Page 120 of No Place Like Home

Simba started barking, his head facing the side of the house. I heard their conversation before I saw them, and Simba did too, because he started to run toward them.

Shit.

My dog could have literally eaten my child.

Fuck.

I started running after him, only to stop dead in my tracks when I saw them. Their black, flowy dresses moved with the soft breeze. Jess was holding Quinn’s hand, and she looked scared. Right away, Jess pushed Quinn behind her protectively, and I felt my heart constrict.

“Simba stop!” I yelled, but it was too late.

My dog lunged at Jess, who braced herself so she wouldn’t fall on top ofourchild.

“Hey, boy. You’re excited to see me,” she cooed.

“Mama!”

“Simba, come here!” I ordered in a stern voice I never used with him.

He whined, but came.

“Hey there, Quinn. Remember me?”

I bent down at eye level with my little girl. Just like when I saw her the first time, I felt sucker-punched. I’d taken tackles that didn’t leave me as breathless as I felt now.She was the best part of Jess and me. Her eyes and dainty noise with my smile and eye color. Her hair was a mixture of my curls and Jessa’s shine.

She was everything I never knew I wanted.

“Mama’s friend.” She pointed at me with a smile.

That gutted me. I wanted to say, “I’m your dad, Quinn, and I love you and I will never leave you again,”but I figured that would be coming off too strong and I’d only scare her.

“Yes, I’m a friend. Call me Quincy.”

She smiled and looked at Jess.

“My name too.” She expressed her feelings, and that same feeling that had my emotions in knots came back.

“You can call me Q.” I figured making things easy for her was the way to go.

“This is his house and we can swim in the lake.” Jess pointed to said lake, and I swear I saw Quinn’s eyes sparkle.

Apparently, those were the magic words, because my little one started running toward the water, and my stomach sank. I was getting ready to run after her.

“Quincy.” Jess said my name softly. “You look scared. Should we go and—“

“No!” I cut her off.

Her eyebrows raised questioning my sanity. “I never realized how much of a death trap my house was...until Quinn.”

Quinn stopped running to the lake, her little head shaking side to side. “Woah.”

Jess started chuckling, and I couldn’t contain my smile. She sounded so cute.

“Whooooaaaa...swimming?!” she screeched excitedly.

Jess got on eye level with her and started to pull up her little dress, revealing a black swimsuit with a cat face in white and tiny ears peeking out with spaghetti straps.

In that moment, I thanked God that some things never changed.

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