Page 103 of The Truths We Seek

QUINN

TWO YEARS LATER

It’s funny to think of how I thought my life would go. Because being here, tidying up after today’s baby shower, really isn’t something I pictured. Surrounded by friends and family, celebrating Shae’s pregnancy.

Freaking wild,

It took a lot to get here.

Pain.

Heartbreak.

Betrayal.

But also, love.

So. Much. Love.

Being out of “the life” has been hard for the guys, especially when they seem to keep getting dragged back in, but now with a lot less power than they had before. I try not to worry, but since Denton moved out here and is almost a permanent fixture here at the moment, sometimes it’s hard not to.

Times like when they disappear for days on end and tell me the shit going on after it’s happened. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I yell at them that I can handle knowing before, they always seem to think it’s safer for me to worry like crazy and know later.

I love them but my God, they’re still giant assholes.

Except, they’re starting to gray, and it’s funny teasing them about it.

“Earth to Quinn,” Shae teases, rubbing her rounded belly, and I smile wide. She is glowing.

Not long after we found out about Tommy being my uncle, she came with me to find more of his... my family. Which is when she met Rosie. The love of her freaking life.

Who just happens to be my second cousin.

They started the whole baby making thing about six months after meeting, and well, now we’re here, joining our two families.

Some people might think it’s a little weird, I’d maybe call it unconventional, but also, love is love. The universe works in mysterious ways, and I’ve learned not to question it too much.

“Are you okay?” I ask her when she winces.

“Yeah, this little guy just seems to think he’s training for a soccer team or something.” She groans as she rubs her stomach again, then Rosie appears like a ball of sunshine and Shae is smiling instantly. “I’m hungry,” Shae whines, and I laugh right along with my cousin.

“My love,” Rosie coos. “You are always hungry. I’m convinced you’ve just got a black hole in there, not our kid.”

They continue to tease each other as they head to the buffet tables that are still laden with food as I finish bagging up all of the discarded wrapping paper from where they opened the gifts before most people started to leave. Tonio watches over them fervently, like he always does. I swear, that kid is going to have more protective “uncles” than it knows what to do with.

Lucky for him, I’m totally prepared to be the fun, wild, rebel-against-them all, crazy aunt.

Looking around, I smile again. So much love came from something so dark, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s what the universe had planned all along. I never used to think much about fate, but maybe I had to go through what I did, to meet these people, to end up here.

I tie a knot in the final trash bag and look around for someone to help me get rid of it all. I think Angela is with Meyer and the guys in the kitchen, Yen and Luca disappeared, so they probably made a mad dash to leave, and Tina... I have no idea where she got to.

“Want some help with that?” Bruno asks, popping up, scaring the crap out of me like the silent ninja that he is. He chuckles when I squeak and does a fist pump. “Still got it.”

“You’re an ass,” I say with a chuckle. “But yes, please. Who would’ve thought there’d be this much trash from one baby shower?”

He grabs most of the bags before quirking a brow at me. “Have you met the Marino clan?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Turns out the Miller clan are just as bad. Which has made birthdays and Christmases insane. But it’s fun to be surrounded by so much love, so while it’s still a little weird to me, I’ve learned to embrace the fact that our families have merged the way they have, and just roll with the crazy.

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