Holding On

by Meg Jolie

  He reached over and slid his hand up the edge of the t-shirt she was wearing. It was one of his, old and threadbare but for some reason she was attached to it. She slept in it often. He rested his hand on her flat stomach. His heart and chest swelled with such an overwhelming feeling of contentment as he watched her sleep. He felt her breaths enter and exit as her stomach rose and fell gently under his palm.

  For a long time now, all he’d wanted was Quinn to be his forever. To have a family with her. But she was a few years younger and still needed to finish school. And maybe the timing wasn’t exactly ideal. It might have been nice to have a year or two of quiet married life. Some time together, just the two of them before starting a family. But…it was what it was. She explained how she thought it happened. Regardless of how, he had no desire to complain.

  He couldn’t possibly feel luckier than he did in that moment as he watched her sleep.

  Both sets of parents had taken the news well. Better than well. The McGraths had been ecstatic. Just as Jake had known they would be. Then again, they’d always been a little more laid back about that kind of thing than Quinn’s parents were. They were well aware that Quinn spent most nights at his house.

  They’d known Quinn for as long as he had. Since she and Luke had met and become fast friends back when they were both in grade school. Because of this, his parents loved her long before they’d even started dating.

  Luke.

  That was Jake’s one regret. His relationship with Quinn would be perfect if not for that one not-so-small detail.

  His brother.

  Luke had gotten a wild hair up his ass earlier in the year. He’d decided he needed a change of pace. He left the family business to head out of town. He now lived about an hour away. Currently, he was dating and living with Tabitha Meyers. She was a girl whom he dated in high school. She’d been a year younger than Luke and Quinn. They’d been reunited by chance last summer and had started dating again.

  Jake teased him for chasing after a girl, willing it to be true. But the truth was, Jake knew he was running from a girl. Even though Luke had adamantly denied it. Jake knew his brother well enough to know he was lying. The thought filled him with just a hint of regret as guilt snaked through his veins.

  But he couldn’t think about it. He couldn’t think about what a shitty thing he’d done to his brother because it was too late to take it back. And possibly even worse, he wouldn’t take it back even if he could. So he shoved the thoughts out of his head. Because thinking about Luke’s feelings for Quinn, the feelings Jake had known Luke always had would put a damper on his happy mood. And what was the point? There was no going back now. And even if he did feel guilty he would never, not for anything, give Quinn up.

  But Luke…

  Had not taken the news about their baby well. Or at least, Jake didn’t think he had. When he’d called his brother to tell him he’d been met with a long, dead silence.

  “You’re going to marry her, right? And take care of her?” he’d finally said. His tone had turned hard.

  They’d always gotten along well. Not only were they brothers but they’d been best friends. Until lately. Because of Quinn. He was annoyed by his brother’s harsh tone.

  “Yeah, Luke, I am,” Jake had replied.

  Luke’s response to that was to hang up on him.

  That could’ve meant any number of things. Jake had tried to convince himself that it didn’t really mean anything. But he wasn’t stupid. His brother still wanted Quinn. It was why he’d left town. Jake knew it. Their parents, Nora and Tom, knew it even though they’d never speak of it. It was only Quinn that had no idea.

  Well, Jake thought as he laid there in the gloom of early morning, Luke is going to have to get over it. I gave him his chance. Over and over and he didn’t take it. So he’s just going to have to get used to it.

  He knew it wasn’t that simple, though. It never had been. And he was worried that things might never be the same with Luke again. If getting hung up on was any indication of his feelings.

  It was Quinn’s parents’ reactions that they had both worried about. Turned out, they took it better than Luke.

  In fact, to Quinn and Jake’s surprise, they’d taken it well. Period. At least they had after the initial shock had worn off.

