Things had been so easy when he started dating Barry. It was as if they never grew tired of talking to one another. How different it was from this moment.
The waiter came and brought their food, and Quinn was relieved to have something that could distract him from the awkwardness of the date, if you could even call it a date.
As he took a bite of his fish, Alec spoke up.
“Did you see the boxing match last night?” he asked.
That was something, at least. Quinn shook his head. He wasn’t really a fan of the sport, but still he said, “No. How was it?”
Alec shrugged. “I’ve seen better.” That was all he said, and Quinn’s brows furrowed. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why on earth the beta had brought it up then.
Quinn shrugged and went back to his meal. “What do you think of the weather?” he asked between bites. Yeah, they were talking about the weather. That was where they were.
Alec took a bite of his plain and dry looking potato, then ultimately shrugged again. “Been a bit too humid for my liking, but it could be worse.”
Quinn looked down at his food. He suddenly didn’t feel like eating anymore, his mood souring. Before arriving at the restaurant, he was at least a little hopeful that he would get to spend the evening with the man he thought he had a lot in common with. Now, it appeared like the man behind the screen was merely that, a beta behind a screen. Then the real kicker set in.
The sound of a baby crying had Quinn turning in the direction it came from.
Alec’s voice had him turning back around. “Kids, right?”
Quinn quirked up a brow. “Kids?” Well, okay, maybe this guy wasn’t so bad. “This is only the first date.” And most likely the last. But the kids thing may have him reconsidering.
“God no. I mean kids in general,” Alec replied. “Who would bring a baby to a restaurant? Ugh, you know, I was glad I didn’t see you select the ‘want kids’ option on your profile. That’s the main reason I even spoke to you.” Alec sniffed like he’d smelled something bad.
Quinn leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him. “Well, I like kids, especially mine.”
Alec looked at him, his eyes meeting Quinn’s. “Especiallyyours? You have children?”
Quinn held up three fingers. “Triplets,” he said. “And they’re everything to me.”
Alec wiped his mouth off with the corner of his cloth napkin before he put it down on the table. “You never mentioned.”
“You never asked,” Quinn said. He stood up from his seat. There was no point drawing this out much longer. “Oh, and by the way, thank you for the meal.”
He turned on his heel and left a shocked Alec behind him. This had been an absolutely horrible idea. Maybe he’d already had his one love. And now that he had the kids, they were all he needed.
* * *
Quinn walkedinto his living room. Helen was seated on the couch, a magazine resting on her chest, sound asleep. He smiled as he approached her.
“Helen.” He gently tapped her shoulder, and she jerked awake.
“Uh… what happened?” she asked. “Oh, it’s you.” She laughed as she sat up. “I thought I was dreaming.” She glanced over at the clock and frowned. “You’re home early.”
“Yeah… it didn’t really work out as planned.” Quinn shrugged. “It’s alright really. Are the kids in bed?”
“Yes. Sound asleep.” She grunted as she got to her feet, and he walked beside her as they made their way to the back door. Quinn reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, then handed it to her.
“Thanks again, I owe you.”
She smiled. “Anytime!”
She waved as she left, and Quinn watched her as she walked across his backyard to get to hers. Quinn only shut the door when she disappeared into her house. He walked back through the kitchen and turned the light off, then went upstairs to the hallway.
He stopped at Haley’s bedroom and peeked his head inside. She was sound asleep, her stuffed bear cradled against her. He smiled and closed the door, but didn’t shut it all the way so that the light from the hallway could still light up her room. He pushed the door across the hall to Leo’s and Keith’s room open. They, too, were asleep.
He tiptoed in and gently pushed Keith’s leg back into bed, then left as quietly as he came in, avoiding the toys scattered around the floor as he crossed the room. Quinn closed the door back to where it was and headed to his bedroom at the far end of the hallway.
