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“Whatever.”
CHAPTER 4
Allesandro
SHE’D LIED STRAIGHT to my face and for the life of me I had no idea why. When the EMTs had checked her over last night, they’d been thorough, or as thorough as they could be with Quin acting like a brat. Still, when they rolled the sleeves of her shirt up, I saw the reddened area on one arm where that motherfucker had grabbed her, then I noticed the barrage of bruises in various stages of healing on the other. When the female medic asked me to step out of the ambulance, I knew where her mind had gone. Mine would have done the same, but I’d never hurt Quin.
“Jesus,” she huffed. “He’s not abusing me for heaven’s sake. I’m clumsy.”
“Are you sure?” the second EMT asked.
“Would it make you feel better if I crossed my heart and swore to God?”
“Quin,” I snapped. “Who did that to you?”
“No one did anything.” She narrowed her eyes on me. “I work in a bar and a hardware store. Shit happens.”
She was a terrible liar. However, I wasn’t about to call her out with an audience. Instead, I turned my head to the other medic, who was placing a blood pressure cuff on Quin’s arm.
“She’s pregnant. Can pepper spray fumes hurt the baby?”
“Oh my freaking God, Alec,” she groaned. “I was wielding it, not huffing the shit.”
“Can it?” I asked again.
“Have you had any symptoms of exposure? Irritation in your eyes or skin? Coughing?” the medic questioned.
“The only irritation I have right now is him.” She nodded in my direction. “So unless you have a cure for overbearing men somewhere in this ambulance, I think it’s safe to say I’m good.”
She started to get up from the stretcher, hell-bent on leaving, but I needed to know she and the baby were okay first. Placing my hand gently on her shoulder, I said, “Sit. Let them finish.”
“Stay. Sit. I swear to all things holy, if you pat me on the head next and tell me I’m a good girl I will not roll over for a belly scratch. I’ll nut-punch you instead.”
My firefly was full of sass and she was also highly skilled in the art of deflection. Her threat against my family jewels had been enough of a deterrent for me to realize questioning her further that night about the marks on her arms would be detrimental to my health. We would be having a conversation though, whether she wanted to or not. Quinlan James and the baby growing inside her body were mine to protect.
When we’d arrived at her home, she was quick to jump out of her car, and throw a wave over her shoulder, before disappearing inside the old farmhouse. Even through the pitch-black of the night, I could tell the property was in need of some serious attention. At one point, I’m sure it had been magnificent, however, for some reason or another, the upkeep had been long forgotten. One more thing to add to my never-ending list of questions for Quin.
By the time I pulled into my apartment, it was almost three in the morning. After brushing my teeth, I crawled into bed, hoping to catch a few solid hours of sleep before my internal alarm clock went off.
Unfortunately for me, the sandman never made a visit. So here I was, a few hours later, after having given up on the notion of rest, drinking my third cup of coffee while perusing a book on my Kindle app which gave a step-by-step look at pregnancy. It was beautiful and equally terrifying.
Was I ready to be a dad? Probably not. But was anybody truly prepared to become responsible for a tiny human?
My parents raised the four of us in a home filled with love and devotion. Their relationship was built on a foundation of loyalty, trust, and utter devotion. They taught us to reach for the stars, to never give up on our dreams, and we did, for the most part.
Before my capture, I longed to find a woman I could share their brand of connection with. Dreamt of it, actually. Then three torture-filled days fucked with my head so badly I wasn’t sure I was capable of the same kind of happiness.
Meeting Quin was like being thrown a lifeline during a raging storm; one I hadn’t known I needed. She challenged me in ways no one had ever done before. The first time she opened her smart mouth, I didn’t know if I wanted to kiss her senseless or spank her into submission. That should’ve been when I realized how vastly different she was. Instead, I fought those feelings tooth and nail, refusing to see what now had become so glaringly obvious.
She was the yin to my yang. The one person who was put on this earth to challenge me at every turn. Well…challenge accepted.
Sundays were the only day of the week where Quattro was officially closed. Regardless, I found myself itching to jump in my car and make the short drive, in order to feel the burn in my muscles only an intense workout would provide. Maybe then I’d be able to catch a few zzz’s before facing everyone at family dinner. Rico and Luc were already pissed I’d sworn them to secrecy for the time being, even though they understood my reasoning. However, without sleep, my muddled brain might accidentally slip, revealing news of the baby before Quin had the chance to tell her best friends. That would be catastrophic. Not only would Ma go ballistic, she’d take River and Emory along for a ride on her crazy train.
Quin was a firecracker most days. Once you threw in pregnancy hormones, no doubt she’d become damn-near combustible. With Ma and the other two girls added to the mix, the levels of insanity would launch the Richter scale right over the edge. Mountain Grove was not in any way prepared to deal with the aftermath.
Mind made up, I laced up my tennis shoes, opting to take a long run rather than waste time driving to the office. After grabbing a bottle of water, I shot off a text.
Me: Good morning, Mama. Just checking in to see how you’re feeling.
