A/N: Dedicated to SunnysFeather XOXOX
Crissy's cell phone was riddled with missed calls and text messages from her mother for three days straight. And Crissy deleted every single one without reading or listening to any of them. Every time she hit the delete button, a mixture of relief and dread tightened in her stomach. This wasn't going to end well. She had the distinct, nasty feeling that it was only going to get worse before it got any better, too, which was not a comforting thought in the least.
After the third day of her phone ringing endlessly, it went silent. Terribly, terribly silent. She groaned and threw herself into making tiramisu, letting the scents of espresso, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar ease her mind.
By the end of the week, with Quinn's family dinner taking up more and more of her thoughts, Crissy hardly worried anymore about what her mother had in store for her. It would come eventually, like a hurricane, shredding everything in her path. But Crissy had been through similar storms for as long as she could remember and they didn't really scare her all that much anymore. They passed eventually and her mother would move onto a new complaint to rage about.
At the end of the day on Friday, Crissy closed the shop early and slid a plate of fresh raspberry macaroons over to Amy. Her eyes lit up.
"I smell bribery," she said.
"That's exactly what it is," Crissy replied. "Will you do my hair? Quinn will be here in an hour."
Amy picked up the plate and headed for Crissy room. "Like you even have to ask, sugar. Get your cute butt upstairs."
Crissy settled on her bed, tucking her legs up underneath her. Amy sat behind her, carefully smoothing out Crissy's curls and pinning them into place.
"Nervous?" Amy asked. "I seem to recall the last time I did your hair for a certain special outing, you were a bundle of jitters."
Crissy paused, searching. "That feels like a lifetime ago."
"Hard to believe it's only been a few months."
"I'm a little nervous, I guess. Just because I'll be meeting the rest of his family and I want to make a good impression but I'm not jittery like I was before."
Amy hummed. "That's what happens when you've got those big hearts in your eyes all the time around Quinn. You seem much more...comfortable now."
Crissy laughed a little at that thought. "Considering our bumpy beginning. Sometimes I wonder how we even made it this far."
"Is that doubt I hear?"
"No," Crissy hurried to reply.
"I hope not. Because if it is, better smack that ugly bastard down. Don't start second guessing now. You've got a good thing going."
"I'm not second guessing. It just feels...like a dream. Like I'll wake up at any moment and it'll be over. You know?"
Amy blew out a breath and nodded. "Yes."
Crissy raised her eyebrows and turned to look at her. "You do?"
Amy widened her eyes. "You're not the only one who wonders if their relationship will make it through or not. Manny and I are human after all."
Crissy hesitated then asked, very quietly, "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"
"Nope."
"Amy..."
"I swear, there isn't, sugar. All I'm saying is that I know what it's like to wonder if the happy dream bubble will burst. That's perfectly normal for everyone."
"But you don't seem like the kind of person to ever even think that, let alone be worried about it."
Amy sighed dramatically and crawled around to face Crissy.
"It's the baby," she said. "Manny is over the moon. I haven't seen him happier...ever. He won't stop smiling. He won't stop helping around the apartment." She held up a hand. "I am so not complaining about that by the way."
Crissy frowned. "Amy, that sounds like a good thing."
"It is, sugar, believe me. But having a baby changes so much. My parents were separated for three years after I was born. Your parents completely broke up after you came along."
Crissy grimaced and Amy matched her expression.
"Sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to bring that up."
"It's...okay. It happened. I was too young to have it affect me anyway. So you're worried that having the baby will make Manu...not love you anymore?"
Amy winced and fiddled with the pool of bobby pins on Crissy's bed.
"When you put it that way, it sounds way too simple and much worse than when it was in my head," she said quietly.
Crissy said nothing. She didn't know what to say. Amy so rarely doubted herself or her relationship with Manu that it felt strange, hearing these words come out of her mouth.
"You could say something, sugar," Amy said in a fake tone of annoyance. "I know you're dying to."
"But...how?" Crissy asked.
Amy blinked, surprised. "What? What do you mean, how?"
"Every time I look at you and Manu, all I can think is that the two of you are impossibly perfect. If there were ever two people absolutely made for each other, it would be the two of you. And that's only supposed to exist in fairy tales and movies. But I see that in you and Manu."
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes. "You never told me that before."
Crissy shrugged, picking at the blanket on her bed.
"It kind of made me a little jealous I guess," she said. "Even if the baby does change things between you and Manu, I think you'll find a way to work it out. You've always been unstoppable, especially when it comes to people you care about. And Manu is so lost on you. I can't imagine him even looking at another woman."
Amy flapped her hands and she turned her head up towards the ceiling.
"Cristina Atwood," she said in a stern tone. "Don't you dare make me cry."
Crissy snorted. "You're the one who wanted to suffer through raging pregnancy hormones. You looked about ready to cry over my macaroons earlier."
