Page 144 of Down Knot Out
We move as a group toward the stairs, Quinn leading the way with newfound confidence. Mrs. Reynolds remains seated, sipping her coffee.
When we reach Quinn’s room, she pushes open her door with a flourish. “Ta-da!”
Sadie steps inside, her mouth falling open. The room is a child’s fantasy come to life. A pastel rainbow circles three of the walls, with a forest mural on the fourth, where Quinn’s treehouse-style reading nook overflows with blankets and colorful pillows. A bookshelf holds Quinn’s books and the notebooks stuffed with her fantastical stories. A cozy window seat overlooks the front yard.
Sadie drifts through the space, fingers trailing over the fairy lights hanging from the treehouse. “This is incredible.”
“Uncle Dom designed it, and Uncle Blake and Uncle Nat built it.” Quinn bounces on her toes. “And Aunt Chloe helped me organize all my books by color, see?”
“I do.” Sadie takes in every detail as if committing it to memory. “I never knew you liked stories so much.”
Blake steps forward. “You knew. You just weren’t sober long enough to see how much.”
The words hang in the air between them. Sadie doesn’t flinch or argue. She accepts the truth with a slight bow of her head.
“You’re right.” She turns to face her brother,shoulders squared. “I couldn’t love her the way she needed.”
Quinn stands frozen between them, her small face pinched with confusion.
Holden moves to her side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Quinn, why don’t we go check if Sprinkles needs water?”
His question breaks the tension, giving her an escape, and she slips her hand into his, letting him lead her from the room. Dominic follows them, a silent communication passing between him and Blake before he closes the door behind them.
Nathaniel remains by the window seat in a show of support, and I hover where I stand, uncertain if I should leave or stay, until Blake’s eyes find mine across the room.
“Chloe should hear this,” he says to Sadie. “She’s pack now.”
Sadie sinks onto the edge of Quinn’s bed, her hands gripping the quilt. “I want to be clear. I’m not here to take Quinn back.” She takes a shuddering breath. “I’m not ready. I mayneverbe ready.”
“Quinn needs stability.” Blake crosses his arms over his chest. “She needs people who show up and stay present.”
“I know.” Sadie’s fingers worry at the hem ofher shirt. “I just want her to know I’m really trying this time, even if I can’t be what she needs.”
My chest tightens at her words. I know how hard it is to admit failure. More so when it involves the people we love. After the Sinclairs rejected me, I spent years convincing myself I didn’t need a pack, didn’t need that connection, and the lie nearly destroyed me.
“She has stability and love here,” I say, breaking the silence. “A whole pack of people who would move mountains for her.”
Sadie’s eyes meet mine, red-rimmed but clear. “Good. That’s what I want for her.” She glances at Blake. “Better than what we had growing up.”
Blake’s posture softens. “Yeah.”
“And I’m not going to let Dad force something that keeps hurting us, just to maintain appearances. The Patels can fuck off with their opinions. Not a single one of them has visited since Matthew died. The severance they gave me at the funeral was the limit of their interest. And if Dad wants to take the penthouse from me…”
Her chin wobbles, then firms. “I’ll move out and get a job.”
“It won’t come to that,” Blake reassures her. “I’ll figure out a way to force Dad to give up yourconservatorship so he doesn’t have a stranglehold on your severance?—”
“The money was for Quinn,” Sadie breaks in. “It’s why Dad was so insistent that I keep her with me. You’re now legally responsible for Quinn, which gives you legal standing to have oversight of how the funds are being spent. You’ll just need a judge to sign off on it. You should petition for an audit of the account, too. When I got out of rehab, I checked the trust, and it’s a lot lower than it should be.”
Blake sucks in a sharp breath. “You think Dad’s been misusing the funds?”
The muscle in Sadie’s jaw jumps as she clenches her teeth. “I think Dad’s been doing a lot of things behind our backs.”
“We’ll have our lawyer get on it,” Nathaniel offers. “It would help if, now that you’re sober, you reconfirmed Blake’s guardianship of Quinn.”
“Mrs. Reynolds has new paperwork. You can have your lawyer review it. I’m entrusting you with my child.” Sadie’s attention returns to me. “When you have pups of your own, will there still be room for Quinn?”
The question catches me off guard, and my hand moves to my stomach. The possibility ofcarrying one of my Alphas’ pups is still new, thrilling, and terrifying in equal measure.
