“He’s two weeks old, and he doesn’t officially have a name yet. It works differently in our world. We’ll have a crazy huge celebration and ceremony where he’ll officially be named.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “There will be parades. Hundreds of people. Thousands maybe. There might be more than there were for my coronation, which was … it was something. If we were home, it would have happened already, but his arrival sort of put a kink in our traveling plans. Everyone is so paranoid about his health and safety that I’ve been forbidden to travel with him until he’s a full moon old.”
“I don’t suppose I can get you to talk with normal words to me, can I?”
“Sorry. I know it’s weird, but I’ve gotten used to it already. At this point, I think it would be strange to go back to Bristlecone. I’d slip and say the wrong thing there.”
“Well, you’d have to live without a bodyguard.” He glanced over at Ben and William. They’d moved inside the gym, but they stayed over by the wall where all of the equipment was, and they were talking, clearly trying to give him and Quinn some privacy.
“That part I think I could manage. I love Ben and Marcus, but…”
He laughed. “I’m actually surprised they’re all the way over there. I mean, what if I slipped and said something rude to you?”
“Like that?” she snickered, raising an eyebrow.
“See? And they didn’t even hear it to come running.”
“Out of the three of us, I’m the only one who’s killed somebody,” she said. “I can take care of myself.”
His head snapped around. “What? Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not joking.”
“Holy sh… What do you mean, you killed somebody?”
“It’s a long story. I should not have started it that way. But the man who murdered my father was pointing a gun at me. So I threw my dagger at him. Marcus threw his, too – I can’t say for sure that mine was the one that killed him. But yeah. I can defend myself if I have to. Although,” she patted her lower leg, “I’m not currently packing my dagger – don’t tell them. If they knew that, they might hover.”
Zander had no idea what to say to that. She was looking at him like she’d just said something completely normal. “I suppose that kind of thing isn’t illegal here?”
“I’m the law.”
He couldn’t help it. He started laughing. This was entirely too absurd not to be funny.
Quinn must have agreed, because the next thing he knew, they were both laughing so hysterically that he found it hard to breathe, and tears were running down her cheeks.
It was like that for several minutes. He saw both Ben and William turn at different times to watch them, but neither of them intervened.
Finally, Quinn calmed herself for long enough to pull out a handkerchief – from where, he didn’t know – and dry her eyes. “I hate fighting with you, Zander.”
“Me too,” he sighed. “I never…” he looked around. “ You realize how ridiculous all of this is, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry. It was crazy enough discovering this place the first time I came through the gate. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I’d come through and found you here, married to someone and with a baby.”
He almost started laughing again.
“I never meant to hurt you, you know. I didn’t know all of this was going to happen. I broke up with you because I didn’t want to lie to you to you anymore. I couldn’t explain any of this, and I couldn’t walk away from it anymore. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
“So it really wasn’t because you were cheating on me with William.”
She looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt. “I’d kissed him. I know everyone here is probably defending me, and telling you that we weren’t courting before I broke up with you – and that’s true, we weren’t. But I hate lying and hiding things, and I don’t want to do it even in a small way when I don’t have to. I didn’t break up with you because I was already with him, but we had kissed, the last time I was here, and I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t know anything. I was confused, and scared, and I was lying to you … it wasn’t fair to put you in the middle of that anymore. I’m sorry.”
And somehow, seeing her like this, so vulnerable and honest … he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be angry with her anymore. Ben was right. What Quinn had done really didn’t have anything to do with him, even if she had kissed another guy. But …
“William Rose, Quinn? Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“He’s so…”
“So… what, Zander? You’ve been in the same class with him since third grade, and I dare you to tell me one thing about him.”
“He reads a lot.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I read a lot.”
“He’s crazy smart – he was always doing work that was like three grades higher than the rest of us. And he never talked, to anybody, unless you count when the teachers called on him. Otherwise, I really don’t remember him saying anything.”
“His life was never there. What was he supposed to say? Hi, I’m William. I’m a prince from an alternate universe. Will you play with me at recess?”
He snickered, which made her laugh again. “You might have a little bit of a point.”
“Anyway, you might feel different about him if you did get to know him.”
He rolled his eyes. “All right, then, are you going to introduce me to him for real, or what? If he’s this fantastic guy, and I’m going to be stuck here for ten days…”
Giving Zander an appraising look, she shrugged, and then called across the gym, “Will!”
The “Will” bit got to him. Like Quinn had said, he’d been in the same classes as William Rose since third grade. In all of that time, nobody had ever shortened his name. Most of the time, nobody even called him just William. It was always William Rose.
But here he was, Will, jogging across the gym to them. “You okay?” he asked, when he reached Quinn.
Zander had to force himself not to roll his eyes at that. Yes, she was okay. Jeez.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Zander and I were just talking, and he was saying how he’d never really been properly introduced to you, and that he’d like to get to know you better.”
“Oh, okay.”