"That's because they're so beautiful. Now stop teasing me and let me finish your hair already."
Crissy obediently turned around but just as Amy started pinning her hair again, her phone buzzed on her bedside table. Amy glanced at it, uneasy.
"Your mom is still calling?" she asked. "It's been at least a week."
Crissy groaned and grabbed the phone, ready to stuff it into her drawer. "I'm thinking about changing my number. I can't carry my phone with me everywhere when she's calling like this. I'd never answer it. And then you would call with some big emergency and I'd ignore it and I'd feel awful..."
"Changing your number might not be a bad idea actually," Amy replied.
The phone buzzed again and the screen lit up with Andrea's name in bold letters.
"Oh, that's so much worse," Amy said. "Don't. You are going out tonight and you do not need her in your head."
"Part of me knows your right, but there's another part of me that knows my sister is the most tenacious person on the planet. That's why she's so good at her job. She won't call as much as Mom will."
"Good, then ignore her and she'll go away."
"That's...not Andrea's way. If I don't call her back within a day, she'll show up here."
"Oh god," Amy groaned. "Oh god, no. Not again."
"I know."
"Well, answer it tomorrow. After your dinner."
Crissy tapped her phone on her bed. "I'd rather fend her off now. Before she gets an early start and winds up sitting on my doorstep at some unholy hour of the morning."
Amy growled and jabbed a pin into Crissy's hair. Crissy winced and shied away.
"Okay," Crissy said. "That's enough for you. Finish your macaroons, Mother Bear."
Amy made a grab for the phone but Crissy held it at arm's length.
"Let me make the call," Amy said, holding her hand out.
Crissy laughed. "No way in hell. Sorry."
Amy pouted and wriggled into Crissy's pillows, settling the plate of macaroons on her stomach.
"Fine," she said. "But I'm listening to every word and if she gets bitchy, I'm giving you to the count of five. If you haven't hung up on her by then, I'm doing it myself."
"I can't hang up on my family after every conversation, Amy," Crissy said.
"Yes you can. Until they start being nice to you for a change."
"You just want to see me hang up again. You got way too much excitement out of it last time."
Amy grinned. "I did. It was gorgeous. Do it again. Make me happy, sugar."
Crissy shook her head. "You're impossible. And I'm taking this call downstairs."
Amy shrugged. "Take it wherever you want. I'll still find out."
"I'm sure you will."
Crissy left her apartment and returned to the comfort of her kitchen. She leaned back against the counter, the oven still warm from the cookies she had baked earlier. Slowly, she ran her thumb over her phone. This conversation wasn't going to be pretty, she knew that. This was the retaliation she had been waiting for.
Before she could give it another second of thought, Crissy called Andrea back.
"Mother is very upset," Andrea said.
Crissy laughed a little. "Of course she is. I am too."
"You have no right to be upset. You hung up on her. You hurt her."
Crissy gritted her teeth. "I have every right to be upset. She wanted me to break up with my boyfriend and I wouldn't do it and suddenly I'm the villain? I don't think so."
"She found a date for you for my wedding," Andrea shot back. "That was very selfless of her, you know."
"But I already had a date and she didn't even ask. I'm not going to break up with someone I care about just because she wants me to go to your wedding with another guy."
"How do you know this guy wouldn't be a better fit for you?" Andrea replied. "Mother knows what's best for us and..."
"No," Crissy cut in. "She doesn't. And if you're going to call and tell me that I have to break up with Quinn, it's not going to happen."
"I'm calling because you should apologize to Mother. You're ignoring her. You're not returning her calls. She is beside herself and I have to watch it all."
Crissy held the phone away from her, marveling that the conversation had gone spinning this far out of control already. She took a deep breath and brought the phone back to her ear again. Andrea was still going.
"All she ever does is talk about how you won't talk to her anymore. You're shunning her because she tried to reach out and make sure you weren't lonely anymore. She couldn't understand why you insisted on being alone for so long and frankly, I couldn't understand it either."
"It was my choice," Crissy said. "I needed time."
"Oh, right, after your big dramatic break up."
The hang up button was screaming for her attention. Crissy's thumb twitched towards it.
"Are you even listening to me?" Andrea demanded.
"I've heard every word you said," Crissy replied. "I just don't feel the need to respond when it's not true."
Andrea sucked in an indignant breath, ready to protest further, but Crissy plowed on.
"I am very happy with the relationship I am currently in," she said. "And I will not allow you or Mom to butcher it because it doesn't fit your agenda, whatever the hell that is. I do not need or want anyone finding me a date for your wedding. And I am not apologizing to Mom. When she is no longer upset, she can call me back and we can have a civil conversation but if all she's going to do is accuse me of being ungrateful, I have no interest in talking to her. Is that clear?"
Andrea was silent for a full minute, before, finally, she said, "Yes."
