A Broken Soul (The Pembrooke Series Book 3)

by Prince, Jessica

  “Quinn,” I said on an expelled breath.

  “Hey, baby.” Then he smiled. Smiled. All the way to his eyes, and the beauty of it hit me square in the stomach. I’d never seen anything so amazing in all my life.

  “What… what are you doing here?”

  He scooped Sophia up with his free arm and gently placed her feet on the floor before lifting the roses. “I wanted to give you these.”

  I moved on autopilot, taking the flowers from his hand as I stuttered, “Th-thank you. They’re, um, they’re beautiful.”

  His right hand came up and caressed my cheek, the pad of his thumb trailing along my cheekbone to my temple. Just that simple touch was like an electric jolt. “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”

  What was happening? Was I dreaming? That was the only logical explanation for the baffling turn my day had suddenly taken.

  “I don’t,” I stumbled over my words, as his green eyes held mine captive. His gorgeous smiling green eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening right now,” I whispered.

  He took one step closer, both of his hands cupping the sides of my neck as his fingers threaded through my hair. “What’s happening is I’ve been a fucking idiot.”

  “Language, son!” At the unexpected female voice, I tipped my head to the side and noticed, for the first time, that Quinn’s parents were standing right behind him… and beside them were Addison’s.

  Quinn’s hands shifted my face back so I was looking up at him. “I’ve been an idiot,” he amended. “I’ve missed you so much, Lilly. And I couldn’t wait another day to see you.”

  I put pressure on his hands, needing to break the connection between us. I couldn’t handle it. It was too much. My poor, battered heart couldn’t possibly take another beating. “I don’t—”

  “I’m in love with you,” he spoke, loud and firm, and I froze in place, my eyes going wide as my jaw dropped. “I love you, baby. I have for a long time. But I needed to work on letting go of my past before I could come back for you. I needed to prove to you that I’m the kind of man who deserves you.”

  I couldn’t process what he was saying. After having my heart broken so completely, I didn’t trust my own ears, so instead of saying what my heart was screaming for me to say, that I loved him too, I leaned in and spit out the first words that came to mind.

  “Quinn, everyone’s watching,” I whispered, as my gaze darted around our captivated audience. “They can hear you.”

  He chuckled lightly as his hands gave me a squeeze. “I know, baby. I asked them to be here.”

  I reared back as far as I could with his hold on me. “What? Why?”

  “Because if there’s one thing I learned in everything I put you through, it’s that my actions speak louder than my words. I couldn’t just tell you I loved you. I had to show you.”

  His hands unwound from my hair and reached down, taking the roses from my hand and passing them off to Kyle so he could grip my own. I lowered my gaze and sucked in an audible breath that what I saw.

  Or, more to the point, what I didn’t.

  His ring was gone.

  “Lilly,” he said, pulling my attention back to his face. “You aren’t my dirty little secret. I’m not ashamed to be with you, I never was. I just had to learn how to let go of my past before I could give you exactly what you needed. But I’m ready to do that now. I love you with everything I am. And I’m asking… no, I’m begging you to give me another chance, because I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  Damn it. I was crying again. In front of everybody. But I couldn’t find it in me to care. “You really love me?”

  He smiled that smile that took my breath away. “Since the first time you set your kitchen on fire.”

  I threw my head back and laughed, loudly and from deep within my belly. When I finally looked back at him, his eyes were on my dimple. He lifted our joined hands and ran the tip of his finger across it. “God I’ve missed seeing this.”

  The warmth in my chest spread through my entire body, blanketing me in happiness. “I love you too,” I rasped, as more tears spilled from my eyes.

  A loud, hiccupping sob cut through the moment, drawing my and Quinn’s attention away from each other.

  “Sorry,” Eliza blubbered when we all looked at her. She waved her hands in front of her face like she was trying to stop crying. “Sorry. It’s just so beautiful.” She burst into another round of sobs as her face pinched up. “Oh god, these pregnancy hormones are the worst!”

  Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her in so her front was pressed to his side. He buried her face in his chest and he waved at us. “Carry on.”

  Quinn and I both laughed as we faced each other once again. “So,” he asked, using his grip on my hands to pull me flush against him. “Does this mean you’ll take me back?”

  I nodded wildly, and gave him a watery smile. “Yes.”

  He dropped his head back and declared, “Thank Christ!” to the ceiling.

  “Yay!” Sophia shouted. “Miss Lilly’s gonna be Daddy’s girlfriend! I want a little sister for Christmas!”

  I burst into another peal of laughter, only for Quinn to cut it off with a toe-curling kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him back with the exact same enthusiasm. It was by far the best moment of my life. I never wanted it to end.

  Unfortunately, Kyle had to clear his throat and ruin it. “Sorry to break up this happily ever after, folks. But we’ve got a show to put on.”

  “Oh God! I completely forgot!” I cried, jumping from Quinn’s embrace to turn and shout across the backstage area. “Five minutes, guys! Everyone get in place for the opening number!” The kids who’d been scattered all around started rushing to get into place.

