Loving Quinn Novel by North Rose

(Quinn)

After the day I had, all I wanted was to get home, change, then spend the night with my future in-laws. When I finally get home, my first thought was to find my girls. I stopped at the bank to grab the ring I bought for Annora years ago, then I stopped by the floral shop for

flowers.

A dozen red roses for Annora, pink roses for Grace, and a spring floral arrangement for Mrs. Winters. I leave the floral arrangement on the hall table and bring the roses with me as head up the stairs towards Grace’s room. I hear Annora’s voice as I get to the door to Grace’s

room.

She is telling Grace about what Kyle did to her. Why she made him leave. I have heard this already from her, but hearing it again makes my heart hurt for my girls. I am grateful to Annora for shielding Grace from all that Kyle did.

When I hear the vulnerability in Annie’s voice after Grace asks why she let Kyle stay for so long, I walk closer to the door as quietly as possible. I will do everything I can to make sure my girls are safe. Kyle will never hurt them again.

I am about to step into the room when Grace asks why we all can’t live together. It is a question I have asked myself all day. At first, I thought it was because we are just not ready for that step, but our daughter clearly is.

“We can if you want to.”

Grace’s eyes go wide when I step into the room and Annora spins around in her chair to face me. Her eyes are equally surprised to see me. However, I can see uncertainty in those hazel depths as well.

“I bought these beautiful flowers for my girls. However, I can see we all need to have a family chat first before we head to dinner.”

I sit the flowers down on Grace’s dresser, then walk to the end of the bed where she is sitting. I lower myself down beside her, then put my arm around her shoulder. She leans into me as I look at Annora.

“Hear me out, both of you. I had an idea today on the way home. This is new to all of us, and I can clearly see that is something we all

want to explore. I suggest a trial run.”

Grace pulls away to look at me with confusion in her eyes. I hold up my hand to ask her to hear me out, then I look at Annora. I can see that she is following my train of thought. There is a smile on her face. It makes me think she has a similar idea.

“Now, what I have in mind is simple. Rather than we rush this living together thing. We try something like what we have been doing this week. Only we alternate houses. One week you two stay here with me, the next week I stay with you two at your place.”

I can see that I now have their full attention.

“This isn’t because I don’t want to live with you, Grace. So, please, don’t think that. I want to take this slow so that we can all get used to each other. This is new for all of us. You have had your mom this whole time. I want to make sure my addition to the family dynamic you two have doesn’t cause problems. Until now, you have only been with me on the weekends.”

I put my finger under her chin when she looks down at her lap.

“Grace, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want to make sure for all of us we work together as a family. You and your mother mean everything to me. So, in order for us to reach the goal that you want for us, we need to go slow.”

The smile she gives me makes my heart feel lighter, When she throws her arms around me, laugh as I hold her tight. I glance over her shoulder to look at Annora. She has been silent this entire time. Her silence has me worried.

1

When she gives me that amazing smile that just lights up my entire world, I know she is all in with my idea. I know I should have talked to her about my plan instead of just springing it on her like this. When I heard the tears in Grace’s voice, I knew it was a risk I had to

take.

“Ok, Grace, get started on your homework. What you don’t finish before you need to get ready for dinner, you will to take with you to do after dinner.” Annora says.

She stands up from her chair, then walks out of the room. Grace pulls back from our hug to get up off the bed. I stand up to go grab her flowers off the dresser, then turn around to show them to her.

“I bought these for you. The florist told me that pink roses mean elegance and sweetness. They were also my mother’s favorite color of roses. Your mother gave you the name Elizabeth after my mother. One night soon, I will tell you about her. For now, I will take these downstairs to put them in some water.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Grace.”

After she picks her backpack up off the floor, I grab the red roses off the dresser, then take them down to the kitchen. Annora is already in the kitchen waiting for me. She has two large vases that I didn’t even know I had, already filled with water.

When she turns to face me, I stop in my tracks. She is crying. I put the flowers on the counter, then pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tight.

“Hey. Look, I know I should have talked to you first, but I…”

Annora pulls away enough to pull my head down, so my mouth meets hers. The kiss she gives me is tender yet passionate. When she pulls away, the smile she gives me lets me know I did the right thing.

“Your idea is good. I like it. I was going to suggest something similar or just ask you to move in with me and Grace. There is also the idea

of selling my house and moving us both in here with you.”

“Wait, I thought you said we weren’t ready for that yet?”

“I was thinking about this today, just like you were. The way we have been this week, just the three of us, I want that every day. However, let’s try your idea first. Do your trial run. For how long?”

With a tug, I pull her closer against me. “How about we try six months? If it still feels right at the end of the six months, we will talk about where we are going to live together as a family after that.”

“Deal. Now, put those flowers in the vases. I am going to get changed for dinner.”

She pulls out of my arms to rush upstairs to get changed. I am not sure what to do, so I just pull the tissue paper off and put the flowers in the vases. Annora can fix them to her liking when we get home later. With nothing else to do down here, I follow her to get myself

changed for dinner with her parents.

Suddenly I am that teenaged boy I used to be when I had my first dinner with her family. I am nervous about sitting down with them again after all these years. The boy I was back then hadn’t been through wars, lost friends, and lost part of myself.