"I have full confidence you will pass that message on to her."
"May I speak now? Or are you going to continue to rant at me?"
"I'm finished," Crissy said, bracing herself for the hell storm that was brewing on the other end of the line.
"Mother wanted me to convince you to agree to this date she has for you," Andrea said. "And I've tried to be sensitive about it but I see sensitivity is very obviously off the table so I'll cut straight to the chase. Mother talked to Rob and he's agreed to carve time out of his busy schedule to attend the wedding. It would be rude to ignore..."
Crissy started shaking as fury coursed through her. Her mouth worked open and closed for a moment but what could she possibly say to that? She should have expected this. Maybe she already knew, deep down.
"Cristina," Andrea said, cutting through the hazy fog of anger clouding Crissy's thoughts. "I think you know you have to accept..."
"Absolutely not," Crissy growled. "I have a date already."
"Fine," Andrea spat. "But you better be ready to step in when Mother is too upset to help me with my wedding."
And she hung up. But this time, Crissy didn't feel a rush of relief when the conversation was over. She still felt blindsided. She knew it was going to be bad. Maybe she already knew that...his...name would come up. It still felt like a jolt of ice cold water filling her lungs. What if she had walked into that wedding blind without knowing he would be there? What if she hadn't met Quinn and she was there alone, forced to spend the evening with him, making polite chit chat after he'd ripped her heart inside out?
Quinn's name floated to the forefront of her mind again. She hadn't even asked him yet. What if he was busy with work? What if he couldn't come? What if he didn't want to come?
Crissy climbed the stairs back to her room. Amy wiggled her bare toes at her and patted the bed.
"Spill the beans, sugar," she said. "You look wrecked. I told you to hold off."
"How do you know these things?"
"Because I do not insist on wearing those god damn rose colored glasses that you refuse to take off."
"Says the woman who is about to willingly put herself through how many hours of labor to give birth to a screaming poopy child?"
Amy paused, nodded. "Touche."
"I'm changing my number tomorrow," Crissy said. "And my schedule may be free in June, you never know."
Amy raised her eyebrows. "You're not going to the wedding? Was it really that bad?"
Crissy sighed. "I don't know. I mean, it was bad. The date my mom had set up for me was..." She had promised she wouldn't say his name and she wouldn't now. She had moved on. She was head over heels in love with an incredible man. She wouldn't think about him anymore.
"No," Amy said with a frown. "Not him. Millions of men on this planet and your mother has to choose him?"
Crissy shoved off the bed. "Which is exactly why I may not be going to the wedding. I told my mom off. I told my sister off. I have no idea if I'm even invited now. I don't really care. I'm going to dinner with my boyfriend to meet his family."
Amy settled back against Crissy's pillows again. "You go girl, rock that confidence. I like it on you. It's a good look."
"I don't feel confident. I feel pissed off. And mad."
Amy shrugged. "They go together more often than you think. Still looks good on you. Keep it going, sugar. Work it for all its worth. You know this won't be the last you'll hear from your family though. They don't let things go easy."
"Ugh. Don't remind me. I really don't want to think about what else they have in store for me. Tonight's phone call was more than enough."
The bell over the front door jingled and Quinn's deep voice floated up the stairs.
"Crissy?" he called. "Are you here?"
Crissy flew down the stairs and rose up on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him.
"Whoa," he said, his hands coming to rest on her waist. "Hello to you too."
She pulled back a little. "You're amazing," she said.
"I think you might feel differently after you meet my family but okay."
She shook her head. "I doubt it. Besides, you needed to know that now."
Quinn gave a small laugh and brushed his thumb over her chin. "I'll be honest, I could definitely get used to it."
"Good. Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go."
She turned and ran back up the stairs.
"How's Prince Charming?" Amy asked.
"Handsome as ever," Crissy replied, hopping on one foot as she tugged on her boots. She dropped to her knees at the end of her bed and looked up at Amy. "I think I understand."
Amy frowned. "Understand what?"
"Remember how I told you that Manu is lost on you?"
Amy nodded.
"That's how I feel about Quinn. I know it's a little soon but...it just seems to get stronger and stronger the more I see him."
Amy smiled, soft and slow and truly happy. "It's about damn time you had something like that in your life, sugar. You deserve it."
Crissy bounced on the bed and kissed Amy's cheek before she grabbed her purse and ran for the door.
"Don't leave crumbs on my bed," she said.
"You leave crumbs on your bed all the time. I'm only helping."
"I do not. That's always you leaving crumbs on my bed. And there are more cookies in the jar on the counter if you want them."
"All of them?"
Crissy spun around and grinned. "I have to get that little baby addicted to sugar, don't I?"
Amy's answering grin spread from ear to ear. "You bet your ass you do. And you're scary good at it too."