Zander had to hand it to the guy, really. He could see it – the way William’s fingers twitched, how he wanted to put his arms around Quinn, maybe kiss her head again or something to mark his territory – but he didn’t do it.
Instead, he smiled – had he ever seen William Rose smile before? – and he held out his hand. “I know it seems strange, Zander. You know my name, and I know we’ve spent a lot of time in the same rooms, but, I guess this sort of is our first real conversation. Welcome to my world.”
Zander accepted the handshake.
“I’m sure it must be difficult for you to come to terms with landing here and seeing all of this. I can only imagine how overwhelming it all is. But I want you to know how grateful we are – how grateful I am – that you were willing to help Owen and bring him here. It would take a special kind of person to put that kind of trust in a little boy. Because you did, you saved my life. There isn’t any way I could ever repay you for that, but I will start with my sincere thank you.”
Whatever he’d thought William would say to him first, that wasn’t it. “You’re welcome.” That sounded weird, but what else was he supposed to say?
“Were you comfortable last night? Did you have everything you needed?”
“I was fine, thank you.”
Suddenly, William frowned. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?’
He shook his head. Even the apple he’d grabbed was probably still lying on the ground in that yard.
“I could get you some eggs and toast if you’d like, with butter and strawberry jam – those all taste about the same here as they do in your world, and I’m thinking you mi
ght prefer something familiar right about now.”
It wasn’t fair. After all of this, William was going to turn out to be someone he liked? He was going to have to ask about the unicorn.
He nodded. “That sounds really good, actually. Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Once William was gone, Zander turned to Quinn again. “Does it really taste the same as home?”
“Yes. I think the bread’s actually better here – don’t tell my mom.”
He chuckled. Quinn’s mom had always baked her own bread. “I’ll keep it quiet. Although, I do think I’ll be having quite the conversation with your mom after I get back.”
“Yeah, wish I could be there for that.”
“You could come, you know. If the gate’s open, or whatever, you’re not stuck here.”
She shook her head. “I made the decision to stay here when I didn’t even know it was possible to close the gate, Zander. I’m not here because of that.”
“Are you really happy here, Quinn?”
She looked him straight in the eyes and nodded. “Yes, I am. Not every second of every day, obviously, but nobody’s that happy anywhere. I wish for things like cell phones and television – and tomatoes – please tell me you brought a tomato with seeds in it…”
He turned the pockets of his pants inside out, which made her giggle again. “Uh, no.”
“Dang it. This world is severely lacking in pizza and spaghetti.”
“And you live here?”
She chuckled. “Seriously, though, Zander. I know there’s probably no way you could understand this, but this world is my home now. As much as I would like to be able to go back sometimes, and as hard as it is to be separated from my mom and Jeff and Annie and Owen … I couldn’t go back there to live. It’s not even who I am anymore. I don’t think it was ever who I was supposed to be.”
He studied her for a long moment. “It isn’t just about William, is it?”
“No, it’s not. It’s not about him at all. It’s about me. I mean, I love him, Zander. More than I ever imagined loving someone. I’m so grateful that he could even exist – that there could actually be someone who’s so willing to accept exactly who I am, and what I have to do, and who understands both parts of my life, because he’s shared them with me. He is my best friend and my partner in every way. And I just spent the past few days thinking I might lose him.”
He could see it so clearly now – how she’d changed. Not just physically, but in other, more subtle ways, too. She carried herself differently – she was more confident, wiser. She’d been through things he would probably never be able to understand.
“And I thought about it – what it would be like if I did lose him. How my heart would be broken forever, knowing this part of me that is his wife would die, too, but … it wouldn’t have changed my mind about what I have to do – to go back home to Philotheum, rule my kingdom, raise my child as the next heir to the throne.”
He looked down at his hands. This was not what he had expected. Seeing her like this, so honest and vulnerable, and yet, so … he couldn’t even define it … it just made his earlier anger and irritation seem so trivial.
“Zander, I have you to thank for the fact that I’m probably not going to lose him right now, and … I know this is hard for you. I know the last thing you probably want to be hearing is my gushing over someone else, but for the rest of my life, you’re going to be the man who brought that medicine for him.”
“I didn’t do anything, Quinn. I didn’t even know what Owen had in that cooler.”
“It doesn’t matter. He couldn’t have done it on his own. You were there for him when he needed you, and for us.”
“He’s a pretty irresistible kid,” he said, smiling.
She chuckled, but then her expression grew serious again. “I know you’d never admit it – the real reason why Owen was able to talk you into it. And I’m so sorry about the shock it must have been to come here and find things this way. I wish it hadn’t happened like that – that there had been a better way for you to find out.”
He looked down at the ground again.
“It makes me wish I’d never said yes to dating you. Not because I didn’t want to – I did. I cared about you that way. If I was really the girl I thought I was, it wouldn’t have been a mistake. I just wish I’d found all of this out before I put you through that, because I feel like it’s cost me something I valued even more – your friendship. I never wanted to lose that.”
