To their immense credit, the McKallister siblings, led by openhearted Grace, had not left me hanging. Despite what they’d all surely heard about me in the earlier hours of the day, none of them seemed to hold it against me. They welcomed me into their bubble, held my hand, comforted me when I cried. If I only took one thing out of this horrible experience, it would be an understanding of the humanity of this family, who despite their own vast sufferings, had found it in their hearts to tend to mine.
Michelle and Scott arrived back in the waiting room hours later, looking exhausted but relieved. They had the news we’d all been waiting for.
“Quinn has stabilized,” Michelle announced. “The surgeons think he’s going to make a full recovery.”
The cheers that erupted could surely be heard from the street below.
“And get this.” Scott’s pride shone through. “He’s awake and talking.”
“Of course he’s talking,” Jake said, the relief evident on his tired face. “When does Quinn not get the last word?”
* * *
Hours passed. As we waited for updates on Quinn’s continued recovery, answers began trickling in about the shooting. Names. Faces. The victims. The shooter. But the thing I clung to—what I took some bizarre solace in—was the fact that Quinn and Sketch Monsters had not been specifically targeted. They’d just had the extraordinary misfortune of being in the wrong place at the very worst time.
“I hear you’re engaged,” Michelle said, sliding into the chair beside me.
The half-hearted smile I offered up fooled no one. “Don’t worry. I won’t hold him to it.”
“I hope you do.”
I couldn’t keep my jaw from dropping. Sheapprovedof Quinn’s deathbed proposal?
“Is that so hard for you to believe?” she asked.
“A little,” I admitted. “Especially after what my ex unleashed on the internet. It’s hard to believe that you would be okay with your youngest son dating a single mom with a less-than-stellar past.”
Michelle was slow with her response. “You know, I once fell for a single father with a less-than-stellar past. Star-crossed lovers, I guess you could say. I was from a very wealthy and connected family. Scott was not. I’d never known anyone like him. He was unrefined, vulgar, funny… everything I wasn’t. Everything my family wasn’t. Yet he was real and raw and exciting. I fell so hard. My parents—not so much. They fought our love every step of the way. Not only did they hate that he had a baby son, but also they didn’t think Scott was smart enough, rich enough, or connected enough to provide for me. Without going into detail, it got very ugly, and I was forced to make a choice no one should ever have to make.”
“Your heart or your family,” I guessed.
She nodded, glancing around the room. “I chose my heart and then built myself a new family. I’ve never regretted it. In fact, I pity my parents. Think of all these wonderful kids they lost out on knowing. And for what? I swore I would never do that to my own children. Quinn loves you. He loves Noah. I’ve seen such a change in him. With you, he doesn’t seem lost anymore. You make him happy, and that, in turn, makes me happy. So, when I say I hope you hold him to his proposal, Jess, those aren’t empty words.”
Stunned by her honesty, I whispered, “Thank you, Michelle. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
She smiled and then nudged me. “Quinn wants to see you.”
My head shot up. “Really?”
“Really. And guess what the first word out of his mouth was?”
“If you say Debbie, I’m going to cry.”
“Who?”
“No. Nothing. Just an inside joke between Quinn and me,” I said, allowing excitement to creep in until realization hit. “Wait—isn’t the ICU for immediate family only?”
“That’s right. Scott and I let the staff know you’re his fiancée. They’re expecting you.”
I jumped to my feet, feeling reinvigorated.
“Jess.” Michelle grabbed my wrist, her eyes misting over. “Quinn doesn’t know yet. So if he asks about the shooting, be cautious.”
I paused, flickers of panic gripping me. “He doesn’t know?” I whispered.
She shook her head.
“When will you tell him?”
