Page 23 of Whatever You Need

“What, am I supposed to jump whenever a woman shows a little interest? I’m not a manwhore, Quinn.”

“Hey.” Emery’s voice caught me off guard. “You shouldn’t talk like that.” She scrunched her nose up and I winced. I totally forgot she was within earshot.

“I’m sorry, Emery.”

“I’ve heard worse.” Her father sliced his gaze to her as she sat at the desk playing on the computer. She whirled around in her chair and rolled her eyes when she noticed Quinn’s expression. “Don’t worry, Dad. I know better than to repeat some of the stuff I hear.”

Soft footsteps descended down the stairs. “Sorry to interrupt.” Charlotte poked her head in the room. “Everyone said their goodbyes and the kitchen has been cleaned up. There are leftovers on the counter for you, Marco.”

“Come here, sweetheart,” Quinn called her over. “You did a good job with dinner tonight.” He craned his neck to give her a kiss. “Now go upstairs and relax. I’ll be up soon.”

Jealousy swirled inside me from such an innocent kiss. It was a reminder of everything I didn’t have. What would it be like to just be able to reach out and touch someone whenever I wanted? To have someone waiting for me at home.

She stared at him affectionately and caressed his cheek. “Thank you for putting this all together. It was great having everyone in one place.” He squeezed her ass as she turned away, and she grinned over her shoulder. “Come on, Emery, let’s go upstairs.”

“I don’t want to,” she whined.

Quinn mentioned that she was starting to go through mood swings. The teenage years were slowly approaching and I couldn’t wait to grab a bowl of popcorn and a front row seat.

“If you want to go to Olivia’s house for a sleepover next Saturday, you’ll go upstairs like your mother asked you to.” Quinn’s voice was stern and one he didn’t have to use very often.

“Can I at least have an extra hour on my iPad seeing that I helped with Tyler tonight?” Emery asked with pleading eyes. I don’t know how he did it, but there was no way I would be able to say no to her.

He reached out and tapped her nose. “Let’s see how well you picked up your room earlier when I asked you to and then we will negotiate screen time.”

That didn’t look like the answer she wanted to hear, but she was old enough to know that challenging her parents anymore wasn’t going to help.

She folded her arms and sighed. “Fine.” She turned to me. “Good night, Uncle Marco.”

“Come here, kiddo.” I kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you soon.”

Charlotte and Emery headed upstairs while I settled into the leather recliner in the corner. Quinn walked over to the bar he had set up in the back and brought me a Corona. I looked over to the bookcases straddling the seventy-two-inch flat-screen TV. Every shelf was lined with family photos. There were a few pieces of school artwork that Emery had made over the years, but the rest were of family vacations and happy moments they shared together.

“Thanks,” I said as he passed me the bottle. “I never thought I would say this, but you’re a good dad, Quinn. Emery and Tyler are very lucky to have you.”

He leaned back in the couch and put his feet up on the table. “Thanks. It’s not always easy, but I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine a life like this. “You don’t miss the single days at all?”

He looked at the ceiling like he was thinking it over. “There are days when I miss the freedom, but no, I don’t miss being single. I like having someone to come home to. Knowing that I don’t have to go through the highs and lows of life alone makes life more bearable.” He took a sip of his beer and set it down. “Would you like some advice?”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “I have a feeling you’re going to give it to me no matter what I say.”

“The timing has to right. Most people will say it’s all about meeting the right person, but I’m not convinced that’s true. Look at me and Charlotte. She was always my person, but when we fell in love all those years ago, our timing was off. You have to be ready otherwise it won’t work.”

“I met somebody.” I let the words slip without intending to.

He picked up the remote and paused the basketball game that we were watching. “I figured,” he said, moving one of the million throw pillows that were laying around.

“We hit it off and the chemistry was off the charts.”

It’s been a while since I’ve been smitten with a woman. On the brief occasions it did happen, it was short-lived. However, this high I’ve been riding didn’t seem to be coming down anytime soon.

He angled his head to look at me. “So, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.” I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to figure out a way to gloss over last night. I was so damn conflicted about how I felt. “We hooked up and she left while I was still sleeping.”

I tried my best to hide the fact that my ego was more than a little bruised by that move. She could have at least left a note or stuck around long enough to maybe get breakfast or a cup of coffee before we parted ways. But then I reminded myself that I was the one who gave her “the rules” which was probably for the best anyway.

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