Crissy clattered down the stairs and this time Quinn caught her as she barreled into him for another kiss. He laughed against her mouth.
"What has gotten into you?" he said, sliding his arm around her waist as he opened the door.
She tucked her arm into his elbow and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I might be a little crazy for you," she said. "And I realized today that you're...you're good for me."
"How so?"
"You make me very happy."
Quinn smiled down at her, wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"You make me very happy, too," he said.
He started pulling her towards the door but she broke off.
"Wait! Cookies," she said.
She ran into the kitchen, retrieved the huge box of rocky road cookies. Quinn's eyebrows shot up when she returned, grinning from ear to ear.
"Ready," she said.
"How much sugar is in that box?" he asked, taking the box from her.
"Oh, I lost count after about six dozen cookies."
"Christ," he muttered. "I'm going to be dead by the time those kids ever fall asleep."
Quinn helped her into his truck like he usually did, set the box of cookies at her feet, and once they were on the road, Crissy thought about dropping that bomb of a question into the comfortable silence. Asking him to be her date for the wedding.
But then she held back. There would still be plenty of time to ask him whether he would accompany her to the wedding or not. She didn't need to ruin tonight.
Quinn reached across the seat and let his fingers come to rest in the palm of her hand, not quite a grasp, just a touch, a reassurance.
"Everything okay?" he asked. "You looked a little...agitated earlier."
For a moment, Crissy closed her eyes. It would be so easy to spill everything that happened. But that wouldn't set the right tone for tonight's plans. This was about his family, not the train wreck that was her family. She wanted to focus on him and how happy she felt when she was around him.
"I'll tell you later," she said.
He studied her for a moment and Crissy almost thought that he might push the subject. But then he returned his attention to the road and his hand flattened against her palm, his fingers curling up to engulf her hand in warmth and comfort. She smiled and slid a little closer to him, settling their clasped hands in her lap.
Megan's house sat well outside of town, accompanied by a scattering of other modest houses with the white capped mountains looming in the background, stalwart protectors of the tiny neighborhood. As Crissy and Quinn walked up the sidewalk to the porch, the box of cookies tucked under Quinn's arm, he laced his fingers through hers. He paused at the door and smiled at her.
"Thank you for doing this," he said.
Before she could reply, the door burst open and a flurry of chaos ensued, sweeping Crissy along with it. Three small children raced in circles through the entrance way, shrieking with laughter. Megan stood in the middle of it all, the picture of serenity. She spread an arm out wide, practically glowing, while she cradled a baby in her other arm.
"Crissy!" she said. "I was over the moon when Quinn said you agreed to come over for dinner! Get in here, it's freezing."
Megan wrapped an arm around Crissy's shoulders and pulled her into the house, wading through the children. Crissy felt her fingers slip from Quinn's grip as he stood back and watched her get sucked into his family.
"Go easy on her, Megan," Quinn said, a gentle warning, with more affection behind it than intent to follow through if the warning wasn't heeded. The children eyed the box tucked under his arm. Crissy tapped one child on the shoulder and pointed.
"Ask Uncle Quinn what's in the box," she said.
The children gathered around him, tugging at his coat and hands. "Uncle Quinn! Uncle Quinn! Can we see?"
Quinn held the box above his head. "Not until after dinner!"
"Such a grumpy old man," Megan said. She glanced at Crissy. "I take it that's your doing?"
Crissy nodded. "Quinn thought it would be a good idea to bribe the children with sugar."
Quinn spluttered. "That was your idea, not mine."
"You didn't stop me."
"As if anyone could ever stop you."
Crissy raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to him. "Good answer," she said and kissed his cheek as she took the box from him, prying the lid open.
"Cookies!" the children shrieked.
"And now you're their favorite person in the entire world," Megan said, stealing a cookie for herself. "Possibly my favorite person too, wow. Keep that box away from me. I will eat it all before dinner."
She transferred the sleeping baby to Quinn's arms. "You go sit over there and watch the kids. Crissy and I will be in the kitchen. I have culinary questions for her."
"Does it have anything to do with your pumpkin pie looking like something the baby upchucked?" Quinn asked wryly.
"Quinn Spencer, you are a terrible, disgusting person," Megan shot back. "And in the presence of company too."
He glanced past Megan to look at Crissy. "Crissy knows I'm a terrible person and she doesn't seem to mind."
Megan tipped her chin up, trying – and failing – to look down on Quinn despite his six inches of height difference.
"She's a much better person than me. Next time, you won't talk so tough when you're not holding a baby and I can kick your ass into the cold for mocking my cooking."
Crissy bit her lip and ducked her head to hide her laugh at Quinn and Megan's squabbling. It felt good, to see them so comfortable and natural, giving each other a hard time even though neither one of them meant any of it. But a small part of her ached too. She missed out on this with her own sister. Crissy had never been like this with Andrea. Sharp, needling comments were returned with even sharper comments that only hurt more and left deeper scars.
