“Hi,” she said quietly, her face flushing with heat. “Nice to meet you.” I was still holding her hand, and I saw Savannah’s eyes drop to our joined hands, a huge smile appearing on her face.
“Hi, Quinn, great to meet you,” Savannah gushed as she pulled Quinn in for a hug, her hand dropping from mine. Savannah wiggled her eyebrows at me over Quinn’s shoulder and I rolled my eyes. The last thing I needed was her playing matchmaker. For some reason, she was always telling me I needed to find a nice girl and to settle down. That was the last thing I wanted or needed. Glaring at her, I shook my head, hoping she got the message not to interfere.
“Sorry if I smell of smoke. I had to put these clothes back on after the fire,” Quinn said sheepishly, tugging on her t-shirt as she stepped out of Savannah’s hug.
“Don’t be daft, you’re fine. I’m so glad my brother managed to get you out of there.” She glanced over toward the charred remains of the stables and shook her head.
“So am I,” Quinn replied, her eyes meeting mine.
“Hey, good to meet you, Quinn,” Josh said. She smiled at him and I reached for her hand again, tugging her toward the front door. Josh and Savannah followed us through the door and along the hallway to the kitchen.
“Savannah! Josh!” my mom exclaimed as she rushed across the kitchen, pulling them both into a hug. “They discharged you then?”
“Yes,” Josh replied hurriedly, glancing at Savannah. “I’m fine.”
I chuckled as I watched Savannah roll her eyes at him before heading over to our dad and throwing her arms around him.
“You okay, sweetheart?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Tired, but glad to be home.”
“I’ll make us all some food,” Mom said, crossing the kitchen and opening the fridge. “Sav, why don’t you take Quinn upstairs and show her your old room?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Let’s find you some clothes as well. Mom said you lost everything in the fire?
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I watched as her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sure I can find something in the local thrift store.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Trust me, I have loads of clothes, and right now,” she paused and gently patted her stomach, “there’s no way I could fit into half of them anyway!” She laughed and prized Quinn’s hand out of mine. “Let her go, Brode. I’ll bring her back soon. Promise.” She stuck her tongue out at me and I shook my head.
Looking down at Quinn, I gave her a small smile, noticing her cheeks were flushed pink again. The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile and I couldn’t look away. God, she was beautiful. The room was silent for a few seconds while our eyes stayed fixed on each other. Savannah suddenly cleared her throat and tugged on Quinn’s hand, breaking our connection. I watched as Savannah pulled her out of the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind them. Turning around I saw three amused faces looking at me.
“You seem a little smitten there, Son,” my dad remarked, a smile tugging on his lips. “Can’t say I blame you, she’s a pretty little thing.”
“I’m not blind, she’s gorgeous. Doesn’t mean anything’s going to happen.” I shrugged, trying to brush off my developing feelings for her. “I’m not looking to get pussy-whipped like someone else I could mention.” I looked over to Josh and raised my eyebrows.
“You keep telling yourself that,” Josh replied with a laugh. “I can’t wait to say I told you so.”
“I reckon that knock you took to the head might have been harder than the doctors thought.”
He laughed and reached into the fridge, grabbing a soda. “Catch!” he exclaimed tossing me a can. “Like I said, I can’t wait to say I told you so!”
“Whatever,” I mumbled as I opened the can and took a swig.
“Boys, it’s been a long couple of days. Go drink your sodas in the den. You can carry on your little argument in there,” Mom said as she ushered us out of the kitchen.
As we walked through the house to the den, Josh turned to me to say something, but I cut him off before he could speak. “Drop it, Josh. It’s never going to happen,” I warned him. He laughed beside me as I pushed the door open to the den, knowing he didn’t believe a word I said. I’m not sure I believed what I was saying either.
Quinn
Savannah squeezed my hand as she pulled me away from Brody and into the hallway.
“So,” she said, grinning at me. “Where’s home, Quinn?” I breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn’t going to mention the awkward moment in the kitchen between myself and Brody although I could tell from her face she was dying to know more.
“Westwood, New Jersey,” I replied as we slowly climbed the large staircase to the first floor. Once at the top Savannah placed her hand on the bannister and caught her breath.
“I love being pregnant, but I’m so ready to have my body back now. Even climbing the stairs wears me out.” She laughed, rubbing her back with her hand.
“How long do you have left?” I glanced down at her large round stomach. I was no expert on pregnancy, but seeing how big her bump was, I was guessing it couldn’t be long.