Jessica’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you don’t remember. I know I told you about her.”
Ginny grabbed Jessica’s arm. She had no recollection of anything Tiffany-related that would be important to know at this moment. “Tell me now.”
“Okay. Okay. Geez, watch the claws.” Jessica lifted her arm to free it from Ginny’s grasp. She flipped her hair off her face. “So Tito found out that she wasn’t pregnant.”
“No!” Tiffany and Tito had been stuck together like Popsicle sticks dipped in glue in college. They were theitcouple. Both came from money and were destined to succeed in life and love.
“Yeah, but that’s not the kicker. See, he found out two months before the wedding and he didn’t call it off. He just went along with everything she wanted, letting her order flowers and the dress and pay the caterers. All of it.”
Ginny nodded. “If he loved her, what did it matter? They’d get married anyway.”
“Don’t give him that much credit. He was biding his time. He waited until her dad put Tiffany’s hand in his, and then he stopped the priest, told her he knew she’d lied to him, and left her standing there at the altar.”
“No!” Ginny’s hands flew to her mouth. “That’s so mean.” She looked back at Quinn and Tiffany, noting that his hands were floating several inches away from her body. The poor guy was too nice to tell her to shove off.
“Yeah, well, so’s trying to trap a man into marrying you by pretending to be pregnant with his child.” She waved her glass around as she spoke. “I can’t believe she came. This place is full of people who saw her get dumped. I heard she’s desperate to find someone who can support her Louis Vuitton addiction. Looks like she’s found her man.”
A low, angry growl grew in Ginny’s chest. There was no way she was going to let Tiffany suck Quinton dry—or play mind games with him, or take advantage of the fact that he was a genuinely good guy. Friends stuck up for friends, and she was going to save Quinn from his good manners. “Over my dead body.”
“Go get ’im,” Jessica called as Ginny forged a path through the happy couples on the dance floor. Her mind spun with possible ways to insert herself into the situation. There was only one way to scare off a woman like Tiffany.
“Honey,” she cooed to Quinn as she lifted Tiffany’s arm off his shoulder and flicked it away. “I see you’ve caught up with Tina.”
Quinton’s face was so full of relief that it was difficult for Ginny to keep a straight face. She may have mirrored his emotion, because until she was right in front of him, she’d had no idea how he would receiveher. The recognition and eagerness in his honey-brown eyes grabbed her whole attention, and the room shrank to their small circle of space.
Quinton’s hand went to her side, as if testing to see if she was real. Heat seeped through her dress at the contact point, and she stopped breathing.
Quinn, her heart sighed. She’d been waiting ten years for this moment, and she wasn’t sure if she consciously understood the importance. Being right here, right now, was written in the stars. Her and Quinton’s eternal path. Their bodies came together as if they’d only just finished the kiss they started ten years ago in the library.
“Hi,” Quinn rasped.
Ginny would have teased him about being eloquent—or not—but she couldn’t seem to form words either.
A sharp finger prodded Ginny’s shoulder, and she turned to find Tiffany standing close enough that her breath puffed in Ginny’s face. “It’sTiffany,” she groused.
Was she still here?“Good to see you again,” Ginny threw over her shoulder before pressing her body flush with Quinn’s and tuning out the other people in the room. She’d come for one reason and she’d found him. “You owe me a dance.”
Quinton took the lead, and she was swept away, figuratively and literally, as they waltzed across the wooden floor. He wove them expertly through the other couples, never taking his eyes off of her.
Ginny stared up at him. Had he grown? She didn’t remember him being so tall—or quite this dashing.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” His voice was deeper, huskier than she remembered.
“I’m still fighting jet lag,” she confessed. Which would be why she felt dizzy at the moment. Surely the sensations floating through her body had nothing to do with his touch, or the way his arms held her tenderly.
“You’re magnificent.” His warm, minty breath brushed her ear, sending tingles racing across her skin. She’d been told she was beautiful in several different languages, but not once had the comment made her blush as Quinton’s did now.
She laughed, unable to hold in the joy of knowing that she’d finished the long road home. For the first time since she’d set foot in Seattle, she was glad she’d come.
Chapter Six
Quinton
Quinton spun them around in a tight circle, fueled by Ginny’s laughter and the heady sensation of holding her in his arms.Finally. He pulled her closer and slowed their steps, keeping them out of the crush on the dance floor. “Are you here to stay?”
The question had a double meaning. He wanted to know if she was in Seattle to stay and if she was in his arms to stay. She could answer both if she wanted—or just one. He could handle just Seattle for the time being. Then, one day soon, they could get working on that marriage pact.
“I don’t have a choice.”
