“Why she left us behind?”
“Yes.”
“Will that be enough?” I’m thinking out loud. I don’t expect Quinn to have any answers. “I thought that’s all I wanted, but…” I shake my head. “What if it’s not enough?”
“If your mum wants to say her piece and then walk away, you’ll respect that. I know you will. You have a family. You have Beau and everyone here. We all care about you.”
I snort. “Even Hendrix?”
“Yes. He winds you up because he looks up to you.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s true.” He shuffles his chair closer and takes my hands in his. “Whatever happens on Saturday, I’ll be here for you, and you and Beau will be there for each other.”
“And Beau has Fraser.”
“Yes. Between the four of us, you’ll both be taken care of.”
I manage to smile.
“Go to the meeting on Saturday with an open heart and an open mind. Don’t expect too much or too little. Don’t try to force your emotions. Whatever you feel when you see her is right. Whether that’s joy, anger, or something else.”
I rest my forehead against his. “Why do you always talk so much sense?”
“Who says I do?”
“Me.”
Quinn steals a kiss and then sits upright. “I hope some of my words of wisdom or insanity are helping.”
“They are. A lot. And they’re definitely all words of wisdom.” I stroke his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I wish you and Fraser could be there on Saturday.”
“I think that would be a bit intimidating for your mum.”
I nod in agreement.
“It’s something you and Beau need to do. Fraser and I will be here when you get back.”
“I think Fraser has his ju-jitsu lessons on Saturday afternoons.”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll skip going just this once. Some things are worth missing ju-jitsu for.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Is this where you tell me you used to do ju-jitsu?”
“Nah. But I did do karate for a bit.”
My jaw drops.
“What? I was into sports.”
“Let me get this straight. You climbed, played cricket, and did karate. Anything else?”
“Cross country. I was half-decent at swimming and cycling too, so I did some triathlons.”