They accepted me into their family over that summer, but will they accept me as I am now?

“Hey, you look like you are going to puke.”

Annora’s yoice pulls me out of my thoughts. I turn to look at her after I finish buttoning my shirt. She looks stunning in her pale green dress. She has left her hair down, and it makes me want to tangle my fingers in those soft curls.

Are you nervous about having dinner with my parents? This was your idea. Why are you nervous?”

“I am not the same person I used to be back then. What if your parents don’t like the new me?”

“Come here.”

She points at a spot on the floor in front of her. I bow my head as I walk out of my closet to where she is standing at the foot of the bed. I feel horrible for thinking how I am, but I just can’t seem to stop the fear that keeps rushing through my head.

“My father was angry when I told him I was pregnant with Grace. He knew you were the father, but he accepted it because he saw something in you back then. Something that he didn’t tell me about until years later.”

I look up at her then because I feel what she is about to say is important.

“The night before my wedding to Kyle, my father pulled me aside to talk to me.”

Anger flairs through me at the mention of Kyle. I hate that man. Is this how she feels every time Dionne gets brought up? Now I feel like

an a**hole.

“What did he say to you?”

“He asked me if I was sure I wanted to marry a man like Kyle. A man who smiles at people but has meanness in his eyes. He saw in Kyle what I didn’t see until it was too late. When I asked him who he thought I should marry instead, he smiled at me. Then he told me about a young man he met years ago one summer by the lake. A boy who left to serve his country. That boy showed integrity and kindness.”

I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Her father was talking about me. The night before she was to marry another man, he was telling her he wished she were marrying me instead. Suddenly I feel like a fool for being nervous.

“Did he really say that?”

“He did. You showed him something that summer. Yeah, it pi**ed him off to know you and I had premarital sex and I ended up pregnant, but he respects you. Then, when you stood up and took responsibility for Grace, he was proud of you. He looked your company up. He wanted to know what you and Aaron do.”

I am amazed at everything she told me. I never thought her father thought of me like that. “Thank you. Now, let’s go have dinner with your parents. Then when we get home tonight, we can talk more about this trial run.”

Annora smiles, then closes the distance between our bodies. She presses her body against mine suggestively, making my blood pump faster. Her hand slides up my chest sensually, making my c**k throb.

“Hold that thought right there, baby. I don’t want to go to your parents house with a h**d-on. Even though I really like the way you are thinking right now.”

Annora laughs, then leaves the room. I take a moment to think about anything other than getting her naked, pinning her under me, then making her come hard all over my c**k. F**k, that isn’t helping either. I have never had this strong of a reaction to any woman but her. She can make my heart race just by giving me a certain look.

She owns me.

She owns every fiber of my being.

I reach into my pocket to rub my finger over the leather pouch that I pick up at the bank on my way home today. Deciding it will be better to put it in the safe in my office, I head downstairs. As I pass Grace’s room, I hear Annora talking softly to her.

Rather than stick around to overhear what they are talking about, I keep walking. If it is important, Annora will fill me in later. I walk down the stairs, then head to my office. Once I put the leather pouch in my safe, I head out into the living room to wait for my girls.

While I wait, I check my email with my phone. I read through progress reports from our site managers. Now that we have security in

place, there have been no more accidents’ on the construction sites. That is good news and something Evan confirmed today.

Which reminds me, I need to tell Annora about what happened with Evan. She was right about Ethan Dionne being married. The rest will shock her, or maybe it won’t, since some of it didn’t really surprise me at all. (1

I felt a little better knowing the truth now. All of it. My gut instinct was right all along. Knowing that I let my guard down for her makes me feel like a fool, I believed her when she told me she loved me. I believed her because I wanted to find something to make my life worth living.

1

What I didn’t know was that I had something far better to live for than I knew.

I turn my head to look at the stairs when I hear Grace’s voice. When I see her coming down the stairs with Annora right behind her, I can’t help thinking that I am the luckiest man in the world right now. My amazing daughter has brought so much light into my life since I met her.

Then there is the most beautiful, thoughtful, and s**t woman in the world right behind her. Between the two of them, I can see I will have my hands full in the future. More than I already do. Grace’s teenage years will be here before her mother and I know what hit us.

That thought is enough to send a s***ke of apprehension through my system. She is already beautiful to me, but I can already imagine all the boys knocking on my door. Knowing what teenage boys are like, I am not looking forward to those days at all.

“What put that sour look on your face?” Annora asks.

“It suddenly dawned on me that Grace will be a teenager soon. A teenager, Annie. Boys, dating, malls, and learning to drive.”

Grace pulls a face when I mention boys and I laugh despite the fear that raced through me at the rest of things I mentioned. Annora laughs, then holds her hand out to me. With a frown on my face, I stand up then walk to her. She grabs my hand when I reach for her, then gives my knuckles a kiss.

“We have a few more years to prepare for that. Let’s not rush it or panic. Yet.”

I can’t help it. Panic has set in and there is no going back.

I will be that dad.

You better believe it.

Run teenage boys…. Run fast.