"Quinn?" I say, realizing she's been taking a while. "Everything okay? Do you need some help?"
A moment later, though, she walks out and she's no longer smiling, bright-eyed, and ready to play. Instead, she's holding my phone, an expression on her face that is anything but happy. "Hey," she says. "So, look, I'm not some creeper, I swear. And I'm not trying to invade your privacy, but..."
"What?" I say.
"Look, I was just reaching in your suitcase and your phone was right next to it on the floor and there was a text that popped up on your screen. I wasn't, like, messing with your passcode or anything. It just was right there. It was impossible to not see." She passes the phone to me, and right on the screen is a text from Veronica.
Fucking Veronica.
The image Veronica sent is impossible to ignore, and now I know why there are tears in Quinn's eyes. The picture is of an engagement ring, a big, fat diamond ring. And the words underneath it are devastating if read in the wrong context.
Nicky, you'll be home tomorrow morning for the engagement party, right? It's time you put this ring on my finger in front of the family, don't you think? XO, yours forever.
"It's not what you think," I say, shoving the phone in my pocket.
"No?" Quinn says. "Then what is it? Because it sounds like there's a girl waiting for you to come home for Christmas to propose."
"Well, there is a girl waiting for me to come home for Christmas to propose, but..."
Quinn shakes her head. "Oh my God. You're totally playing me. I thought... I thought we..."
"You thought what?"
Quinn covers her face with her hands. "I thought we... I thought you... I thought this was real. Who is she?"
"She's no one. I mean, she's my stepsister."
Quinn drops her hands. "And that's supposed to make it better? Nicholas, that makes it so much worse."
12
QUINN
His stepsister?
I shake my head, frustrated and annoyed and still mostly naked.
I turn back to the bedroom and grab my clothes from yesterday. I begin sliding on my jeans before realizing that I'm shaking and I need to sit down.
His stepsister?!
Now my jeans are around my ankles, and I don't even have on any underwear because, well, they were basically ruined last night, and I have no shirt on, and now tears are just falling down my cheeks. I'm on the edge of the bed and I'm crying into my hands and Nick’s in here and I haven't had any coffee and this is just worst-case everything. Everything.
He's getting engaged to his stepsister? This can't be real.
"Let me explain," Nicholas says. "Please." He's on his knees in front of me. He hands me a flannel shirt, wrapping it around my shoulders. It smells so good. It smells like him. And I hate that. And I love that. I wipe my eyes.
"Give me the five-second version because I don't have time for more than that."
"Well, you're not going anywhere," he says. "There's a freaking blizzard outside. It's not like you can just jump in your car and go home. You're stuck here. You're stuck with me."
"That's supposed to make this better?" I moan. "Nicholas, that just makes it worse. That makes me feel trapped with you, a stepbrother-lover-person who tricked me into having sex with him."
"I didn't trick you into anything. I love you, Quinn. I want you, forever."
"Don't," I say. "Don't mess with my heart like that. Don't mess with my everything. You love me? You love me, but you're getting engaged to someone else?"
"I'm not getting engaged to anybody. Well, I want to get engaged to somebody."
"See," I say, "you do want to get engaged to your stepsister."
"No, I want to get engaged to you. I want to marry you, Quinn. God, I freaking love you. I met you last night and I want to make my life here with you in Linesworth. I don't even know your granddad, but heck, I'm going to do whatever I can to make him trust me. I want to help out with your family so he can retire and I can help with the grocery store. Heck, I'll work the cash register. I'll bag the groceries. I'll unload the trucks. What do you need, Quinn? Let me be your person."
"Stop it," I say. "Just stop it. Stop saying everything right and everything perfect, and explain who Veronica is."
"Veronica is my stepdad's daughter. My mom thinks we should get married, for some reason unbeknownst to me. My mom married this guy like four years ago and Veronica thinks... I don't know what she thinks. She is not the one for me. In fact, you’re everything she’s not. We work in the same office because it's a family business, but we didn't grow up together or anything. We've never been anything at all, I swear to you. I've never kissed her. I've never so much as touched her. I've never gone on a date with her. She is nothing to me."