Page 20 of Lost the Handle

DidI buy a Bugatti because it’s Quinn’s dream car?

You bet your sweet ass I did.

Do I like driving it?

Nope. It scares the fuck out of me. It’s incredibly powerful. But I won’t let him know that.

Nor will I ever tell him how seeing him with Zac has my ovaries shooting eggs left and right. God, he’s insanely attractive. His dark hair is styled slick to the side, his jaw now covered with stubble that has me wanting to lick him from chin to ear. He still has on the burgundy scrubs from the clinic where he works. On the breast pocket is the name of the clinic with his name embroidered under it.

Dr. Quinn Adler.

I don’t know why I hate that. I should be proud. He’s brilliant, and it isn’t easy to go through medical school, especially doing it as young as he did. I respected his choice when he chose being a doctor over starting EMQUINNY with me. I didn’t like it, but I respected it. He had already finished college school and was starting med school.

He has this dream of making his dad proud by getting hockey players back on the ice. It’s respectable, it’s a good dream, but it’s unneeded. Shea Adler would love and be proud of Quinn if he joined the circus to be a clown.

That’s just who Shea is.

Just like my dad, Shea’s proud of his kids because of who they are, not what they add to his image. That’s just a plus for my dad—since I’m so amazing and all. It doesn’t matter that I’m on the Forbes Richest 25 under 25, coming in at stellar #22, which was cool as shit since it was my dad’s hockey number. My dad loves me, regardless.

Adores me.

Just as Shea does Quinn. I’ve tried telling this to his stubborn ass, but Quinn wants to be an asset to his family. I mean, I get it. His eldest sister Shelli is a Broadway-star-turned-GM for the Nashville Assassins, the team both our dads played for and retired from. His other sister Posey is the first female coach for the Assassins. Both are also moms, and I mean,Wow. Shit. I can barely keep myself alive if I get too deep into work. Those two keep humans alive and rock their work lives. Incredible.

Then his older brothers, twins, Owen and Evan, are hockey superstars. Even though Evan doesn’t play anymore, when he did, he was a force to be reckoned with. Now, he’s helping athletes with their mental health. So yeah, I get it; those are some huge footsteps to follow in.

But to me, it’s obvious Quinn has always been an asset. To anyone he loves.

As I sit across from him eating the chicken, cheese, and rice he brought, which totally warmed my heart since it’s my favorite, he holds Zac in his lap while they share a bowl of guacamole. He feeds his nephew, laughing and teasing. I try not to watch them, but it’s hard. I’ve missed seeing him with his family these last couple years. One of the many things I love about Quinn is howdeeply he loves his family. Most would be jealous of his pure devotion, but I’ve always found it lovely.

I feel eyes on me, and when I look over, Posey is watching me from where she sits on her husband’s lap. Boon strokes her thigh as he studies me too. With an inquisitive smile, he says, “So, business must be good if you’re driving that kind of car.”

I dab my lips with my napkin as I giggle softly. “I’m doing well. I’ve made a subsidiary of EMQUINNY to handle cybersecurity.”

I glance over to see Quinn watching me, those blue eyes spearing my soul. “Hacking in to their systems to show their weaknesses?”

Only Quinn knows me that well. I send him a bright grin. “Actually, yeah. I hack them and show them how easy it is. The concept has paid off.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Posey asks, but I don’t miss the little smirk Quinn tries to hide behind Zac’s head.

I ignore him and the flutter in my gut to shake my head at his sister. “No. I’m not stealing anything or exploiting them. Just showing their weaknesses and how I can protect them.”

“But you could steal or exploit?”

Fuck right, I can, and the pride in knowing I have the ability gives me a rush. I’m sure my grin is taking up my whole face as I nod. “Sure could.”

“For someone so small, you’re terrifying, Emery Brooks,” Boon jokes, and I chuckle lightly.

“So I’ve been told,” I say, and when I look up through my lashes, Quinn is still watching me. I can’t figure out his look; it’s somewhere between awe and fear. He wears it a lot around me.

Posey clears her throat, and I glance over at her. “Mom said Fallon told her you’ve been planning to come back since Christmas?”

I notice as she looks over to Quinn but quickly puts her eyes on me. I swallow. I wasn’t really ready to admit that, but here we go. “Yeah. California wasn’t doing it for me anymore.”

“Really? Social media made it seem like you loved it,” she throws back at me, and I shrug.

“It’s easy to live a happy life on social media, but true happiness isn’t documented like that. I was just going through the motions, trying to keep up with my peers. I was bored, and I missed the South.”

“Bored? You?” Quinn asks. “That doesn’t happen.”

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