He sighed. “You’re making it awfully hard for me to stay mad at you and hate William, you know.”
“I’m sorry. I could be horrible and snotty about it if it would be easier on you to be mad.”
“Evil plans don’t work as well if you tell people about them in advance, you know.”
“I know.” She stretched her hand tentatively toward him – an offering. He knew he didn’t have to take it, but he did, squeezing her fingers gently.
“I’m sorry I was such a jerk,” he said.
“I deserved it.”
“No you didn’t. I might have had a right to be angry about the lying…”
“You did. I never wanted to lie to you.”
“I know that now. I’m going to find myself lying when I get home.”
She shrugged. “It’s not like you can just tell people the truth.”
“No. But either way, Quinn, yes, you lied, but you were never as awful to me as I’ve been to you about the whole thing. I really am sorry.”
She looked up then, over his shoulder. “William’s back. Is it okay if he comes back over?”
Zander glanced behind him. William was standing there with a covered silver tray, just far enough that he couldn’t overhear their conversation. He looked more like a servant than a king, and far too much like someone it would be impossible to hate. Sighing, he waved William over.
The toast and eggs were delicious – just like home, only Quinn was right, the bread was better. The thick sausage links on a plate of their own were somewhat different than the ones at home, but Zander thought he could get used to them quickly.
A small glass bowl of really weird-looking green berries was also on the tray. Just the sight of them made him wary – there was no way he was ready for something like that – but William handed the bowl to Quinn, along with a second glass of milk.
“There is someone around to insist on taking care of me twenty-four hours a day,” Quinn grumbled, rolling her eyes, but the way she looked at William as he sat down next to her told Zander that her annoyance was feigned.
“You do have a newborn prince to take care of,” Zander said around a mouthful of eggs, earning him a scowl.
William chuckled.
“I wouldn’t mind actually meeting him.” It sort of surprised him that this was true. If he was going to have to deal with the fact that Quinn had a son, it would be nice to see him up close.
“Well,” William said, “either Mia or my sister is supposed to be bringing him down in a few minutes. It’s another nice day. We were thinking about a crumple match.”
“A what?”
Quinn grinned. “It’s a lot more fun than bar drop.”
“But I’ll probably suck at it just as badly as I do at that game.”
“Maybe,” William said. “But your football skills might come in handy.”
~ 22 ~
Crumple
Rosewood Castle, Eirentheos
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Quinn climbed up into the bleachers at the crumple field, cradling the baby, who was still making quiet fussing noises.
He’d been screaming when Linnea carried him outside.
“I swear, he hates me,” Linnea said, sitting down on the cushion beside her, watching as he pushed his face against Quinn’s shirt, hungry again.
“He’s a baby,” Owen said, climbing onto the bench one row down from them. “He can’t hate anyone. He just likes his mom best.”
“Sometimes,” Quin
n said, laying the baby on a pillow Linnea set on her lap and getting him settled in to nurse. “Other times, I think he likes Mia better than me.”
“He doesn’t like her better. He’s just trying to help you know you’re supposed to ask her to go back to Philotheum with you to be his nanny.”
Linnea’s mouth fell open, and Quinn very nearly dropped the baby. He fussed at the interruption to his meal.
“What, Owen?”
“Mia is supposed to be his nanny. She knows that, and she wants to, but she’s afraid to ask anyone. She thinks Queen Charlotte will be mad at her for wanting to leave, and she’s really afraid she’ll ask you and you’ll say no, and then Charlotte will be mad and she won’t have a job, and Thomas will be mad because she really loves him, but she thinks this is the job she’s supposed to do.”
Linnea stared at him. “Owen, you haven’t even talked to Mia since you’ve been here.”
Owen frowned, blinking several times before his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Was it a dream?”
Quinn’s eyes met Linnea’s, and she knew that they both wore the same expression of shock. Linnea’s hands were trembling; Quinn looked down to make sure her own hands weren’t shaking the baby.
“Yes, Owen. I think it must have been a dream,” she said, trying to hold her voice steady.
“Oh.” He shrugged, unperturbed, turning back around to watch as everyone else trickled onto the field and bleachers for the game.
Simon’s wife, Evelyn, and William’s sister Rebecca had just arrived together, both of them with their sons. They sat together in the bottom row, chatting animatedly with each other and the infants. Charlotte would probably come out to join them, to let little Hannah be with her nephews.
Linnea was watching them too. “That will be us in Philotheum soon,” she said. “You with Samuel, and me with someone a tiny bit smaller.”
Quinn raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet,” Linnea said. “At least, as far as I know.”
“Well, I hope it’s soon,” she said, sighing. “It’s hard to know that I’ll be raising Samuel so far away from his cousins and his family.”
“You’re stuck with me. I’m excited, actually, about going. I’ll miss it here, but … I’m ready for a new adventure in a different kingdom.”
Canes of Divergence (Dusk Gate Chronicles) Page 19
