Page 82 of Parker

“It will!” I cry, hopping up from my seat and sitting beside her on the couch. “Time will help. And I’ll keep reminding you of how much I love you. I never—never ever—want to hurt you again, Parker. Someday you’ll believe that, not just in your heart, but in your head, too. I promise. I won’t give up until you trust me just as much as I love you.”

She smiles at me, reaching up to cup my cheek. “It’s a deal.”

I lean into her touch, rotating my face a millimeter so my lips caress her palm. “I love you so much, Park. I thought I had lost my chance with you.”

“Not yet,” she says.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she says.

“How do you feel about dating me? Like, exclusively?”

“Pretty good,” she answers right away.

“Is that right?”

“Yes, it is. I feel pretty, pretty,pretty goodabout dating you exclusively, Quinn.”

Joy bubbles up within me, and I feel myself smiling at her.

“Umm…and—just so I know—how do you feel about sleepovers?”

“Your place or mine?” she asks, grinning at me.

I have an apartment in town, over the detached garage in the back of my parents’ house. And from what I can gather, she’s now living in her own cabin now that Sawyer’s spending all of his time in town. We have our pick of love nests.

“Either. Both.”

“Yeah,” she says, her smile in full bloom. “I feel pretty good about sleepovers, too. Dating exclusively, check. Frequent sleepovers at your place or mine, check.”

“You know,” I say, cupping her beloved face in my hands, “Joe and Harper won’t be back for hours.”

“I’m not having sex with you in my sister’s living room!” she cries, giving me a disgusted look. “My baby niece is right down the hall!”

“Who said anything about sex?”

“Well, what did you have in mind?” she asks, licking her lips.

“How do you feel about making out with your boyfriend until your sister gets back?”

She taps her lips with her finger, pretending to think for a moment. Finally, she nods her head. “Yep. You’re three for three! I feel pretty good about that, too.”

Then, she presses her lips to mine, and it’s the best feeling in the world to pull my girlfriend onto my lap, holding her tightly and knowing that we’ve got plenty of time ahead.

Chapter 11

Parker

For the next few weeks, I barely see anyone but Quinn.

We stay at his place in town for a few nights in a row and then back at mine. Neither of us has a lot of work to do during these dark, short days of winter, so spending them in bed together is perfect. We sleep in and read books. We watch TV and cuddle and talk about anything and everything. We play Trivial Pursuit and backgammon and chess. We fuck like rabbits in every position known to man. We can’t get enough of each other.

Sometimes we leave the bed, whichever we happen to be in, and go cross-country skiing or snowmobiling. We take hikes in the snow and lie in the bed of Quinn’s truck to watch the aurora borealis light up the sky.

We’ve had dinner with his parents, Skip and Myrna, more than once and joined Sawyer and Ivy for drinks and dinner in town on several occasions. We haven’t had many dinners withmyfamily, owing to the fact that my father still looks at me with grim disapproval, and Reeve has hardly said two words to me since I returned from Vegas. When she runs into me and Quinn coming out of my cabin, Quinn always gives her a cheerful hello, but she sticks her nose in the air like the brat she is and keeps walking. I mean, really. IfIcan forgive Quinn, why can’tshe?

February tenth marks Gran’s 78thbirthday which isalwaysa big occasion at the lodge, and the perfect way to break up the coldest months of winter. Gran and Paw-Paw invite all of our friends for a big, old-fashioned birthday party with gifts and dancing, a buffet dinner, and a massive birthday cake. It doesn’tmatter if my father and sister are still angry at me. I’ll be there for Gran, and that’s that.

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