Loving Quinn Novel by North Rose

check my email and my voicemail. A glass of wine will help soothe my nerves before deal with my daughter,

1 head to the kitchen to pon myself a glass, my phone to my car as I do. Five voicema wait for me. The first one is from my mother reminding me about a dinner next week with her and my father. The second one was from my father asking me if he was something I could de inget out of coming to dinner. He wants to uprise my mother with an early nerary gif

This makes me laugh before I move to the next voicemail. This one is from Lorelai, he doesn’t say what it is about but that I need to call her as soon as possible. By the tone of her voice, she is angry. What is happening now that is making her angry?

So, instead of listening to the remaining two voicemails, I hang up, then dial her number. She drawers on the second ring. Meaning she was waiting for my call.

“Are you sitting down?” She asks. From the tone of her voice, I can already tell that

not like what the bas to say

Knowing Lori, I take her advice and sit on a stool at the kitchen counter. “What la going on Lori?”

“Did you check the email I sent you earlier?”

“No, I was with Grace and a few of her friends. Movie and lunch deal. I haven’t had time.”

“Kyle and Lana are filing for joint custody of Grace.”

I hadn’t known it was possible for this day to get any worse. Again, I was so very wrong “How is that possible? Grace is not his daughter. He isn’t on her birth certificate. She was born before I ever met him.”

“You were married for three years and together for five, Annora. Kyle is the only father she has ever really known. He is using that as a basis for this custody suit. H**o think of her as his.”

This is not happening. Then a thought pops in my head. Grace’s real father is right here in California. He was at my house last night. “What if her real father was in the picture?”

“I thought you didn’t know where he was?”

“He is right here in Califomia. His company Just bought Mercy General. We met a week ago at a fundraiser.”

“Would he be willing to step in and help you fight this?”

Honestly, I do not know what Quinn will do. Will he hate me when I tell him about Grace, or will he be happy that we have a child together?

“He doesn’t know about Grace.”

Cue the dramatics from my lawyer. The questions she asks are ones I have asked myself over and over throughout the years. Now I just have to figure out how to tell him about the child we created together. However, before I do that, I need to talk to Groce

It is time to come face to face with my past.

Saturdays have too much free time in them. I have been to the gym, had a long swim, and on a hike. It is no six p.m., and I am alone in my penthouse. Not a situation I want to be in. Normally, I would get dressed for going to a nightclub to find my next distraction.

Then I would spend the rest of the night with the woman who caught my eye. Howe, since I tasted Arora’s lips again after so long, I have no intention of sleeping with another. She is the only one I want in my bed, on the floor, up painst a wall, or anyway I can get her. I want my hands fisted in het hair as pound into her. The way she moaned my name last night had me ready to explode right there on the spot. That would have been beyond embarrassing had creamed

pants before I had her naked beneath mg.

The sound of my schell ringing rudely interrupts my thoughts. Who the hell could that be? I take my time walking to the door. Whoever it is on the other side better have a good reason for knocking on my door on a Saturday. A bark of laughter leaves my mouth when I see who is on the other side of the door. I open it to greet my best friend.

2/4

Chapter 14

“What are you doing beie?”

“There is a sover game on I figured you would either be stuck in your own head or hit trying to distract yourself. So, I hrought pizza and beer.”

“Well, since I have literally no plans tonight, why the hell not.”

I open the dom for bins, then close it behind him as he walks to the kitchen with his joms full. I grab the twelve pack of beer from him, then place it in the refrigerator, pulling out two cold ones. Then back to him

Dammit, he has that look on his face. I hate that look the is just sitting there on a tool, staring at me with one eyebrow raised. It is his “I know what you are thinking” face. I hate that look. Well, not always, but I really hate it when he knows something that I want to keep to myself.

“Spill it, Greyson”

beer, and the game

e first-

“Tizza, beer, and talking. Then if the game is still on, we will watch it.”

is always the negotiater.

“Fine, come on.”

We grab our beers, and he grabs the box with the pizza. He puts the game on, then we sit in silence as we eat the fast few slices of pune. I decide it is time to break the silence as I put my empty plate on the coffee table.

“She is like a drug man. A drug that I couldn’t get out of my system back then and now that I have tasted her again, I know I won’t be able to walk away

“How do you see this going now that you are back in each other’s path again? What are you planning to tell her about your time in the shit

“She had a kid with someone.”

This new gets h father?”

his attention. He places his beer down on the table, then turns to face me. “Who did she have a kid with? What about the ex-husband? He isn’t the

“She asked me how I would feel if I knew Kyle wasn’t the father. That makes me believe heat. Why would she say that if he was? She wouldn’t tell me, but going to meet her at her place on Friday to talk. I have a feeling that I will not like what she has to tell me.”

“How do you feel about that? Her having a kid?”

How do I feel about it? I know I told her I will love any child she has as long as I can be with her. What we had back then and what I felt from her last night less me know it is still there now. Am I willing to take on her child as my own to be with her

“I want this Annora’s child will be part of the deal. If she will explore our feelings for each other with me now,

then I will try to get

try to get to know her child,”

hile we were apart..

My mind wanders as Aton falls silent. I can tell the game has caught his attention. Thad to know that Annora had other lovers over the ye have had more than my share of lovers just in the past year. Can I really be upset with her for being with other men?

Part of my heart wants to be upset, but that would make me a hypocrite. What am I going to tell her about my history with women? The way Annora reacted to how 1 treated Rebecca let me know she already thinks poorly of me for how I treated her. Imade up for it, but I can also assume Annora thinks it was with sex.

Telling her that happened earlier in the night seemed a little uncalled for

“What are you going to do about Dionne?*

I turn my attention back to Aaron. I completely forgot that we ran into her at the hotal. Having both women from my just back in my life at the same time to ghing to be a minefield to wade through, One-being the love of my life, while the other almost became my wife.

se did to our baby.”

“I have to admit that I am curious about how she got that nasty cut on her arm. That doesn’t mean she is welcome back in my life after what she

“Well, since she is a patient at our hospital, you will have plenty of time to find out.-

There is no plan to sprak to her again. I want nothing to do with the woman who aborted my child because it was invonesies It was my baby too. She didn’t tell me she had already had the procedure done until a week before the wedding. That was only called the house to schedule a follow up appointment. I was livid when I heard the message on the answering machine.

“Dionne can go to hell for all I care.