage.”
“On it,” Ajay says as he stands, as does Quinn with Evelyn, who’s still attached to his back.
“Can I go, Daddy?” she asks Ajay.
“Yes, but you can’t get a piggyback ride in the store. Quinn will need his hands.”
“Okay.” While Evelyn agrees, she doesn’t make any attempt to get down.
The boys leave and I round up the toddlers and take them into the kitchen with me. It’s not ideal, but leaving them in the living room by themselves isn’t, either. This is where I find Jamie, busy putting out an assortment of chips in bowls.
“I can do that if you want to take these guys,” I say, as they both try to wiggle out of my arms.
“Nope, I’m good.”
Bamboozled .
I sigh heavily and as dramatically as possible, but to no avail. Jamie ignores me, which leaves me no choice but to take these two into the other room to keep them busy.
“All right, Thing 1 and Thing 2, let’s head up to the playroom.”
When we get to the playroom, I finally let them out of my hold. They both rush to the toy boxes and, within seconds, the floor is no longer visible. I sit in the rocking chair, the one Katelyn bought when we brought Ollie home, and watch them. Every so often, Oliver brings me a toy to hold—not to play with, though—until he’s ready for it.
As soon as Katelyn appears in the doorway, I no longer exist. I watch our son make his way to his mama and reach for her. She scoops him up in her arms and he nestles into the crook of her neck. From the day she met him, their bond has been strong. It’s like Oliver was meant to be in the hospital where Katelyn volunteered.
“Channy,” James says as Chandler walks into the room. I’ve never been so happy to see her in my life. As much as I love having the babies around, I like adult time, especially when my wife has been gone all day.
Katelyn hands Oliver over to Chandler and I motion for her to head down the hall to her office. I lock the door behind us and turn to face her. The energy in the room shifts. The dull static of the day turns to radiant power. I will never, ever tire of looking at Katelyn. Each day, each moment, she takes my breath away.
In one long stride, one hand cups her cheek while my other hand finds its place on the small of her back. Our breathing becomes synchronized, becomes one. I lean in, our eyes flutter closed, and press my lips to hers. What starts out as sweet turns quickly into fervent passion. I do my best to tell her, to show her all the love and desire I still feel for her after all these years together.
Katelyn presses her hand to my cheek and holds it there for a moment. “I love you.”
“I love you. Did you have a good day?”
“I did. I miss not having Josie near me every day, but I get it. I’m really hoping they’ll move here after Paige is done with school.”
“They own a lot of property there, and other businesses, too.”
“I know.” She leans into me and I wrap my arms around her.
“We could always move there.”
Katelyn steps back and looks at me.
I shrug. “I’ve thought about it now that we have Oliver. And with Elle and Ben spending more time there, it makes some sense.”
“But Peyton and Noah bought a house here.”
Nodding, I add, “And we’d still own the condo. There’s nothing saying we can’t go back and forth. Beaumont’s your home. If you want to go back, we can.”
“We can discuss this later,” she says. “Right now, we’re about to have a house full of people and a lot of planning to do.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Come on, let’s go plan the biggest charity event we can.” She takes my hand in hers and leads us to the door.
“I’m right there with you,” I tell her as I follow her out of the room.