  Sophia’s arms around me pulled my gaze downward. “Love you, Miss Lilly.” Oh God, I couldn’t take much more goodness or I was going to be just as emotional as Eliza. But that didn’t stop me from squatting down and wrapping her in a tight hug. “I love you too, Little Miss.” She struggled from my hold and squealed excitedly before rushing off to take her position. There was very little she loved more than being the center of attention on that stage, and I couldn’t wait to watch her dance. It was quickly becoming one of my very favorite things.

  Mom came up to my side and placed a kiss on my cheek. “You happy, honey?”

  I leaned in for a hug. “So happy, Mom.”

  We pulled apart and she gave my cheek a soft pat. “Then that’s all that matters.” Then she turned and made her way to her seat.

  “I’ll just take this hot mess to our seats,” Ethan said, guiding a still crying Eliza from the back stage.

  Quinn’s parents stepped in front of us, and Mrs. Mallick offered a genuine, “Welcome to the family.” I got an arm squeeze from Quinn’s dad before they, too, headed for the audience.

  That left me and Quinn with his late wife’s parents. I didn’t know how to act, what to say to them, but I soon discovered that it didn’t matter. Quinn’s father-in-law slapped him on the shoulder like a proud father, and offered him a, “Good work, son.”

  Janice’s eyes were full of happy tears as she smiled up at me. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you.”

  “I’m looking forward to that, too,” I whispered.

  “Well, I guess we’ll see you two after the show,” she added, then the two of them made their way from the back stage.

  I felt Quinn’s arms wrap around my waist, and I turned to look up at him. “Are you going to go find your seat?”

  He bent and pressed another kiss against my mouth. “No fucking way,” he muttered softly against my lips. “Now that I’ve got you in my arms, I’m never letting go. I’ll watch from back here. With you.”

  I sighed happily and melted into his embrace. “I love you, Quinn.”

  “I love you too, Lilly. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.”

  Oh yeah. Definitely the bes
t moment of my life.

  And somewhere deep inside, I knew my father was looking down on us, happily. Because he knew his baby girl had found exactly what she deserved.

  Lilly

  I’D BEEN ON cloud nine all evening. As promised, Quinn stayed with me backstage for the entire program, only letting me go when I needed to flit around to help students get ready for their numbers. As soon as I was finished, he rejoined me, and we watched the kids dance while wrapped around each other.

  Once the show was over, he’d asked if I would stay at his place for the night. Sophia was going to dinner with Addison’s parents, then staying with them at their hotel for the night.

  Alone time with Quinn after he confessed in front of all our family and friends that he loved me? Yes, please!

  We walked through his front door, and I made my way into his living room, kicking off my heels as I went before dropping my purse in the recliner. I turned back and looked over my shoulder as I plopped down on the couch. Quinn was resting against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, that gorgeous full smile on his face as he watched me.

  “Do you still have Vikings on your DVR? I kind of got hooked on that show when I babysat Sophia that one time.”

  He chuckled and moved further into the living room. “I do. But first, there’s something I want to show you. Will you let me?”

  His question caught me off guard. “Of course.”

  “Wait here.” He leaned down to the couch and kissed my lips before heading off in the direction of the hallway. He returned a minute later, carrying a cardboard box in his hand. “I want you to see this,” he said, as he took a seat next to me, setting the box on the coffee table in front of us. “I need you to see that I want you in every single part of my life. And in order to do that, I need to open up, talk to you about my past.”

  My heart was in my throat and tears began to well up, clogging my throat and making me unable to speak.

  “This is Addison, my wife,” he spoke quietly, removing the lid off the box and pulling the picture out that I knew used to sit on his nightstand. He’d moved that, too. God, he was killing me.

  I took the picture that he handed to me and looked down at it. Feeling myself smile at the sight of his own radiating out from the photo.

  “I met her my first year of college after I moved to Seattle. We got married shortly after we graduated. She was…” A variety of emotion flitted across his face.

  I rested my hand on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to offer comfort. “Quinn, you don’t have to do this.”

  When he looked back at me, his eyes were shining brightly. “I want to.” His voice was hoarse. “It’s sad, and I still miss her all the time, but it doesn’t hurt like it used to.” He pulled in a long breath and I waited, giving him time as he composed himself.

  Eventually, he continued, taking a different picture from the box and studying it as he spoke. “She was amazing. A great wife and mother, a fabulous daughter. There wasn’t a single person she met who didn’t instantly fall in love with her.” He turned his head and gave me his eyes. “You would have really liked her.”

  “I have no doubt,” I whispered. “She sounds wonderful. And she helped to make you the man you are today. That takes someone truly amazing.”

  His smile touched his eyes as he leaned into me, touching his forehead to mine. “And she really would have liked you.”

  At that, I lost the strength to hold back the tears and let one… two… three slide down my cheeks. But these were different. For the first time in months, I was crying because I was well and truly happy. “I hope she would.”

  “I know it,” he replied earnestly. “Lilly, I want… I want to keep Addy’s spirit alive here, for Sophia’s sake. I want her to know her mother. She was so little when she died. I—”

  I reached up and pressed two fingers against his lips, silencing him mid-sentence. “For you and Sophia both,” I told him. “I don’t want her memory to be a bad one for you. Sophia deserves to know her mother, and you deserve to remember the woman you loved with all your heart. It’s tragic how she was taken away from you, but we don’t have to let it stay that way.

