Sugar & Spice

Chapter 22

"But you have to remember, sugar, Manny was shy as hell. I couldn't even get two words out of him for the first six months, let alone those three magical little words. I told him I loved him after dating him for three months. He looked so panicked, I thought he was going to bolt right then and there."

"But he didn't."

Amy smiled. "No he didn't. I don't know why it has to be such a big deal to say it though. If you like someone, you should be able to tell them. I tell you every day, don't I?"

Crissy nodded, saying nothing, thinking of how those simple words, only three, only short and small, had been lodged in her throat and she couldn't say them back to Quinn.

Amy placed a hand on Crissy's shoulder, drawing her back to the present.

"I'm assuming since this question is coming up that last night went well?" she asked.

Crissy nodded. "Just thinking out loud."

"Well, you're more than welcome to do that any time." She paused and abandoned the coffee, turning to face Crissy. "Sugar, people open up on their own time. Some people, like yours truly, don't hesitate when it comes to these things because we like to jump in head first, heartbreak be damned. Maybe we're rewarded for our idiotic courage and maybe we're not but we're ready to take another jump all too soon because we like the adrenaline rush.

"Others of us, like you, sweetie, are a bit more careful when it comes to taking that flying leap. There's nothing wrong with that. When you take that leap, you know it will be worth it. You know there's going to be someone golden waiting to catch you."

Crissy sighed and rubbed at her forehead. "I just don't want to misjudge the jump again, you know?"

Amy nodded. "And as your best friend, I don't want to see you misjudge that jump again either. It was one of the most painful things I've ever had to go through in my life. Just don't let a good thing pass you by because you're afraid of getting hurt. Sometimes swallowing that fear makes the love taste that much sweeter."

She kissed Crissy's forehead, swept up the coffee mugs and worked her way into the maze of tables and the breakfast rush.

Crissy headed into the kitchen and retrieved the turnovers she had left to rest in the refrigerator the day before and slid them into the oven.

A few minutes later, while Crissy was beating eggs, Quinn joined her in the kitchen, coming up behind her and resting his hands on her hips, brushing a light kiss to her shoulder and trailing up her neck, his lips barely brushing her skin before he nipped at her ear. She sighed and let her head drift back against his chest. He hummed in satisfaction and peered over her shoulder.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," he said.

Crissy opened her eyes and turned to look up at him. "Good something? Or bad something?"

He hesitated with a grimace. "It depends on your perspective I guess."

Crissy stifled a groan and set the bowl of eggs aside. "I'm all ears."

"Ever since the Valentine's Day party, my sister has been pestering me to ask you to come over for dinner," he said. "Meet the family. All that." As he spoke, his gaze slid to the side, fixated on a spot just over her right shoulder.

"That was months ago," Crissy pointed out.

Quinn's gaze flicked back to her, studying her face. "My family can be...a bit of a handful. All the kids will be there. My mom will be there. She lives with Megan, helps with the kids sometimes. And they're all very curious, asking tons of questions all the time. Which can get overwhelming fast if you're not used to it and..."