Chapter 86
(Quinn)
1 watch calmly as the caretaker for my old house steps out of her car. I hired the Simmons’ to care for the house years ago. When my father was moved into a care facility for the first time the house was sold. If I was fully aware of his condition back then I wouldn’t have allowed the house
to be sold.
I bought it back and had it restored to how it was when my mother was still alive. All from pictures and my memories. I made it into a world frozen in time. Annora was shocked when I told her that I owned this house.
Now I have to decide what to do with it.
Selling it isn’t something I want to do. Having strangers live in this house isn’t what I want. This house is for family. It deserves to have children running around in the yard, through the halls, and laughter echoing off the cream-colored walls.
The two-story house with a wrap-around porch and large back yard is a homeowner’s dream. The four bedrooms would provide ample space for a family. There are three bathrooms, one downstairs and two upstairs.
My mother always wanted to turn the large walk-in closet in the master bedroom into another bathroom. That never happened while she was alive, but I made it happen when I restored the house. It was the only thing I changed.
I have had numerous offers on it over the years. No amount of money will convince me to sell it. This is the one place I have left that reminds me of the love my family once shared.
“Quinn. I was sorry to hear about your father.” Mrs. Simmons says as she stops in front of me.
“Thank you. The house looks great.”This content is © NôvelDrama.Org.
“Harry keeps the yard clean and mowed while I maintain the inside. Are you finally thinking about living here or selling it?”
Annora squeezes my hand which makes me glance at her. She nudges her head in the direction of the tire swing in the front yard. It isn’t the same one my dad hung under that imposing cedar ree. I had one put in when I restored the house.
Grace is sitting on the swing with a smile on her face.
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That gives me an idea.
This house will be hers when she is older if she wants it. She is named after my mother after all. It wold be fitting to have another Elizabeth Greyson living here.
” is a shame to leave this beautiful house empty. Simmons says.
“One day it will be my daughters, I said as I motioned towards Grace.
When I look back at Mrs. Simmons, I can see surprise on her face. When I hired her, I was a single man. Now I have an eleven-year-old daughter and a fiance.
I look back at her then at Annie with a smile on my face.
“Mrs. Simmons, this is my fiance and the love of my life, Annora Winters. That is our daughter
Grace.” –
“Winters are you Frank’s granddaughter?” She asks Annie with a smile on her face.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, that is amazing. He is a nice man.” She looks at Grace and nods her head. “This place needs children running through it.”
One day it will.
“Well, I will leave you three to roam. If you have questions or requests for when you are gone
again, just call me.”
Thank you, Mrs. Simmons.”
I turn towards the tire swing after she walks away. Grace is now swinging but has a bored look on her face. That didn’t take long. I didn’t expect the tire swing to entertain her. Not at her age
anyway.
Grace is really excited to see my old bedroom so we head inside for a tour of the house. I had to tell her that none of my things were in there. However, I showed her where I carved my initials into the baseboard next to where my bed used to be.
That made her smile.
Walking through the house after all these years feels like going back in time. It is painful, but very therapeutic. Having it restored to what it used to look like was an excellent idea at the time. However, walking through each room now makes me realize this too must change.
It is time.
With my father’s death it is time to let the past go. I can’t keep holding on to the ghost of my mother and the shadow of a happier time in my life. This house is a shrine to that past and a woman who died too young.
It is time to set her free.
“Are you alright?” Annie asks as we stand in what was once my mother’s sewing room.
I can see her in my mind just as she was. Sitting at her sewing machine, humming the same song she would sing as she cooked. Her head bent to look at her work.
“This was my mother’s sewing room. It was once just a storage room, but my dad cleared it out. and painted it a rose color for her. She was so happy to have a room just for her.”
“You get a wistful look in your eyes when you talk about your mother. Thank you for sharing this with me and Grace. This part of your past is painful to remember.”
I
I step closer to her then pull her into my arms.
“It wasn’t all painful. I know you saw how it was between him and I that summer, but he wasn’t always like that.”
“I would love to hear more about little Quinn. When we first met you wouldn’t tell me much about your mother. Being here these last few days makes me aware of how little I actually know about your past.”
This makes me look down at her.
“You only know the painful parts since I never talked about the great times before she died. I am sorry I kept that to myself.”
“All of that shaped you into the man you are today. As a result of your painful experiences with your father
you are a better father. The love you remember your parents sharing makes you an excellent partner. You are who you are because of them.”
“I love you, Annie. Thank you for being here with me during all this.”
“I love you too, Quinn. There is nowhere else I would rather be than right here with you.”
I lean down to kiss her. Grace chooses that moment to run into the room. Her laughter makes us both look at her.
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“When am I going to get a sibling?”
I glance at Annie with a smile on my face. She still hasn’t taken a pregnancy test yet because she
wants to be home when she does it. She wants to be sure it is real and not the stress caused by
everything happening in our lives over the last few month
“We will just have to wait and see,” Annora says with laughter in her eyes.
After that question I think it is time to leave. I lock the house back up once we are all outside again then we walk back to Frank’s. Grace asks me questions about the house and my childhood
as we walk
I answer the questions I am willing to answer for now. One day I will tell her more about my parents. When she is older and can understand better.
“Can we live in that house during the summer?” Grace asks as we walk up the walkway to Frank’s.
