Two Wrongs Make a Right (31 page)

“Can I see her?” Dak asked.

“Sure, and she’s asked for Raynie.”

“That’s me.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Dak said.

“You bet.”

The physician walked away and Dak spoke to Raynie. “Since she asked for you, I’ll wait, but don’t stay long, because I need to talk to her.”

Raynie narrowed her eyes. “I covered for you, but we know where her stress is coming from. I understand you want to her to suffer, but in a few weeks, a Volkswagen will come out of her vagina, and I think that’s punishment enough. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to see her.”

Megan joined them, and while Raynie brought her friend up to speed, Dak rehearsed what he’d say to Quinn. First, he’d apologize and explain how he’d misunderstood the text. Then he’d have to set her straight about Shelly.

Raynie walked away, and Dak followed. When they reached the doorway, she went in, and he stood outside, listening.

“Well, you don’t look so bad,” Raynie said.

“That’s debatable. The doctor says I have to stay overnight, but when I get out, can I go home with you? I’ve left Dak.”

A sharp pain stabbed Dak’s chest.

“What brought that on?”

Quinn cried. “Last night, he was so sweet, I thought we’d turned a corner, but this morning, he let me know nothing has changed. All I can hope for now is that once the baby comes, he’ll love her so much, he’ll hate me less.”

Dak’s breath caught. He didn’t hate her. He’d never hated her. God, how could he be such a jerk and make her think that? But he had. All because of stupid jealousy. Unwarranted. Why hadn’t he just confronted her about Justin? He should have, and now it might be too late.

Raynie’s voice brought him back to the problem at hand. “Is that what caused the accident? You were upset and not paying attention?”

“No. I mean, I was upset, but the guy ran a red light. Luckily, I wasn’t going fast and swerved so I didn’t get full impact. My mother’s right. My life has been one long line of bad decisions. I’m cutting my losses.”

“Well, when you move in with me, it’ll be like when we were college roommates. Except we won’t get drunk on the weekends, or stay up all night cramming, or swim naked in the campus fountain, or get bailed out of jail for indecent exposure.”

Quinn laughed. “That’s not exactly how I remember it.”

“Oh yeah, that was just me. Now for the bad news. Dak’s here and wants to talk to you.”

“Why did you call him?”

“I’m only your emergency contact. He may be a horses’ ass, but he’s your husband. If you’d not been able to make decisions, he’s the one with authority to do that. I had no choice.”

“The baby’s fine. That’s all he cares about.”

Dak wanted to storm into the room, but if he caused her stress, that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. He’d give her time to rest and calm down, but he’d see her if she liked it or not. One way or the other, he’d make her understand how sorry he was, and how much he wanted her in his life.

He didn’t wait for Raynie to come out, he walked to his truck with Quinn’s words ringing in his ears. She didn’t leave to cool off. She’d left for good. He opened the door and slid onto the seat. He couldn’t let her divorce him. That’s not what he wanted. But after what he’d said this morning, she hated him. He could hear it in her voice.

Going back to work was out of the question. With his state of mind, he wouldn’t accomplish anything. And not to an empty house. Not without her there. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He couldn’t lose her. He shifted into gear and drove out of the lot.

During the thirty minute drive to his mom’s, his mind clouded with emotions. All he’d ever wanted in his romantic life was a marriage like his parents. Two people committed to one another forever, sharing good and bad times. Was that too much to ask?

He parked in the drive, got out, and went up the walk. When he pushed the door open, his mother stood at the kitchen counter folding clothes. “Hi Dak. Figured I might see you today.” She laid the laundry aside and motioned for him to join her on the sofa.

As old fashioned as it was, he liked the site of Quinn doing domestic things. He guessed that made him a chauvinist pig. Great. So now he was a pig and an ass. If this kept up, soon he’d be a whole damn barnyard. “Why?”

“Because Quinn was here earlier and returned this.” She pulled the ring box from her pocket and set it on the coffee table.

Dak picked it up and opened the lid. He remembered Quinn’s argument about wearing it. He should give it to a woman he truly loved. He had. “What did she tell you?”

