Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

DECLAN

The sun is just beginning to creep over the horizon as I wake. When I slide frombed, I pull the covers over Quinn's naked body and place a soft kiss on her forehead before heading down the hall. I pause at Fiona's room to crack the door, finding her still fast asleep. It inadvertently clicks when I pull it shut, resulting in a groggy, " Daidi ?"

"Yes, a stóirín . It's justme," I let myself back into her room and take a seat on the bed. She crawls from under the covers and into my lap as we talk about this being her new room and the exciting new life we're all going to have in our new home.

"Will Quinn be my mammy ?" I'm left with a lump in my throat as her innocent question leaves me without an answer.

"No, kiddo," Quinn softly answers, and I turn to find her wrapped in her robe and watching the two of us from the doorway. She sits beside me on the bed and rests her head on my shoulderasher hand rubs over Fiona's back. "I could never replace your mammy , but I will love you just as much as she does."

"She loves me a lot," Fiona shares. " Daidi tells me all the time how much she loves me."

Nothing like having yourthree-year-oldtear your heart out before sunrise.

"She sure does,"Quinn agrees. She pulls Fiona from my lap and onto hers, breaking the heaviness of the room. With a playful smile, Quinn squeezes her tightly, energetically exclaiming, "And I love you this much."

Fiona squeaks, letting out a barrage of giggles when Quinn tickles along her back. Pushing her away, she impishly huffs, "You love me too much."

"Never, kiddo." Quinn smiles as she shakes her head. She grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly when she stands from the bed. "I think we should make your dad show us around this new big house, because I heard something about a pool."

"A pool!" Fiona exclaims, grabbing my other hand and using her entire body weight as she attempts to pull me from the bed.

Leaning toward Quinn, I place a kiss on her shoulder and whisper, "I love you, mochéadsearc," before pretending Fionadragsme to my feet.

"Breakfast first, a stóirín ," I swoop Fiona into my arms and carry herdownstairsas Quinn follows behind us. Fiona wiggles from my hold when we reach the landing, eager to check out all the new toys in the living room. We leave her to play while getting something together for breakfast. Stepping into the kitchen, I'm surprised to find Conor and Liam sitting atthe island.

"Good morning," Conor greets us. A smirk spreads across his face, and he teases, "But I'm assuming notquite asgood as last night."

Quinn grabs the dishtowel on the counter and rightfully tosses it at him.

"I'm all for christening your new place, but the two of you know it's common manners to greet guests when they come to your house, right?" Liam further harasses the two of us. "That it's a little rude to make them let themselves in."

"Shit!" Finn exclaims as he walks into our conversation. "You weren't the ones that walked in here first. I ran upstairs thinking the two of them were getting murdered, not that he was fucking slaying her pussy."

The lot of them roar in laughter as Tristan and Layla join us all in the kitchen, and he razzes Finn. "You're one to talk. We had the pleasure of listening to you fuck your hand for at least an hour."

"One, it wasn't my hand," Finn imparts. "Two, listening to her made me hard as fucking hell."

"Did you fucking whack off to my wife?" I snarl, a mixture of faux and real anger, as I storm around the counter to put the little shit in a headlock.

"No. I whacked off to Scarlett Johanson." he chokes, and I release my hold on him. He shoves me away, darting around the island as he snarks. "She just sounds a fucking lot like Quinn."

"I'm going to fucking kill him," I grit through my teeth. Laughing hard, Quinn shoves her hands against my chest to stop me from chasing after him. "Don't fucking encourage him," I huff, gripping her wrists and looking down at her.

Quinn condescendingly pats her hands against my chest. "It's too early in the morning to murder him, and I'd hate to be scrubbing his blood out of the cracks of these brand-new floors."

"You should listen to her," Finn scoffs.

"Am I the only one of you lot that heard him call her ‘his wife'?" Tristan asks, eyeing the two of us inquisitively.

All eyes turn to us, eagerly awaiting an answer. I stare down at Quinn and stroke my knuckles along her jaw. "She's not yet, but she's going to be soon." Quinn beams up at me before pressing onto her toes and placing a kiss on my cheek.

"You knocked her up, didn't you?" Finn jests.

Falling back onto her heels, Quinn slides her hands from mychest. She steps out from in front of me and gestures toward Finn mock-angrily. "Now you can fucking kill him."