Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

RIPLEY

A s soon as I gave Quincy the go-ahead, there were movers at my mom's apartment packing my belongings and anything Mom wanted to take with her. He won't let me lift a single finger. He even arranged for a doctor to travel with us on the plane in case Kaya has any issues on board.

We're about to land in Philly. Arizona looks at me. "Don't be mad, but we're having a little welcome gathering tomorrow afternoon. It's the only day the Cougars are off. We didn't get to have a baby shower with you delivering so early and my brother being a douchebag. Let us do this for you."

I smile at her. "Thanks, babe. I appreciate it. It will be good to see everyone. It's been a long time."

Quincy narrows his eyes at her. "Yes, thanks for that."

Arizona smiles at him. "You're welcome, Jesus. Are you going to shave and get a haircut, or should we throw you up on the cross?"

Layton and I laugh while the siblings are engaged in a stare down. Truth be told, I like his beard. I'd be lying if I said a part of me doesn't want to know what it feels like between my legs.

Three Suburbans are waiting for us at the airport. One to take Arizona and Layton to their place, one for mine and Mom's luggage, and one to take me, Quincy, Mom, and Kaya to Quincy's house. I suddenly realize that I don't have a car seat. I have nothing.

Quincy must sense my panic. "Don't worry. I ordered a car with a car seat and have three at the house, one for each of our cars. I researched the best brand on the market."

"My mom and I don't have cars."

He mumbles, "You do now."

"Quincy, what did you do?"

"We're not living in the city anymore. You need a car to get around. I want you in a safe car, so that's what you got. Now either say thank you or be quiet."

I'm silent for a moment before acquiescing. "Thank you. It's a loaner."

He grunts, "Whatever."

I can't help but smile.

He narrows his eyes at me. "What are you smiling at?"

"I missed grumpy Quincy. You've been too nice the past few weeks. It's off-putting."

Arizona giggles as she hugs me. She whispers in my ear, "I'm not the only one who pushes his buttons. Have fun. I'll be over early tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

We strap Kaya in. She mostly slept on the plane but seems wide awake now, tracking all the lights and action around us. Quincy bends down to kiss her, and she grabs onto his beard and squeezes for dear life.

He screams in pain. Mom and I start laughing. Mom pats his leg. "You know who you look like, Quincy? The fat, funny friend from the movie The Hangover ."

My laugh deepens, but Quincy appears appalled. "I look nothing like him. I'm a foot taller than that guy and have a six-pack."

Mom winks at me. She's messing with him too, but then Quincy pulls up his shirt for her, flashing his washboard abs.

Her eyes bug out of her head, and she shamelessly stares. She leans toward me and not so quietly whispers, "You sure you don't want to tap that again?"

Quincy smirks at me. Oh boy, this living arrangement is going to be interesting.

We begin our journey to the house and eventually pull through a gate and onto the now-paved driveway. I suck in a breath as the house comes into view. "Oh my god, Quincy, it's the most beautiful house I've ever seen."

He breathes out, "Holy shit. This is mine?"

He has a boyish, prideful look on his face. I'm happy for him. I know this has always been a dream of his.

Mom asks, "You haven't seen the house yet, Quincy?"

"Just in photos. It was a shell the last time I saw it."

As we get closer, I notice Collin standing there. Mom mumbles, "Who's the hottie? Is he a gift for me?"

I smile as I shake my head. "No, Mom. He's the contractor, and he's very taken. I've met his significant other. She's gorgeous."

Quincy nods. "Collin and Jade are coming to the party tomorrow afternoon. I hope that's okay."

"Of course. I loved Jade when we met her."

When the car stops, Quincy reaches for Kaya, but I grab his wrist. "Go thank Collin. I've got her." I was only cleared to start lifting things a few days ago. I'm happy to finally be able to do everything for Kaya .

He nods as he walks over and shakes Collin's hand. Mom and I get Kaya out of the car. Collin's face lights up as we approach. "She's beautiful. Congratulations."

"Thank you. You did an amazing job on this house, Collin."

"You haven't even seen it yet. Come inside. I hope you like the furniture. That's not really my area of expertise. Gemma met with the interior decorator a million times until she was satisfied with everything."

Quincy looks at me. "Considering the fact that I wasn't here, and Gemma has such great taste, I asked her to pick everything. And they had a baby last year, so she knows what's needed for a nursery and other childproofing."

