“Actually, I do,” I reminded him.
He sighed and then sat back down across from me, all his frustrations gone. “Then why are you questioning this? Why are you acting like I’m being unreasonable by wanting you make sure your home safe every night? Come on, Q, cut me some slack here.”
I searched his face and all I saw was genuine concern. I wasn’t a fan of his high handedness, but I understood where he was coming from. When Eric attacked Avery, all I wanted was to know she was safe too.
Fuck, I hated it when Chase was right.
“It’s just a lot to take in, Chase.”
And then he hit me with another example of just how good a man he was. “We can move if you don’t like the condo or if we’re too far from the girls.”
I couldn’t stop the onslaught of emotions even if I had tried. I started crying and I just couldn’t stop and it hurt like a bitch because my body was still sore.
Before I could get any words out, Chase was on the couch wrapping me up in his arms just holding me like he was never going to let go. “Don’t cry, Q. Please, baby, don’t cry. It’ll all be okay. I promise. I swear. Just, for the love of God, please stop crying. You’re killing me, babe.”
I wanted to laugh at his begging, but I couldn’t through the tears. I found myself crying for so many things past. It was almost like my soul was so tired from holding it all in all this time that the dam finally burst.
I didn’t know how long I cried, but the experience was so taxing, I found myself jolted awake as if I cried myself to sleep. “Chase?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I’m tired,” I whispered into his shirt.
I could hear and feel his chest as he chuckled. “I figured. You were snoring up a storm.”
The jerk.
I pulled away from him and sat up. I knew I had to look a complete disaster. I was all purple and yellow from the bruises and some parts of my face were still swollen. This crying jag did nothing to improve my looks, I’m sure. And because I’m a girl…“I can’t imagine how horrible I look right now.”
He took my face in both his hands and kissed my forehead. “Quinn, even with your face smashed in, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
I laughed. “You are so romantic.”
He gifted me with one of his signature smirks. “I’m full of surprises. You just don’t know.”
I was quiet for a bit before I put him out of his misery. “I forgive you.”
“Thank fuck!”
“And your condo is fine. We don’t need to move or anything like that. I just…I wasn’t expecting it and I really should have. I mean, really…” I imagine if I wasn’t on so much pain medication, I would have seen this coming.
“Yes, you really should have,” Chase chastised.
I smiled and looking into his brilliant blue eyes put all my vulnerability out there for him to see. “Are you going to love me forever?”
His eyes searched mine and I could tell the second he knew I was serious because his entire face became transparent with everything he was feeling. “I’m going to love you beyond forever, Quinn. From the very first second I saw you, there hasn’t been anyone else and now that I have you, there will never be anyone else.” He brought his lips to mind and the pressure behind the kiss made me feel like he was trying to force me to understand the depths of his emotions. “I love you, babe, and I will spend every day making sure you never regret choosing me.” He smirked before adding, “No matter how pissed off you ever get at me.”
My eyes watered over a bit, but I didn’t let that stop me. “Good. Because I’m going to love you forever no matter how many time I have to take a crutch to your face.” Chase gathered me in his arms and we stayed like that for a while. I couldn’t help but think about how wrong I was about life and loss.
People are going to disappoint you and let you down. They’re going to leave you, either by choice or by fate. They’re even going to hurt you. But you can’t let the fear of what someone else might do keep you from accepting people into your life. And you can’t punish the people who have chosen to stay over the people who didn’t.
Like Avery’s scar that she is choosing to keep, I’m going to choose to see the car accident as a positive turning point in my life. Without the accident I might never have let myself love Chase freely and completely and I truly am grateful that I can do that now.
And I’m going to do it forever.
Epilogue
Quinn~
“What the hell is that?” I asked pointing to the offending contraption in Izzy’s living room, coming to a complete stop, causing Chase to bump into my back.
She whirled around to see what I was talking about. “What’s what?”
It’s been a little over a month since the accident and since Chase deemed me alcohol ready again, we all made plans to gather at Isabella’s for some drinks and bullshitting. I wasn’t quite dance ready, though. My ankle was healing just fine, but it still had a ways to go before I could breakdance to the 80’s.
I started jabbing my finger in the direction of Izzy’s living room. “That thing.”
“Oh,” Iz replied when she realized what I was pointing at, “that’s a home karaoke machine.”
“A what?!” I screeched.
“A home karaoke machine,” Iz shrugged a shoulder. “Julian bought it for me when he realized that you’d probably be out of commission for a while and he didn’t want me to have withdrawals.”
I turned around and stink-eyed Chase. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you love me like that?!”
“Right?” Ace jumped in.
“For the love of God, Quinn, can you please not,” Nick begged. “Avery is barely starting to talk to me again since we got here and she’s seen that stupid thing.”
“How could you, Julez?” Chase accused.
Julian smirked. “Hey, it’s not my fault you’re a shit boyfriend and Nick’s an inconsiderate fiancé. Isabella’s not going to suffer because you two suck.”
Nick threw his arms in the air. “Did it ever occur to you to give us a heads up? Maybe help us from being blindsided?”
