Chapter 24
Quinn
As I got ready in my room, I couldn’t shake the nerves. I was more nervous for one family dinner than I was in a courtroom, questioning a witness, in front of a full jury.
I didn’t even know why I was nervous. I’d eaten dinner with Raleigh and Warner before…but not the whole Ramsey clan. Graham had four brothers, but I’d only seen the oldest one in passing when he was picking up or dropping off his daughter.
I gritted my teeth. I shouldn’t be nervous. This was dinner, just eating food with other people.
Shifting on my feet, I glanced into the mirror at my outfit for what felt like the thousandth time.
It was the third combination of clothes I’d put on, which wasn’t something I ever did.
I didn’t care what I wore, but so much of my wardrobe was either for court—which was too formal for dinner—or comfortable workout clothes.
It seemed I had very little things that were in between.
I scrutinized the dark jeans and hunter-green zip-up I’d picked out. My brother’s watch was around my wrist like always, and I’d put my hair half up, leaving some long tendrils falling down over my shoulders.
I sighed, checking the time. It would have to do.
For most of the day, I’d been cooped up in my room, saving my social battery for tonight. I’d actually slept some more after I’d gotten back to my room, still recovering from last night.
I blushed at the memory of what happened in Graham’s bedroom. It had taken a lot of self-control to keep myself from thinking about him—the way his lips had felt and how I’d freaking crawled into his lap.
I turned away from my reddening face in the mirror abruptly. I still hadn’t decided whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that I’d kissed him.
He was a good kisser.
Better than good, actually.
I pressed my thighs together, definitely not thinking about how he’d looked when he’d been over me, gazing down at me like I was the most stunning thing and—
I shook my head.
No, it was probably a really bad thing that I’d kissed him. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d kissed someone in that way. If ever.
A knock redirected my attention. I took a few steadying breaths as I crossed to the door and opened it. Graham’s baby blue eyes met mine. I blinked, eyelashes fluttering as I tried to decide whether I’d somehow summoned him with my thoughts.
He smiled, and my chest ached.
Damn, he was pretty. How had I never noticed how pleasant he was to look at?
Maybe I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it.
His gaze roamed over me, assessing. At one time not so long ago, him looking at me like that had made my skin crawl. I hadn’t wanted him to see me with that stare that missed nothing. Now, my skin heated under his gaze.
“You’re gonna need a coat,” he said.
“A coat?”
He tilted his head. “And maybe a hat and some gloves. It’s not too cold outside, but it’s not warm either.”
I frowned. “Outside?”
His smile widened. “We’re doing dinner a little bit differently tonight. It’s a…special occasion. We’re having a bonfire.”
A special occasion? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what that meant, but the mention of the bonfire had some of my nerves easing. A bonfire sounded casual. I could do casual.
I nodded, still giving him a look. “Graham…” I started, feeling the nervousness surge again. “Did you tell them—your family—that I’m not defending him anymore?”
My fingers curled into fists as I waited for the answer. I didn’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable tonight because of me.
His expression softened. “They know,” he murmured. “Now, go get your coat.”
I let out a breath. Stepping back from the door, I went to fetch my coat and gloves. When I came back, Graham’s eyes were sparkling.
He held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
I looked down, and cautiously, I took it. He wrapped his fingers tight around mine and pulled me from my room.
Graham led me through the back door of the house, his hand still warm around mine like he’d forgotten to let go. When we walked across the porch, I stopped dead in my tracks.
I hadn’t really seen the back of the house before—hadn’t had any reason to—but it was stunning.
The porch stretched wide, wrapping around the back of the house with plenty of space for the clusters of cozy chairs and little tables scattered across it.
Warm cushions, throw blankets, and lanterns made it feel like something out of a magazine.
But the part that stole my breath was what lay beyond.
The porch steps led down to a small stone patio covered by a beautiful wooden pergola.
Twinkling lights were woven between the beams overhead, glowing softly in the early dusk.
Farther out in the yard was a fire pit area with white stone arranged in a wide circle around a metal fire ring.
Wooden chairs surrounded it, their surfaces smooth and worn from years of use.
“It’s…beautiful,” I breathed.
Graham made a soft sound beside me—half pleased, half amused. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “It kind of is. It’s been Dad’s special project for the past couple of years. He just finished the pergola this spring.”
