“I can’t let that happen,” I said, “so Quinn agreed to play my wife. She’s moving in, and we’ll have to tell him she’s pregnant in order for this to work.”
Quinn bit her lip and looked back to the silent backseat passenger.
“Mama?”
“I’m processing.”
“Of course,” I said, trying not to smile at the expression I often saw on her daughter’s face.
“What is my daughter getting in return?” Muriel asked.
“A lifetime of being taken care of financially. All bills paid. Your shop will have paid employees to take your place if you’d like so it can keep running, and you both can rest,” I assured her.
“And will there be a baby?”
“No,” Quinn quickly replied. “But we’ll need to pretend there is.”
“Right,” said a pensive Muriel. “I…I don’t know how I feel about all of this. But you both are adults. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
She stayed quiet the rest of the way. She slept on the plane, and Quinn kept checking on her to make sure she was okay. From what she’d told me, her mom was always quite the talker.
Her silence worried Quinn. And if Quinn was worried, I was worried.
We pulled up to the building where I lived. When Quinn got out, she looked at the top of the structure. The night sky made everything seem more epic than it did in the daylight.
“You haven’t moved.” She stated.
“Nope.” I searched her eyes to try to understand what she was thinking, but she offered me nothing. Instead, she turned to help her mother out of the SUV.
Jax was waiting at the entrance.
“I’ll help with the bags,” he said to me.
Quinn smiled at him. Muriel was leaning against her shoulder as they walked towards the building.
“Miss Miller, what a pleasant surprise,” said Tom, opening the door.
He was an older gentleman with grown kids and lots of stories to tell. His wife passed away many years ago, and he took the job working at my building so he could talk to people all day.
“Hi Tom, good to see you,” Quinn said as Muriel straightened herself and fixed her hair.
“Tom, this is my mama, Muriel Miller.”
“A pleasure.” Tom bowed his head as he removed his signature blue hat.
“Likewise,” Muriel nodded and blushed. She fussed with her clothes and gave him a quick smile.
We took the elevator to the penthouse.
When the doors opened to the grand foyer, I heard Muriel gasp.
“This place is massive,” she said.
It was a modern space with lots of recessed and LED mood lighting and huge open windows that overlooked the city below us. I enjoyed my little piece of Seattle in the sky, but it was honestly pretty lonely without someone to share it with.
“Well, it’s your home for now,” I told her as we walked into the main living space. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased lights from nearby buildings creating a picturesque view.
“And yours,” I said to Quinn, whose eyes skimmed over every detail in the room.