The Baby Contract

by Amy Brent

  Every muscle in my body tightened as ripples of tingly pleasure swept through me like a tidal wave, taking Leo over with me. I could hear his low groan, muffled against my neck as he thrust one more time, and then two, finally drawing still but he left his arms right where they were, wrapped around my body.

  It was another long moment before either of us could move, and when Leo finally stepped back I instantly regretted the loss of his body pressed against mine. I already craved him again. I shook my head at myself, taking a deep shaky breath before Leo pressed a soft kiss against my lips and stepped away again.

  I was still putting my clothes back in order when I looked up in time to see Leo peering out of the small window that looked out onto the bar.

  "Oh, shit," Leo muttered to himself as he redid the button of his jeans.

  “What is it?” I leaned closer to see what it was that had made him flinch and was so distracted by the spicy, male scent of him that it took me a moment to see it. “Oh shit.”

  It was Jonah. He was leaning against the edge of the bar, chatting with Lily. Right outside the door. I could just see the side of his face through the tiny window and as soon as I did I ducked back down into the shadows. Leo shot me a lopsided grin and a shrug.

  “I guess we’re stuck here.”

  "I guess so," I whispered back, tempted to look again but the last thing I wanted was for Jonah to find out the truth about me and his best friend. I was lucky enough that he'd been too drunk to realize what was going on earlier when I'd stormed in with Lily in the first place.

  I let myself slide down to the carpeted floor, bracing my back against the wire shelf and after a minute, Leo sat down next to me. He was so close that his muscular thigh brushed against mine and our arms were pressed together. The contact sent another wave of delight rocketing through me but for the moment, I was happy enough just to sit there next to him.

  "I'm sorry," Leo said softly after a few minutes had swept by in comfortable silence.

  “Sorry for what?” I asked, looking at him in the darkness as he shrugged and sent me another self-deprecating grin.

  “For a lot of things, I suppose, but Jonah told me. About your parents.”

  The words hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking the air from my lungs and I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice when I finally spoke, “Don’t be sorry. Not for them.”

  “It’s not them I’m sorry for, Quinn. It’s you. I’m sorry you have to go through that. Losing your parents like that. It’s rough that’s all.”

  "Believe me, I lost them a long time ago," I whispered the words into the dark, and the silence stretched on. Leo was content to just sit there, waiting. Finally, I spoke again and this time resignation had replaced the bitterness of earlier.

  “I don’t really know how to feel about it, honestly,” I shrugged, “I guess that’s why I haven’t told anyone about it, no one besides Lily anyway.”

  “Hey, I get it. From what I’ve heard from Jonah, they weren’t exactly winning parents of the year awards.”

  “That’s an understatement.” I snorted over his words but he kept talking.

  “But it still hurts. To lose them I mean. It doesn’t matter. It still hurts.” Leo went quiet and I glanced over at him sharply at the strange note in his voice. If I had to guess, it sounded like he was speaking from experience.

  “Did you lose your parents?” I don’t know what made me ask the question but it was out before I could reel it back. Leo was quiet for so long I didn’t think he was going to answer and when he did, my heart broke.

  “Not my parents. My brother.” I could hear Leo inhale deep before going on, “I was fifteen, he was nine. He was born with a heart defect. Bastard lived longer than all the doctors said he would but in the end, his heart still gave out.”

  “Leo, I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.” Just the thought of not having Jonah in my life made me want to howl. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him.

  "My parents, they weren't really…They never…Jonah was more of a parent to me than they ever were. Drugs got to them, mostly. They always had drugs and each other. Me and Jonah, we were just…left on our own most of the time." I don't know what I was saying, but now that I had started it was like I couldn't stop.

  “He raised me. Mom and dad were never really there, and when they were, they were high or passed out. I know Jonah kept me away from the worst of it, even as kids. He’s always been protective of me. That’s why. There hadn’t been anyone else. Just the two of us. We made it through together.”

  I jumped at the feeling of Leo's hand sliding against mine in the darkness. We sat there for a long time, our fingers twined together. The move so unlike him that it took me by surprise.

  “I left not long after Derek died. As soon as I turned eighteen I was out of there. Moving from town to town. Finding work where I could. And it just kind of…stuck, I guess. Always looking ahead, never looking back.”

  “Sounds lonely.” The words popped out of my mouth but Leo just shot me a grin.

  “It usually isn’t,” He shrugged, “I’ve told you the truth about me, and I’m sure you’ve heard from people in town.”

  It was my turn to shrug. It hurt to say the words out loud. More than I thought it would.

  “But something’s been different the last couple of years. I’ve been here, made friends, got a decent job. And suddenly that horizon just isn’t looking as bright as it used to.” Leo shrugged again and I had to still the little jolt of hope his words gave me. Hope was dangerous. As dangerous as dreams and wishes. And just as useless.

