Crystal’s face swings between Quinn and me then lands on Morgan, who has opened his arms toward her. Like a magnet, she rushes to him and lets out a heart-piercing wail. He immediately wraps her into him and buries his head into her hair. She vibrates so hard with quiet sobs that my own heart hurts.
Quinn grabs my hand, and we both soak in the beauty of this reunion. Then, in true Quinn fashion, she finds a way to ease the emotional tension.
“I know this is a life-changing moment, but can we discuss the fact that Crystal’s man is seriously fucking hot?” She tries to whisper but fails miserably.
There’s no stopping the snort that escapes. I bend over, trying to stop, but nothing works. Crystal’s cries stop and are replaced with her own giggling. Morgan’s eyes find Quinn’s, and he gives her a panty-dropping smile, dimples on full display.
Finally, I gather my composure and wave my hand between them. “Quinn, Morgan. Morgan, Quinn.”
He gives a chin jerk in recognition. Finally, Crystal turns, and I hand her a napkin. She wipes her cheeks then straightens her shoulders, focusing on Morgan. “What are you doing here?”
“Claiming back my girl. It’s been long enough.” He tugs her back to him, and she has to look up to his face.
“I was such a bitch to you. I said horrible things.”
“No, your dad said horrible things that you repeated. I know why you did.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, babe, I’ve known since about three days after you walked out of my garage. But guess what? In some ways, he was right. You needed to come to college. The experience was invaluable. Now, you can do exactly as you always wanted. But he went about it the wrong way. I’m not going to drag him through the mud, but let’s just say, I’ve used this time to build a business that even he can’t destroy by eliminating his referrals.”
“Don’t you hate me?”
“How can you hate the woman who owns your heart?”
Her breath visibly hitches at his declaration. Another tear falls down her cheek. “I thought you’d moved on.”
“Not even for a second. It’s always been you.”
They stare at each other for a long while, and I nudge Quinn that we need to leave and let them talk. She nods in agreement. We start to back away, but she turns and launches herself at us. We all three hug for a few seconds, and more tears are shed. I catch Morgan watching us with a shimmer in his eye. He mouths the words ‘thank you’, and I smile.
Crystal finally has her man back.
*****
Bryce is waiting outside when we drive up to his townhome. Before Quinn can put the car in park, I’m out and running to him. He catches me easily and steals a quick kiss before putting his head in my neck.
“Missed you.” I lean back and frame his face in my hands. “That was a really long two weeks.”
“Tell me about it. But at least now we have our own space.”
“Hey, loverlord, are you going to get our bags or what?” Quinn walks up and pinches him as he sets me down.
“Loverlord?” He raises an eyebrow at her.
“It’s a new word I’m trying out. Not sure I like it.”
I cover my mouth to hide my snicker. The last thing I need to do is encourage her. Bryce grabs our bags, and we follow him inside. Nate gets up to greet us when we walk in, and I i
nstantly feel a sense of familiarity. They only brought a few of their personal items since the place had all the essentials, but this is more them. They’ve set up the entertainment system with their large screen TV and gaming systems similar to how it was at the apartment in Knoxville. Pictures are scattered around the room with the addition of some new ones with Tommy, Rick, and a few other guys they work with. I only saw their base housing once, but this place has one-hundred percent more personality and warmth.
“I love it here!” I declare and throw myself on the sofa. “Believe it or not, this sofa is more comfortable than the one you had. Quinn will sleep like a queen on this thing.”
“Actually, she can have my bed tonight,” Nate tells us. “I’m working.”
“Cool. What time do I need to be up tomorrow morning?” she asks.
“Nine should be fine. But if not, I’ll crash on the couch.”