McKenna chattered on, but the crunch of gravel on tires made Josie scurry back to the kitchen to peer out the window.Quin’s car halted to a stop next to her vehicle.Her heart pattered in her chest.It’d been three months since Quin returned and upended her life for the second time, but this time, all the heartache had been for the best.Cody was facing life in prison for premeditated murder and embezzlement, not to mention trying to run her over with his truck and arson from when he’d set the bar on fire.The odds of him getting off scot-free were nil.Which meant she could forget about Cody and give thanks that justice would be served.
“Quin just got home.Can I call you tomorrow?”
“You bet.Have fun.”Her friend’s mischievous laugh made Josie roll her eyes before clicking off.
Quin pushed open the door.She dove into his arms and he swept her off her feet.
“I’m so happy for you,” she cried.As it turned out, Cody had pissed away a lot of the company’s money.He’d also racked up its credit cards.Thankfully, the business turned a good profit and there was no lien on the property, so Quin would walk away with over seven hundred grand.
He dropped a kiss to her lips.“You should be happy for you, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Half is yours.”He lifted his shoulder.“I mean, what’s mine is yours anyway.But I want you to have Liam’s share.It’s what he would have wanted, and what am I going to do with seven hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars anyway?”He lifted his hand to her cheek.“I’ve got everything I need right here.”
Warmth spread from her cheek to her toes, filling her heart.It wasn’t about the money—she couldn’t care less about cash—but one did need it to survive.She’d been fortunate to have been able to pay off the cabin through Liam’s insurance policy and still have some money left over to keep her comfortable.With her side business doing readings and selling jewelry, she wasn’t in need of anything.But the gesture meant the world.
She turned her cheek and kissed his palm.“Like you said, my money is your money.All that matters is that we’re together.Who cares what account our funds are in?”
He kissed her forehead then held up a pizza box.A bag dangled from his fingers.“I brought home dinner.”
The scent of melted cheese and marinara sauce reached her nostrils.She suppressed a giggle and gestured for him to come to the living room.
He kicked off his shoes and followed her.“What’s so funny?”
She lifted a champagne flute.“Pizza and champagne.So classy.”
He laughed and opened the bag.“Hey, I got breadsticks and salad, too.”
She threw a cushion on the floor.“Well, that changes things.”
He went to the kitchen and came back with plates then sat on the floor next to her and cracked open the cardboard box.He turned it toward her and she pulled out a slice, stretching the gooey cheese.Her mouth watered.
She filled her plate then took a bite of salad as Quin grabbed a slice of pizza.“What now?”she asked.
He raised his eyebrows and stuffed the pointy end in his mouth.Chewing, he swiped some sauce from his lips with a napkin.“I was thinking we’d eat then finish celebrating.”The green hue in his hazel eyes turned warm with need.
Heat spread through her body, followed by anticipation.If she weren’t so hungry for a warm meal, she’d leave the food aside and satisfy their itch now.“Let me have a few slices first,” she said, picking up the pizza and taking a bite.Spicy pepperoni and a hint of basil touched her tongue.She swallowed.“That’s not what I meant, though.”
He reached for the bottle of champagne.“Oh?”
“I mean what are you going to do now that the company is sold?”she asked, unable to keep her tone light.She lowered her gaze to the red pillow beneath her crossed legs.Her stomach hardened around the heavy cheese and her nerves demanded she hop to her feet and pace the room.She chewed the corner of her lip to keep her butt rooted to the spot.Tension gripped her body.
Quin wouldn’t leave.But what was keeping him here?Before his return he’d spent eight months in the city.Now that his business was gone, he was free.She couldn’t be selfish enough to expect him to stay just for her.If he had somewhere else he wanted to be, she needed to know now.
His pizza slice landed on his plate with a flop.He leaned forward, pressing his knuckles into the floor near her ankles.“Josie Ryan.Tell me you don’t think I would leave again.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his hot, earnest expression.His brow was puckered with mild annoyance and his words were heavy with hurt.“Honey, I’m not going anywhere.You couldn’t shake me if you wanted.”
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist.Some of the strain in her muscles eased.“You don’t have to stay here, you know.You were in the city before coming back here.I can’t imagine what you’ll do with all that money and—”
“I lived in the city because I couldn’t come here.Josie, this is my home.Yeah, I wanted to sell the logging company, but only because I didn’t want to spend my life chopping down trees anymore.That was great in my twenties and early thirties, but I don’t want to do that in ten years.”He wet his lips then shifted closer to her.“And yeah, now that Cody’s gone, I could have kept it going and taken on the responsibility myself, but I don’t want to be stuck in an office all day, having seasonal workers that come and go so my ass would still have no choice but to run the machines.”He lifted her hand and pressed her palm to his cheek.“I sold the company because it’s what I wanted.Not because I want to leave.”
“I get that.But what’s here for you now?”
“You.”He grinned.“Besides, I didn’t get to talk to you about my other plan yet.”A devilish glint shone in his eyes.
“Oh, god.Now I’m really nervous.”
