by Moxie North
“Well, I at least taught you that. I’m not happy, I may never be happy about this. I don’t trust that he will take care of you the way you think he will, and I think you’re making a horrible mistake.”
“I get that. But it’s also my mistake to make.”
Her mother didn’t reply and they spent the rest of the drive in silence. Quinn was on autopilot, thinking about her mom and her dire warnings. It was hard not to let all that doubt sink in. It was what she’d heard for so long, it was almost like her mother’s religion. Never trust men, defend your heart against all.
But Quinn didn’t want to defend anymore. It sounded exhausting, and letting Rain in was all too easy. But just like anything that felt good, it was a slippery slope.
“Where are we going, I’m hungry.” Her mother grumbled.
Looking around, she noticed she was on 45th, not far from Dicks. “How about burgers and fries?”
“That’s fine. I’m buying. I’m sure your boyfriend,” she said making air quotes, “takes you nicer places than burgers.”
“Actually, he took me here first. Burgers and fries, then we moved up from there.”
“Is he rich, rich, or just well off?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Is he like unlimited credit cards from daddy, or are his parents just well off enough to pay for college but not much else.”
“I guess somewhere in between? I know his family has money. They’re in the lumber business and there is money in that. He bought his own car with his own money. Then again I have no idea how he bought this car. He said it was paid off, so it must have cost a chunk.”
“That’s money. Does he work while he goes to school?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“A scholarship?”
“I don’t think so... he’s going into Law.”
“No scholarship, doesn’t work, that is more than casual money. Just remember if he offers you a new set of tits, say no. He’ll eventually want them back.”
Quinn wasn’t going to respond to that one. She didn’t want to know why her mom would know anything about repossessing boobs.
She pulled into Dick’s and managed to get through dinner without her mom bad mouthing Rain any more than she already had. On the drive back, she started in again and Quinn found the button for the radio and cranked it up until her mom took the hint and closed her mouth.
Chapter 34
Quinn was able to find a spot to park in not far from her dorm. Her mother got out and slammed the door harder than Quinn would have liked. The thought that she was taking ownership of the car was another chip in her armor. Yes, Rain’s name was on it. But all she’d have to do was say the word and he’d sign it over to her.
She owned a car. She’d thought she would have to find something for work and had started saving a little, but a car as nice as Hazel wasn’t even in her five or ten-year plan.
“Just so we’re clear, I’m going to be dating Rain. So I’m glad you visited, but you might as well go home if that was the only reason you came here.” Quinn tried to keep her voice, and her pace steady as they walked towards her building.
“So I’m supposed to give you my blessing and go home?”
“You’re supposed to support me and trust that I can succeed or fail on my own.”
“Well, I’m a terrible mother then. Because I don’t want you hurt and I don’t want you to have to fail. I want you to keep your head down, graduate and become someone.” Her mother was frustrated and Quinn actually felt a little guilty.
“No, you are just trying to keep me from experiencing pain. I’m trying to tell you that if there is pain, it’s mine to deal with.”
“I won’t say that I don’t think you are making a terrible decision, because you are.”
“That’s fine, I can accept that.”
They had walked up to her dorm and from the shadows a body stepped into the light. Quinn should have known.
“Ms. Sutton,” Rain said formally, holding out his hand. He was dressed in his usual dark jeans and shirt. He had on a leather jacket that looked like he could head straight out for a motorcycle ride. His eyes were on her as he spoke to her mother.
“Let me guess—tall, dark, and handsome. You must be the mountain man.” Her mother cocked her hip out and was practically bouncing with annoyance.
“I’m Rainier Rochon, I’m happy to meet you.”
“Well, I’m not happy to meet you!” Her mother spat out.
“Fuck me, Mona, ease up.”
“I’m supposed to fall over because he’s all dressed up fancy and has fancy manners?”
“No, you are supposed to be polite when someone introduces themselves. Rain, what are you doing here?”
He gave a shrug and glanced at her mom before zeroing in on her. “I had a feeling you might need me.”
“Oh, what, he’s got that ESPN thing?”
“ESP mom, and no, he doesn’t.” Explaining what kind of connection Rain had with her was also not on her five-year plan.
“I try to make sure I’m there for Quinn whenever she needs me. Morning, noon, or night, I’m available to her. For anything.”
“Just her knight in shining armor, huh?” Her mom’s voice was dripping sarcasm. Quinn was mortified. She better hope that whatever connection that Rain’s mating thing was stronger than her mom’s attitude.
“If that’s what she needs then, yes, white horse and all. I love your daughter, Ms. Sutton. I will always love her and always take care of her.”
“Until you don’t,” her mother scoffed.
“The only way I can prove it to you is with time.”
Her mother was moving from sarcasm to anger. “I don’t need time to know how this ends. Men are users and abusers. You’ll never convince me otherwise.”
“I’m sorry you were hurt, Ms. Sutton. I can only promise that will never happen to Quinn. She’s my heart and my soul. That will never change.”
Quinn watched the exchange between her man, shit she thought of him as her man, and her mom. Rain was being polite and respectful, keeping his calm when she would have been screaming at Mona.
