LOGINQuentin had been watching Christian's side the whole time, so the instant Nancy looked his way, he caught it."Ms. York, staring at me like that might give Mr. Lane the wrong idea."The bluntness of his words rattled Nancy. She panicked for a split second and quickly looked away.Christian turned and glanced at her, but all he saw was Nancy gazing out the opposite window. When he looked back at Quentin, he couldn't help but sneer. "Mr. Henderson, you really do have an overactive imagination."Quentin smiled at him. "Whether it's my imagination or not, you'd have to ask Ms. York."The light turned green. Christian didn't bother responding. He simply hit the gas and pulled away.Quentin was still waiting for the left-turn signal.As he rolled his window back up, he studied Talia's expression. She looked completely unbothered, not a ripple of emotion on her face. He couldn't help but smile.Talia heard the quiet laugh. "What's so funny?""Nothing," Quentin said. "I'm just happy."
The thought brought a fresh sting to Talia's eyes, and before she could stop it, they were brimming again. Quentin saw the tears and immediately assumed his little tough-guy act had upset her.He grabbed her hand in a panic. "Talia, okay, I admit it. That was stupid of me, trying to act all brave in front of you. But come on, what guy isn't scared of his wife's older brother?"That startled a laugh out of her.The sound of it visibly relaxed him. He pulled her into his arms and softly said, "You must've been worried sick."Talia pressed her cheek against his chest. "Not really."His voice rumbled low near her ear. "I heard you went to see Christian last night. I'm guessing that didn't go well."Talia smiled bitterly. "I'm used to it."Quentin's arms tightened around her, and his voice turned dead serious. "No matter what happens from now on, don't ever go to him again. He's not worth it."Talia nodded, her voice catching. "Okay. I'll remember."He held her a while longer, clea
Talia still wasn't divorced. She had no right to let herself feel anything for Quentin.Her voice was barely above a whisper, so faint that it was almost nothing at all.Quentin could tell that she was saying something, but he couldn't make out the words. He dipped his head and nuzzled the stubble on his chin against her forehead. "What did you say?"Talia shook her head. "Nothing."He didn't push it. He just kept grazing her skin with his stubble while he said, "Stay here tonight. I'll call your brother and let him know."Talia's eyes went wide. "Quentin, if Garrett finds out, he'll kill me."Something sharp flickered in Quentin's eyes as he looked down at her, and his voice cooled. "He can try. I'd love to see it."He said it with absolute conviction, chin up, and without an ounce of doubt. Talia studied his face, searching for any crack in the confidence.Before she could find the words, his phone rang. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Of all the times for a call,
Talia's eyes were swimming with tears as she bit down on Quentin's shoulder with every ounce of strength she had. She cried while she did it, tears streaming down her face without stopping.Quentin bore it. The pain was searing—sharp enough to raise goosebumps across his skin—but he didn't push her away. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer, holding her against him.After a long while, the fight drained out of her. She sagged against his chest, her voice hoarse and raw. "Why didn't you move? Why?"Quentin held her gently, a soft, dazed smile on his face. "You think I could ever pull away from you?"Talia didn't respond. She stayed pressed against him for a long time before finally stepping back. She looked up at him and said, "Let me see your shoulder."Regret was already eating at her for biting him that hard and for everything she'd said.Quentin took her cold hand in his and squeezed it gently. He shook his head, smiling. "It doesn't hurt. Really."
It was a long time before Talia finally murmured a quiet, "Yeah."The age-gap romance show continued to play on the TV, and Millie was thoroughly entertained, chuckling to herself every few minutes. Talia sat on the other end of the couch, quietly wiping away her tears when Millie wasn't looking.But Millie had noticed. She glanced over and asked, "What are you crying for?"Talia shook her head and didn't explain. Millie understood, of course. She just chose not to press.The drama kept playing, but Talia hadn't absorbed a single scene. Then a sound came from outside the front door.Before Talia could react, a low, rough voice called out, "Mom?"She knew that voice. It was Quentin's.Talia turned toward the entrance just in time to see him stepping in from the porch. His overcoat hung open, his frame still tall and broad, but there was a weariness etched into his face that hadn't been there before. A shadow of stubble darkened his jaw in a fine, even layer.Even so, it did noth
Talia had been watching Millie's face from the moment she appeared.Millie's expression shifted from mild irritation at being disturbed to genuine delight the instant she recognized Talia. Beyond that, Talia couldn't detect anything else.Lucas had said that Millie's eyes were red from crying, but looking at her now, she didn't seem like someone who'd been crying at all.When Talia just stood there, lost in thought, Millie waved her in. "Well, come on."Talia snapped out of it and smiled. "Right. Thank you, Mrs. Henderson."Once she stepped through the door, Millie took her hand. The second she felt how cold Talia's fingers were, concern creased her face. "Your hands are freezing. Why aren't you wearing gloves?"Talia managed a thin smile. "I'm fine, Mrs. Henderson. I'm used to it."But Millie refused to drop the matter. She cupped Talia's hands between both of hers and bent down to breathe warm air over them. Then, she rubbed them gently together."Let's get you inside. It's w
Christian had also realized what Henry was about to say. When Talia had cut Henry off, Christian felt an unexpected surge of satisfaction. For some reason, he found himself thinking that perhaps Talia still only had feelings for him.After letting everyone discuss for a while, Shawn spoke up. "Let'
At this moment, Henry felt as though his heart had been ripped apart. A sharp, suffocating pain coursed through him.When Quentin fell ill, Talia stayed by his side and even shared a bed with him. But when Henry fainted, she couldn't be bothered to stay by his side.The thought of it twisted Henry
Before Franklin could say anything further, Christian's calm voice came from nearby. "Let's eat, or the dishes will get cold."Franklin reluctantly swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.But when he sat at the table, he muttered under his breath, "Had I known she'd do that, I woul
When Talia heard Quentin say that, she tugged at his arm and whispered, "Quentin, I can donate blood. If you go to the blood bank and wait for the irradiation, it'll take time."Quentin turned to look at her, his expression cold, and replied, "You've already done enough for me. I don't want you to