  “She’s an important part of both of you. That should never change. I wouldn’t want it to.”

  “You mean that?”

  “With all my heart, honey. I never want you to feel like you have to choose between the two of us. You gave her a part of you years ago.” I rested my palm flat against his chest, staring down at it as I said, “I’m not going to try and steal it back. That’s hers always. But I’m lucky, because there’s another part that’s just for me.”

  “God, I love you,” he rumbled, his lips moving against mine as he asked, “You believe me, right?”

  I gave him a small nod. “I do. And I love you, too.”

  “Thank you,” he breathed against my skin. “Thank you for giving me another chance, for believing in me, for loving me.”

  “You’re welcome,” I smiled, giving him that dimple I knew he loved so much. “And thank you for fighting so hard to be the man I deserve.”

  “Always, baby. Now, about Vikings…”

  “Yeah?” I asked on a soft moan as his lips skated across my jaw and down the throbbing vein in my neck.

  “It’s going to have to wait. Because I’m taking you to bed, right now.”

  I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You won’t get any argument from me.”

  Quinn

  Thanksgiving

  I TOOK IN the view of the chaos happening through the glass French doors that led inside as I stood on the back deck of my new house. Well, mine and Lilly’s, seeing as she agreed to marry me when I proposed a few months back, and didn’t put up much of a fight when I told her we were buying a house and moving in together.

  I brought the bottle of beer to my lips and chuckled as the screams of children getting into God only knew what echoed from somewhere inside. We had a full house this year, and I couldn’t be happier about it, but that didn’t mean I didn’t need an escape — a few minutes of peace and quiet to break through the pandemonium that came with hosting Thanksgiving with everyone you knew and loved.

  Garrett and Janice had flown in from Seattle to spend the long weekend with us. Eliza and Ethan where here with their baby girl, Avery, and their own families. That included Ethan’s sister Harlow and her husband Noah, and Eliza’s father Derrick and stepmother Chloe, along with both of their brood of rugrats. We had a full house. Lilly’s mother had commandeered our kitchen right alongside my mom, Eliza, and Janice. Garrett, Noah, Ethan, and Garrett had set up in front of the TV in our massive family room to watch the football game, and Chloe and Harlow were busy trying to keep the kids in check. From the sounds of something breaking inside, they weren’t doing all that good of a job.

  But I couldn’t seem to care that my house was being torn apart, because I had everyone I loved right here under one roof. There was nothing but goodness and light in my life lately. I turned to face the snow-topped mountains that surrounded our little town in such beauty, thinking how thankful I was.

  I was lucky enough to wake up each morning and get to make pancakes for the two most amazing women in my life. It couldn’t possibly get any better than that.

  The sound of the door opening and closing had me turning to look over my shoulder. The sight of Lilly joining me on the deck had a smile stretching clear across my face, and just like every time since the Spring Showcase, Lilly sucked in a breath at the sight of it. She’d told me not long after that the sight of my smile reaching my eyes was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  I turned as she made her way in my direction. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” she asked, as she fitted her chest to mine.

  “Enjoying the quiet,” I answered, wrapping her in my arms. She nuzzled into my chest and let out a content sigh. “What about you? What brings you out here?”

  “They kicked me out of the kitchen,” she grumble
d, making me burst into laughter.

  “You should have known better, baby.” I chuckled, as she gave me a playful smack.

  “Yeah, well. I thought I had veto power since it is my kitchen.”

  I smiled against her hair and asked, “You tell Jan and Garrett we’re flying out the day after Christmas?”

  “Yeah.” She giggled. “I thought Janice was going to burst into tears. She’s already making an itinerary.”

  “She likes hosting family,” I told her, remembering how much she used to love it when Addy and I would pack Sophie up and come to stay with them for a few days, even though we lived in the same city. Janice was a natural-born hostess.

  “Then I’m more than happy to give her that,” Lilly whispered. My girl, always giving so much of herself. Luckily, now she was surrounded by people who gave her the very same.

  We settled into silence, just holding on to each other, happy to live in the moment.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking,” she said a few minutes later, her voice all soft and happy.

  “Oh yeah, what about?”

  “I think we should change the wedding date.”

  I lifted my head and she tipped hers up to look into my frowning face. “If you think I’m pushing the wedding date back, you’ve lost your fucking mind.” We’d fought when she informed me she wanted to wait until the following summer to get married. I’d wanted to make her my wife the moment she had my ring on her finger, but she refused to rush, saying a wedding took months to plan.

  I’d finally caved, but I wasn’t necessarily happy about it. Lilly was mine, but I wanted her tied to me in every way possible.

  She smiled, giving me that dimple that drove me crazy. “I was thinking more along the lines of pushing it up.”

  My brows shot up in confusion. “What?”

  “Yeah,” she shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle big and pregnant, now would I?”

  Every muscle in my body locked tight as my arms squeezed around her waist. “What?” I repeated on a ragged breath.