“That she’d lied to you. Gotten pregnant on purpose, and you can’t forgive her. Is that true?”

Dak stared down at the ring. “At first it was. But not now.”

“You’re in love with her. Aren’t you?”

Dak stared out the window, pain stabbing his chest. He’d tried not to be, but nothing worked. “Yeah, but I’ve said and done things in anger—and I think I’ve ruined any chance I had of her loving me.”

“Do you know why she wanted a baby so badly?”

“Because she’s selfish.”

“No. That’s not it.”

For the next few minutes, Bitsy explained Quinn’s dilemma. And when she finished, Dak felt even worse. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but Bitsy held up her hand. “No need to answer. You’re not long on conversation. But let’s say you did…would you have believed her?”

He ran his hand across his face. “Probably not.”

“Well, more than likely that’s why she never told you. She didn’t come this morning just to return the ring. She wanted to make sure we understood, regardless of what happens between the two of you, Buck and I will always be an important part of the baby’s life.”

His stomach churned at the thought of shuffling his baby back and forth between houses. Not to mention another man coming into the picture. “I can’t lose her. Tell me what to do.”

“I love you, I’m sorry, and I forgive you, have more power than you can imagine. If you want to save your marriage, I suggest you practice those, because over the years, you’ll be using them a lot.”

“After she left here this morning, she had an accident, but she’s okay.”

“What? Why aren’t you with her?”

“She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Then you do all the talking and make things right.”

As Dak drove back into the city, he was a mess. Hostage was a strong word, but Raynie was right. He saw that now and the only way to win his wife back would be on her terms. But if he couldn’t convince her, he had no one but himself to blame.

He put a plan in place. First order of business—contact Raynie. It was time to make peace with her and bring Lucy and Ethel home. If the cats were at the cabin, at least Quinn had to come there to get them.

Later, with his errands taken care of, Dak tried to relax, but he couldn’t. What would he do if she wasn’t willing to give him another chance? No, he couldn’t think that way. He’d get her back. He kept repeating that on the way to the hospital. When the bell dinged for the third floor, he wished himself luck.

Quinn’s room was dark, and she was sleeping. He tiptoed to the end of the bed and placed the birthday gift he’d had in his briefcase for almost a month on the rolling table. Then he sat in the corner chair watching her.

Even in the dimly lit room, he saw how pale she was. She had scrapes on her forehead, and a bruise along her jawbone. The monitor beeped a steady rhythm. He wanted to hold her. Kiss her awake. Rub his hand across her belly. Feel the child they shared. But he’d wait. He needed to be certain any intimate gesture was welcome, and he wasn’t sure it would be. He slid down in the chair, stretched out his long legs, and rested his head against the back. The cadence of the machine lulled him to sleep.

At eight o’clock, her voice woke him.

“What are you doing here? The baby’s fine. I’m sorry about the van, but the accident wasn’t my fault. The insurance should cover it.”

He moved to her bedside. “I don’t give a shit about the car. I know you don’t want to see me, but I have some things I need to say. When I’m done, if you still want me to leave, I will. No argument. I’m not having an affair. The woman you saw me with is someone I dated. She showed up drunk at the condo. But I swear to you I didn’t sleep with her.”

Dak took Quinn’s hand and held it. She didn’t pull it away, so he started again. “I want you to come back home.” He expected her to cry, but instead, she offered a half-smile.

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s too late for us. There’s been too many lies. Too many hurtful things said.”

“I take them back. Every word. Especially what I said this morning. I was angry. I’ll do anything to make up for it.”

She punched the remote to raise her bed and stared at him. His heart sank. This was it. She’d tell him to leave and never come back. But she smiled again, and rattled just the way she had the night they met.

“Justin was supposed to get the drink, but you did. There was only a twenty-five percent chance you’d get a bad condom out of that box, but you got one. A woman my age rarely gets pregnant on a first try, but it happened. And I told myself that was the Universe saying you and I belonged together. But I was wrong. The Cosmos wasn’t sending me a message. That was just me making stupid mistakes. I’ve tried not to be like my mother, but I am.”

Dak squeezed her hand tight. “You are nothing like your mother.”