But even the pretty lights and the fire pit weren’t the thing that tightened my chest.
It was the people.
Warner stood at the fire, stirring something that was cooking in a black cast-iron pot suspended over the flames.
Two of his sons flanked him—Roman, who had his arms crossed over his chest, and another guy I didn’t recognize.
He was smaller than Roman, but obviously another Ramsey brother.
They all had that signature Ramsey quality to their facial features—it seemed they were all entirely too handsome.
It was a little weird, actually.
A large metal table was beneath the pergola, already set up with plates and covered dishes that Raleigh was arranging. Two women were helping her. One I recognized from the court documents as Lark Meadows. The other woman was familiar too, with short, dark hair, but I couldn’t quite place her.
Lark bounced a smiling baby on her hip, wrapped in a puffy pink snow suit. Her chubby cheeks were rosy from the cold as she babbled.
Hailey ran around the yard, singing and doing cartwheels, getting barked at by her father every time she got too close to the fire.
The sun had already dipped behind the horizon, but the pergola lights and strands of bulbs draped between the almost-bare tree branches cast the whole yard in a golden, cozy glow.
For a moment, all I could do was stare.
Graham tugged on my hand, and I looked up at him. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “This is all so…nice.”
He didn’t let go of my hand as he pulled me toward the patio with a tentative smile. The cold hit me then—not a bitter chill like it had been the day before, but still sharp enough that I was grateful for my gloves.
When we neared the large table, Raleigh let out a delighted squeal.
“Oh, Quinn, I’m so glad you’re joining us tonight!”
Before I could prepare for it, she wrapped me in a big hug. She smelled like something floral, and fire smoke. My body stiffened automatically, rebelling against the sudden comfort of Raleigh’s warmth. But Raleigh didn’t let go. She held on until my muscles finally relaxed a fraction.
When she pulled away, she was smiling wide. “You picked a fun dinner to come to.”
She gestured toward the fire. “Warner made his famous beef and vegetable stew. I know it’s a little cold, but once we get around the fire, you’ll be nice and toasty. There’s also coffee and hot chocolate.”
She pointed to a smaller table near the porch steps.
It looked like a hot chocolate and s’mores bar straight out of a curated social media post. Two large thermos carafes sat in the middle—one labeled COFFEE, the other HOT CHOCOLATE.
Paper cups with sleeves sat neatly next to them, surrounded by platters filled with marshmallows in different sizes, chocolate in multiple forms, and graham crackers of different flavors. She even had peppermint sticks.
“The hot chocolate is my personal favorite,” Graham whispered, lips almost brushing my ear. “It’s Mom’s special recipe and it’s—delicious.”
I suppressed a shiver as goose bumps prickled down my arms.
Without even thinking about it, I stepped closer into Graham’s side as a man with dark blond hair and muscles almost as big as Roman’s approached us. He held the hand of a woman with bright-auburn hair.
My stomach flipped. I knew exactly who she was.
Emersyn Hawthorn. The true crime podcaster.
My heart squeezed. Emersyn had been on the witness list. I knew everything she’d been through, everything she’d survived, and I had no idea how she was going to react to seeing me.
A crushing weight pressed down on me at the memory that I was fired from the job I loved, but I shoved that devastation away as the couple finally reached us.
The man grinned at Graham. “We made it,” he said proudly.
Graham chuckled. “Good.” His eyes bounced to Emersyn. “It’s good to see you, Em.”
Emersyn smiled, though it looked a little cautious. “You too.”
The man’s gaze darted to me. “You gonna introduce us to your friend?”
Graham pushed a stray curl off his forehead as he turned fully toward me. “This is my brother, August,” he explained. “He was the original founder of Hearthstone Security. And this is his wife, Emersyn.”
“Hey.” I tried to sound more confident than I felt. “I’m Quinn.”
August’s expression softened as he looked between Graham and me in a way that made me slightly uncomfortable—like he knew something we didn’t.
“Nice to officially meet you,” he finally said. “Welcome.”
Emersyn nodded, and her small smile eased some of my tension. “I know the whole giant cast-iron cauldron over the fire looks sketchy, but Warner makes an amazing stew. You won’t regret coming.”