  Quinn had wanted to wait a few days to tell them. Jake had a feeling if Quinn had her way, she would’ve avoided the situation and never told them. But he’d been insistent that it needed to be done immediately. So after the picnic, they’d gone back to the Johnson’s. He’d told Quinn he wasn’t going home that night without her. So her parents had to be told because the dorms were closed. Under the circumstances, he hadn’t been willing to keep up the façade; he hadn’t been willing to pretend that they were not living together.

  “You’re not mad?” Quinn had asked her parents in disbelief. Jake had given her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Just in case.

  “What good would getting mad do at this point?” Pete had demanded.

  To Quinn’s astonishment, it had almost looked as though he were fighting off a smile. What with the way his lips seemed to be twitching. She knew her dad loved kids. She was just a little surprised he seemed so excited to already be having a grandkid.

  Carly had been patiently waiting on the couch. Ready to jump to Quinn’s defense if needed, but it hadn’t come to that.

  Margo had been quiet for a few more moments. She was clearly trying to assimilate the information. “You’re both adults,” she had calmly pointed out, after seeming to have worked it out in her own head. “You’re responsible. You’re in love. You’re in a committed relationship. I mean, you were committed before and now you’re getting married, hopefully soon. I’m sure you thought through the consequences of participating in sexual activity before marriage because—”

  “Margo,” Pete had grumbled. “We’re having a grandbaby! Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Oh, Pete,” Margo had said. Her voice had gone high and her eyes filled with tears. “We’re having a grandbaby!”

  And that had been that.

  “Why are you awake?” Quinn mumbled without opening her eyes. Her hand slid to his, where it was resting on her bare skin. She rubbed her thumb across the back of it.

  Jake smiled, having been pulled out of his reverie. “Because it’s morning.”

  “It’s not morning,” she sleepily grumbled as she rolled over. She tossed an arm around him and pulled him closer. Her knee slid between his legs, rubbing against him. He didn’t bother stifling the groan that her touch elicited through his boxers. “Later, baby,” she whispered but her hands slid over his bare chest all the same.

  “I’m holding you to that,” he said as he let his hands do a little bit of wandering.

  “Mmmm,” was her mumbled reply.

  Though he couldn’t see her face, because it was buried next to his chest, he knew she was smiling though still more than half asleep. She was not a morning person. He’d learned from experience it was best if he just let her be. If not, she was likely to be slightly unbearable all day.

  He slid his arms around her, cupping her bottom in his hands as he pulled her closer. She wasn’t wearing a single thing under the t-shirt of his that she slept in. His hands glided across her bare skin and he fought the urge to groan again as he placed a few soft kisses on her temple. She let out a little moan and then he knew she drifted back to sleep.

  *~*~*

  Now that spring break was nearly over the dorms opened back up at noon so students could spend the weekend settling back in. Though she didn’t keep much there, she decided she wanted to make it official. There was nothing to hide from her parents now. Her mom and sister had nearly swooned over the sight of the ring. In fact, Quinn herself nearly swooned over the sight of it every time she glanced down.

  She couldn’t wait to become Quinn McGrath.

  So she was officially moving out of the dorm and officially moving on in her life. She had no idea if Veronica woul
d be there or not. She was guessing most likely not. She and Jake were going to go pack up the few belongings she kept there. Basically a few changes of clothes, some toiletries and the few personal items that she kept around to make the room look like she lived there. For Margo’s sake. What that amounted to were a few pictures of her and Jake together, the bedding on her pathetic little university-issued twin bed and some random knick-knacks. It should all fit into a large suitcase.

  She briefly mused over the fact that they’d been dorm mates for nearly the entire year and they had never even bothered to exchange phone numbers. Therefore, she’d simply leave Veronica a note. She was sure the girl would not be at all surprised to hear that Quinn wasn’t coming back.

  She couldn’t wait to move in with Jake. For good. Getting out of the dorm, while only a formality, just seemed to solidify things even more. It was like taking one more step forward. After today, his home would officially be their home. He’d been repeating it to her all week and she was never able to contain her smile.

