“It’s not fucked up, it’s human.” From a distance, Riley waved at them, and Quinn’s heart skipped a beat when she caught a glimpse of that beautiful smile.
“Welcome to your new home.” Lindsey waved back at her.
“Hey, as I said, it’s not permanent,” Quinn reminded her. “Having my barge there also means I can sleep on it if either of us needs space.” In the past two weeks since they’d first brought up the topic, she and Riley had talked a lot about living together. Spending most nights together, not much would change, other than that her barge would be closer and she’d have her things at hand. She’d already crossed the river a few times, but the weather didn’t always lend itself to sailing, and there hadn’t been electricity at the Aster House jetty until today. Until she’d built a dock, the two sturdy poles sticking out of the water would suffice to keep the barge in place. “Think of it as a trial run.”
“Trial run my ass. Once you’re moored, you’ll never leave. You two are way too smitten with each other to mess it up,” Lindsey said. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Quinn wasn’t worried about messing it up, but shewasworried that it might be too soon. However, Riley was right; they’d both wasted years working toward goals that in hindsight were not important in the grand scheme of things, and it was time that they started living their lives to the fullest and enjoyed every moment together.
58
RILEY
“Welcome home.” Riley pulled Quinn in to kiss her, then gave Lindsey a hug. “Lindsey, how nice of you to help Quinn with the strenuous move,” she joked. It was an exciting day, and she’d been giddy for hours while waiting for them. She hadn’t lived with anyone since she’d divorced her ex-husband. She’d always been fine on her own, but since meeting Quinn, she wanted to be with her all the time, and knowing they would wake up together every morning was a glorious prospect.
“Thank you.” Quinn stared up at the house, then laughed as she glanced at her boat over her shoulder. “Well, I guess that’s it.”
“Who said moving is one of the most stressful life events?” Lindsey quipped. “By the way, am I interrupting a romantic moment here? I just realized this is a big day for both of you, and I’m kind of crashing it. Is this when you’d normally step through the front door and have wild sex in the hallway? Because I can walk back if you—”
“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for wild sex in the hallway later,” Quinn interrupted her and shot Riley a wink.
“So true, so please stay,” Riley said with a chuckle, her cheeks flushing pink. She pointed to the table on the riverside. “Quinn told me you were coming, so I have coffee ready, and I baked a chocolate cake.”
“You bake?” Lindsey stared at the questionable-looking concoction. “I thought I’d smelled something delicious.”
“I do now. I’m aware it looks like a big turd rather than a cake. It’s my first attempt, but I promise it tases nice.” Riley was proud of her turd, and she’d been surprised when she tasted it. She used to be a perfectionist and wouldn’t have dreamed of baking in her former life; not unless she was able to create a masterpiece. No, she would have ordered a cake from the best baker in New York, but now, simply good enough was an achievement, and she’d enjoyed the process as much as the mediocre result.
“Best turd I’ve ever tasted,” Lindsey said, breaking off a piece and closing her eyes as she savored it.
“Not with your fingers!” Quinn stared at her in comical horror. “There are plates and forks on the table. Why do you always have to stick your hands in everything?”
“Okay, Mom. Hold your horses,” Lindsey said, licking her fingers.
“I’m not being amom. I’m simply asking you to respect Riley’s home and cake and show some manners.”
“No need for manners,” Riley interjected. “Please attack it as you wish, and this is your home too now, Quinn. It’s notmyhome, it’sours.”
Quinn shrugged and smiled at her sheepishly. “Thank you, babe. I’ll need some time to get used to that, I suppose.” Without thinking, she scooped a finger through the chocolate icing and sucked it into her mouth.
“Are you serious right now?” Lindsey nudged her. “You’re such a hypocrite.”
Riley threw her head back and laughed. “Will you two stop it? You sound like an old married couple.” Quinn and Lindsey’s innocent bickering always amused her, and she smiled as she pulled out a chair for Lindsey and poured her coffee, then plated a huge slice of cake for her. Although technically today was no different from yesterday—Quinn had been here almost every night—itfeltdifferent, and Aster House had a different vibe to it. The yard was gorgeous in the wind-free, sunny morning; the river lay serenely before them, the water softly lapping against Quinn’s barge. Climbers were starting to cover the back wall of the house, blending it with its surroundings. There was something about the back door and the windows at the rear of the house that reminded her of a face and today, it seemed to be smiling, welcoming home a long-lost loved one. She could sense the house’s energy now; it was a good energy. It was happy to have Quinn back.
“She started it,” Quinn retorted playfully, pointing at Lindsey. “By the way, babe, this is so good.” She moaned as she took a big bite of the cake. “Seriously good.”
“You like my cake…” Riley locked eyes with Quinn, smirking as she said, “That means I might be able to hold on to you.”
“Hold on to her?” Lindsey snorted. “Quinn is so smitten with you that you couldn’t get rid of her if you tried. She talks about you all the time, and I’m telling you, my bestie is—
“Okay, okay.” Quinn arched a brow at Lindsey. “Can someone please give her more cake so she’ll keep quiet for a minute?” She turned to Riley, who was sitting next to her, and placed a hand on her thigh. “All joking aside, Lindsey’s got a point. It would take a lot to keep me away from you.”
Riley leaned into her, and words couldn’t describe how happy she felt in that moment. She finally had an idea of what it was like to have a real home and a real life, and that was all because of Quinn. “Same here,” she said, blushing even harder when Lindsey peered around Quinn to meet Riley’s gaze. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you couldn’t pry me away from Mystic either. I love it here, and I love Aster House.”
And I love you, she wanted to add, but she wisely kept that to herself.Didshe love Quinn? She felt these overwhelming emotions every time she saw her, and yes, it felt like love. She felt it deep within her, this beautiful but also terrifying sense of compassion, admiration, and adoration; a sense that she may not know how to carry on if she lost her. Her years of solitude were in the past, and even though the future was unknown, she was excited for it. Riley’s life had always been mapped out down to every minute detail; now, before them lay an unknown road they would explore together. She would walk with Quinn, follow her, for as long as Quinn would let her.
59
QUINN
