Alex nodded. ‘Well, she’s not impressed she found out about it from someone other than us but she’s happy. She saw it coming a mile off. She says we’ll be good for each other.’
‘Well, you’re certainly good for me.’
She smiled.
‘I am relieved she’s happy,’ Quinn said. ‘With Dad and Liam gone, she’s only got me and I’d never want to do anything to hurt her. I mean, if she wasn’t happy we’d have to try and win her round because there was no way I’m ever giving up on you, but I’m glad we won’t see any resistance there.’
‘And maybe, if she ever starts dating someone, you can remember this and keep an open mind,’ Alex suggested.
He shook his head. ‘I don’t think that will happen, she loved my dad.’
‘You never know when love might strike, sometimes it appears in the unlikeliest of places. Take Xander and Immy for example, who’d have ever seen them two together? I mean, it may never happen for them, love, but even them sleeping together is a bit of a shock, so keep an open mind.’
‘I thought I saw Mum with a man the other day actually, but I couldn’t be sure it was her as she was hiding her face in the menu in a café. But even just seeing her hair and clothes, I’m pretty sure it was her.’
Alex decided to change the subject. She certainly didn’t want to drop poor Violet in it.
‘How did it go with Tina?’ she asked.
‘That went surprisingly well too. You might even get a public apology from her.’
Alex laughed. ‘I’ll wait with bated breath for that one.’
‘Yeah, I’m not sure that will happen either but she did say she was sorry and regrets posting what she did.’
‘Well that’s something. Can you go round and speak to everyone else in the town too?’
‘If that’s what it takes to make you happy then I will.’
She smiled with love for him. ‘You make me happy, I don’t need their validation. Zara and Violet are happy. I don’t need anything more than that. Let the people talk if that’s how they get their kicks. I know what we have is special and there’s nothing that can stand in the way of that.’
Alex watched as Zara helped Quinn around the ice skating rink. They had been skating for about half an hour and Alex had just got off the ice to have a rest. Although she could skate, she felt like she was using muscles in her legs and feet she didn’t even know she had. Quinn, however, was skating like Bambi on ice, all shaky legs and feet going in opposite directions. Zara was holding his hand and very patiently trying to teach him how to do it. She looked so ridiculously happy.
God, Alex loved this man so much. He was everything she ever wanted in a partner and so much more. He completed her, made her whole again. Andsuddenly she realised what St Nick meant when he referred to his girlfriend or friend as his other half. Being together just made sense like they were two halves of a whole.
And that had been the sticking point between being able to pinpoint Quinn as St Nick. She couldn’t understand why he would refer to her as his other half when they weren’t together at that point. But now she understood it. He had always been the other half of her heart.
Just then Quinn and Zara came over to the barrier where she was sitting. Even though Quinn had been struggling, his face was glowing with happiness. He was loving spending this time with Zara as much as Zara was.
‘Wow, skating is exhausting,’ Quinn said, taking his woolly hat off and running his hand through his hair.
‘We’ve only just started,’ Zara said, laughing.
Quinn looked at Alex strangely. ‘You look like you’re figuring something out.’
‘Just putting my ducks in a row.’
He smiled. ‘Is that right?’
She slowly pointed to three imaginary ducks in a line in front of her that led between her and Quinn. ‘Quack, quack, quack.’
‘You’re weird,’ Zara laughed.
‘That’s why you love me.’
Quinn smiled. ‘Are you ready to make your accusation then, Barnaby?’
‘Not quite yet.’
