“I don’t know what you think it is,” she breathed.
I peeked up at her and saw how nervous she was.
My jaw fell lax and I flicked through the pages one more time, to make sure I wasn’t imagining things.
How the hell did I get so lucky?
“Why, Quinn? Why? I... I don’t know what to say.”
She shrugged, her frail shoulders rising and falling slightly.
“I know what it means to you, Harrison.”
She did all this... for me...
“I want to help them too. I know that’s why you were out there doing what you were doing. You care too much for people and I know that it’ll eat you up inside turning your back on them... and it’ll destroy me knowing that you gave up something you value, for me.”
I met her green eyes with wonder, unable to speak.
I wanted to tell her that I’d give up oxygen for her if I had to, but the words wouldn’t come.
“El and her dad are more than happy to help, Lawson is on board, so is Reeve... and even that detective you’ve been dealing with. So that just leaves you...” she trailed off.
Anthony...
I stared into her eyes and thought about the possibilities for this foundation. It would keep victims safe from those that weren’t deemed as predators by the law, it’d help get them justice, get scum off the streets...
It could have saved Sam.
It was the most amazing idea I’d ever heard. And the fact that Rush Communications and Pierce Contracting were willing to cover the costs, in conjunction with our firm, was the icing on the cake. Quinn had even brainstormed some ideas for a black tie event with auctions to raise money.
This would really work.
“If it’s not what you want, we’ll think of another way to help them,” she rambled. “We could—”
I cut her off by claiming her lips with mine.
“Mmmm,” she murmured, giving herself up completely to me, her lips parting, letting me take the lead.
My whole body ignited with a passion only Quinn evoked in me.
She moaned softly, and I pulled away, unable to take anymore.
My office was not the place to strip her down and take her, and if this kiss carried on, that was exactly what was going to happen.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I said after I placed a soft kiss to her forehead.
She shrugged. “I love you. I want you to be happy.”
I swear in that moment my heart stopped beating. She’d never said those words to me before.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat.
“You love me?”
She nodded shyly. “I love you so much, Harrison.”
I pulled her into my lap and hugged her tight.
“I love you more than you can possibly imagine, Quinn,” I murmured into her neck. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
***
We’d been sitting in my office, Quinn in my lap, for the past hour. Hardly any words had been exchanged between the two of us, but so much was being said.
“Oh my gosh,” Quinn suddenly stated, sitting up straight to look at me. “You didn’t tell me what happened today?” Her eyes began scanning my face as her hands rubbed up my arms and over my chest, searching for injuries. “Did they hurt you?”
I caught her hands in mine. “I’m fine, Skippy. They didn’t lay a finger on me.”
“I tried to ask Anthony earlier, but it wasn’t a good time, there were a lot of people around.”
I looked into her eyes. “They got him, Quinn. And half his boys.”
“So he won’t be out to get you?” she asked with a nervous expression on her face.
“He’ll be put away for life,” I reassured her. “He can’t touch us, Quinn.” I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and kissed her lips gently.
“So what now?” She smiled sweetly.
I grinned.
“Well, now, there’s this woman who I’ve been missing like crazy, and I’ve finally got her back.”
“Oh have you now?” She giggled. “And what do you plan on doing with her?”
“First I’m gonna take her out to dinner.”
“And then?” she prompted.
“And then I’m gonna take her home to my bed.”
She made a small sigh of contentment.
“And then?” she whispered into my neck.
“And then I’m gonna keep her forever,” I whispered back.
“I’ve learned a lot this year. I learned that things don’t always turn out the way you planned, or the way you think they should. And I’ve learned that there are things that go wrong that don’t always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I’ve learned that some broken things stay broken, and I’ve learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones, as long as you have people who love you.”
- Jennifer Weiner
Epilogue
Harrison
Four months later
“Is that you, Skippy?” I called down the stairs after hearing the creak of the door.
“It’s me,” she called back.
I grabbed my gym bag that was merely a prop and jogged down the stairs to meet her.
“Hey, babe.” I grinned as I caught sight of her, sliding her heels off.
“Hey back.” She smiled at me. Her eyes roamed my body. “I forgot you were sparring today.” She strolled over to me and I threw my bag toward the door where it landed with a thud.
I loved it when she looked at me like that. I was more than happy to be stared at like a piece of meat by this woman.
“I’m meant to be, I can call it off?” I kissed her forehead and slipped my arms around her waist, pulling her body against mine.
She’s so beautiful.
She was finally looking healthy again. Her skin and hair glowed, and she’d built up some muscle and body fat. She looked like the woman I fell in love with again.
“No don’t be silly.” She waved away my offer.
I knew she wouldn’t ask me to stay home.
Quinn was more than happy for me to let off some steam in a constructive way, even if that meant throwing punches at her brother. Lawson and his mate Rome had talked me into joining their sparring sessions at the local boxing gym. They were tired of beating the shit out of each other and wanted a fresh contender. It was a surprisingly good time.