“Would it help if I called you regularly? I can do that, let you know how things are going? Maybe you’d like to come out to Apex and visit my family? I’m sure they’d love to meet you. I’ve been trying to get Quinn out there.”
“I’m sure your rich uppity parents will think Quinn isn’t good enough for you. They’d probably spit on her as soon as look at her.”
“Mom! You don’t know these people so stop putting your shit on them. Rain says they’re nice, and if they are anything like him then I’m sure they would be kind to me. You’re the only one that is acting poorly right now. You’re being embarrassing.” Quinn hissed the last sentence, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
Her mom was outlandish and brash, but she’d never really been embarrassed by her until now. She was being cruel, and it was partly directed at her own daughter. With all Quinn had accomplished, her mother still wasn’t willing to see her as anything more than a waitress’s daughter that didn’t have two nickels to rub together.
“Mom? Don’t you think I’m good enough for Rain?” Quinn couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice as she asked the question that she didn’t really want to hear the answer to. .
Those eyes so like hers turned towards her and she shook her head sadly. “Quinnlynn, you are good enough for what you want to be. But guys like him? They will never be happy until their women are plastic, bland, and totally fake. It’s what they expect, and I don’t want you to take your bright, intelligent self and dumb yourself down for him. It won’t be worth it, trust me.”
Rain moved closer to her and slid his arms around Quinn’s waist, pulling her close to his body. He didn’t need to say anything; he was telling her with touch that he had her back. It was a huge gesture, and a tear slide down Quinn’s cheek.
“Mom, I think it’s time you headed back home. I’m going to see thi
s through and if you can’t support me, I can’t have you sabotaging me.” Quinn whispered the words because her cracking voice couldn’t do anything more. It was finally clear that her mom still doubted her so much after all this time, and her heart was breaking. Her mom loved her, sure, but she obviously didn’t trust her.
“Fine, just don’t come crying to me when he wipes the floor with you,” she said angrily.
“Ms. Sutton, I love Quinn and I’ll make sure she’s as safe and happy as I can make her. No matter what was said tonight, you will always be welcome in my family. I hope a little time and distance will change your opinion of me.”
Quinn wanted to turn around and hug Rain, bury her face in his chest and shut out the world. She was so mad at her mom that in that moment, she didn’t care if she ever saw her again. Rain was already trying to repair the breach. He knew that they needed each other, and that the future was a long time to go without your mom.
“Whatever.” Mona gave Quinn a last look that was angry and also a little sad.
Quinn didn’t have anything else to say to her mom. Anything that came out of her mouth right now would just make the situation worse, so it was better that she kept her lips pressed tightly together.
Mona turned with an angry huff, stomping off into the dark. Quinn couldn’t even watch her walk away. Her mom was doing what every man had ever done to her, except this time she was doing it to her own child.
“Babe, go inside. I’m going to make sure your mom gets to her place safe. I’ll stay back; she won’t know I’m there. Then I’ll be right up after that, okay?”
Quinn nodded and sniffed. He was going to make sure her mom was safe even after she’d been such a hag to him. He was too nice to be real.
“Okay,” she said. Quinn felt a kiss on the top of her head and she felt her eyes close against the sweetness. Rain walked her to the door of her building and she walked through the door alone, tossing a look over her shoulder at him.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised.
She nodded and noticed that she had wrapped her arms around her body like she was keeping everything tucked tight inside. It hurt to breathe and she wanted Rain, needed him to be touching her. She was sure that she wouldn’t be able to take a decent breath until he returned.
Rain didn’t lurk in the shadows as he followed Quinn’s mom down the street. He wasn’t being sneaky because he didn’t need to. Her mom was oblivious to her surroundings and got turned around a few times. Occasionally he’d see her hand come up to her face like she was wiping away tears, but from what Quinn had told him about her mother, he couldn’t be sure.
He didn’t understand the anger that was inside Mona, but the hurt that had to have caused it was deep, and those wounds didn’t always heal.
But she was his mate’s mother and he’d make sure that she was safe. His bear was tearing at his mind wanting to defend their mate, even if it was from her own mother. Rain couldn’t help but think of the joy that would engulf his parents when he introduced them to his mate. His mom would throw a party just to welcome her. The thought that Quinn could use that kind of support right about now was making him want to make plans again.
Mona finally made it to an apartment building that wasn’t in a terrible part of town and he made sure that she got inside and the door closed behind her.
Turning around he picked up his phone and dialed Fin’s number.
“Sup?”
“Fin, it’s well past 2001, can we not do ‘sup anymore?”
There was a small pause. “Nope.”
“Fine. Hey, can you be at home this weekend?”
“Hadn’t planned on it, but yeah. Why?”
“I’m bringing my mate home.” Rain’s bear roared in approval in his head. He needed to hear that as much as Rain did. It was time his mate saw what family was really like.
“Fuck man, congratulations. I’ll be there, hell yeah. Do mom and dad know? I’m assuming it’s Quinn.”
“Yes, it’s Quinn and no, I’m going to get her to Cash and Cassie’s and see if they can talk her into meeting mom and dad.”
