“Hi Quinn. I know this is late notice, but I was hoping you could join my family for our weekly barbeque tonight.”
“Oh, well…I don’t know.”
“Do you have plans already?”
“I do, actually.”
“I didn’t realize you were dating. Is it serious?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, bring him along. I’d love to meet him.”
“Umm…”
“That wasn’t a question, Quinn. I’ll see you at 7.”
She hangs up before I can protest any more. I should’ve known. Maggie doesn’t take no for an answer when she wants something. Zane and I will just have to postpone our talk until after the barbeque. A couple of hours should be no big deal.
Chapter 6
Quinn
Zane was a little upset that we had to postpone our talk, but after we made love on top of his dining room table, he agreed to go with me to the barbeque. I’m not really manipulating him with sex, because I make myself just as crazy. He drove us over here to the Griffin house in his rental car. When we pull into the drive, I see all the other cars and realize we’re probably the last to arrive. I feel a little bad, but not too much. We’re not family after all. Plus, it was a last minute invite.
We walk into the backyard holding hands, and I freeze as I see my parents there. “Quinn, what are you doing with him?” My dad looks ready to explode.
“I’m with him, Dad. I tried to call you and Mom to talk about it.”
“We wanted to surprise you, honey.”
“That’s great, Mom.” I let go of Zane’s hand to go hug them, realizing a second too late that my ring’s now showing.
“No. That is not an engagement ring on your finger. You cannot marry him after what he did to you.”
“I can, and I will. I love you both so much, but this is my choice.”
“I won’t walk you down the aisle”
“Wh-what?” I’m in such shock that my knees give out. Zane is there to catch me and pick me up into his arms. He carries me to a seat, before turning to face my father.
“Don’t do this to her. Please. Hate me all you want, but don’t punish Quinn. I know I screwed up, but I love her more than life. I’m going to do everything I can to make her happy and show her my love for the rest of our lives. I promise you.”
“She took care of you when that…that girl dumped you and you fell apart. I watched my daughter suffer because you were in pain. She loved you. I saw you fall in love with her, and I was so thankful to you when you didn’t try to keep her from her dreams.” My dad takes a deep breath before continuing. “I do not have any idea what would possess you to leave my daughter for a woman who hurt you, but you did. And I wasn’t sure Quinn was going to survive it.”
“I’m planning on explaining it all to her tonight. Our talk was postponed by coming here, but we’re talking later. I will never forgive myself for hurting her, but I had reasons. I need to tell her before I tell you, but I’ll come to you tomorrow and we can talk. Or you can punch me. Or both. For tonight, though, please just be happy with your daughter and don’t make any rash decisions about our wedding.”
“We won’t,” my mom tells him, giving my dad a look. “I’m not exactly happy with this, but I know Quinn loves you, and I believe you love her, too. If she’s willing to take you back, we’ll support you both.”
“Thank you.” He looks down at me. “I’ll make you a plate of food, Q, okay?”
I nod, and then he leaves me. I’m not alone for long, as my parents finally come over and hug me. I knew it would be rough. My parents were so angry for me. Zane’s mom was, too. She totally took my side in everything. She despises Whitney. She always has, with good reason. I know she’ll be happy we’re back together.
Zane sets my plate in front of me and sits down across from me. My parents aren’t moving. I can tell he doesn’t want to rock the boat. I give him a grateful smile and start eating.
Things go smoothly for the next hour as we all just chat and have fun. Zane and I have our ankles tangled up together under the table as I talk to my parents, and he talks to Owen and Scott. We smile at each other often, and he makes sure my water glass stays full. I know part of it’s for my parents’ benefit, but I also know it’s just him taking care of me. The way he likes to. That’s one thing I love about him. He always tries to take care of everyone.
We’re eating dessert and making plans to meet with my parents tomorrow, when Scott stands up from the table. “Hey guys, can I have everyone’s attention. I have…umm, well, an announcement to make.”
