Chapter 40 Quinn
Quinn
“Come on, Q, I’m bored,” Noah whined from beside me.
He was sprawled out on the couch, his huge feet lying in my lap. I tried pushing them off but somehow they kept making their way back. I’d been trying to read in peace when he came storming in.
It had been five days since I’d called Theo and he’d showed up.
I had spoken to my mom, told her everything that had been going on with my dad since they divorced.
To say she was pissed would be an understatement.
She was furious that I hadn’t told her what was going on and so disappointed in the man that she used to love.
After she lectured me, she asked if I wanted her to fly home.
I assured her I was fine, but she didn’t believe me and demanded to speak with Asher.
Since she had him kick me out of his home office where he was working, I didn’t know what he said to her, but he came out, passed me the phone and my mom said she wouldn’t come home unless I asked.
She also encouraged me to stay in the city and visit her later.
She didn’t want me running even though that was all I wanted to do.
Since I hadn’t taken my vacation, I decided to give Edward a call early.
So far we’d had two meetings and I had offer paperwork sitting in my inbox.
Despite my objections, he was offering me the title of Chief Operating Officer for their North American operations.
The salary was in the six figures and way more than I expected from working with a charity.
Knight Enterprises was actually bank rolling the funds for all salaried positions within the foundation. I was trying to talk him down in title but he wasn’t having it.
I was really excited about it though and the impact I could make. I planned on signing the paperwork tomorrow.
Everyone had been on Quinn Watch, as the group chat was renamed, if Asher couldn’t be home then one of them was always here with me. It was unnecessary but I appreciated not being left alone.
Asher and I had spent the most time together and it felt like for the first time in my life I had a brother. He grumbled at me, complained and grunted but hung out with me and watched movies. He wasn’t as grumpy as he led people to believe.
Noah, on the other hand, was impatient and always needed to be moving, making the last forty-five minutes feel like pure torture.
“I told you that if you want to go do something, I’m not stopping you.” I flipped to the next page of my book before it was kicked out of my hands. I looked over at him and the shit eating grin on his face. “Real mature. If the spine is ruined, you owe me a new one.”
“That’s what I’m known for, my maturity. And I’m pretty sure I can afford a new book. Since you don’t want to do anything, how about you talk to me.”
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked skeptically.
“When are you going to forgive Theo?” Noah’s voice was serious, the same way it had been every time he asked me.
“It’s not that simple.” I tried to push his legs out of my lap but he resisted.
Damn these men and their commitment to their workout routines and unnecessary muscle.
“Yes, it is.” This time he got up and moved to sit on the coffee table in front of me. “I’ve watched my parents be in love for my whole life, their marriage has lasted over thirty years. They fight and then come back together every time.
“It’s not easy, it’s taken work but I’ve gotten to see what true love looks like, every day.
I know that I’ve never experienced that, but I know what it looks like and I see it when Theo looks at you.
” His words were hitting me in the heart, it was one thing I never got to see myself growing up, unconditional love that stood up to the test of time.
“It’s not just him, Q, I see it when you look at him too.
“It’s in all the small things he does, not just his words.
He makes adjustments for you, he brings an extra sweater in case you get cold.
He moves you to the inside part of the sidewalk and always holds your hand at the table.
You lean into him when he’s next to you, when he’s tense you touch his shoulders and they relax.
It’s love, Quinn, and it’s real and rare and fucking hard but don’t lose it.
“Fight, because he deserves shit for what he did, and then come back together.”
I didn’t know when I started crying but his words were getting to me.
“I’m scared of getting hurt again,” I whispered as he smiled at me.
“Of course you are, that’s fair. And there is no guarantee, especially because he said he would do this all the same way again. But is the risk of the pain worth not getting to experience that kind of love?”
“Damn it, Noah,” I said as I wiped my eyes, taking a few breaths to pull myself together. My phone ringing saved me from having to reply. “Hey Ash.” I narrowed my eyes when Noah started to smirk.
“I need you to do what I say and not ask questions.” Asher didn’t bother with a hello, he wasn’t great at phone etiquette.
