Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Callum
Driving out to the cemetery, I wondered if Quinn caught on to the plan before I’d shared it.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful in her cornflower-blue dress, dotted with white flowers.
Her hair was loose down her back, wavy and free.
She had the window rolled down, singing along with some country song on the radio about the Georgia rain.
Her voice was sweet, melodic even without knowing all the lyrics.
I hopped out of my truck and walked around to her side, opening the door and holding out my hands. Quinn braced herself and got down.
“Oh, Callum.” She didn’t have to say anything else but I wondered what she was thinking.
“I wish we weren’t visiting them here,” I said quietly. “But I think they’d be happy that we’re together.”
“It’s such a lovely afternoon. I wish we weren’t at the cemetery either, but you’re right. They need to know.”
I chuckled, not telling her that I’d been visiting a few times a week. Nana’s plan had gone off without a hitch. Well, mostly. Drawing me back to Brighton Creek, even under sad circumstances led me to Quinn, to her side. A place I should have already been years ago.
Nana was finally with Tuts. The love of her life, her rock even when he wasn’t always the steadiest man.
She’d loved him fiercely and he’d promised he’d lasso her the moon if she wanted it.
Nana was more practical than emotional, but they lived a life full of love.
One that I only hoped to emulate with my girl.
I led her to the spot where Tuts was buried, and now Nana. The stone was finished. Geraldine Rosalee Parrish was beautifully engraved below her husband’s name. Quinn dropped to her knees in the dirt, tracing the letters.
I gave her a few minutes, allowing the comfortable silence to fill the air.
Combined with the soft summer breeze it felt perfect.
Quinn knelt there whispering to the stone, as if it was meant just for Nana’s ears.
And that was okay. I didn’t need to know what she said to understand the gist of it.
She brushed her hand across their names, a sweet sign of how much they’d meant to her.
Finally she straightened and turned to face me.
“I did something…” I cleared my throat.
“I bet you did,” she said, wiping away a stray tear.
I expected her sass to come back after such an intense moment. She clearly had no idea what I was about to tell her. I hoped that she read into my meaning and that she understood.
“So, it doesn’t happen often but the plot next to them and the one behind them became available.
Maybe it was some error in the system, but nonetheless I purchased them.
” Quinn didn’t say anything, just blinked up at me, her pupils huge, eyes filling with tears.
“This one, closest to the bench right there, I reserved it in your name. Paid in full.”
She kept staring.
“Uh, and the other one I kept in mine.” When she still didn’t respond I continued. “You’ll always be near them, babygirl. You won’t ever have to be alone.”
Her knees buckled and I caught her. She buried her head in my chest, wailing.
I had a feeling that she hadn’t properly grieved.
That she’d squashed the pit of sadness down as far as it would go and continued on her daily grind without giving it a name.
I held Quinn to me, smoothing her hair, and whispering softly.
I didn’t push her to speak, didn’t pressure her to be quiet.
I gave her space to cry. Watching her crumble brought tears to my eyes, and I didn’t wipe them away.
After a while, her sobs broke into gentle hiccups. I lifted her into my arms and sat us on the bench, pulling her into my lap. Quinn found a tissue in her denim jacket pocket and dried my eyes then her own.
She leaned her head on my chest and glanced up at me. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m sure your mouth will think of something,” I said half teasing.
“I think that I’ll give you a list of approved date ideas from now on, Daddy.”
“Oh, yeah? I look forward to that.” I tapped her nose with my index finger. “You don’t have to say anything, spitfire. I saw an opportunity and took it. I didn’t want you to worry about the inevitable, and though I don’t ever want to be the one sitting on this bench alone–”
She kissed me, silencing the rest of my statement immediately. She kissed me like I was her everything. Her Daddy. Her protector. The one who came back for her. The one who swore he wouldn’t leave her again. I’d regretted a lot of things, but I would never regret this decision.
“Hush, Daddy,” she finally said, breaking away first. “You’ve given me something so precious that I don’t even have words. Thank you, Callum. Thank you for doing this.”
“Anything for you, Quinn.”
“I haven’t been out here, you know? Not since Nana was buried. I wanted to… but… it felt like if I didn’t see her name on the stone that I could keep pretending she’d come back. It was stupid.”
“How we deal with grief is never stupid, babygirl. It’s not a great plan to pretend it didn’t happen, but I didn’t mean to push you to face something you weren’t ready for.”
“No, no, it wasn’t like that. I was paying attention when you pulled in. I could have asked Mickie or Bonnie to come out here with me, and they would have. I wasn’t ready then. But today was different.”
