It all came down to wanting to be loved and cared for.
Maurice was doing everything he could to convince her he still cared. By giving her money.
Quinn had given her money, too. But he’d also given her so much more. And all of it with no strings. He’d only agreed to the arrangement to satisfy her need to pay him back.
She sighed and stood up, then walked toward the door.
* * *
Austin watched Quinn with a somber eye. His friend had come a long way dealing with his feelings for April. Austin had hoped over the next few weeks that Quinn would finally realize he wanted to keep her in his life.
Austin sure as hell did, and he had no idea how that was going to work.
But now April could just move on, and as happy as Austin was about April having her independence again, selfishly he wished the turnaround could have come a little later.
Quinn sipped his drink, and Austin saw the resolve in his eyes. That was good. It meant Quinn was going to fight for her.
The sound of the bedroom door opening snagged his attention, and his focus jerked to it, along with Quinn’s.
April stepped into the living room. The anger was gone from her eyes, and she looked almost sheepish.
She sat down. “Quinn, I’m sorry I got mad.” Her fingers twisted together on her lap. “It was hard seeing Maurice again, and when you got angry and started questioning me…” She bit her lip. “I just reacted.”
Quinn stood up and moved to her chair, then knelt in front of her and took her hand.
“It’s okay, baby. I didn’t mean to badger you.”
She wiped an errant tear from her eye. “I know you were just looking out for me, and that means a lot to me.”
Quinn drew her forward and slid his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest, and her gaze now fell to Austin. He smiled and nodded. He was rewarded by a small smile turning up her lips.
She drew back from Quinn’s embrace.
“And that dream didn’t mean anything. I don’t have any lingering feelings for him, except what you’d expect for someone who hurt me.”
The glitter in Quinn’s deep, blue eyes told Austin that he’d love to get his hands on Maurice and make him answer for that pain.
“Now I’ll answer your question about why I’m wearing the engagement ring,” April said.
Quinn drew her to her feet and guided her to the couch with him, then, when they sat down, slid his arm around her protectively.
“When he told me he wanted to talk to me, I was going to turn him down,” she said, “but I wanted to know what he was up to. And I needed to find closure. When we sat down for a drink, he apologized for his actions and promised never to cheat on me again. He started offering me money by paying back the hotel debt and returning the equity in my town house. He even offered a huge bonus payment that I would receive if I married him.”
Why the hell would the guy be throwing around all that cash to win April back? He didn’t love her. That was clear from his affair and his subsequent treatment of her. Yet he was spending a lot of money to try to get her to marry him.
An idea prickled through Austin’s brain. “How huge? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Half a million dollars. But I don’t want his money. I just want the debt cleared and the equity in my house that I worked so hard to build.” She turned to Quinn. “He insisted I wear his ring again and that we talk tomorrow once the money shows up in my back account.”
“April, did Maurice ask you to sign any papers leading up to the wedding day?” Austin asked.
“Yes, a prenup.”
“Anything else?”
* * *
A prenup. An image flashed through April’s brain. Quinn sliding a small piece of notepaper toward her. There’d been a sentence or two scrawled on it … she couldn’t remember … but at the top was written PRENUP in Quinn’s distinct bl