9
Katelyn
Our week is half over and it feels like we just got here. It could be because all we do is sit around and gossip, or reminisce about our past, and think aloud about what the future might hold for us. Thing is, we could’ve done this is Beaumont or Los Angeles and saved ourselves a ton of money. Don’t get me wrong, being in paradise is great. Being doted on by staff has its perks, but I miss home.
I miss Harrison. I miss the kids. I miss my condo on the beach that has become my home.
As I stare out into the ocean, the surfers all settle and wait for the next wave to ride in. Harrison taught the girls to surf, and I remember their first time out in the waves I was so scared. Even though I had watched Quinn do it many times, something about the girls being out there freaked me out.
But they conquered. Peyton and Elle learned to ride the waves, right along with Harrison and Quinn. It’s hard to put a finger on what the girls have taught Harrison. When he came into our lives, he had everything, except for a wife, and he didn’t need that. I had a hard time fathoming why a man would want a widow with two small children.
I asked him once and his reply was, “Why wouldn’t I?”
My phone rings, tearing my eyes away from the surfers. The picture I use of Quinn shows on the display on my phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom,” he says. Just hearing him makes my day brighter. “Are you having fun?”
“I am, sort of. I miss you guys. I’ve been thinking we need a family vacation.”
“That’d be fun. Maybe we should go skiing around Christmas?”
“Oh yes, that would be lovely, although Peyton may want to go somewhere warm.”
Quinn laughs because he knows I’m right. “Probably. We’ll compromise and do two weeks. One in Vail and the other wherever she wants to go.”
Before Harrison and I took the plunge and became a couple, I had heard horror stories about merging two families. I had nightmares about the girls not getting along with Quinn or him tormenting the girls. The thought that they’d grow up hating each other was enough to make me sick. Thankfully, the kids proved the statistics wrong.
“That sounds like a plan. So, what are you up to today?”
“Nothing much. I’m thinking about driving down to see Dad, maybe take the boards out.”
“That’s what I’m doing now, watching the surfers. I think you guys would love it down here.”
“Did you go on the big water slide?”
I start to laugh. “No, that’s today. I’m just waiting for your aunts to be ready to go. I think we’re swimming with the dolphins too. Your dad and u
ncles certainly spared no expense making sure we were well taken care of.”
“Did you expect anything different?”
My head shakes, even though he can’t see me. “Honestly, no. But I was under the impression this was supposed to be a low-key affair. I don’t know if Josie and Katelyn know this or not, but we have a bodyguard. He hangs in the shadows but he’s there, watching.”
“Lurking,” he adds.
“Quinn, you know it’s for protection.”
When the kids were little and word got out that the band was living in Beaumont, the paparazzi were sometimes relentless. They weren’t always around unless the guys had a new album coming out or they were on tour and reporting some ridiculous scandal. The guys didn’t take too kindly to the kids being followed, and hired bodyguards. It was for their protection, but when you’re a teenager and trying to date, having someone watching your back can be a bit unwelcoming.
“I know, but doesn’t mean I had to like it. Anyway, I wanted to check to see how your trip was going and thought you’d want to come up when you get home and check out my new set? I have a few new gigs lined up. One is at this pretty happening coffee shop.”
“You know I’ll be there, Quinn.”
“I love you, Mom.” He hangs up before I can return the sentiment. Deep down, I know he knows that I love him, but I like telling him. When he was younger, he liked to hear it. I think it was reaffirming for him to know that he was loved, especially with how Alicia had treated him and his dad.
I’ve never understood how a mother could do that, especially to someone like Quinn. Although, had she met him, I fear we would’ve been entangled in a war over custody, visitation, and money. For the longest time, that’s what I thought she wanted, but Harrison told me she never asked for a dime. The day she showed up at his apartment with Quinn in his carrier, she just left them there. Every day, I thank God she didn’t want to be a mother to that boy because I did, and I have cherished every moment since he was brought into my life.