“Quinn, I swear to god.”
“Jess, do you ever want to have sex with me again?”
I stopped, struggling to address his ludicrous threat. “Hold up, Romeo. Are you suggesting that you’re going to withhold sex from me if I don’t go with you?”
“Maybe.”
My eyes narrowed. Oh, he wanted to play, did he? Let’s go. “I have an eight-year-old kid, Quinn. I can assure you, other than the occasional Door Dash guy, men are not knocking down my door. I’ve been forced to make… shall we say… provisions.”
He raised a brow. “Provisions, you say?”
“Provisions.” I nodded. “Silent Bob, my battery-operated boyfriend. And you can be sure he doesn’t withhold anything from me.”
“Wow, Jess. Please be sure to share that happy tidbit with my mother when you meet her today,” Quinn said, chuckling as he continued to manhandle me. “Come on. Where’s that fighting spirit?”
“Dead. Totally dead.”
“Jess.” He eyed me. “I’m proud of you. I want to show you off to my family. They’ll love you.”
I scoffed. “I seriously doubt that.”
“Because you believe what you’ve read about us.”
“No, because I make a living exploiting your family. I hardly think that makes me a loveable character for them to root for.”
“It makes you interesting. We like interesting.”
“Oh yes, I can imagine I’d be very interesting. Should I bring Noah along? My dad, maybe? He’d add a little flavor.”
Quinn lifted me from my seat, his arm circling around my waist. “Whatever floats your boat, babe.”
“I can’t.” I pulled away from him. “This is a private family moment. I would be intruding on that.”
He stared at me. “I accompanied you to a private family moment.”
“Exactly. And my father was a disaster.”
“No, he wasn’t. Please, Jess. I want you with me. We’ve struggled so much as a family, and it’s these little wonders that bring us together and make us whole. There is no better time to introduce my girlfriend than right now.”
“That’s what you think I am? Your girlfriend?”
“It’s not what I think. It’s what I know.”
“After three days together?”
“It hasn’t been three days for me.”
The things he said, the way he said them. Quinn made me feel special in a way I never had before. Was this what it was like to be in a healthy relationship?
“It hasn’t been three days for me, either,” I admitted.
“Then it’s settled. You’re my girlfriend, and you’re coming to meet my family.”
“I don’t remember settling anything,” I protested. “You’re very persistent, aren’t you?”
“I know what I want.”
“And Noah? Can you handle all that? Don’t just be nice, Quinn. Really, truly think about it. I won’t be mad, just a little maybe, if you decide dating a woman with a kid isn’t for you.”
