She grabbed three more baby dolls. She got clothing and tiny diapers for them. We walked into another aisle where there were little kitchens and a laundry center. Her eyes lit up, and she squealed. She looked up at us. Quinn looked over at me with a growing smile.
“Her room is awfully big,” he said.
“Quinn!” I said.
“I know it might seem like we’re buying her love, but she's basically starting over. She has nothing, and I wasn’t prepared for this,” he said.
“Okay!” I said.
He got another cart and maneuvered the boxes into it. Aspen was practically dancing as we walked through the store.
“There’s one more thing… It’s for… all of us,” he said.
I tilted my head forward at him with an eyebrow raised, but we followed him through the store. We made it to the electronics area. He grabbed a Super Nintendo with Super Mario World and Donkey Kong. I played them a couple of times at a friend’s house, but it was only for a short time. We definitely didn’t have these at home.
After we left the toy store, we headed to another store. He wanted to get her bedding for her room, as well as a dresser. She paced in front of the bedding sets. Ultimately, it came down to101 DalmatiansorBeauty and the Beast. She went with the latter. He got her a dresser, as well as more clothing and shoes that fit her better. While she did have clothing, a lot of the jeans weren’t long enough.
Once we had the truck bed and the cab filled, we headed back to his—our—home. She passed out shortly after we started heading back and slept until we got there.
I reached over and grabbed Quinn’s hand, interlocking our fingers together. I looked over at him.
“I love you,” I said.
His head quickly turned toward mine, eyes dancing.
“I love you, too, Zalayuh,” he said.
Chapter 34
Nearly four months had passed since we’d come back to Tennessee. Aspen had finished school and passed into the next grade. She was moving into the second grade, and we celebrated her birthday two months ago; she turned seven.
Quinn was working with Benji, getting everything going. Ravik had a lot of businesses that he ran, with the help of the pack members running them. Quinn and Raphael had helped Ravik out enough to know how most of the things operated. Benji did too, and between the three of them, they were able to share what they each knew. Benji had finally gotten the hang of everything in the last month. He was trying to work on getting out into the dating scene, but balancing his new role seemed hard.
The last four months had brought a lot of peace, but also a lot of sorrow. My mother and Paxton hadn’t done anything to work on themselves. I’d tried to get someone to come over and talk with them, but they kicked them out the door. I wanted to help them, but I refused to drown myself doing it. I no longer brought Aspen over for visits because neither of them could stay sober for the entire visit.
I was still unsettled about something. I felt free. I knew I was free. I knew this was my home, but it didn’t feel like home like the cabin had. I called Callie and Lina every other day. Callie would share her adventures around Louisiana and catching upwith various family members. Lina would share about teaching Callie and how wonderful it was to teach future midwives. She would casually mention how it would be nice to add another one on.
Quinn’s birthday was coming up at the end of this month—June thirtieth. Our birthdays were a week apart. He’d mentioned going to Louisiana for our birthdays.
Quinn had been gone all day helping Benji handle an issue with one of the businesses. Aspen had been playing, running in and out. She found a friend in one of the neighbors. They were a little older than her, but they got along. She would play with her for a little while before making her way home, sit with me for a bit, then run off again.
Quinn came home around midday, and Aspen ran across the yards and slammed into him, gripping his legs before he made it inside the door. I stood at the doorway. My favorite thing was to greet him with a hug and a kiss as soon as he got home. No matter our moods, we vowed to take the time for each other. To show each other love, regardless.
Aspen had run off again to play; she was a fickle little thing. I was happy to see her happy and thriving. Tantrums were almost a thing of the past, and nightmares were a rarity.
Quinn sat down on the couch and pulled me into his arms.
“How was your day, love?” he said.
“Good, the same ol’. She has been playing with her friends most of the day, but she would run back here and give me cuddles, then run off again,” I said.
“Have you thought much more about our birthday trip?” he asked.
“What if… we just… moved there?” I asked.
“Move there? Like, stay there forever?”
“I don’t want to say forever, because that feels sooo permanent, but like for a long while,” I said.