Chapter 22 Quinn
Quinn
We pulled off the main road and on to a long drive, the trees hung over the road on both sides creating a magical canopy.
As we broke through the trees, I got my first look at the house.
From what Noah told me as we drove, they fully restored the seventeenth century farmhouse but I had not been picturing this.
It was a beautiful brick home, with large windows surrounded by white shutters.
Ivy with purple flowers and dark green leaves covered the walls, climbing to the second story of the house where there were more windows than I could quickly count.
It was perfectly charming and honestly looked more like a manor than a house.
Theo parked the car on a large slab of cement beside a detached three-car garage. I climbed out of the car without waiting for him to open my door, which earned me a grumble that I ignored.
The property around the house was lush and private, you couldn’t see any neighbors, the English countryside looked exactly like I’d pictured it.
Sprawling spaces full of green fields and trees that looked like they’d been there for over a hundred years.
I could see a path that led somewhere behind the house.
“If you follow that it goes to the back patio and gardens.” Theo pointed out as he came up behind me. “The sunrises from back there are something else.” I leaned into him as his arms wrapped around my shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to my neck.
“This place is stunning,” I said in awe, not only of the house but of what they did for Noah’s family.
“We did the redesign and completed most of the construction before Jane and Henry even knew about it,” Asher added, coming to stand beside us. “We let her decorate the interior because once the property was bought and restored, they couldn’t say no.”
The double front doors had large window panels and were white to match the rest of the trim. Flowers lined the few steps to the door, making it even more inviting. It was a warm day, the blue-cloudless sky a perfect backdrop for the gorgeous home.
The doors I was admiring flew open and a woman came barreling out.
Jane Hutchinson was easily identifiable as Noah’s mom. Her hair, that was the same shade of blonde as his, was cut just above her shoulders. She was a little taller than me but fit, the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned muscles.
“My boys are home!” she cried as she wrapped Noah up in a big hug then pushed him aside for Asher.
I watched as each man took a step up and got a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Theo untangled himself from behind me and went to hug her last. After the hug, Jane pulled back and put her hands on either side of his face and gave him a big smile.
Some silent communication passed between the two of them before she patted him on the cheek and turned to me.
“You must be Quinn!” Without waiting for an answer, she pulled me into a tight hug that I returned. With my own mom travelling so much I didn’t mind the extra squeeze.
“Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Hutchinson,” I said as she pulled back.
“Don’t start with that, call me Jane. And you are absolutely beautiful, they didn’t do you justice.” I looked over her shoulder to try and figure out who had been talking about me, but they all avoided eye contact.
“You’re going to scare her away.” Theo came back to my side with a smile on his face. Jane scoffed like that was impossible, I was starting to feel like maybe she was right.
“Come, let’s get you inside. We have some snacks to hold us over until dinner.” Jane linked her arm through mine. “And I want to get to know you better.”
“Where’s Da?” Noah asked. The others had all grabbed our luggage and were following us inside.
“He was out back fixing a fence post.” Jane shook her head. “Stubborn man, I told him what time you would be here and that he needed to be inside but nooo… he wouldn’t listen. I also told him to leave it for one of you but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Where’s Tuck?” Asher asked as we stepped into the house.
“He’s also with Henry. Man didn’t want the dog and now those two are inseparable. Did I tell you that he lets him sleep on the bed now! The sweet boy just curls up at his feet and he doesn’t say a damn thing.”
I bit my lip to stop from laughing at the visual of an older Noah making himself uncomfortable for a dog and looked around.
Despite the historic outside, the inside had been completely renovated.
You walked into a large open floor plan, with a post on the corner of a large L-shaped countertop that surrounded the kitchen, separating the space.
There was an opening on one side of the room that led to a dining room with wood paneling on the walls and a massive table.
The living room had a large fireplace and enough seating for all the men who visited this house.
It felt like a home made for entertaining, the furniture looked like it was made to look vintage but was far more comfortable than vintage furniture would ever be.
“You have a lovely home, Jane,” I said as we all circled around the table.
“Thank you.” She smiled as she looked around proudly.