I hadn’t thought of that. It would make an excellent summer home. At least until we have the house on Annora’s land built. Guess it is time to redecorate and furnish the entire house for a
family.
A family of four maybe?
I know Grace is not the only one excited about expending our family. She has been wanting a sibling since Annie and I made our relationship official this time around. I don’t blame her at all.
My reasons are slightly different for wanting another baby. I mean, yes, I just want to make babies with Annie. As many babies as she will give me. I just want to be there for all of it this time.
“That is a fantastic idea, Grace. What do you think, Annie?”
“It would be an ideal place to spend summers while we are building our house.”
“I thought we were having our house built in California,” Grace says with a confused look on her face as the turns to face us.
I laugh.
“We are having one built right across the lake from here.” I point to where our summer home will be one day. “Your great-grandpa gave your mommy some land over there. We decided to build a house on it.”
“So, what will you do with your house? The one you grew up in?”
“That is a good question. I will figure that out when that day comes. Do you want to keep it in our
family?”
She nods her head which tells me that I am right in my decision to leave that house to her. One day when she finds someone she wants to spend lier life with, I will give it to her. Let her fill it with love and happiness.
“There you are,” Victoria says from the front porch.
“Hey, mom. We were just walking through Quinn’s old house. Did you know that he bought it, and had it restored to what it looked like when he was little?”
Victoria looks at me for a moment with an odd look on her face. “I never knew your mother, but I
want to believe she would be very proud of the man you are today.”
“Thank you. I think you two would have gotten along. We are planning to use the house as a
summer home until ours is built.”
“Oh. That is a great idea. Now come inside. I made lasagna and if you three don’t get in there. soon there won’t be any left.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice.
Later after dinner and Grace is asleep, Annora and 1 sneak down to the boat dock. Her grandfather has done some work on the old clock over the years. There is now a small gazebo off to the side of
the dock. It has deck chairs and a swing.
Fairy lights give it a romantic vibe.
With Annie snuggled up against me on the swing we listen to the sounds of the lake at night. Being here with her now brings back some very pleasant memories. We were pretty wild that
summer.
Well, we were once she let loose and embraced her last summer of freedom.
“Do you remember when we spent time skinny dipping out at my favorite fishing spot?”
Annora’s throaty laugh sends desire shooting through me, or it could just be what else we did on
the banks of the river that night.
“The same spot where we made love in your car for the first time?”
“In the rain.’
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“Wanna sneak off to one spot and recreate some memories? She looks up at me with a devus
smile on her face.
“No, but I think we should make some new ones.
Thirty minutes later we are laying on a blanket under the stars. We snuggle close as we watch the clouds float across the night sky. Being here with her makes me feel eighteen again.
Slightly nervous yet very h**y
I think the last part is partially due to the nostalgia of where we are. We had so many firsts here. Our first kiss. Our first conversation about what we wanted for our future. Then there was our first time making love in the back of my car on a rainy day.
Just like back then it doesn’t take long until we are locked together in a heated make-out session. The location hasn’t changed but we have. I will never get enough of her no matter how often we are together like this.
She is like a drug, and I am addicted. Everything about her has me h***ed. Mind, heart, body and soul. All of her.
The next thing I know, we are peeling each other’s clothes off as fast as we can. The need to be skin to skin is so overpowering. Hands roam over every inch of skin we can reach as our mouths fuse together in passion. When she lightly caresses my swelling c**k, I moan into her mouth.
It isn’t long before our bodies are pressed as close as two bodies can get. Annora is on her side facing away from me with her right leg h***ed over my hip. She is spread wide open for me as I slowly move into her.
My left hand cups her left breast, squeezing it occasionally, or tweaking the nipple. My right hand is down between her legs. My thumb swirls over her ***t as I feel her getting closer to an o***m.
“Oh, Quinn.”
She moans my name in a long, drawn-out purr. I slow my thrusts, pulling almost all the way out then slowly back in. She digs her nails into my arm as I continue our slow erotic dance. I can feel her inner walls quivering with pleasure.
“Do you like that?”
“Yes. Oh, please don’t stop.”
Do you want me to make you o**m?*
Instead of answering, she moves her hips in time with my thrusts. Looking for that much needed friction to get her where she wants to be. To help her find her release I rub her c**t faster.
“F**k,” she moans loudly. Her p** milks my c**k as she o**ms.
I thrust into her a few more times, then I too, found my release. It takes a few minutes for our breathing to return to normal after that intensely erotic lovemaking. I roll onto my back, and she rolls with me to snuggle against my side.
The night air is now slightly chilly as our heated flesh cools.
“I feel like I am eighteen again,” Annie laughs.
“Same. I think it is this place. No, it is this place and you.”
“Me?”
She sits up then looks down at me. Her face shows surprise and confusion. I cup her cheek in my hand and look into her beautiful hazel eyes.
“You are such a remarkable woman. I catch glimpses of the young woman you used to be when you don’t think I’m watching. Sometimes it is how you stand, or a look on your face while concentrating. It reminds me of how you looked then and how you still look now. Timeless.”
“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you anymore than I already do you have to turn around and say something like that.”
She leans down and fuses her mouth with mine. We spent the next few hours making love under the stars. Later we crept back to Frank’s where he sat smoking his pipe on the front porch with a smile on his face.
Busted like teenagers again.