“You know I’m never going to do that again.” I heard him let out an annoyed breath.
“I need you to come home.” I frowned and looked around.
“I am at your place…”
Noah’s smile grew, he seemed to know exactly what was going on.
“No, your home, Theo’s home.”
I bit my lip and started shaking my leg. “Why?”
“I said no questions.” I narrowed my eyes as I heard a voice on the other end of the phone, but I couldn’t make out what was said.
“Asher, the last time you called me and asked me to show up somewhere I was ambushed. Any chance that’s what’s going on now?”
It sounded like he covered the phone, more muttering I couldn’t make out.
“No.” He returned to our conversation, and I let out a laugh. I could picture him turning around to ask what he should do.
“Asher…”
“Quinn.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Put me on speaker.” I did the same since Noah looked like he was ready to jump in.
“Hey Q.” Will sounded sheepish.
“How did you know?” Oli asked.
Jaxson jumped in, “I told them this wasn’t a good idea.”
“I heard you all muttering on the other end. Your stealth skills need some work.”
“This is why I should’ve been the one to call her, Ash, I told you!” Noah was shaking his head.
“For fuck’s sake,” Asher muttered.
“I would have been the best person for this,” Jaxson called.
“Is Theo there?” I asked, knowing full well that he was.
“We’re going to plead the fifth on that one.” Will responded in a tone I knew he used when he was lawyering.
Noah grabbed my arm and pulled me off the couch. “Come on, Q, let’s go.”
“A please would be nice, asshole,” Jaxson grumbled.
“You want to come here, Quinn.” The seriousness in Asher’s voice was what did me in.
One thing I’d learned from staying with him was that he could read me well and I trusted him. He wouldn’t tell me to come if he didn’t think I should. Theo may be his best friend, but he would look out for me, separate from that relationship.
“Okay,” I said quietly before hanging up.
Noah ushered me into his car quickly. There was clearly a plan in place otherwise Noah would’ve come here on his motorcycle. I continued shaking my leg the whole ride to Theo’s and I was grateful that Noah didn’t comment on it.
Pulling in front of the house felt like coming home.
I missed this place, not just because I loved the house but because the man inside was my home.
And I missed him. I’d pictured our future here together, getting a dog, building a family for our kids, filling their childhoods with love and laughter and a bunch of uncles who would no doubt get them in, and out, of trouble.
I had to forgive him for that future to become a reality. And while I hate what he did, I think I'd come to understand it over the last few days.
Asher pulled the door open and stood in the doorway waiting for me as I got out of the car.
“Hey,” I said quietly as I stepped in front of him.
He pulled me into a hug, squeezed me once and then pulled back, nodding at me. He didn’t have to say anything, with that one look he was telling me that I had this, that it was going to be okay. He stepped out of the way and I made my way to the living room.
Theo was standing in the middle of the room with a determined expression on his face.
He was in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.
His dark hair was perfectly messy, his beard was in need of a shave since it was thicker than he normally wore it but it didn’t dimmish from his attractiveness, and his blue-grey eyes were focused on me.
The rest of the guys were there but my focus was on Theo.
“You said you were going to give me time and space.” I put my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow. He didn’t need to know that I was literally minutes away from calling him.
“I know, but damn, Love, I miss you. And while you’re doing all your thinking, I wanted to make sure a few things were very clear, just so you can keep thinking.” His eyes were burning with intensity.
“And you need to do this in front of an audience?” Oli winked at me as I looked around the room.
“Yes, because it’s one of the things I wanted to remind you about.”
“I can be friends with them without being with you. They’ve made that very clear to me.”
He smiled softly. “I know and I love them for that but they’re the only people, aside from you, that I would walk through hell for. And honestly, I wanted their help. I know you’ve gotten close to them, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to have them on my side.
“I want it all with you, Quinn, and that starts with all of us, a house full of love so we can have kids and loud family dinners where we’ll always have to feed Noah because you know he’s going to be single forever.”
“That’s rude,” Noah said with a frown as I held back my smile and one of the men snorted but Theo kept going.