“How so?”
“Well, my first thought wasn’t to argue this morning when you told me to stay away from the barn. In a short amount of time I’ve accepted your authority regarding the ranch. Regarding us. With you by my side, I could do it.”
Her trust in me already brought me a strong sense of peace. Becoming her rock to lean on, something I’d grown up witnessing with Nana and Tuts adding another helping. I brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. “Tell Nana and Tuts goodbye. Then we’ll go to Creekside Diner before we head home.”
“Much better pick for a date,” she said saucily as she slid off my lap.
“There’s my little spitfire sprinkling sass back into her words. Come on, sweetheart.” I stood and held out my hand. She laced her fingers in mine. We stopped at the gravestone.
“I’m sure you missed her, Tuts. I’m glad she’s with you now. Also, you were right, Nana. He came back. And I promise I’ll always take care of him.” She blew kisses into the wind.
“You’ll take care of me, huh?” I didn’t offer my opinion on what Nana had inevitably told her. That I’d come home. I only wished it had been sooner. Somehow I needed to let go of the guilt that lingered in the back of my brain. It wasn’t good to hold onto something I couldn’t change.
Quinn tugged on my arm. “Yes! Now hurry up, Daddy. I want a huge chicken sandwich and cheesecake.”
She didn’t elaborate on her promise, but every time I didn’t think my heart could grow any bigger, it did. I loved how the light returned to her eyes, sparkling as she encouraged me to walk faster.
“Bossy brat.” I scooped her up into my arms bridal-style. “Let’s get you fed. Then we have a few chores before bedtime. Nothing else stressful today.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“I’ll let you think that for now.”
“You do that.”
And in that moment I believed that I did, but if Nana had anything to say about it, she’d have told me I was wrong. That Quinn loved me for far longer than I realized. Setting her down by my truck, I shook my head, musing.
“What is going through your head, Daddy?”
I loved the way her hair shined in the afternoon sun, mussed from her pressing against me.
Her gorgeous hazel eyes were red-rimmed from crying, splotches on her face, remnants from her breakdown.
I hadn’t intended for her to get upset, but she had been so vulnerable.
Leaning into me and allowing me to catch her when she fell.
“Nothing, baby. I’m just looking at you. ”
“A very boring pastime,” she sassed.
“Daddy doesn’t spend his time doing anything that he doesn’t want to, sweetheart.” I traced my thumb along her jaw. “I came home thinking I was just settling an estate. Getting my affairs in order.”
“How unfortunate for you to be sidled with a brat who had an attitude bigger than the state of Vermont.” Quinn said it off-handedly but her eyes betrayed her.
“I know you’re feeling raw, babygirl, but watch your tone. Nana didn’t give me a choice about the rest of it, but I chose you. I’ll always choose you, Quinn. Nana was quite sneaky, hm?”
“Yes, Daddy, quite sneaky. She was probably giggling when she wrote that part into her will. Tickled by her own plans.”
“I have no doubt about it. Nana knew exactly what she was doing. Ensuring you’d be taken care of when she wasn’t here to do it,” I said simply. I never wanted Quinn to feel like a burden, because she was anything but that.
“I’m way too hungry to pick apart your statement. Do you hear my tummy rumbling?”
“Yes, babygirl, I can hear it from here. Chicken sandwich. Grilled. Tomatoes. Mayo. Cheesecake.” I recited her favorite meal from Creekside Diner from memory. “Into the truck.” I unlocked the door, and pointed to the passenger seat.
“I don’t think I can reach it,” she said sweetly.
“Suddenly you can’t get into my truck? I’ve watched you get on horses higher up,” I answered with an easy grin and lifted her into the cab. Buckling her in, I paused to plant a kiss on her lips. “You just wanted my hands on you again.”
“Uh-huh. All I’ve been thinking about is eating sinful cheesecake and watching you wish my lips were wrapped around you instead of a fork.”
“Naughty girl. You’re lucky I’m hungry too. Otherwise we’d be going straight home where I could properly respond to the filthy picture you planted in my head.”
“I know, I know. I’m only teasing you. I’m still overwhelmed and it’s easier to poke fun than talk about what’s going on in my head.” Quinn nuzzled under my chin.
“I understand. No dissecting it right now.” I slowly released her and shut the door.
My heart felt heavy from the topics but lighter in ways I never experienced.
Resting my hand on the handle, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Bye, Nana. Bye Tuts. We’ll be back again soon,” I said under my breath. “Thank you for taking care of my girl.”