Part 51: Trouble-2

"I am so sorry," he said for the hundredth time. He was mortified. "If you say 'sorry' one more time Quinn Allen, I swear I will call your mom and tell her to come here after all!" "Oh God, please no. I can't deal with being babied and fussed over for the next few months." "She was on her way, even though we're not even here in New York that much longer. She had to talk to the doctor herself before she was convinced that you were OK," Lucy said, wrapping her arms around him. "I love your Mom. She's really great. I love your whole family." "And they love you," he said, clasping her arms to him. He sighed and settled back against her warm, soft skin. After she'd cleaned them both up (and the floor), she ran a bath for him. Without any hesitation, she pulled off her clothing and stood before him, gloriously naked without any shame or embarrassment, and got into the tub with him. Not that there was ever any need for her to be shy — Lucy was real; lush and beautiful, with sinful curves and soft skin. She was a dream — his dream. But he couldn't help but think about how different she was from their first night together, when she wouldn't be close to him unless it was in the dim light of a candle, the covers pulled up to her chin. She'd been through a lot, and she was different now. But in all the ways that mattered, she was still the same — his partner, his love. His Lucy. "Are you ready to talk about what happened with Lex?" he asked her gently, clasping her hands in his. "I'm ready, but you're not. Let's keep things light tonight, OK? I promise, I will tell you the whole story, but not right now. I don't want to send you into a rage spiral that'll keep you up all night. You need to sleep." He twisted back to look at her, fear freezing his blood. "Did he hurt you?" She put a hand on his cheek. "No." He relaxed, just a bit. "Was he mean to you?" "Yes," she said, after a beat. "But I didn't really care. Honestly." "I'll kill him." "Quinn." She hugged him to her. "What are you going to do, beat up every guy who was ever mean to me, when you're sick as a dog? I'm fine, and he is a pathetic, small man who didn't intimidate me at all. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I did." "I know you're capable. I still want to break his kneecaps." Her arms tightened around him. "I know. But there's no need. He's going to prison, most likely federal. I will tell you the whole story, I promise, but let's save that conversation for the plane ride home. It'll probably take the whole three hours," she said, yawning. His heart ached, knowing she'd been through something awful with Brady, but she was OK. That was the important thing. "Oh, Quinn, I'm sorry. You were right about everything. I should have trusted you and listened to you." "Yes, you should have," he said, leaning back against her with a sigh. "But I never for once thought you were going to sleep with him or anything like that. You know that, right?" She bent to kiss his cheek. "I know that," she said. He nodded. "Good. It was more the fact that I knew he was trying to split us up or at the very least, his intentions were bad. I hated feeling like you didn't trust me or believe me. It was very lonely. That's what I was trying to say at the airport, but it came out in a really boneheaded, controlling way. For that, I'll always be sorry," he said. "God, I can't believe I ended it with us." He felt shameful when he thought about it. "You didn't end anything," she said quietly. "Look, the guy played me, and I feel like a total fool. I was still messed up from everything that happened with Dad, and he knew just what to say and do to create a false bond with me. There was never anything sexual about it. But he definitely played on my vulnerabilities, and I walked right into it. I hate that I let him come between us Quinn. I'll never let that happen again, with anyone." He turned around and kissed her luscious mouth. "So, we're good?" "We're better than good. And after I start therapy next week in Halifax, we should be even better." "Really?" He was surprised. It was something she said she'd never do. "Really. I want to be better, Quinn. I need to be better, for you. For us. And I will. Just don't give up on me." "I never will," he said. She buried her face in his neck. "I've never met anyone like you, Quinn. And I don't think I ever told you how extraordinary you are. I hope you know how much I love you. And that's never going to change." "Same, love." He held her tight. "Same." He shivered a bit; the water was getting cold. Lucy pulled the stopper and stood up, getting them both a towel. "We have to clean this place tomorrow," he said, standing up and drying off. "Not looking forward to that." "You're not cleaning anything, you'll be sleeping. I have cleaners coming, they'll have it looking exactly like when we moved in. Lucas has been so gracious; we want to make sure his home is perfect when he arrives back next week. Also, I have Leon shipping a gift basket of our best craft beer for him, and some other Nova Scotia treats. We've been talking about it, and Lucas has made an offer for the cottage. I think Faye and I are going to take it." "Really?" The surprises kept coming. "But you love that cottage."