“The boys didn’t give me much of an option but Henry and I love it here.
” She looked behind me at the guys grabbing snacks off the table like they hadn’t eaten in days rather than hours.
“Boys, I have all of your rooms set up so off you go. I’ll give Quinn a tour later. ”
“I can do that,” Theo said, but Jane literally shoved him out of the room.
He would have gone willingly since he had some serious height and weight on her. All of them did, but she seemed like she had no problem bossing them around. I needed to take notes.
“Get, she’s mine now.”
“Not even five minutes and you’ve already lost her. I think that means none of us win right?” Jaxson asked, laughing as they moved out of the room.
“It’s like they revert to teenagers when they show up here.” Jane grabbed my arm and pulled me out the open back doors.
As we stepped out, I was struck with the alluring scent of flowers with undertones of fresh cut grass.
There was a large patio with comfortable seating, a table, and a grill.
Behind a stone retaining wall was a patch of grass surrounding garden beds, some were on the ground and others were raised.
There were roses, hydrangeas, lavender, and other beautifully colored flowers I couldn’t name.
The flowers were just starting to really grow and I’m sure this yard would be even more spectacular in a month or two at the height of summer.
“This place… it’s amazing,” I commented as I looked around in awe. It was maybe one of the most peaceful places I had ever been, it felt like a home. It had the same feeling that Theo’s place did.
“I know how you feel.” She came to join me at the edge of the patio leading to another path.
“When they first brought me here, I was so mad, I didn’t want them doing this for me.
I didn’t even want to come inside but of course they talked me into it, they can be convincing.
But then I walked through it, I couldn’t help but fall in love.
“They made sure there were enough rooms for all of them to come here when they needed, which was big for me. Noah may be my only blood child but I feel like they’re all mine. And then I saw this garden, it was smaller at the time but no less beautiful. And I gave up.”
I smiled over at her just as a large golden retriever came barreling toward us letting out an excited bark.
“Tucker. No!” Jane called out, her tone high and eyes wide.
It gave me enough warning to bend down and prepare for impact.
The dog rammed into me with full force and started licking my face, his tail was moving in a circle as he pranced around me. Thankfully I’d braced myself well enough that I didn’t fall over completely, not that I thought the dog would have been deterred.
“Sorry, he got ahead of me!” A man came down the path that Tucker had come from.
Noah got his height from his dad and apparently the ability to build muscle, since I’m pretty sure he could lift more weight than me.
His hair was darker, with grey streaks through it, and his skin was tan from working in the sun.
It honestly boded very well for how Noah would age.
“It’s no problem.” I gave Tucker a good scratch behind the ears and his tongue hung out of his mouth happily. I stood up as the boys came outside. Tucker quickly abandoned me and ran straight for Asher who bent down the same as I had.
“Hi, Quinn, it’s nice to meet you,” Henry said as I turned back to him. “I would shake your hand but…” He held up his dirt covered palms.
“Henry,” Jane scolded while she shook her head and looked up at the sky. “Go get yourself cleaned up, I’ve got snacks before dinner.”
“I knew it,” muttered Noah as Theo came behind me and wrapped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his chest as my hands grabbed his forearm.
“What?” I asked, looking from Noah to Theo.
“Jane’s version of snacks is usually enough for a whole meal.”
“But if we don’t eat dinner after she’ll be offended,” Asher added quietly from beside me.
“Boys, come help me carry the trays,” Jane called as she headed back inside.
Theo kissed my head before untangling himself from me. “Stay here.”
“But I can—”
“No chance, Love,” he interrupted before following the others inside.
Twenty minutes later we were all settled with drinks in our hands and an enormous amount of food spread around us.
“How was the event last night? Henry and I were sorry to miss it,” Jane said, looking around.
I watched as Henry reached over and squeezed her hand, leaving it in her lap.
I’d noticed quickly that those two still looked at each other like they were teenagers in love and it was so endearing to witness.
“Biggest one yet,” Asher replied. For a man that never seemed to let his guard down, he was softer here, like he knew this place was safe.