  She loved his house. He’d purchased it last fall. Prior to that, he and Luke had shared an apartment. Apparently they’d both gotten tired of the other having girls over and they both wanted to have more privacy.

  Jake had asked Quinn to help him with his house hunting. Luke had gone to the extreme and had decided to leave town, much to Quinn’s disappointment and dismay. They’d been friends since they were kids. His move had taken her by surprise. He’d told her he just needed to get away for a while. So he’d gotten a job out of town and she and Jake had started looking for houses.

  The house hunting had been fun. At the time she and Jake had already been dating a while—nearly a year—and she’d been thrilled when he’d asked her opinion. They had spent months looking at dozens of houses in the area. For a while, she was afraid he wouldn’t find anything he liked. There were always problems. Too big or too small. Not a big enough yard. Too far from town, too close to town. Too many neighbors. Too old. She’d never have guessed it would be so hard to find a house. But then they’d found this one.

  The house had been her favorite immediately. It was a simple two bedroom rambler. Not too far out of city limits yet far enough to have some privacy. It had a nice, secluded yard. The house itself was fairly new. Nothing needed replacing.

  It was perfect. Quinn had loved it from the moment the realtor had pulled into the driveway. Jake hadn’t been so sure. The outside was covered in a pale yellow steel siding that he didn’t care for. The windows were adorned in dark green shutters. The flower beds overflowed with a rainbow of flowers. Luckily there was a huge deck off the backyard and that feature alone had finally sold Jake. That, and Quinn found out later, her simple and absolute love of the place.

  Next had come furniture shopping because Jake and Luke had shared relics, cast-offs given to them by friends and family. But Jake only wanted new things for his new house. So Quinn had had the pleasure of helping him shop. In all honesty, the house was very much decorated to her taste. Luckily, Jake had approved of it all.

  And now…it was going to be hers, too. She let out a happy sigh just as Jake walked into the kitchen.

  “Do you need help with anything?” he asked.

  He’d just gotten out of the shower. He was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a plain gray t-shirt. As he glanced around, he noticed she already had the table set. A plate of what he guessed was bacon was covered to keep it warm. It looked like she was just waiting on the last of the pancakes to add to the towering platter.

  “I’ve got it under control,” she said. She enjoyed cooking and more often than not, Jake did help out. “It’s almost done so just go sit down.”

  “I could really get used to this,” Jake told her as he tossed himself into a chair at the kitchen table.

  “Yeah?” Quinn asked as he smiled over her shoulder at him. She had poured the last of the batter onto the hot skillet. She lifted the edge of a pancake to see if it was ready to flip. Almost but not quite yet. She turned back around to face Jake.

  “Oh yeah,” he said.

  His eyes made a trip down her body. She was still wearing nothing more than his shirt, he was sure. She stood at the counter making him breakfast. Her feet were bare and her hair was pulled into a messy pile on top of her head. Quinn was petite so the shirt hung half-way down her thigh, but still…She looked sexy as hell.

  He grinned at her and her pale cheeks reddened just a bit. She bit her lip and turned back around to tend to breakfast. He loved that he could still make her blush with a single look.

  “What exactly could you get used to? Pancakes for breakfast?” she asked sweetly. Her tone oozed mock innocence. “Or the fact that I’m making them for you...?”

  “Or the fact that you’re dressed like that…” he teased as she flipped the pancakes over.

  “Dressed like what?” she wondered with a smirk as she peered innocently at him from across the kitchen.

  “Should I say undressed like that?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

  “You like this, do you?” she teased back.

  He nodded. “I mean, to be honest, I prefer you in nothing. But if you have to be wearing something, I’m glad it’s that.”

  “Good to know,” Quinn said as she checked the pancakes. They were on the verge of being done but not quite. Still, she decided they were good enough. She slid them off the skillet and added them to the heaping stack on the plate. Then she covered them up to keep them warm before walking the plate to the table and placing it in the middle.