Julian’s face looked incredulous. “And ruin an opportunity at this kind of entertainment? Why would I want to go and do that?”
I pointed a finger in Chase’s face. “We’re going to talk about this later.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “I didn’t even know those stupid ass things existed, Q.”
I gasped. How could he not? “Julian knew,” I pointed out.
“I’m going to kick your ass, Julez,” I heard Nick threaten.
Isabella finally gave into her laughter. She started laughing and laughing and it was such a beautiful sound and sight. The girl was one of a kind. “One of these days, Iz, he’s going to fuck up and I am going to be sitting in the front row for an uninterrupted view of it.”
Ace walked over from the kitchen and high fived me. “Amen.”
Iz gasped. “How dare you wish that upon me? And after I invite you into my home, no less!”
Julian stretched up from the couch and wrapping his arms around her waist pulled her into his lap. “Don’t worry, Dove. I’m not going to fuck up. I’m not Sav or Chase,” he reassured her as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.
I had to laugh. Julian was so in love with Isabella, I almost believed him.
“Pfft, please, Julian,” she huffed, “you’re a man. You’re bound to fuck up eventually.” That sent a chorus of ‘hey’, ‘what’, ‘seriously’ throughout the room.
“Anyways,” Ace cut them off, “Michael called me earlier and said he and Audrey couldn’t make it but they promise to be at our next shindig.”
“Yeah, I got a text from Aud earlier,” I confirmed.
“Okay, let’s order the pizzas, bust out the alcohol and get this karaoke filled disaster show on the road,” Nick announced.
While Chase called in the pizzas, and as Nick and Ace made their way to the kitche
n to pour our drinks, I looked around at the home filled with the friends I treasured most and I thought this is what life is all about.
Seeing Iz on Julian’s lap and the amazing love that just existed around them, knowing that my sister finally found a good guy in Michael, knowing that I now had a mother again and a brother in Mrs. Alexander and Kane…I couldn’t feel anymore blessed that I did right now.
Chase hung the phone up and plopped himself down on the couch next lo me. “Whatcha thinking, babe?”
I snuggled up into the crook of his shoulder. “I’m thinking life feels pretty perfect right now.”
His arm came around and squeezed me to him. “Even without your very own As Seen On T.V. karaoke machine?”
“Hmmm, we’ll get back to that, but if you’re wondering what to get me for Christmas…” I hinted.
He chuckled. “Duly noted, babe.”
“Is all this too good to be true, Chase?”
“Nah, babe, we deserve to be where we are today. None of us got here the easy way and we still each have negative tentacles that will try to reach out and grab us from time to time, but I think, as long as we’re all together, nothing can touch us.”
He was right. There are going to be things in life that we’re not going to be able to control and I’m realizing that when that time comes, it’ll be okay, because I have the strength of an army in my friends and family.
The End.
Playlist
The Music Loving Playlist
Avery’s Night Out
As Long As You Love Me – Justin Bieber
One Of These Nights – The Eagles
It Will Rain – Bruno Mars
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye
Girls’ Night At Quinn’s
Style – Taylor Swift
Human Nature – Michael Jackson
Push – Matchbox Twenty
Quinn’s Date Night
Say It Right – Nelly Furtado
Stop Dragging My Heart Around – Stevie Nicks
Animals – Maroon 5
Sex In the Office
One More Night – Maroon 5
Right Kind Of Wrong – Leanne Rhymes
Centuries – Fall Out Boy
Quinn’s Night At Xavier’s
You Know You Like It – DJ Snake & Aluna George
I’m Bad At Love – Maddy Bensen
Can You Stand The Rain – New Edition
About the Author
M.E. Clayton works fulltime and writes as a hobby. She is an avid reader and, last year, she decided to trade in some of those reading hours to try her hand at writing her first book. With much self-doubt, but more positive feedback and encouragement from her friends and family, the Seven Deadly Sins series was born and a hobby she is now very passionate about. When she’s not working, writing or reading, she’s being pampered by the best husband in the world, having heart to hearts with her son, giving her daughter life advice or spending time with her grandchildren If you care to learn more, please read M.E. Clayton’s Smashwords Interview at https://www.smashwords.com/interview/MonClayton
Other Books
Please visit your favorite ebook retailer to discover other books by M.E. Clayton:
The Seven Deadly Sins Series (In Order)
Catching Avery
Chasing Quinn
Claiming Isabella
Conquering Kam
Capturing Happiness
Stand Alones
Unintentional
In Enemy Territory
Contact Me
I really appreciate you reading my book and I would love to hear from you! Now, unfortunately, because I do have a fulltime job and a family I love spending time with, at this time, I’m afraid it would be very hard for me to maintain a multitude of social media sites. Therefore, my only contact information, as of yet, is available through Smashwords and Facebook. Here is my social media coordinate:
Favorite my Smashwords author page: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/MonClayton
Like my Facebook author page: https://facebook.com/claytonbooks
Chasing Quinn Page 30