We were all pretty evenly matched. Rome was the strongest, I was the fastest, and Lawson was a solid mix of both. Rome had the potential to knock you clean out, but he’d barely had the chance to land a glove to me. I was too quick. I could hit him over and over, but he was built like a brick shit house and refused to go down. Lawson was tough too, still stronger than me, but not as fast, neither of us seemed to be able to get an edge over the other. We’d all done our share of street fighting, so we weren’t afraid to fight dirty too. It was fun, in a twisted sort of way.
“Are you sure?” I pressed.
“Yeah, its fine, I’m going to El’s anyway remember?” she reminded me. “I just wanted to come and say hi and pick up a few things.”
Quinn wasn’t officially living here, but she spent about eighty percent of her time here with me. It was something I was working on amending – soon.
“Right, I forgot about that.”
Truth was, I hadn’t forgotten. It was all part of my plan.
“When will you be back? Remember we’ve got dinner with Colt and the new girl; it’s their last night in town.”
She grinned, and I knew we were both thinking about the weirdness of the whole situation.
“I’m well aware.” She winked at me. “And stop calling her the new girl; it’s been three months... I’ll meet you back here at seven to get ready? I’m pretty sure I’ve got a dress here I can wear.”
“There’s about a hundred up in my wardrobe. I’m pretty sure you’re covered.”
The last thing I needed was her going back to her place to f
ind something to wear.
“I’d better go; the boys will be waiting for me.”
As much as I wanted to stay here and hold her, I had a plan to pull off, and that meant letting her go right now.
She looked up at me and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Don’t get beat up.”
I chuckled and kissed her again. “I make no promises.”
I let her go and headed for the door. I squatted down to get my gym bag and heard her groan.
“What?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Your ass looks so hot in those shorts.”
A loud laugh burst out of my lips. “God, I love you.”
She laughed. “I love you too.”
I hope you’ll still love me later.
Quinn wasn’t known for her fondness of surprises. I was hoping she’d make one exception. For me. Tonight.
***
Quinn
“Stella girl, can you stop growing please?” I teased my niece.
“I swear she’s bigger every time I come over.” I looked at El.
“God, I know. She’s just grown out of all her shoes... again,” El complained.
“Lucky Aunty Q likes shopping, huh?” I asked Stella.
“Wanty Coo Coo!” Stella shrieked before throwing one of her balls for me to catch.
I threw it gently back to her outstretched arms.
“You want more kids, right?” I asked El, retrieving the ball Stella had sent flying.
She was staring at Stella with a dreamy smile on her face and one hand resting on her flat stomach.
Is she?
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” I yelled.
El snapped her head around to look at me. “What? No! Jesus, Quinn.”
I pointed at her hand.
“Oh, for the love of God.” She rolled her eyes and moved her hand. “I want more kids. Soon... maybe, just not right now.”
“Coo Coo!” Stella yelled, reminding me I was holding her ball.
“So how are you and Harrison?” El asked as she went back to folding up a stack of Stella’s clothes.
“God no. We’re not ready for kids.”
She rolled her eyes at my answer. “I meant how’s it going? I thought you might have moved in by now?”
“I pretty much have...” I trailed off, biting down on my lip.
“But...?” she probed.
I tossed the ball gently back to Stella. She chased after it when it bounced out of her waiting arms.
I turned to El. “He hasn’t asked me to,” I confessed. “I’ve kind of been waiting for him to ask... but maybe he’s not ready.”
El looked away quickly, busying herself tidying up all of Stella’s crap from the floor.
“Who knows, Q. Men are strange creatures.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“You want to live with him though, right?”
“Hell yes,” I replied.
I frowned as she visibly exhaled a relieved breath.
***
Harrison
“That’s the last of it.” Logan grunted as he shut the heavy door on the moving truck.
“I should fucking hope so.” I shook my head in disbelief.
There was more stuff here than I’d anticipated. How one woman accumulated so much shit, without even owning a house, was beyond me.
I needed to get it all over to my place, and fast. I only had another hour to pull this off.
“You don’t know what you’ve got yourself into, man,” Rome taunted.
Rome, Logan, Lawson and Reeve were all here helping me pull this off. They’d all told me I was mad – that moving a woman like Quinn into your house, without her knowledge or approval, was like kicking a live grenade just to see if it’d blow.
“You might need that foundation of yours to keep you safe and sound after this.” Logan sniggered, thinking his pun was funnier than it was.
“You’ll see,” I boasted. “She’ll love it.”
They all laughed openly at me.
“Fuck you, guys. Let’s just get on with it.”
***
Quinn
I pulled into Harrison’s driveway and I was just about to turn off the key when the garage door opened in front of me. My phone beeped simultaneously.