  “I never thought I’d end up back in Coral Springs,” I said, finally speaking, “At least not like this. But with everything that’s happened, everything with the property I…I know I can make this work. I have to.” I shook my head, letting out a deep breath. “I can’t fail again. Jonah, he thinks it’s a secret, but I know. He used every penny in his savings account to pay for my college, and I royally fucked that up.”

  “I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Leo interjected.

  “It’s worse. Believe me,” I let out a rough chuckle but there wasn’t any humor in it, “I have to prove to him that I was worth it. I have to prove to myself that I’m not a failure.”

  Leo went quiet, giving my hand a squeeze where he still held it in his.

  “For what it’s worth, I know you’re not a failure. I know you’re worth it.” His whispered words reached me, wrapping around me and warming me all the way through. I’m not sure how long we sat there, holding hands in the dark, waiting for Jonah to leave before we could sneak back out again but one thing was certain. I knew. Even if Leo was going to end up hurting me in the end, I was going to enjoy every minute with him while I could. Because the truth was, he was worth it too.

  I smiled softly to myself as I thought of Lily’s love potion. Maybe it had worked after all.

  Chapter 16

  Quinn

  “You don’t understand, Quinn. I can’t do that.”

  “No, you don’t understand Mr. Howards, I know for a fact that you sold this same exact drywall to my brother for half the price you’re trying to charge me. Now, either I buy it for the same cost or I’ll take my business over to the Ludwig brother’s, got it?”

  “Come on, Quinn. Give me a break here. You’re only buying two cases of drywall. I can’t give you that big of a discount. I’ll run myself out of business.”

  “Well, you should have thought about that before trying to price gouge me.”

  “Price gouge!” Eddy Howards spluttered, his round face going even redder as I pulled out my phone, pretending to punch in a number and held it to my ear.

  “Mr. Ludwig? This is Quinn over at the Mayhew property. Remember that drywall order you said you could fill? Great, I’ll go ahead and–.”

  “Wait! Just…wait a minute, Quinn,” Eddy mopped his brow with one hand before giving me a grimace that spelled victory, “It
’s yours. I’ll sell it to you at the same price as Jonah, just…don’t go around telling people I gave you a commercial pricing, alright?”

  I barely held back the triumphant grin as I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my shorts and nodded.

  “Don’t worry, Eddy. I know how to keep my mouth shut.” I did smile this time, but I tried to soften it. A little at least, “I’m a good customer too. Loyal. You’ll get all my business for the rest of the property renovations…” Eddy’s expression lifted and I almost felt guilty as I continued, “As long as you give me the same discount across the board.”

  “Across the…are you kidding me, Quinn? I swear you really are trying to run me out of business.”

  “Please. We both know you’re still making a profit on all these materials.” I quickly took the invoice from him and signed at the bottom before he could change his mind. I handed it back and Eddy took it with a look of chagrin on his ruddy face.

  “I’ll have the drywall delivered out here later this week.”

  “I need it tomorrow, Eddy.” I held my breath as his brows lowered, thinking I’d pushed my luck a little too far but finally he gave in with a sigh.

  “You got it. Tomorrow morning. I’ll have the guys bring it by.”

  I held back the grin until he had gotten back into his truck and driven halfway down the long, tree-lined driveway before throwing my head back on a cackling laugh. I spun in a mini circle, kicking rocks up with my boots but I didn’t notice. I was still grinning as I headed back up to the property.

  We were two months into the renovations on the property, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was exactly where I belonged. The old ranch house had grown on me over the past weeks of hard work, quirks and all. And oh boy, there were a lot of quirks. The burst pipe in the upstairs bedroom. The water damage in the kitchen. The leaky roof.

  The old place certainly had more than its fair share of problems, but now, as I looked around at the roughed in walls and bare wooden beams of the foundation, I could practically see how it would look, finished and beautiful. Exactly as I imagined it the first time we had visited the dilapidated place with that realtor.

  The thought of it reminded me of Jonah’s deadline, but I still had four months. Four months to finish reconstruction and start booking our first customers for the summer. Four months to do the impossible.

  “Not impossible. Difficult, yes,” I muttered to myself as I closed the door behind me, “But not impossible.”

  Just as the door closed the sound of a crash coming from upstairs echoed through the empty farmhouse. At least, it was supposed to be empty. I was the only one working on site today and I took off running in the direction of the sound.

  It led me to the turret, a section that had been added on by my eccentric grandma. Its rounded tower reached all the way to the third floor, a spiral staircase leading up to the top room. I had plans to turn it into a honeymoon suite, the one of a kind stained glass window that had somehow survived intact overlooking the entire property and even the springs themselves.

  I reached the top of the stairwell and pulled open the door, grabbing a broom as I walked in. The room was completely gutted, with only beams and a few stray sheets of ply board covering the floor and a hole in the ceiling big enough to drive a car through.