I pinch my eyebrows. "You put in a nursery?"

He looks at me like I'm insane. "Of course I put in a nursery. I told you that."

He mentioned a crib, not a full nursery.

Collin hands Quincy a bunch of keys and instructs, "These are just backups. Everything is run through fingerprint or code mechanisms. The temporary code is both of your jersey numbers together, three-four-two-seven. We can set up the fingerprints before I leave, but the audio-visual guy will be out in the morning to walk you through the smart house. Everything, and I mean everything , is smart in this house."

We walk in, and all our chins drop. It's modern, huge, and open. Gemma hit it out of the park with the furnishings. It's a true work of art. There's no other way to describe it. A beautiful, perfect work of art that looks like it belongs in a magazine.

The décor and small touches are like nothing I've ever seen. "Oh, Quincy, wow."

I see Quincy struggling with his emotions. He looks completely overwhelmed. I hand Kaya to Mom. Grabbing Quincy's face in my hands, I pull his forehead to mine. "It's all because of your hard work. You made this happen. This was your dream, and now it's complete. You deserve this. You've earned it. Enjoy it."

He softly rubs my face with his hand. "Dreams change. Mine's not complete yet."

"Because you don't have a dog like Diamond?"

He simply shakes his head as he looks me in the eyes. "Because I don't have you."

I swallow hard before pulling away. After taking a moment to compose myself, I turn to Collin. "Please, show us around."

For the next twenty minutes, Collin gives us the full tour. I didn't know houses could be this incredible, but it's not until we walk into the nursery that tears truly fill my eyes. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined a nursery this spectacular for my daughter.

It's filled with colors. The crib is magical. There are tons of toys and stuffed animals everywhere. When I look into the crib, I have to bite my lip to hold back a sob. There's a big Strawberry Shortcake doll sitting there. As I look around, I see a lot of strawberry touches. Hanging artwork, stuffed strawberries, and even more of them painted on the walls. It's the whole theme of the room.

I manage to whisper, "Thank you."

I'm not sure if it's to Quincy, Collin, or the universe, but I say it. Quincy nods. "I'll always take care of my family."

My room is next to Quincy's, and my mother's is at the other end of the house. He had a bassinet set up next to my bed so the baby can sleep with me for as long as she needs it. This is my first night alone with her. I'm nervous as hell.

Mom heads to bed early and tells me to wake her if she's needed. I feed and rock Kaya in her room until she's asleep. When she is, I gently place her in the bassinet in my room.

Quincy pokes his head in. "I'm headed to bed. I'm happy to feed her during the night. Just let me know what you need."

"Thanks, Quincy."

He nods.

"I mean for everything. I'm glad we came back with you."

He gives me his small, crooked smile. "Me too, Shortcake."

I have no idea what time it is when I'm awakened by blood-curdling screams, but I physically jump out of bed and pick up Kaya, whose face is red and eyes are watering. "What's the matter, baby girl?"

She screams again.

After changing and feeding her, she's still screaming. I can't get her to stop. I have no idea what to do. Maybe I should wake my mom. Maybe we need to go to the hospital.

Quincy walks in wearing only boxer briefs. His hair is messy. Is it normal to look that good in the middle of the night?

He grumbles, "Is she okay?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I changed and fed her, but she won't stop crying."

He holds out his big hands. "Give her to me."

I hand my red-faced, screaming daughter to him. The second she nuzzles into his chest, she stops crying and lets out a little coo of contentment. Yep, kiddo, I get the appeal.

He winks at me. "The ladies love my touch."

I roll my eyes, and he chuckles as he starts swaying with her in his arms. "Go back to sleep. I've got her. I'll put her down when she dozes off."

"Are you sure?"

"We're a team. Get sleep while you can."

I wake in what must be the early morning hours because the daylight is just breaking through the curtains in my room. I immediately pop up and look into the bassinet. It's empty. I panic until I turn to the other side of my bed.

Quincy is fast asleep with Kaya equally so on his chest. His hand is holding her entire body protectively. I get choked up with emotion at the vision of them together like this. It's quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life, something I wasn't sure would ever happen. In fact, I was convinced it wouldn't.

I grab my phone and take a picture of their moment, immediately setting it as the wallpaper on my phone.