We all stop speaking and look over to him. I’m wondering what he could be announcing, when Yasmin stands up next to him. “It’s not just your announcement, Pretty Boy.”
“I know. I had to get their attention, Yas. We have an announcement.”
He looks at her and gives a smile that would melt the panties off any woman in the world. They stare at each other for a moment before looking back at all of us. Yasmin breaks the silence. “I’m pregnant!”
The girls all squeal and surround Yasmin, while the guys congratulate Scott. We’re all freaking out and so happy for the two of them. They’ve been through a lot, but came out better on the other side. I’ll admit that their relationship has given me hope for mine with Zane. Scott never left Yasmin for another woman, but he did leave her. She also left him once. But now they’re stronger and in love more than ever.
Ryan clears his throat a few minutes later. “Well, this is a little crazy and anticlimactic. We also have news.”
Maggie is the first to speak. “Really? You’re having a baby, too?”
“Yeah. We are,” Chloe replies.
Everyone turns their attention to the two of them now. This is pretty crazy. When we get back to our seats, Gary looks over to Luke and Olivia. “Is there anything the two of you would like to tell us?”
“No,” Luke tells him with a laugh. “Not that we’d be upset if it happens.”
“No, we wouldn’t. But for now, Luke has his classroom kids and I play with Hope during the day.”
“This is really going to be cool. I can’t wait to see the two of you trying to be dads.”
“Trying? Really? If you can do it, Owe, then Ry and I can definitely do it.”
“Yeah, man. Not cool.”
“I wasn’t insulting you. I was just thinking of the future. Like when your kid chooses his or her friends over spending time with you, Scott. Or when yours defies you the first time, Ry. It’s going to be epic to see how you handle all that. I mean, Hope’s still a baby, but she already has her own personality. I can only imagine her as a teenager.”
“Your brothers will do just fine, Owen. They’ll be wonderful fathers,” Maggie chides him.
“Didn’t say they wouldn’t, Mom.” He does look a little sheepish, though. “Besides, we’re about to have the coolest situation imaginable. Our three kids are going to be close in age, and once Luke gets his shit together, all four of us will have cousins who can play with each other.”
“They can play with Zane and my baby, too.”
I turn and see my worst nightmare come to life. Whitney is standing there and she’s definitely pregnant. I turn to Zane, who looks like he wants to murder her.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Whitney?”
“You wouldn’t answer my calls anymore. The baby is going to need you, so I came to you.”
“You said you didn’t sleep with her.”
“I didn’t, Q. I swear it. She’s just being the manipulative bitch she’s always been. That’s not my baby.”
“You may not have willingly slept with me, but there was that night you drank yourself into a stupor. Crying about ‘losing Quinn’ and other crap. You passed out and I had my way with you.”
“Bullshit.”
“Are you sure, Zane?”
“I am. I kicked you out before I passed out. And I double bolted the door. I wasn’t that far gone to let you stay. You know that. That is
not my kid. And you need to leave.”
“I may leave here, but I’m not leaving Vegas. I need you, Zane. You know that.”
“What I know is that I helped you all I could, because you made me feel guilty. I got away as soon as I could. I told you over, and over, that we were never going to be more than friends. Now, I can’t even be that with you. I knew you’d pull something, but this is low. Even for you. You need to get the fuck out. You can stay in Vegas all you want, but I’m not having any contact with you.”
“Oh really?” She gets an evil smile on her face and then yells over her shoulder. “Landon, come on back here.”
“No, Whitney. Dammit. No.”
A young boy runs around the corner. His eyes light up when he sees Zane. He runs over, and hugs him hard around his waist. Zane hesitates for a moment, but hugs him back. “I missed you so much, Dad. Why did you leave us?”
Time stands still as I look on in shock. Zane meets my eyes and shakes his head, mouthing “no” to me. He doesn’t deny it to the little boy, though. “I told you why I was leaving, Land. You know I love you, but I had to leave.”
“For the other girl. The one who stole you from Mom?”
