Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
QUINN
As soon as I stepped through Brooke’s front door, I knew I was going to have a great night. Which is saying a lot, because the past couple of weeks have been truly mesmerizing. It seems so mundane compared to the life I know, but I wake up with Miles next to me, go to work for a few hours, then Miles and I go to lunch or make lunch at the house followed by dessert together. After, Miles goes back to work while I go see my grandmother, my brother, Natalie, and the twins, or I pop into the coffee shop to visit Brooke and Sadie. When I get home at night, I cook dinner and we just hang out. The moments alone talking and just being together, of course followed by our nights in bed, make me feel like life cannot get better than this.
Well, that was until Sadie told me about girls’ night as I was leaving Sunday breakfast a few days ago. I’ve been invited to many things, but a girls’ night is new for me.
I actually have girls to have one with.
Inside Brooke’s house, there are pizzas on the table, stacks of books, and a bucket of ice that has orange juice and a bottle of Champagne inside .
Wow. They really go all out.
Sadie pokes her head out of the kitchen.
“She’s here,” she announces and joins me in the living room.
I have no idea who would be here. She just said girls’ night at Brooke’s was on Tuesday and to come in when I got here.
I set my purse down just as Natalie and Brooke appear.
“I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to come,” Natalie says as she sips what I can only assume is a mimosa.
“Umm, are you supposed to be here?” I ask in a teasing voice.
“We’ve been sneaking her in since the twins were two months old,” Brooke says.
“And here I thought you’ve been living this hectic life.”
“On every night but Tuesday.” Natalie smirks.
She gives me a hug.
“Okay, okay, we will talk romance books and all the things, but first, I need to be the one to bring this up … OH MY GOD, you’re dating Miles,” Brooke says and then claps. “I swear to god, I thought that man would never find someone.”
“I hate to admit that thought also crossed my mind, but way before I started seeing Hudson. Miles just always seemed so grumpy and set in his ways, but not anymore.”
The past two weeks with Miles … all I can do is smile.
I never would have ever put us here.
“Do you want to know my favorite part?” Sadie asks.
“What?” I ask when no one else does.
“It’s the way Hudson comes home at night and tells me about how Miles asked him to do this or that or when he tells me about something he did with Miles. Miles is making time for everyone in his family, and I know we have you to thank for that.”
“Oh, I don’t think I’m the reason for any of that.”
“I do,” Sadie argues. “You came to Lovers and changed his world. Whether it’s from helping make his life less stressful in the shop or making him relax at home, he’s different.”
If we’re comparing this to who he was or even who I was at the beginning of the summer, I think we’re both different.
“You guys didn’t give him enough credit.”
“I think,” Natalie cuts in, “that Quinn is going to defend Miles all night long, no matter what we say.”
“Yes, I will,” I say, and the girls laugh.
The conversation easily falls into romance books and how Mrs. Whittaker, the woman who sold Hudson and Sadie the space to expand the bar and open the bookstore, is secretly dating Bartley. Bartley has lived here his entire life and knows everything about everyone.
“Yes, Bartley told Mrs. W. that the marina has not been doing very well this summer and that if Shay can’t get things turned around soon, they might have to sell,” Sadie says with a frown. “I hate to gossip, but I really hope that isn’t the case. I have so many memories out there.”
“Even if it sells, it will have to stay a marina, right?” I ask.
Sadie shrugs. “Maybe. With that area, you really have a lot of options.”
“I hope Shay figures it out,” Brooke says as she tops off all our glasses with the last bottle of champagne. We’ve had three between the four of us, so it’s been a good night.
Why does the name Shay sound so familiar?
“Is this the same Shay that Luca doesn’t get along with?” I ask.
Sadie grins and taps her nose. “She’s really sweet. You’d like her.”
“You hang out with her?”
Sadie nods. “Don’t tell Luca. She’s normally here, but she said she was working late at the marina tonight, and now I guess we know why. ”
Silence falls over us as we sit back and relax.
I can’t quite place it, but being here right now feels … right.
Being with Miles feels right.
Knowing that he’s going to be there when I call it a night feels right.
Natalie is the first to speak up. “I don’t want you to leave, Quinn, and I know Tobias would never admit this out loud, but I don’t think he wants you to go, either.”
My vision starts to blur as tears form.
“Yeah, this summer has been so amazing. It’s going to be harder than usual.”
“So you still plan to leave?” Sadie asks.
“Um,” I say and take a breath. “I have commitments that I made and contracts to complete.”
I frown.
Did I really just say that I’m leaving because I have commitments and contracts? Not because I love traveling. Not because I love being somewhere new.