Megan put two fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. The three children racing in circles around them went stock still.
"Head on downstairs," she said. "If I hear one scream, you'll sleep in the doghouse and gnaw on a raw bone for dinner. Understood?"
"Yes, Mama," they chorused and trooped into the hallway, jostling each other as they reached the stairs and disappeared.
Megan took Crissy's wrists and pulled her into the kitchen. "Whoa, there, Crissy," she said. "Why the long face? Did we upset you? Believe me, Quinn is a big boy. He can handle everything I dish out at him. He really doesn't care."
Crissy smiled slightly, shaking off the darker thoughts clouding her mind. "No, it's not that. I was just...miles away."
Megan bumped Crissy's shoulder with hers. "Want to talk about it? I'm all ears. I don't mean to brag but after four kids, I like to think I have an edge on the listening department." She raised her voice so Quinn could hear in the other room, "Much better than my bonehead brother could ever listen. I can promise you that."
"Don't flatter yourself," Quinn called back.
Megan returned her attention to Crissy, propping her hand on her hip. "So what is it that's got you a million miles away?"
Crissy just shook her head. "Family drama. The usual."
Megan nodded with a small noise of understanding. "That stuff is the worst. Just getting all over each other's nerves."
"You and Quinn seem really close though. I don't know of many brothers who would move back home to help with their nieces and nephews."
"Oh, I know, I'm crazy lucky. Don't let the insults fool you." She held her hands up. "Stay there. Don't move. Let me get my pumpkin pie so you can start assessing your patient. Keep talking. I'm listening."
Megan turned to the refrigerator, retrieved the pie, uncovered the dish and set it on the counter. The center was runny as soup but the edges of the crust were burnt to a blackened crisp. She gestured to it in frustration.
"Every time I try to make it," she said. "This happens."
"Don't fix it," Quinn called from the living room. "I've got money down that she'll have a dozen fails in a row."
"Quinn, you jerk, shut up," Megan fired back. She lowered her voice and whispered to Crissy, "Please, help me. Let me rub it in his face."
"I heard that," Quinn said.
Crissy laughed. "You're cooking it at too high of a temperature I'm guessing," she said. "Cover the crust with aluminum foil until the center gets firm."
"Traitor," Quinn said.
"That sounds stupidly simple," Megan replied. "And I am ashamed I didn't think of that before. I have an extra crust in the freezer, I'll give it another shot. If I do anything wrong, just yell at me."
Megan started mixing up a second pie while Crissy watched and gave pointers. She tried to actually pitch in and help but Megan would always shoo her back, insisting that she wanted to do it herself or else it wouldn't count and Quinn would never let her get away with it.
"It's very important I beat him," Megan said matter-of-factly. "Lifelong sibling rivalry must be carried out. It's tradition."
"How long was he gone?" Crissy asked. "He said he just moved back here a few months before I met him."
Megan nodded as she measured out the cinnamon and cloves.
"He was gone for...wow, five years I think? Maybe longer than that. It was all a whirlwind after my husband went into the military and then the kids came along and I seemed to forget so much more than I used to."
"You must have missed him very much."
Megan let out a short laugh. "Hell no. Are you kidding? He was a pain in my ass when we were growing up. I couldn't stand him. We were always getting into fights and for a while, I was winning. He was too scrawny and nerdy. And then he went and hit puberty, the bastard. Grew six inches in one year and got on a wrestling team in high school. I stopped any physical fights with him after he nearly crushed me. Of course, I got him into trouble plenty of other ways so it evened out."
"But you seem to get along so well now," Crissy said. "It's hard to imagine the two of you never liking each other."
Megan shrugged. She slid the pie into the oven and set the timer.
"Shorter time," Crissy said.
Megan adjusted it. "Thank god for you." She turned around, crossed her arms, and leaned back on the counter. "To be honest, we tolerated each other. We didn't hate each other. But growing up isn't easy. Our dad..." She paused, shook her head. "Well, I won't go into details. All I'll say is that our dad wasn't around once we started our teen years and we learned the hard way that we had to rely on each other."
"And now he's taking care of your kids," Crissy said.
Megan smiled, her eyes full of warmth and affection. She beckoned Crissy closer and pointed through the kitchen to the adjoining living room. Quinn sat on a chair by the window, watching the baby in his arms, fast asleep. He trailed one finger along the baby's soft round pink cheek.
"He changed when he got back," Megan said. "He was...quieter. Gentler. And he tried so much harder to be there for all of us."
"Why did he leave in the first place?" Crissy asked.
Megan cast a worried glance at her then sighed. She looped her arm through Crissy's elbow and walked to the far side of the kitchen, out of Quinn's hearing range.
"Is this," Crissy said, "the 'if you break his heart, I'll kill you' speech?"