  It only took me a few moments to find the cause of the noise. There was only a round hole in the wall where the stained glass window had been, and multi-colored glass lay scattered like confetti around the room. Something, or someone, must have broken it. I crept forward, the broom still clenched in my hand and then I saw it. The black beady eyes. The pink nose and pointed face. It opened its mouth and let out a vicious hiss that sent me scurrying back to the door.

  I slammed it shut behind me, my heart racing as I pulled out my phone and instinctively dialed the number. A few moments later, a deep voice answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Leo? Thank god. It’s Quinn. Listen, I’m at the ranch. Something happened. I need your help.”

  I had barely gotten the words out before he was answering.

  “I’m on my way, sunshine. You just sit tight. I’ll be right there.”

  ***

  Leo

  “Quinn? Quinn, are you up there?”

  “Here, Leo! I’m up in the tower.”

  “Damn it, sunshine,” I muttered to myself as I started sprinting up the spiral staircase two at a time, “The floor isn’t finished yet. And the hole in the roof still has to be patched. I told you it’s not–.”

  “Safe. Yes, I know.” She rolled her eyes in my direction as I reached the top platform. I let out a breath of relieve that I hadn’t known I was holding as I saw her safe and unharmed. From her frantic phone call for help, I had thought the worst, my imagination working overtime as I’d driven over here. Pretty sure I had broken every speed limit on the way but all I could picture was Quinn hurt or injured or trapped or god knows what else all alone out here. It made a man crazy, thinking like that.

  “What happened? Are you hurt?” I rushed towards her, noticing for the first time the broom she had clutched in her hand like a weapon.

  “No, I’m not hurt. Not really.”

  “Well then, what’s the emergency?” I ran my hands over her without even thinking, still unconsciously looking for any injuries, anywhere she might be hurt but I didn’t see any blood or broken bones. The fear that had all but paralyzed me on the way over finally started to dissipate.

  Quinn gave me a bashful look before grabbing the door handle. But she didn’t open the door, not yet.

  “I was just coming in downstairs when I heard a crash up here. I came up to see what it was and found…something.”

  “What exactly did you find?”

  “Here,” She said, offering me the broom and a pair of gloves, “You’re going to need these.”

  Dubious now, and more than a little confused I took the broom and the gloves, slipping them on before gesturing for her to open the door already.

  She nearly cringed as she did, flinching as if she expected some terrible monster to come charging out after them.

  "Quinn, what the hell is in there?" I asked as I crept inside, but I'd barely gotten the question out before I saw it. A slow grin spread across my face that turned into a full belly laugh a moment later. "A possum? All this for a little possum?"

  “Just…get it out of here. Please?” Quinn was still standing frozen by the door as if she was afraid to get too close to the thing in case it attacked.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, still chuckling, “I’ll rescue the princess from the big bad possum.”

  “Very funny, Leo.”

  “I thought so.”

  I glanced around the room, more worried about falling through one of the open floor beams than the wayward animal, and a moment later found what I was looking for. Grabbing the box, I made my way carefully to the middle of the room where it was hunched, shivering.

  “I think you scared him just as bad as he scared you,” I muttered, walking slowly towards him. I set the box on a solid piece of floor beside me before bending down. As slowly as I could I reached forward, at the last minute grabbing the scruff of its neck and got it in the box before it could cause any more damage.

  I was still chuckling to myself as I closed the top and carried it back to the door. Quinn cringed as I drew close.

  “Can you take it outside? Let it go far, far away from here.”

  “It probably has a family close by. Don’t know what it was doing up on the roof.” I shook my head as I walked out, “I’ll be back soon.”

  It didn’t take long to drive several miles away from the property, releasing it back into the woods that surrounded the springs and make my way back. I walked inside to find Quinn still upstairs, cleaning up the glass from the broken window. It took me a moment to realize that she was crying.

  Normally, I’d run as far and as fast as I could in the op
posite direction when I see a crying woman. But seeing Quinn like that, heartbroken and upset, my feet were moving before I’d even made the decision. Towards her.

  I kneeled down next to her, careful of the shards of glass and wrapped her in a tight hug.

  “Hey, sunshine. It’s okay. It’s just a window. We can get a new one.”

  “I know. It’s just…it was so beautiful. One of the few parts of this place that were still intact, a part of my family that was still…alive. I know that sounds stupid–.”

  "No, it doesn't," I murmured, holding her even closer. "It doesn't sound stupid at all. I understand, and listen, Quinn," I leaned back enough so I could meet her tear-stained gaze, so she could see the seriousness in mine, "I promise I'll do whatever I can to help, whatever it takes to get it fixed."

  “It can’t be fixed, Leo,” She whispered, giving me a soft shaky smile, “But thank you. For the promise, anyway. It means a lot to me.”

  I just hugged her again before letting her go once more. I glanced around the room. “Well, that beast sure did make a hell of a mess for such a little guy.”

  Quinn let out a watery laugh. “Little! The thing was huge. It could have killed me.”

  “Yep, I’ve heard of tons of possum related deaths in the area. Tragic, really.”