“Hah! Chicken shit,” his brother laughed.
“Totally, but I know where my skills lie.”
“I’ve got your back, man. Always.”
“Thanks, bro. Quinn’s mom just ruined our evening so I need to go take care of her.”
“I’m sure you do. I’m guessing I won’t see you tonight?”
“Odds aren’t good.”
“I could find somewhere else for tonight. Throw a sock over the doorknob you know.”
“Classy, but no thanks.”
“Okay, go cuddle your mate. You owe us a run, though, this weekend.”
Rain’s bear readily agreed. “Will do.”
He hit end on his phone and picked up his pace to get back to Quinn. As he walked he ran through all the different ways that he could get her to understand that meeting his family was a good idea, and he came up with a few possibilities to get her there.
Chapter 35
His brain was on overdrive by the time he found himself in her dorm and knocking on her door.
When it swung open he could see she had been crying. Quinn threw herself into his arms and started sobbing. Rain picked her up and carried her into the room, kicking the door closed behind them. He sat down on her bed and maneuvered himself so that she could sit across his legs. He looked over to the other side of the room and knew that he’d chosen the right bed. The other bed looked like it might smell like weed and Funyuns.
“Baby, shhh,” Rain said quietly. She was hiccupping and crying and he didn’t want her to hurt herself. Maybe this wasn’t the time to tell her his plans for the weekend.
“I…I wanna…go to the woods,” she said, gasping between words.
“The woods? Baby?”
“Yes, your place. The woods.”
Well damn, that was easy. “You mean you want to go to my parents?”
“Parents, cousins, whatever. Just away from here. Why does she hate me?”
Fuck that broke his heart. “Quinn, she doesn’t hate you. She’s terrified for you. She just doesn’t realize there is no reason to be. Can you imagine what kind of hurt she’s gone through to be so afraid?”
Quinn let out a long sigh. “Why do you have to be so good?”
“You sound like you’re accusing me.”
“I want to be mad at her and hate her for being such a bitch. You’re trying to see things from her viewpoint. Good people do that.”
“Babe, you are good. You’re just too close to this to not be hurt. Your mom will come around. I’ll prove it to her that I am the man for you. I’m not worried about it. I always win people over.”
“I bet you do. You certainly have with me.”
Rain dropped a finger under her chin and tilted her face up towards him. “Have I?”
“I may not be as easy with the words as you are, Rain. I may never be,” she said like she was telling a big secret she didn’t want to share.
“I don’t care about the words, Quinn. I care about what’s going on here,” he said, moving his hand down to her chest. “If your heart beats for me, that’s all I will ever need.”
“I’m scared, Rain. I feel so much and it’s so heavy that it almost chokes me.”
“My job is to always ease that load. I love you, Quinn. That will never change. You feel overwhelmed or like things are getting too big for you, all you have to do is say my name. I’ll know what you need.”
“Promise?”
“Baby, if there was a better word than promise, I’d use it.”
Rain wasn’t sure if he was soothing her or not. His bear was pacing in his head, wanting to lash out at someone for his mate’s pain. But there was nothing else he could do except hold her.
They sat for a while as he rubbed her back and rocked her. He could have stayed like that all night.
“How about going to see my family this weekend? I’ll just let Cash know we are coming a
nd we can stay with him. It’s quiet. Well, outside is quiet. Inside is a storm of toddlers and sugar.”
“That sounds nice. They won’t mind?”
“No, they’ll be over the moon. Oh, and Quinn?”
“Yeah?”
“My niece and nephew? Axel and Jett? They’re bears too.”
Quinn shrugged. “Okay.”
“No, I mean they can’t control that part of them like I can.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Ever see a bear cub in PJs?”
Tucking her head back into his chest she said, “One thing at a time, Mr. Rochon.”
“Baby, open for me.”
Quinn had woken up twice since she and Rain had lain down on the bed. The first time was when her phone beeped and she thought it could have been her mom, but it was Harmony telling her she was staying at Lars’s place for the night. The second when was Rain’s mouth was on her stomach kissing and nipping at the soft flesh there.
In her mentally exhausted state she had relaxed and let Rain play. He’d stripped off her clothes with very little effort on her part and he’d been teasing her for the better part of an hour. Light touches intermixed with scorching kisses that had her whimpering into his mouth.
Rain moved down her body and had kissed her all the way down to her toes. Now he was moving back up her legs and had made his request.
Quinn did as he had asked and felt his hands slide up her inner thighs. He did like to take his time, but he’d also driven her to the edge with his touch.
“Rain, you going to keep teasing me like this forever?”
He placed a kiss high on her inner thigh then blew over her hot pussy. “Yes.”
She should have known that would have been his answer. Greedy Quinn wanted to come, girlfriend Quinn wanted to see how long he could keep this up without making her crack.
How quickly her life had changed. At twenty-one years old and she was someone’s girlfriend for the first time. And not for nothing, Rain was no slouch in the oral sex department. There were moments when he looked so blissfully happy she could totally believe that he was so inexperienced. You can’t fake the immediate delight when you had literally found your happy place.