Megan raised an eyebrow, a slight smile teasing at her lips. "You're a sharp cookie. I like that. I like you, Crissy. You've been so good for him. I haven't seen him this happy in a very, very long time."
Megan looked back over her shoulder and took Crissy's hand. "Don't tell him I told you any of this. But he seems pretty serious about you so you need to know."
"You're kind of worrying me now," Crissy said.
"Quinn left because he was absolutely crazy head over heels in love with a woman. Shannon."
A rush of cold flooded through Crissy's veins. He had never once mentioned her. And if he had returned to Breckenridge only a few months before she met him then...was he still in love with her?
"No," Megan said as if in answer to her thoughts. She squeezed Crissy's hand so tight, her fingers went numb. "He is not in love with her anymore. But Quinn has an enormous heart, and he loves so hard and so deeply and there are scars that aren't easy to get over."
This was not how Crissy had envisioned this night would go. She hadn't been prepared for any of this.
Megan swore under her breath at the panicked look on Crissy's face. "Wow, I am screwing this up really, really badly, aren't I?"
"No, it's...all right," Crissy said, but her voice was soft and weak and so, so small. "I'm glad you told me. I didn't know."
"Crissy, what I'm saying is that Quinn will always remember her but he doesn't love her anymore. She left him high and dry. She had big dreams of becoming a Hollywood actor and Quinn promised he would follow her to the ends of the earth. But Shannon got bored. She never liked being in one place for more than a few months. And she got bored of Quinn too. She cheated on him, Crissy. She cheated on him and she made sure that he walked in and saw it all."
Crissy forgot the creeping doubts edging into her mind and only felt pain for Quinn.
"Why?" she said. "Why didn't she just break it off if she wasn't interested?"
Megan shrugged. "I don't know. Because she didn't have the guts? Because she liked to say that he left her and she was blameless? I don't know. But I wanted to hurt her so, so badly, Crissy."
Crissy nodded. "I don't blame you. You're his sister. Of course you would want to protect him."
"You have to understand, Crissy. Quinn was broken when he came back to us. He was a mess. He tried to hide it and he put on a brave face but I could still see it. That girl tore him to pieces."
Megan's words fell away and there was only her intent gaze, fixed on Crissy, mingled with pleading and sincerity.
"I won't do that to him," Crissy said. "I would never dream of doing that to him."
Megan nodded slowly and squeezed Crissy's hand. "When he met you, I saw the change immediately. After you left the party that night and he came back inside...I had my little brother back again. All the way home and during the week after, the only thing he would talk about was you. He talked a mile a minute, even when I begged him to shut up. And he was just...glowing. You did that to him."
Crissy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She saw the way he greeted her, comfortable and happy and at ease every time he kissed her or wrapped his arm around her or simply looked at her. But to think that she had brought out this lighter side of him...it was hard to put the pieces together, to imagine it could be real.
"Anyway," Megan continued. "I thought you should know that. I'm not going to give you the whole protective big sister speech but I do have one request."
"Anything."
"If at some point you realize it just isn't working between the two of you for whatever reason, let him down easy. He's like a big puppy, Crissy. He loves crazy hard. I wish I could protect him from getting hurt again but I learned a long time ago, he doesn't want to listen to his bossy bratty sister."
"I really don't think that will be a problem, Megan," Crissy said. "Thank you for looking out for him. He has a good sister."
Megan snorted. "He would definitely not agree with you on that score. Just...don't break his heart, okay? He can't take that again, and I can't watch him go through that again."
The timer went off and Megan tore herself away, the intensity of their conversation slipped away like a mask.
"Now," she said. "It's still a bit soft in the middle. Time for the aluminum foil?"
Crissy nodded, her head reeling with the information that had just been stuffed into it over the course of only a few minutes.
"All around the edges," she replied, grasping at the thought of food to stabilize herself. "It'll cook the middle and keep the crust from burning."
Megan fitted the foil around the crust and slid the pie back into the oven. She glanced into the living room but Quinn hadn't budged, still entranced with watching the sleeping baby. She smiled at Crissy and patted her hand.
"What would we do without you?" she said.
[][][]
Megan didn't bring up any further serious topics of conversation and she didn't even hint at the conversation that had passed with Crissy. Instead, she herded children and swept the baby from Quinn's arms and spread food out on the table, making everything look deceptively smooth and easy.
"I'll go get Mom," Quinn said. He left the kitchen with a brief touch to Crissy's shoulder, a promise to return and not leave her alone for too long amid his family.
Summoned by the smells of cooking dinner, the children surged into the kitchen and scattered around the table. Without even saying a word, two seats were left unoccupied side by side, waiting for Crissy and Quinn. Megan beamed with pride.
"I train my minions well," she said.
Quinn returned with an older woman on his arm, her smile friendly and warm and brilliant and looking exactly like Quinn's own smile. He eased her into a chair at the foot of the table and pulled out Crissy's chair.
