Chapter 36 #2
The bridge of her nose wrinkled with revulsion.
“I can’t speak for her, or what was going through her mind,” she said, like she was forcing her voice to remain steady.
“But Whize had said she’d been stalking you.
I have no idea where she would’ve even met Preston if she hadn’t run into him when he was at the bed-and-breakfast the other day.
Preston was pissed that I’d rejected him—I wouldn’t put it past him to fall into someone’s bed after that. ”
Even thinking about Preston had my nerves on edge. “Why would she want to sleep with him if she’s supposed to be obsessed with me?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know why she slept with him. Maybe she wanted to feel like she was punishing me. Maybe she wanted to see if she could get any information she could use on me from him. Or maybe she just wanted to punish Jake for catching feelings that she couldn’t reciprocate.”
I pushed my hair back, frustrated. “That still doesn’t explain why she saw you as a threat that would need this much force to eliminate. If she merely wanted me for herself, there were other options…”
Her shoulders slumped a little. “Isn’t it obvious?”
I blinked at her. “Is it?”
She gave a half shrug. “She saw me as a wedge between you and her, yes. But I don’t think that was her main focus. I was a threat to you, because she saw me as a monster, Graham. I defend people who hurt other people. People like her. That was enough to want to get rid of me forever.”
I shuddered, though she said it like it was nothing more than a simple fact. She looked away, staring off into the distance. I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind.
I hadn’t thought of it like that before. That Mara saw Quinn as something so…dangerous. With Mara’s history, though, I supposed I could see it.
I reached for Quinn’s chin, and forced her stare back to mine. Her eyelashes fluttered as our eyes locked, as if she were coming back to herself.
“What are you thinking?” I asked her softly. I needed to know what thoughts were churning in that brilliant mind of hers.
Her lips gave the slightest tremble before she said, “I’m wondering if she was right.”
It felt like she’d driven a spike right through my heart. I resisted the urge to grab her and hold her so tight she couldn’t possibly doubt herself. I wanted to pluck every horrible thought from her brain and soothe it into something beautiful. Like her.
I squeezed her hand again. “She’s not, Quinn. Don’t think that for a second.”
She tried to jerk her chin from my grasp, but I held on, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“I have seen true monsters, Quinn. I have looked them in the eyes and glimpsed into their minds. You are not that. You are loyal and fierce in defending what you believe in. You have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known, even though you try to hide it under all your armor. I’ve seen it, and it is beautiful. ”
Her eyes closed, like she was too overwhelmed to look at me any longer. “I don’t know if I believe that…”
I almost growled as I placed her hand on my chest, right above my heart. “Look at me, Quinn,” I commanded.
She flinched, but gradually, her eyes opened and focused on me.
“Do you feel like you know me? Know the kind of person I am?”
She hesitated, confusion stirring in her expression, but then she nodded.
“Do you think I would fall in love with a monster?”
Quinn stared at me like I’d struck her, shock rippling across her features.
“Graham…” Her voice wavered, and for a moment I thought she might break—fall apart right there in front of me.
“What?” I pressed, refusing to look away. “Tell me you don’t feel something for me, too.”
Her skin flushed, blooming warm under the harsh hospital lights. She glanced away, but only for a second. When she met my gaze again, her eyes weren’t ice anymore. There was heat there—like pale smoke rising from smoldering embers.
“I didn’t want to,” she whispered.
The words stung more than I expected, sharp and unguarded. She must have seen it, because her palm returned to my cheek with a tenderness that nearly undid me.
“I didn’t want to fall in love with you,” she said, breath shaking, “because you’re someone who sees me. You’ve always seen through my hardness, somehow. You found the soft parts I’ve kept hidden for so long.”
I swallowed hard, every muscle pulled tight as she exhaled.
“I never wanted to be with anyone as much as I’ve wanted to be with you, Graham.”
She stared at me with a vulnerability she rarely let anyone see, but her hand on my cheek was steady. I covered it with mine slowly, like any sudden movement might shatter this pivotal moment.
“Quinn,” I said softly, “you’re allowed to have good things.”
“I think I’m finally starting to believe that.” Her gaze heated as she shifted closer. So close I felt her breath skim my lips. “I want you to be mine.”
The words set my nerves ablaze.
“You have me.” There was no doubt in my tone. No hesitation.
Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. “And you have all of me,” she said on a whisper. “You’ve become my home, Graham.”
I leaned in, a primal surge of protectiveness shooting through me. “You’re mine.”
It was a promise. A claim.
She shivered.
“As long as you want me, Quinn,” I murmured, “I will keep you close. And I will cherish you.”
Her eyes fluttered closed, her forehead brushing mine. “I love you.” She was a breath away from kissing me; our lips nearly touched.
A sharp knock interrupted our moment.
We both froze. Quinn’s eyes snapped open and darted toward the door.
I blew out a long, heavy sigh, not wanting to move from where I was.
“It’s probably a nurse?” Quinn guessed, still eyeing the door. There was another knock, quieter this time.
“Maybe,” I muttered, though if it was, they weren’t coming in for some reason. Slowly, reluctantly, I pulled away. “I’ll go check who it is.”
I hurried, wanting to get back to her side as quickly as possible.
When I opened the door, peeking out into the hallway, I knew that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
The little group standing before the door stared at me expectantly. My mother was closest, looking hopeful. She was holding a gift bag in one hand.
“Is she taking visitors?” she asked immediately.
My face flushed. In the chaos of everything, I had almost forgotten that my parents—and Roman and Hailey—were all waiting at the hospital for news about Quinn. They’d gone off to the gift shop while Whize was talking to me.
I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck. “Uh…let me ask her.”
I turned to Quinn, who gave me a look that was equal parts concern and curiosity.
“What is it?” she asked.
I shifted on my feet, feeling suddenly ridiculous. “You, uh…have some people who’ve been waiting to see you.”
She blinked, surprised. “Who?”
I gestured vaguely at the door. “You want them to come in and find out?”
Her gaze flicked toward the door. Something flashed in her expression—something like hope and a touch of caution.
She nodded hesitantly.
I opened the door fully, stepping aside as my family slipped into the room. Quinn’s eyes widened in pure shock as she took them in.
Hailey ran straight up to the hospital bed, placing a small bouquet of bright flowers on Quinn’s lap. “I picked them out for you,” she announced proudly. “But my daddy paid for them.”
“Oh,” Quinn breathed.
She stared down at the flowers like they were the most precious gift. She lifted them carefully, bringing them to her nose for a soft inhale. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so much.”
Hailey beamed.
I sat back as my family surrounded her. Mom spoke to her first, unable to resist pouring out her motherly concern and comfort. She handed Quinn the gift bag, and her whole face softened as she opened it. It was Quinn’s old Cardinal jersey, the one that had been ripped. Mom had repaired it for her.
Quinn stared at it in shock, tears welling as she thanked her. Something warm bloomed in my chest. I’d never seen her so unguarded with anyone other than me.
Roman offered her a gentle compliment, and she actually smiled at him, so wide her teeth showed. When Dad wrapped her in a careful hug, color rushed into her cheeks, and she looked so startled by the affection it made my throat tighten.
As I watched her absolutely light up, surrounded by my family, it made me love her even more.
I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving her every good thing she’d been denied in her life.
I wanted her to experience every moment of safety, every scrap of joy, every ounce of love she’d never been given but had always deserved.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t fear the future. I didn’t fear the hope of what could be. There was so much that needed to be figured out, so much left to face, but the darker parts of life didn’t feel as intimidating now that I wasn’t going to be alone.