Epilogue #2
“I loved you too,” she says, her words as scratched as mine. “You know this is goodbye, right?”
“I know.” I can’t hold back the sob that tears from my chest. Panic swells. “Blake, I don’t how I’m meant to do this.” I suck in a breath. “Is it bad that I’ll always imagine you somewhere, just out of reach, with a little Chihuahua called Gizmo?”
A dog barks on the other end of the line, and my laughter is caught on another gut-wrenching sob.
Blake clears her throat. “Are you ready?” she asks.
There’s that fluttering in my belly again, and I’m crying too much to mistake it for nerves this time. The baby I’m carrying is letting me know there’s a new life waiting for me, but first I have to let go.
It hurts to swallow. It just fucking hurts. “Goodbye, Blake.”
Reid
I’m standing beneath the shade of a tree watching Quinn struggling to hold it together, and it’s killing me.
She’d asked if I’d make this kind of call if I’d lost one of my brothers.
I’m sure I’d be tempted, but I honestly don’t know if I’d have the courage.
There’s no doubt that Quinn is brave, but even she wasn’t sure if it would give her the closure she needs.
When I catch her laughing, I relax a little. Whatever she’s getting from this, it’s working. She’s made the connection that shouldn’t feel real, but it does in this moment.
Too real, because a minute later, her sobs ricochet off the tree trunks that crowd around us. I know she wanted space, but I can’t stand back and watch her fall apart. I start walking towards her, waiting for her to lift her gaze and either tell me to back off, or…
Quinn’s chest heaves and she covers her mouth with a sob as she looks up to find me. Her phone slips from her grasp and she reaches out both arms. “Reid!”
I eat up the remaining distance and drop down to my knees next to her, pulling her into me. My t-shirt is quickly soaked with her tears. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
“She’s gone,” Quinn says. “She’s really gone, and I’m never getting her back.”
Her grief kills me. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something to take away the pain.”
Quinn pulls back, sniffs hard and wipes at her tears with the back of her hand. That same hand closes into a fist as she thumps against my chest. “You can, you idiot! Just ask me!”
I’m momentarily stunned by the lethal glare she aims at me. “Ask you what?”
Her scowl deepens and her fist strikes me again. “This is the moment, Reid. I don’t want rose petals and violins. I want you. I want us. So fucking ask!”
My jaw drops, and there’s a whole swarm of butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Or maybe they’re hornets because Quinn doesn’t like to make things soft and fluffy. Fine. If that’s what she wants.
I rope one arm around her waist and wrap my hand around neck. “Marry me,” I demand.
Her heavy breaths match mine. “OK.”
“Good,” I bite back.
“Good.”
I dig into my pocket and pull out the ring I’ve been carrying around for weeks. Wordlessly, Quinn lets me slip it onto her wedding finger. The princess-cut diamond isn’t the biggest, but it carries some weight. And it fits like it was made for her.
“It was my mom’s,” I tell her.
“Then it couldn’t be more perfect,” Quinn says, her voice shaking.
We break out in smiles at the same time our mouths crash together, and my teeth crunch against hers. Her tongue meets mine and we devour each other with our kisses. And I kiss her until her tears dry up. I even let her blow her nose on my t-shirt.
“I don’t want to actually get married until after the baby’s born,” she says when we’ve caught our breath.
“I know,” I say, fielding her next glare. “Maddie and Lily might have mentioned it.”
“Your family is a nightmare,” she mutters.
She goes to settle back against the tree trunk, but winces as she tries to get comfortable against the rough bark.
“Here, move up,” I say, helping her to make room so I can slip behind her. “Lean on me.”
Quinn sits between my legs and rests her back against my chest. “I do need to have words with Mace though,” she says. “Blake asked if I knew the sex of the baby, and I’m sure it’s because he got Strider to bring it up in the conversation.”
I should be horrified that Mace would use such an important moment to get the information, but for once I can defend him – sort of. “That asshole has no boundaries, but if he really wanted to find out, he’d just hack your medical records.”
Quinn laughs. “That wouldn’t surprise me,” she says. “But I’m still going to blame him. He’s obviously a bad influence on Strider because that question was definitely planted.”
I stroke the back of my hand down her arm. “How did it go?” I ask now that she’s brought up the AI conversation.
Quinn folds in her shoulders. “It’ll take time to process, but I think I got what I needed. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to fully immerse myself in the false reality, but I forgot I was speaking to an AI generated Blake at certain points. I’m glad I did it.”
“So, what’s next?” I ask, leaning in to kiss her neck.
“We spend the rest of the week making the most of our time alone in the cabin,” she says, wriggling her ass against me.
“Just in the cabin? Or can I fuck you here?”
Quinn groans, bringing her knees up and clenching her thighs together. “You’re incorrigible, Mr. Griffin.”
“And you’re irresistible, Miss… I mean, Mrs. Griffin-to-be.” I thread my fingers through hers. “Do I really get to keep you?”
“Yes,” she whispers. “A thousand times yes.”
Thank you so much for reading Wretched LIES.