Is that part of my problem? I don’t travel for me anymore. My destinations aren’t picked based on what I love or want. It’s whatever everyone else wants.
At what point in life did I give that up?
Brooke nods. “Do you think you’d ever stop and settle down?”
I nod and answer without hesitation. “I hope I get there someday.”
I sip my drink as Sadie says quietly, “Does Miles know you’re still leaving?”
“He does.”
I look up just in time to see Sadie shake her head as if she’s not happy with my answer.
“But I’ll be back,” I add quickly and with a bit more pep. The tone in the room is starting to go downhill. “A lot sooner than you think.”
Before any of them can reply, there is a knock at the door. Brooke rushes to answer it and Hudson steps in, Miles and my brother right behind him.
“Oh, is this planned this way?” I ask with a laugh.
“Every Tuesday,” Sadie says quietly. “You’ll be here for the next two still, so you’ll see.”
Then she hugs me tighter than ever before and rushes out the front door with Hudson.
I know the conversation took a turn to Sad City, but as we all say good night and hug each other goodbye, one thought consumes my mind.
What if I didn’t leave?
“I could have easily walked home on my own,” I say as Miles weaves his fingers with mine.
I love that all the guys knew when to come to Brooke’s. Even Tobias had Grandma Betty stop by the house to watch the twins so he could get Natalie.
From the direction they turned when they left, I think they took the long walk home.
I snuggle closer into Miles’s side.
“I’m sure you could have walked on your own, but it doesn’t mean you have to.”
“Why do you always say that to me?” I ask, pulling away so that I can look at him.”
“Because it’s true. I’m fully aware that you don’t need anyone to do anything for you, Quinn, but I want to do things for you.”
I bite my lips to control the smile that wants to take over .
“You’re cute,” I say.
He chuckles. “Thank you.”
The walk is quick and once we get home, Miles pulls me inside and pushes me against the wall, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that says he’s missed me way more than he should.
The image of this being our every Tuesday night plays in my head., and I clutch his shirt as if I need to hold on tight just to keep the thought.
“God, I love kissing you,” he says when he steps back. He rests his forehead on mine as his hands grip my hips.
“Just kissing me?” I ask, pressing my body into the kiss and giving him what he loves so much.
“Okay, and other things.”
I let out a small laugh and look away.
Nights like this mean more to me than I want to admit.
Why hasn’t he asked me to stay?
“Hey,” he says, bringing a finger to the bottom of my chin and forcing me to look at him. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I know this is my moment. The one where I should tell him that the idea of staying has crossed my mind. But I don't have all the details worked out yet.
Do I still travel as much but make this my home base to return to between trips?
Do I cut back on travel?
Would I hate that?
Would Miles want a girlfriend who isn’t here full-time?
Would he want a girlfriend, period?
I mean, that’s what I’d call myself now, but as of this moment, it’s all temporary.
The smartest thing to do is discuss my options with my agent before I just go making rash decisions. See if she can find out how I could cut back the travel. If there are any consequences for breaking a contract early. If amendments are allowed in any form.
So I don’t want to start a discussion I don’t have the answers to, not yet. If I can’t make it work, I don’t want to get his hopes up.
“Nothing. Maybe all those mimosas are finally catching up to me.”
He leans forward to kiss my forehead.
“Let’s get you to bed then,” he says, and he squeezes my hand twice.
He leads me toward the stairs, but my curiosity gets the best of me.
“You just squeezed my hand twice. You’ve done that before. What does it mean?”
He pauses and tilts his head.
“Do I keep doing that?”
I nod.
A sweet smile touches his lips. “My mom used to do it to me when my mind was … overthinking. Two squeezes. Two words: don’t worry.” He lets out a small laugh. “I’d almost forgotten about it until I started doing it with you.”
My heart squeezes in my chest.
Oh dear. Don’t cry. Not now.
“That’s really sweet.”
The look in his eyes makes me take a deep breath.
I can’t be sure, but I get the feeling that we both have things on our minds that we aren’t ready to talk about.
So I reach for his hand and squeeze twice. Then I let him lead me up to the bedroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower,” he says.
As soon as Miles shuts the door to the bathroom, my phone pings.
I notice right away that the email is from the travel agency that helps my clients book my trips. I missed the first email from a hotel chain in Germany that I have a contract with for the next two years, so I have to catch up quickly. They want me to visit at either the end of August or start of September in preparation for Oktoberfest, which begins on September 20th this year.
Normally, when I see these emails, I get excited about where I’m headed next. I’ve been to Oktoberfest before, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget, but for the first time in forever, the idea of leaving brings me to tears.