"Mom," he said. "This is Crissy. I told you about her. Crissy, this is my mom, Katherine."
Katherine's smile grew even wider and she reached across the table to clasp Crissy's hand.
"Oh you're even more beautiful than Quinn described you," she said. "No wonder he snatched you right up."
"Mom," Quinn groaned.
"Well," Crissy said, "it's more like the other way around. I snatched him up first."
Katherine eyes brightened and she gripped Quinn's arm. "I like her, Quinn. She's got spunk."
Crissy snuck a peek at Quinn. She couldn't resist letting her hand slide from the table and come to rest on his knee. His hand disappeared under the table to cover hers.
"Children are present," Megan sing-songed as she scooped out heaping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes and distributed them across her children's plates.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, sis," Quinn replied lightly.
For the entire dinner, Quinn and Megan teased each other back and forth. Crissy watched the volley of friendly insults between them, like a tennis match, and each insult always delivered with a smile or a laugh. Katherine met Crissy's gaze across the table and rolled her eyes.
"I could never get these two to stop," she said. "At least they don't bite and kick each other anymore. I can't tell you how many times I had to break these two up because they wanted to scratch each other's eyes out."
"Mom," Quinn said. "That's not true."
Megan nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I agree with Quinn."
"Did you just say I'm right?"
Megan pointed her fork at him. "Actually, no. I said I agreed with you, but I purposefully did not say that you were right. I was very careful with my wording, little brother. I know what I'm doing. Besides, agreeing with you leaves a bad enough taste in my mouth."
"Don't worry. I'll tease you about it all week."
"I would expect nothing less. Mom, we didn't want to scratch each other's eyes out."
"We wanted to strangle each other," Quinn finished.
Megan grinned at him. "And I still feel that way sometimes. I'm simply mature enough to not always act on my impulses."
"I appreciate that, dear sister."
Katherine shook her head. "Like that's any better."
"You're a very patient woman," Crissy replied with a smile.
Quinn feigned an expression of mock hurt. "I was the model son and brother growing up."
Megan choked on her mashed potatoes and wheezed.
[][][]
The dinner lasted well after the children had wandered off to sleep in the living room, sprawled over couches and chairs and spread out over the floor. When Megan distributed healthy portions of pie around the table for dessert, she took a bite and made a small sound of satisfaction.
"About time I got that challenge under my belt," she said. "Crissy, I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving my butt."
Quinn draped his arm over Crissy's chair, one finger creeping up to curl into a stray lock of her hair.
"You made me lose my bet," he said. "I thought you were on my side."
She grinned up at him. "Us girls have to stick together."
"Oh, that's it. I'm done for now. I've always been outnumbered in this house and now my girlfriend has abandoned me, too."
She giggled and leaned into him, taking his hand from the chair and tugging his arm over her shoulder. Megan watched them for a moment, a slight smile at the corner of her lips. She glanced at Katherine then ducked her head.
"What?" Quinn asked. "What was that look?"
Megan's eyes widened with innocence. "What look?"
"Trying too hard, sis. Come on. You and Mom were smirking."
"Nothing," Megan said, gathering her dirty dishes and turning away to place them in the sink.
Quinn glanced at Katherine. "Mom?"
Katherine reached out and touched his cheek, softly, gently. "We were just thinking that the two of you will make the most beautiful babies."
Crissy let out a small laugh. Quinn groaned.
"Mom, Megan," he said. "Stop."
"Fat chance, little brother," Megan said, ruffling his hair. "I'm going to put the baby to bed. Don't do anything exciting while I'm gone."
Quinn tore himself away from Crissy and stood. "I'll help get the kids to bed too."
As soon as Quinn left and headed to the living room, Katherine slid into his empty chair and edged closer to Crissy.
"Don't let Megan scare you away," she said. "She's just worried. That's all."
Crissy raised her eyebrows. "I don't..."
Katherine waved her off. "Oh, I know Megan gave you 'the speech.' I tried to talk her out of it but she insisted. That wasn't why she asked you here though."
"Then why did she ask me here?"
"She likes you. And she sees how happy you've made Quinn."
Crissy glanced over her shoulder to see Quinn scoop up a sleeping child into his arms. She returned her attention back to Katherine's steady, blue-eyed gaze, unwavering, waiting.
"Can you be perfectly honest with me?" Crissy asked.
Katherine nodded. "I'm an old woman, Crissy. I have no patience for anything else."
"Am I a rebound for him? After...Shannon?"
Katherine shook her head. "That girl – I refuse to even use her name – she left him long before he came back here. He stayed in California to clear his head, find his direction again, but his heart led him back here. To you."
"I'm not sure I believe that but..."