I feel like I’ve just been shot. I reel backwards a little. “No. I don’t know what your mom told you, but Quinn didn’t steal me from your mom. I love Quinn. Your mom and I are just friends.”
“But she’s having another baby. We need to stick together and be a family.”
“Land, I’ll keep in touch with you and maybe I can come visit you sometimes, but we’re not all going to be a family. Ever.”
The boy—Zane’s son—looks like he’s about to lose it. I have to do something, so I do what’s right. “No Zane. You should be with your son.”
“What? Quinn?” I pull off my ring and hand it to him. “No. Don’t do this. I can explain. I was supposed to explain tonight. This isn’t what it looks like.”
“He’s not your son?”
He looks conflicted as he looks at Landon, then me. His jaw is clenched. “Dad, tell her. I’m yours. Your name’s on my birth certificate. I’ve seen it.”
Zane looks up, like the Heavens are going to give him the answer he needs. I can’t stand to feel the pain that’s radiating from him, so I drop the ring on the table and start to walk away. “We need to talk, Quinn. Please. Just promise to talk to me.”
“I can’t promise you anything right now.”
I walk past Whitney and resist the urge to punch her. My parents form a barrier around me as I glare at her. I make it to the car before I collapse. My parents hug me tight and then help me into the car. I’m not sure where they’re taking me, but I know I have to get away from here.
* * *
Zane
I’m ready to kill Whitney. Like I can actually see myself murdering her. I take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down before I speak. “Can someone take Landon inside so I can speak to his mother, please?”
Whitney’s eyes go wide. She knows. I’m done protecting her and keeping her secrets. She’s gone too far. This whole fucking situation has gone too far.
“I’ll take him. Come on, Landon. My name’s Alex. We have some cool video games inside that you can play while your parents talk.”
Landon reluctantly lets go of me, and I give him a smile. I do love the kid. “Thanks, Alex.”
Once they’re inside and out of earshot, I turn on Whitney. “You fucking, lying bitch. How dare you come here? How dare you bring your son?”
“I had to, Zane. You gave me no choice when you wouldn’t come back to Chicago.”
“Why would I go back when my life is here?”
“Your life? You mean Quinn?”
“Yes. She’s my life. I’ve been very clear about that to you. Very clear.”
“What about our son?”
“Your son, not ours. Drop the fucking act, Whit. I was already going to tell my friends what’s been going on.”
“You can’t. If it gets out…”
“It apparently needs to get out if you’re pregnant again.”
She can’t even look at me. It is his. The guy who she’s been involved with since she was seventeen. I was such an idiot back then, but I’m not now.
“I’m trying to follow along here. Landon isn’t your son, Zane?”
“No, Maggie, he’s not. Although I’m on his birth certificate because Whitney convinced me he was. That’s why I was gone so long. I intended just to go with her and talk. I knew I loved Quinn, but I had to be sure, for both our sakes. I kissed Whitney and knew immediately that I was over her. I was about to leave and find Quinn when she pulled out the birth certificate. I believed her and went back to Chicago. It wasn’t until a month in, when I was already in love with Landon, that she had to tell me the truth. I wouldn’t sleep with her and told her I would support the two of them, but I was going to win my woman back and there was nothing she could do to change my mind. Or my heart. She told me the truth then. I won’t get into it all right now, but I am not Landon’s father. I stayed longer to help her plan what to do.” I take another deep breath to keep myself calm, and then look at her. “I told you to tell him the truth. You said you would. Why does he still think I’m his father?”
“He loves you. You’re the only father he’s known. You didn’t deny it in front of your precious Quinn.”
“I couldn’t hurt him.” But I hurt her again.
“Then come back to Chicago with us. It’s what he wants. We can be a family.”
“No. We can’t. I don’t have feelings for you. Even the friendship I felt for you is gone after this stunt of yours. If I never see you again in my life, it still won’t be enough. I can’t believe you did this. No, I take that back. I can believe it. You need to go inside and get your son. Then the two of you need to leave.”
