Page 24 of Shuttered Hearts

I stand there holding Quinn with no plans to let her go—not until she pulls away from me. I have no idea what just happened, but it’s pretty clear that was Nicole. For her to show up after so long … and today of all days. I know the work Quinn put into making this day perfect for Max, and clearly, it was news to him Scott isn’t his biological father—it was news to me too.

“I’m sorry.” I startle at the sound of Quinn’s raspy voice. Her head is tucked under my chin, her face buried in my chest. She doesn’t pull away yet, but she shifts slightly.

“What are you sorry for?” I keep my voice low, arms loose around her so she knows she’s not trapped.

“Crying in front of you. Not having my shit together. All of it.”

I squeeze her slightly. “Quinn, come on, I’d be worried if you acted like nothing happened. That was a lot.”

“Yeah. It was.” Quinn’s arms, which were still crossed around her waist and tucked between us, now move around me. She gives me a quick squeeze and then slowly pulls back, bringing her arms back up around herself. She doesn’t move far from me, though. Her eyes staying focused on my collarbone. “I got your shirt wet.”

“It’s fine. I’m not worried about it,” I tell her softly. I’m not sure what to say. I have so many questions, but now isn’t the time to discuss them. There’s a group of kids in the backyard, waiting for the movie marathon to start, and the birthday boy is probably not in the best of party moods.

“Thank you.” She looks up at me now, and even though she’s been crying, her eyes puffy and rimmed red, she’s still beautiful. Her already blue eyes look even bluer, pulling me deeper and deeper into them.

“For what?” I whisper, caught in some kind of trance.

“I don’t know. For being here, for your support, for your comfort.” Her eyebrows furrow. “You may have known my family for a while, but you don’t know me. You owe me nothing, and yet you’re out here with me, not in there with them.”

I nod my head. I hear what she’s saying, but I’m not sure how to respond. Yes, I’ve known her family for a few years now and I would do absolutely anything for them. But these last couple of weeks, getting to know Quinn, she’s quickly becoming as important to me as the rest of the Marks family. Just as I would do anything for them, I would do anything for her too.

“I will always be here to support anyone in the Marks family. In that moment, you were standing on your own. I have no doubt you could have handled it without my help, but you didn’t have to.”

“Thank you,” she says again. “Did you know about Max?” she asks after a moment of silence.

“No. Just that your dad had Nicole declared unfit and had her parental rights revoked, I didn’t know he wasn’t biologically Max’s father.” Her eyes are back at my collarbone, and she nods her head as if lost in a trance. “Did you know?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah, Dad told us shortly after she left.” She’s quiet for a second, her eyes coming back up to mine. “He never planned on keeping it from Max, but he wanted to wait until he was older. To make sure he could fully grasp what it all meant.”

“I get it. That’s not an easy thing to understand, at any age.” We stand there, staring at each other. Neither of us moving or saying anything. For me, I don’t know what to say.

Shouts of excitement from the backyard bring us back to the present. “I need to get inside and see what’s going on with Max, and if he even wants to continue his party.” Quinn takes a few steps back from me, moving toward the front door.

“I’ll go out back and make sure everything is okay,” I tell her, making my way toward the stairs to go around the house instead of through it. I don’t want to interrupt whatever conversation is happening behind that door.

“Thanks.” I make it down the stairs and to the corner of the house before I hear Quinn call my name. “I know you must have so many questions, and I appreciate you not asking them right now, but I do want to explain.”

I turn to her fully. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know, but I still want to explain.”

“Okay. I’m here whenever you want to talk.” Quinn nods before turning and heading inside the house as I make my way around to the backyard, where I find Emily and Caleb corralling the kids to a corner of the yard free of movie theater decorations.

I catch Caleb’s eye and see the pain in them all the way from where I am on the other side of the yard.

“All right, everyone! Since the theme of today’s birthday party is spooky Halloween, and the sun is starting to set, it’s the perfect time to tell ghost stories!” While I can see the tension on Emily’s face, her voice is the perfect blend of fun and spooky. “Let’s sit in a circle and see who wants to go first.”

While Emily sits in the circle with the kids, Caleb makes his way over to me. “Did she leave?”

“Yeah. For now. She won’t give up without a fight. She’s determined to see Max,” I tell him quietly.

“Is Quinn inside?” He turns to look at the back of the house.

“Yeah. Maybe you should head in there too. Not that I think she needs it, but I’ll stay out here to help Emily.”

“You sure?”

“Caleb, go, you’re needed in there more than you’re needed out here.”

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