* * *
Quinn washed up, changed into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt, and climbed into bed, letting her muscles relax as she settled against her fluffy pillows. Instead of thinking about her night, which would only lead to her remembering moments she didn’t want to dwell on, like Austin leaving with that woman or her family’s lack of understanding her, she picked up her Kindle to dive into a romantic comedy she’d been reading. Once she chilled out enough, she’d shut the light and try to fall asleep.
No sooner had she begun reading than her phone rang.
A glance told it was Austin and her heart began to race. What could he want this late? Something had to be wrong and she grabbed the phone, answering immediately. “Hello?”
“I need you. Really, desperately need you. Can you get over to my place now?”
In the background, she heard an indistinguishable sound. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked, knowing he’d left with the waitress, or at least she thought he had.
“Just get over here fast. Please.” He disconnected the call, leaving her staring at the phone in her hand.
Worried now, she glanced down at her outfit, decided it was good enough given the strange circumstances, grabbed her car keys, and rushed out the door. At this time of night, there was little traffic on the roads, and she arrived at Austin’s house in less than twenty minutes, pulled into his driveway, and parked behind his Porsche.
She rushed to the front door, finding it open, which was odd, stepped inside, and loud baby screams assaulted her senses. She immediately thought she was dreaming. Austin had an infant in his house? How could that be?
She walked through the main entryway with gorgeous vibrant paintings on the walls and toward the too familiar sound. She knew the way. Not only had she been here after Austin’s surgery but she’d dropped contracts and paperwork off on occasional days he’d been sick or working from home, so she headed toward the kitchen.
“Austin?” she called over the angry, upset sounds.
“In here!” he yelled back.
She stepped inside and froze.
He stood over a baby in a car seat carrier, literally wringing his hands.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Someone left her on my doorstep!”
Quinn immediately bent down and shifted the handle so she could lift the crying infant out of the seat and cuddle her against her chest. “Shh. Shh.”
She rocked from side to side, rubbing her hand over the little back in a soothing motion. “What’s in that bag? See if there’s formula or diapers.” Something that would soothe the baby.
But as he knelt, the infant responded to being comforted and held by Quinn. The baby calmed down and pulled in quick breaths, then released them.
“Oh, thank God. She stopped crying. How did you do that?” Austin asked, glancing up from his crouched position.
“You were a tense mess and transmitting that to her. Plus you didn’t pick her up or even try and comfort her,” Quinn chided him.
“She scares me. I don’t know shit about babies.” He dug through the bag on the floor. “What’s this?” He held up a burp rag.
Quinn rolled her eyes. “Give it to me.” She took the soft cotton and dabbed at the little one’s wet face and eyes and wiped her tiny nose. “There you go. All better?” she asked.
Two big blue eyes stared up at Quinn. My God, this baby was beautiful. “You said she?”
He rose. “The note said she’s a girl.” He picked up the pink sticky note that had fallen to the floor. “Here.”
She glanced at the paper and her eyes opened wide. “And you didn’t know about her?” she asked, voice rising in disbelief.
“No,” he replied a bit sheepishly.
With a frown for him, she looked back to the baby and smiled. “Hey, Jenny. You’re so pretty. Are you sure she’s yours?” she asked Austin, still rocking the baby in what was a natural motion that quickly came back to her from taking care of her youngest siblings and cousins.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
She shot him an incredulous glance. How could he not know he had a child? “Jesus, Austin. Are you that much of a man-whore?”
He actually looked insulted. “Hey, I’m not a man-whore. Anymore,” he muttered. “The last time I was with a woman was…” He paused as he obviously mentally did the math. “About a year ago. A little before surgery…”
“You mean before tonight. The last time you were with a woman before tonight was a year ago.” Her voice trailed off. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “I’ve been busy building the business. And for the record, I wasn’t with Marnie tonight,” he muttered.
But they both knew if not for the baby cockblocker in her arms, he would have been.
“Didn’t you leave with her?” she asked.
He nodded, not meeting her gaze. “She took one look at the baby and bolted.”