Page 127 of Delayed Penalty

“And I love you, Adam Definitely Named After a Vampire Doctor Hayes.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re so annoying.”

“I know. But you love that about me.”

“I do. I really, really do.”

She kisses me again. Hard and fast, then soft and slow. It’s chaotic, but that’s just how Quinn is. It turns out the thing I hated about her at first is the part I love the most.

“So…” I say when we pull apart. “I guess that means you’re coming home, right?”

“What about Rachel?”

“Nah. She’s not going to work out.”

She looks surprised. “Why not?”

“Well, for starters, she kept calling FloraFlorence.”

“You can learn a person’s name.”

“Sure, but Flora didn’t seem that into her.”

“No? I’m surprised. I’m surprisedyouweren’t into her.”

She mutters that last part, and I pull my brows together. “What do you mean?”

“She was hot, Hayes.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, please.” She rolls her eyes, her gaze dropping to my chest—anywhere but at me. “You can’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

I grab her chin, pulling her face toward mine.

“I wouldn’t know,” I repeat. “All I see is you, honey.”

I know in the deepest part of my heart, she’s all I will ever see, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it to her.

CHAPTER 24

QUINN

Much to my mother’s chagrin, Hayes and I decide to spend Christmas with just us this year. I had to assure her no less than fifty times it had nothing to do with how awful Thanksgiving went and we truly just wanted to be alone and get Flora acquainted with a holiday she’s never really experienced before. Now, sitting in the middle of the living room surrounded by so much wrapping paper I swear we could cover the Space Needle, I know it was the right choice.

I look at Flora, who is currently organizing the new paperbacks she got—all thirty of them—in stacks by genre, author, then title. I think we might have a future librarian in our midst. She wasn’t feral this morning like you typically see kids act on Christmas. No, she opened each present nice and neat,so careful not to damage the paper. It was sweet, but it also took three hours to get through everything.

Hayes smiled the whole time. He’s smiling even now, watching her. Feeling my gaze, he shifts the silver stare I love so much over to me.

What?his eyes say.

I love you,mine say back.

A whole conversation with just one look.

I went back home with him and Flora after he found me eating my weight in cookies at George’s. After cleaning up the mess of macaroni and cheese in the kitchen—don’t even want to know what happened there—we ordered Chinese and sat around the living room, answering any and all questions Flora had about us being together.

She had two.

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