Page 2 of A Simple Regret

“Don’t blame this on me,” I state, taking a quick drink of water. “You woke your daughter up all on your own.”

There’s a pregnant pause before he whispers, “Still feels weird hearing that.”

A smile spreads across my face. I know what he’s referring to, and it makes me so damn happy for him and my sister, even if I love to give them shit about it. Quinn has always been searching for family. The one he was given is crap, and he’s been an honorary member of the Miller clan since we were in kindergarten.

“I know,” I reply, leaning against my counter and taking another drink of water.

“We should celebrate. Let’s go to The Lizard.”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Are you trying to get me killed? You know your sister would remove my balls with a butter knife and shove them down my throat.”

I make a face through my laughter. “True.”

“Besides that, there’s no way I’m leaving this angel. It’s hard enough to go to work five days a week. Now that I’m here and holding her, this is where I’m staying. You’ll have to call Alex or Robby.”

I scoff, even though I knew that would be his answer. “I can’t believe you’re ditching me for my sister.”

He chuckles and makes a kissing noise. I swear I can see him leaning forward and pressing his lips to his daughter’s forehead at this exact moment. “I was always gonna choose your sister, my friend.”

“Bros before⁠—”

“Don’t say it.”

Smiling, I mutter a good-hearted, “Fine. Maybe I’ll just drop by your place and hang. It’s been a few days since my niece saw me. Wouldn’t want her to think the other two idiots claimed the top uncle spot.”

“Never,” he replies. I hear a soft voice in the background, which belongs to my sister. “Talking to Cam,” he says to her. “Charli says hi.”

“Hey. Speaking of my sister, when are you gonna make an honest woman out of her?”

“Soon.”

I wasn’t expecting that…

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he replies, his daughter starting to fuss in the background. “Hold on, I gotta pass June Bug to her mama for dinner.” Again, I hear him press a kiss to her head. “I’ll change her diaper when you’re done,” he tells my sister. One thing I’ve noticed about Quinn is he’s incredibly hands-on. He helps Charli with everything except the actual feeding, but even then, always seems to be hovering nearby, ready to act.

“I can let you go if you need to,” I say, finishing my water and tossing it into the recycle bin.

“I’m good for a few minutes. Anyway, yes, that’ll happen. Soon. And not just because of June Bug either. I can’t picture my life without her, man. Either of them. I want us to be a family in every way we can, and I want nothing more than to marry your sister. Not because I’ve wanted her pretty much since I was a kid, but simply because she makes me a better person, and all I want to do is make her happy.”

Silence stretches across the phone, and my throat feels a little tight.

My oldest friend is a damn good man, and even though I give him a lot of shit for crushing on my sister—and eventually having a relationship with her—I’m so fucking proud of him and honored to have him as part of the family in this regard.

“So, The Lizard?” I ask, clearly teasing.

Quinn laughs. “Sorry, friend. I’m passing tonight.”

“Yeah, I figured,” I mumble.

“Have a good time.”

“I’ll probably just hang here. I’ve got Wyatt’s transmission torn apart and need to finish that up,” I tell him, glancing out the small window above the sink when I catch movement outside. I’m not sure who’s outside at the neighbor’s place, but now isn’t the time for me to go introduce myself. That can wait until I’m showered and they’re not busy moving into a new place when it’s already dark outside.

Quinn says something to Charli, and I know our time is up.

“I’ll let you go, man. I’ll try to stop by this weekend and snuggle my niece.”