Page 82 of Open To Negotiation

Noah, caught up in the excitement, had lifted Quinn up, spinning her around until I demanded he put her down. I socked him hard in the arm the second she was safely back on the ground.

After the game, we made our way out of the buzzing stadium to the waiting SUVs we rented for the remainder of our trip. I went to the passenger door of the front car and held it open for Quinn before going around to the driver’s side. Noah and Jaxson joined us while Asher drove the back car with Oli and Will.

Noah’s parents, Henry and Jane, lived on a piece of land that we bought them near Brighton. It was an hour and a half drive to their place. I kept Quinn’s hand in mine as she asked Noah questions about where we grew up.

For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace as we drove to see the people that raised me after my mum died.

22

Quinn

We pulled off the main road and on to a long drive, the trees hung over the road on both sides creating a magical canopy. As we broke through the trees, I got my first look at the house. From what Noah told me as we drove, they fully restored the seventeenth century farmhouse but I had not been picturing this.

It was a beautiful brick home, with large windows surrounded by white shutters. Ivy with purple flowers and dark green leaves covered the walls, climbing to the second story of the house where there were more windows than I could quickly count. It was perfectly charming and honestly looked more like a manor than a house.

Theo parked the car on a large slab of cement beside a detached three-car garage. I climbed out of the car without waiting for him to open my door, which earned me a grumble that I ignored.

The property around the house was lush and private, you couldn’t see any neighbors, the English countryside looked exactly like I’d pictured it. Sprawling spaces full of green fields and trees that looked like they’d been there for over a hundred years. I could see a path that led somewhere behind the house.

“If you follow that it goes to the back patio and gardens.” Theo pointed out as he came up behind me. “The sunrises from back there are something else.” I leaned into him as his arms wrapped around my shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to my neck.

“This place is stunning,” I said in awe, not only of the house but of what they did for Noah’s family.

“We did the redesign and completed most of the construction before Jane and Henry even knew about it,” Asher added, coming to stand beside us. “We let her decorate the interior because once the property was bought and restored, they couldn’t say no.”

The double front doors had large window panels and were white to match the rest of the trim. Flowers lined the few steps to the door, making it even more inviting. It was a warm day, the blue-cloudless sky a perfect backdrop for the gorgeous home.

The doors I was admiring flew open and a woman came barreling out.

Jane Hutchinson was easily identifiable as Noah’s mom. Her hair, that was the same shade of blonde as his, was cut just above her shoulders. She was a little taller than me but fit, the sundress she was wearing showed off her toned muscles.

“My boys are home!” she cried as she wrapped Noah up in a big hug then pushed him aside for Asher.

I watched as each man took a step up and got a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Theo untangled himself from behind me and went to hug her last. After the hug, Jane pulled back and put her hands on either side of his face and gave him a big smile.

Some silent communication passed between the two of them before she patted him on the cheek and turned to me.

“You must be Quinn!” Without waiting for an answer, she pulled me into a tight hug that I returned. With my own mom travelling so much I didn’t mind the extra squeeze.

“Thank you so much for having me, Mrs. Hutchinson,” I said as she pulled back.

“Don’t start with that, call me Jane. And you are absolutely beautiful, they didn’t do you justice.” I looked over her shoulder to try and figure out who had been talking about me, but they all avoided eye contact.

“You’re going to scare her away.” Theo came back to my side with a smile on his face. Jane scoffed like that was impossible, I was starting to feel like maybe she was right.

“Come, let’s get you inside. We have some snacks to hold us over until dinner.” Jane linked her arm through mine. “And I want to get to know you better.”

“Where’s Da?” Noah asked. The others had all grabbed our luggage and were following us inside.

“He was out back fixing a fence post.” Jane shook her head. “Stubborn man, I told him what time you would be here and that he needed to be inside but nooo… he wouldn’t listen. I also told him to leave it for one of you but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

“Where’s Tuck?” Asher asked as we stepped into the house.

“He’s also with Henry. Man didn’t want the dog and now those two are inseparable. Did I tell you that he lets him sleep on the bed now! The sweet boy just curls up at his feet and he doesn’t say a damn thing.”

I bit my lip to stop from laughing at the visual of an older Noah making himself uncomfortable for a dog and looked around.

Despite the historic outside, the inside had been completely renovated. You walked into a large open floor plan, with a post on the corner of a large L-shaped countertop that surrounded the kitchen, separating the space. There was an opening on one side of the room that led to a dining room with wood paneling on the walls and a massive table. The living room had a large fireplace and enough seating for all the men who visited this house. It felt like a home made for entertaining, the furniture looked like it was made to look vintage but was far more comfortable than vintage furniture would ever be.