“We have nowhere to go.”
“Bull fucking shit. You have your inheritance. If you can’t figure out how to take care of yourself and your kids, hire someone. Just get out.”
She looks around, but when she sees that she’ll get no sympathy from the Griffins, she resigns herself and heads inside. I drop into the nearest chair, my head in my hands. This situation is so beyond fucked up and I can’t deal with it anymore. I just can’t. I shouldn’t have to.
“Dude, she lied to you about him being your kid? That’s seriously fucked up?”
“I know, Scott.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped.”
“I thought I could handle it. I told her I wasn’t getting back with her. I said I’d visit Landon and be part of his life, but that my life was with Quinn.”
“She is seriously one fucked up bitch.”
“Yes, Candi, she is.”
“Do you know who the father is?”
“Landon’s? Yeah, Gary. I know the baby is his, too—at least I’m pretty sure it is. She didn’t deny it.”
“Why didn’t she just go to him?”
“He’s a friend of her father’s. A married friend. She was seeing us both when we were high school seniors. When she got pregnant, she told him and he begged her to keep quiet, telling her he’d leave his wife when he could. So she put me on the birth certificate and incurred her parent’s wrath. All for some guy who’s never leaving his wife. She told me they’ve been on and off for all these years. At least I know why she tried so hard to get me to sleep with her. She needed to use me as a cover again.”
“Wow, just wow. That’s crazy. She’s crazy,” Luke tells me.
“That she is. And now her crazy has leaked back into my life. Quinn looked so broken. Again. I don’t know if she’ll listen to me.”
“She will. She loves you so much, Zane. I’ll get her to meet with you.”
“Thanks, Chloe. I don’t want to force her, but I’ll take all the help I can get with convincing her to listen.”
“Would you like to move into the guest house for now?” Maggie asks me.
“Move?”
“Unt
il Quinn talks to you, it may be awkward for you to live next door to her. You said you didn’t want to push her.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Maggie. I’ll get my stuff tonight.”
I leave soon after, heading for my apartment to pack up. It’s hard to step off the elevator and not go to Quinn’s apartment to see if she’s there. I need to do this right, though, and not pressure her. It’s worked for me once and I’m hoping it does it again. I pack up my clothes, which is all I really have here, and head back to the Griffin house.
Chapter 7
Quinn
I spent the weekend with my parents in their hotel suite. I shut my phone off the whole time, because I didn’t want to see Zane trying to reach me. I cried a lot, yelled a lot, and hurt even more than I did last time we broke up. My parents said nothing at all until Sunday night. Then they shocked the hell out of me.
“You need to talk to Zane,” my dad tells me.
“What? You’re on his side?”
“We’re always on your side, Quinn. You know that. But I believe that he loves you and Whitney isn’t pregnant with his child. I’m not sure about the older boy, but even if he is Zane’s son, that doesn’t mean you can’t be together.”
“I agree with your father. Talk to him. If you still can’t be with him, then that’s your choice. But you owe it to both you and Zane to hear what he has to say.”
I know they’re right. I need to at least hear him out. I head back to my place, but stop at his door instead of mine when I get off the elevator. I knock, but he doesn’t answer. I guess he’s not home. I’ll try him again in the morning.
I go into my apartment and plug in my phone, deciding that I need to turn it on and watch the texts and missed calls come up. I read and listen to the ones from Yasmin, Chloe, Candi, Olivia, Scott, and Owen first. They all tell me to talk to Zane. That things aren’t as they seem. I take a deep breath before opening Zane’s texts. There’s only two, and no voicemails, which surprises me more than a little.
Friday 10:38 PM
Zane: I love you, Quinn. Please talk to me.
Sunday 3:17 PM
Zane: You’re obviously not going to call me. I understand, and I won’t push. Just come to me when you’re ready to talk. I LOVE YOU SO, SO MUCH!
Designing the Love Page 5