  Jake was watching her, curious.

  Instead of taking her own seat, she rounded the table to the other side where Jake was seated, leaning back in his chair. He raised his eyebrows at her as she swung her leg around so that she was on his lap, straddling him. His freshly showered scent enveloped her. His cocky grin had faded as his hands slid up her bare thighs, pulling her down gently so that she was pressed firmly against him. Now she was the one with the cocky grin as she felt him hardening beneath her. He leaned over, nuzzling her neck as he placed a few hungry kisses there. She rocked ever so slightly in his lap and he inhaled sharply.

  “I think it’s later,” she told him as she slid her hands through shower-dampened hair.

  “Later…? Later than what…?” he asked. She rocked against him again and he groaned. He had no idea what she was talking about. He couldn’t think clearly when his body was so flooded with desire for her.

  She used a little more force this time, grinding against him as she became the one kissing his neck. Her hands slid lower as she stood just enough to wedge his shorts down. Her hand gripped him, guiding him to where she needed him to go.

  She moaned into his neck as he slid into her.

  Later, baby. Her words from earlier in the morning whispered through his mind.

  “Oh,” he said. He slid his hands up, under her shirt so he could slide if off completely. “Oh, yeah. It’s definitely later.”

  5

  “Who said shotgun weddings can’t be romantic?” Carly mused.

  “I believe you did,” Quinn was quick to point out.

  Carly had nearly thrown a fit when Quinn first announced that she and Jake wanted to get married as soon as she graduated. Carly had been insistent that no wedding could be “thrown together” in that short of a timeframe. Two months was not nearly enough time to plan, she’d insisted. She’d been wrong. Partly because Quinn was determined to keep it small and simple. Also because the two mothers were very determined to have everything fall into place. No matter what the cost.

  Nora was simply excited and couldn’t wait to do her part. Margo however, Quinn was fairly certain, was suffering from a case of what-will-the-neighbors-think? syndrome. She wanted her pregnant and cohabiting daughter married off as quickly as possible.

  The biggest issue had been finding a photographer. Everyone in the area was booked because the first weekend in June was the beginning of prime wedding season. Nora had managed to find someone
that came highly recommended from a few towns over. They’d had a cancellation but they still came at a high price. There was an extra charge for mileage and the extra hours involved. Nora hadn’t flinched. Everything else had fallen into place quite nicely.

  “Well, you can’t always listen to me. Sometimes I’m wrong,” Carly said with a roll of her eyes. “I was definitely wrong this time. That dress is amazing. You are going to be the most beautiful bride ever.”

  Jemma and Lily, Quinn’s two best friends nodded their agreement.

  “And we are going to be the most amazing looking bridesmaids to ever walk down the aisle,” Jemma said with a wink. “Thanks to your exquisite taste in dresses.”

  “But not nearly as amazing as the bride,” Lily was quick to add.

  “You are such a suck up,” Jemma teased and Lily grinned back.

  As of last Friday afternoon—exactly one week ago—Quinn was officially a college graduate. A college graduate with just the tiniest of baby bumps. Her dress, the one she was trying on now at her final fitting, had an empire waistline. She wasn’t trying to hide the pregnancy. By now everyone knew and fully supported her and Jake. However, she did want to be comfortable and the moment she’d spotted the dress, she’d known it was the one.

  It had a sweetheart neckline with exquisite beadwork adorning the bodice. The bottom was created of soft, flowing chiffon. Because it was to be an outdoor wedding she was skipping high heels. She settled for comfy, white silk ballet flats since no one would see them anyway. She’d also opted to forego a train. Instead, the dress was simplistic yet elegant. It was perfect for the outdoor wedding that they had planned. When she’d first held it up nearly two months ago, Carly had frowned. However, when Quinn had emerged from the dressing room Carly’s eyes had brightened.

  And that had been that.