“Yeah, I am. All her life she’s thought
things
would make her happy. For me, it was finding the right man. I need to grow up and take responsibility for my own happiness. Nobody can do that for me.”

“You’re wrong. We
do
belong together. Even the bartender could see it. That’s why he gave me the drink. We just have serious communication problems. That’s all. We can work on those.”

She wagged her head and slid her hand across her belly. “No. Buck and Bitsy are supposed to be in the baby’s life and she brought my parents back together. But you and I aren’t meant to be. I know that now, and I’m fine with it.”

Dak took both of her hands in his. “No. Listen. That night at Rowdy’s, I broke my rule. Something made me do that. I should have never followed you into the parking lot, but I couldn’t stop myself. You haven’t ruined my life. After you left without saying goodbye, I looked for you. Called every medical supply place within a hundred miles of El Paso. Searched social media. Hell, I even went back to the bar and questioned the bartender.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. And when I found you and learned what we had that weekend was a mistake—that you’d wanted Justin. That hurt, and I wanted to hurt you back. And then this morning, I saw the text from him and misunderstood the whole thing. Juvenile, I know, and I’m ashamed of the way I’ve acted.”

Things weren’t going the way he planned. He was head of goddamn marketing at the biggest firm in Texas, he was closing this deal. “I’ve worked on a list of names. It’s short. All I could come up with was maybe name her after our mothers. They’d love that.”

Quinn laughed. “Sheila Marita or Marita Sheila? I don’t think so.”

“Me neither. I like my second choice better. Molly. Unless it will bother you to name her after the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

Quinn gasped, and burst into tears.

He pulled her into his arms, and there was no doubt she belonged there. He spoke into her hair. “It was a wicked affair. Picked her up in a honky-tonk. Took her to a cheap motel and had my way with her several times as I recall.”

Quinn pushed away, clutched his shirt, and pulled his face to hers. Then she kissed him, and his heart pounded. When their lips parted, from his jeans pocket, he pulled out the ring box and opened the lid. “I loved you then. I love you now. God help me, I’ll always love you. Quinn Savage, will you stay married to me?”

She fell forward and cried harder, then took a deep breath. “You should have led with that instead of the apology.”

“Is that a yes?”

She nodded against his chest.

He lifted her hand, placed the ring on her finger and kissed her again. “I’ve been a jerk and I’m sorry. Forgive me?”

She nodded again.

He reached for the small gift and handed it to her. “I almost forgot. This is your birthday present. I’ve been carrying it around all this time. That night when I came home, and you weren’t there, I’d never been more miserable—until this morning. I never want to feel that way again.”

She tore the paper away, and lifted the lid. Inside were seed packages. Morning glory and zinnias. He didn’t give her a chance to speak. “I pulled out all the stops. I got the seeds you like. I’ve brought Lucy and Ethel home, and then there’s this.”

From his back pocket, he produced a folded piece of paper, then spread it in front of her.

She blinked surprise. “A pie chart?” Bringing the page in close to her face, she smiled. A big yellow circle, divided into six sections and in each one the words
I love you
.

She threw her arms around him. “I hate that I love you so much.”

“I love that you do.” He placed his hand on her belly. “We both did things wrong. You used me to get pregnant. I used you for my career. Those two wrongs brought us together, and that makes everything right.”

Quinn opened her eyes and leaned closer to the monitor. She loved hearing Dak speak in baby talk.

“There’s Daddy’s girl. You need your diaper changed?” Rustling sounds, then he spoke again. “Oh my God. Molly. How can someone so precious do something so vile? You are stinky. Listen, you’ve got to start saving this for Momma. See we take turns, and somehow I’m getting poop details. That’s got to stop. Okay?”

Quinn laughed, then rolled out of bed, and trotted down the hall. She stood in the doorway for a moment before she joined them. The sight of Dak holding Molly made Quinn’s heart swell. She walked to where he stood. “Hey, sweet girl. Gimme a high five. Way to go.”

Dak looked down at her. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Little bit.” She took a deep breath and leaned into him.

“You okay? You should go back to bed and rest while you can.”