Chasing My Forever (Beaumont: Next Generation 3)

When he looks at me, I want to push him onto his bed and do things that should never happen with his parents outside. “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. The band is all I’ve ever known. I grew up on the road, living in tour buses and hotels. I rarely went to public school. I had a nanny and a tutor. They would travel with us or sometimes I’d stay with my grandma, but she worked so it was pretty much the same thing, and I wanted to be with my dad.”

“What about your mom?”

He sighs. “My birth mom left me on my dad’s living room floor when I was a few days old. I’ve never met her. Katelyn adopted me when I was nine. My dad adopted the twins at the same time.”

“How long have your parents been married?”

He chuckles. “They’re not, unless you count common-law. Neither of them wants to get married. My mom was married before she met my dad, but Mason, the twins’ father, he died in a car accident.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.”

“It is, but it’s what brought us all to Beaumont. If that hadn’t happened, well I don’t know where my father and I would be right now.”

I sit down next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. “My mom doesn’t work. My dad manages crops. I have a brother named Rhett and a sister named Williemae and she has two kids.”

“Williemae?”

Now I’m the one laughing. “She’s named after my parents. It’s a southern thing.”

“I’d like to meet them,” he says.

I look at him. My mother’s voice runs through my mind, she’s nitpicking everything she doesn’t like about him from his messy hair, the scruff on his face, to what he wears. He is the exact opposite of someone she’d choose for me, and yet, he’s perfect. “I’m sure they’d like that.”

“Come on, let’s get you changed.”

“For what?” I ask.

“Surfing, of course.”

Quinn scoffs when I balk at the idea. He keeps telling me everything will be fine and that he’ll be there with me so when I fall off, he’ll catch me. It’s a nice romantic gesture, but the idea of falling into the ocean doesn’t appeal to me.

And yet, here I am, standing at the edge of the water with the waves washing over my bare feet, in a tight-can-barely-breathe wetsuit, and standing next to me is this sexy man who has yet to zip the rest of his wetsuit up, showing the people around us his well-defined sex lines. My mouth waters from just looking at him. The worst part is I think he’s oblivious to how sexy he is, and right now I want him to either put his suit on or take me home, so I can explore every inch of his body.

“Nola, are you listening?”

I shake away my daydream. “I’m sorry, what?”

Quinn smiles, it’s dazzling. “I was telling you what we’re going to do.”

“Oh,” I say, looking out over the ocean. “What if I just sit and watch first?”

“Quinn, are you coming?” We both turn to find Eden about calf deep in the water with her board resting next to her.

“I think she wants to surf with you.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asks.

“Go, I’ll sit here and watch.” I don’t have to tell him twice. Within seconds, he’s in the water, on his board and paddling out, and because I’m still in this wetsuit, I decide to sit where the waves will still reach me.

I haven’t a clue about surfing, but from what I can tell, Quinn and Eden are really good and seem to enjoy themselves. I even find myself laughing when he crashes and closing my eyes when the wave he’s about to tackle seems too big.

“He’s been doing this since he could walk.” Peyton sits down next to me, but her gaze is on the water. Noah’s paddling out to where Quinn and Eden are. “You should go out there, Quinn’s a good teacher. He taught us.”

“I think I’m okay being a spectator,” I tell her. “How come you’re not out there?”

“I thought I’d get to know you a bit. Quinn must think you’re the one if he brought you into our madhouse.”

My heart jumps at her words. He can’t possibly think that after a few days. Heck, not even days, but hours. “We haven’t known each other that long.”