"I do," Katherine replied immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
Crissy said nothing. In the few months she had known Quinn, it seemed no matter how slow she wanted to take things, it all careened out of her control anyway. His family seemed to like her at least, which was an enormous relief. But was it going to last? What if, after a year, Quinn wanted to move on?
Quinn's hand smoothed down her hair and he kissed the top of her head as he took Megan's chair next to her.
"Has Mom been scaring you with more baby talk?" he asked.
Katherine waved him off. "I can talk about plenty of other things besides babies, Quinn," she said. "I was telling Crissy that she shouldn't let you get away with anything. She needs to stay sharp, keep you in line so you don't misbehave."
Quinn cast a teasing look at Crissy. "Crissy is the one with a mean streak a mile wide."
Katherine chuckled. "Then she'll make sure you stay on your toes like a good girl should. It's about time you had some spice in your life, Quinn."
Quinn tipped his head back with a sigh. He leaned across the table and took Crissy's hand, pulling her to her feet.
"I'm rescuing you from my family," he said. "It's getting late anyway. I've kept you out too long as it is."
"You've done no such thing," Katherine protested. "Crissy seems to have enjoyed herself."
Quinn glanced at her, a question in his eye. "Did you?"
She nodded and slid her hand around his waist. "I did."
Megan returned to the kitchen and pulled up short when she saw Crissy and Quinn standing.
"You can't be leaving!" she said. "I was only gone a few minutes."
"I'm afraid so," Crissy said. "I've got an early start tomorrow and I've already stayed much longer than I meant to. You've been so kind and generous tonight, it's difficult to leave."
Megan wrapped Crissy in a crushing hug. "We'll definitely do this again sometime soon."
"I'll volunteer to do the cooking next time."
"I'd love that. Kick back with a glass of wine and let Quinn chase the kids."
"Hey," Quinn protested.
Crissy dragged herself away and climbed into Quinn's truck. She sagged into the seat, exhausted in the best possible way. She loved Quinn's family, how comfortable and easy they were with each other. Quinn took her back to the coffee shop and walked her to the door, lingering much longer than necessary.
"I had a good time tonight," he said. "My family wants to adopt you already."
"I had a good time, too," she replied, smiling up at him.
He brushed his thumb over her chin, his gaze roaming over her face. Suddenly, that one question popped back into the forefront of her mind. That one question she had been putting off all evening. She could ask it now, while he was still happy and warm from the dinner. But at the same time, it felt wrong, as if it was cheating to pose the question when he was off guard and relaxed like this.
Crissy knew though. She knew if she didn't ask now, there wouldn't be a better time. She would keep putting it off and putting it off until the wedding arrived and then she couldn't possibly spring it on him last minute. He deserved time to prepare himself to meet her family as much as she needed time to prepare. She really didn't want to ask him now but she had to.
Crissy reached up, sliding her hand over his chest and tracing a finger along the lapel of his coat. Her gaze followed the line of her finger and she couldn't look him in the eye when she put the question out there.
"Quinn," she said. "I...have a question."
Quinn made a small noise of acknowledgement as his hands slipped around her waist. Automatically, she stepped forward, fitting against him like a puzzle piece, perfect and warm and safe. His jaw brushed against her hair as her forehead came to rest against his collarbone, surrounding her with the smell of apples and cinnamon and cloves.
"Does it have anything to do with that thing you were going to tell me later?" he asked, his voice a deep rumble vibrating through his chest that Crissy felt humming through her own body in response.
"Do you remember everything?"
"Yes."
"I'll keep that in mind for future reference."
She paused, hesitating. Why was she nervous? Did she really think he would refuse?
No. That was exactly the problem. He would say yes in a heartbeat, of course. And that's what worried her. What was she thinking, asking him to enter the war zone that was her family? Her family was nothing like his family. There was nothing friendly and kind in her family, no soft smiles and gentle teasing. It was all sharp edges and razor blades and drawing as much blood as possible.
She couldn't do this. She couldn't ask him. She had to keep him away from her family, keep him safe here, in Breckenridge. It wasn't nearly far enough away but it would have to do. She wasn't going to subject him to her family ripping him to pieces.
Crissy raised her gaze to look at Quinn and smiled. "Never mind," she said. "It's nothing important."
Quinn squinted, suspicious. "Why do I get the feeling that's not true? If it has anything to do with you, I'd say it's important."
"Well I guess I'll just have to keep you waiting for a while yet."
He groaned and kissed her. "Not fair." He pulled back and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tell me if you change your mind, all right?"
She nodded and pushed him gently. "Go," she said. "I need sleep and you're not helping."
He kissed her again and again, not willing to leave her just yet, until she was laughing and really pushing against him this time.
"Go on," she repeated. "I'll see you tomorrow with a fresh pastry waiting for you."
Quinn shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, more out of the need to restrain himself than to keep warm.
"Tomorrow," he said with a smile.