“Welcome home.”
I gasped as I realized Harrison had made space in the garage for me to park my car.
Welcome home?
I drove in, shut the car off and sat still for a moment, taking a few calming breaths.
Does he mean what I think...?
I rushed out of the car, desperate to know if this was his way of asking me to move in with him.
“Harrison?” I called out into the dark house.
Why the hell is he in darkness?
I got the answer the minute I flicked on the light switch. Everything I owned was stacked against walls, in the hallway and all over the living room.
I felt my jaw fall lax.
He’s moved me in?
“Penny for your thoughts?” His voice came from the stairway and I immediately snapped my head around to face him.
He was perched on a step, looking incredibly nervous, like maybe all of a sudden he didn’t think this was such a great idea.
“You... you—” I stuttered, looking around at all my stuff again.
“I hope you want to live with me, Skippy.”
“It’s a bit late if I don’t,” I managed to reply.
He chuckled and rose to his feet.
“Well what’s the verdict?” He walked slowly down the last couple of stairs. “The boys have got some serious bets going on about how this is going to go down.”
I was going to live here. With him... the man I loved more than I’d thought possible.
“The verdict?” I approached him, keeping my expression unreadable.
He was watching me cautiously.
“Fuck, Quinn, can you just tell me already. I’m sweating bullets over here.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
My face broke out in a giant grin and I closed the gap between us, throwing myself into his arms. “I thought you’d never ask!”
I crashed my lips against his, kissing him with all the fire I possessed, my legs wrapping around his hips.
I felt him fist pump the air and I busted out laughing.
“You’re such an idiot,” I teased. “Did you really think I’d say no?”
“I knew you’d say yes. I was more worried about the fact that I never actually asked.”
“You’re kind of an asshole like that.”
He grinned crookedly at me and I felt myself fall just a little more in love with him.
“Are you happy, Quinn?”
I smiled at the question he’d asked me once before.
“I’m happy right here with you,” I replied.
“God, I love you.”
I looked at the man who had stolen my heart and knew that I was truly happy. We still fought like cats and dogs, he could be bossy and arrogant, and he drove me crazy most of the time, but he cared about people – really and truly cared about people. And that was good enough for me.
***
Harrison
I was undoubtedly the luckiest man I knew. I got the woman I loved back, and she’d trusted me again when I didn’t deserve it, loved me when I wasn’t worthy, and had given me her whole heart. She looked at me and saw what was important to me, and made it important to her.
I twirled her in my arms and listened to her laugh ringing through the hallway of our home.
She made me happy. Happier than the hundreds of dollars the boys were going to owe me for pulling this off, happier than chasing criminals... happier than I’d ever felt in my whole life.
That’s how I knew she was it for me.
I smiled at the thought of the little velvet box hidden in my bottom drawer.
I had one more surprise for her. It wouldn’t be today or tomorrow... but one day soon, I would make damn sure this woman w
ore my ring on her finger.
Acknowledgements
I want to say a big thank you to Amanda, for reading every last bit of nonsense I send, giving me opinions and suggestions, and trying to decipher what exactly the New Zealand sayings I’m using are meant to mean.
Thank you, and I apologize for you having to have the ‘cut your lunch’ conversation with your husband!
To Bianca, for the support, the laughs, the banter and for just getting it! Thank you so much for being a sounding board for me and for tolerating my phone’s many autocorrect fails.
Thank you both so much for being there for me and my books, I appreciate it more than you know.
Hunted Playlist
Love me or Leave me – Little Mix
Who You Are – Jessie J
i hate you, I love u – gnash (feat. Olivia O’Brien)
Rock Bottom – Hailee Steinfeld
Just Can’t Get Enough – The Black Eyed Peas
Find Your Love – Drake
Wild Ones – Flo Rida (feat Sia)
Stay – Rihanna & Mikky Ekko
Not Giving In – Rudimental (feat. John Newman & Alex Clare)
Secret Love Song – Little Mix & Jason Derulo
So High – Six60
For the First Time – The Script
LIKE I WOULD – ZAYN
PILLOWTALK – ZAYN
Wild Things – Alessia Cara
Out Of The Woods – Taylor Swift
Red – Taylor Swift
Give Me Love – Ed Sheeran
Close – Nick Jonas & Tove Lo
This Is What You Came For – Calvin Harris & Rihanna
Too Good – Drake & Rihanna
Be The One – Dua Lipa
Last Dance – Dua Lipa
Waiting Game – Banks
Treat You Better – Shawn Mendes
Into You – Ariana Grande
Am I Wrong – Nico & Vinz
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room – John Mayer
Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw
Let Her Go – Passanger
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna
Bed Of Lies – Nicki Minaj & Skylar Grey
It Will Rain – Bruno Mars
You Don’t Own Me – Grace & G-Eazy
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4) Page 67