Scorched Ice (Fire and Ice #3)(83)
“Bonus in my mind,” he replied with a shrug. “We’re so far from those in China, Australia, or even South America while we’re in the U.S. and Canada anyway. If something happens on the other side of the world, it won’t make any difference if we’re here or somewhere else. It’s why we have regulators in those areas to deal with any problems until we can arrive to take control, if it becomes necessary. Every year or so we can take a couple of weeks, or a month, to travel back to those countries and reestablish our relationships with the vampires there. Plus, there is an airport here.”
She had no idea what to say to that. He was right, of course, but she’d never considered being able to call this place their own.
Clasping his cheeks between her palms, she rose onto her toes. “You bought me a house,” she murmured against his lips.
“I bought you a house.”
“Maybe we can do six months here and six months in Canada,” she suggested.
He locked his arm around her waist and drew her flush against his chest. “Seven and five.”
“Deal,” she agreed and threw her arms around his neck.
The kiss he gave her had her toes digging into the sand before he lifted her off the beach and carried her back toward the house. He went to carry her past the others and inside, but she broke the kiss and slapped him playfully on his shoulders. “I want to tell them!”
He groaned but set her on her feet. The sand shifted beneath her as she ran over to the table and slid onto the bench beside Lou. Dani pushed a drink toward her; judging by the scent, it was a tequila sunrise. Sharing drinks around the table had become their nightly ritual since arriving here, and she wasn’t willing to break it when they were leaving tomorrow.
“Where are Chris and Melissa?” she inquired, wanting to tell everyone at once.
The question was no sooner out of her mouth than she spotted the married couple descending the spiraling staircase and making their way across the tiled living room to the door. In his arms, Chris carried their two-month-old son, Andrew. They had all tried to convince the two of them to return to Cassie and Devon when they’d learned Melissa was pregnant, but they’d refused to do so.
Instead, Chris and Melissa had gotten married on the coast of New Zealand in a small ceremony before they’d all traveled to Argentina. Now, the young couple looked like zombies as they leaned against each other while they shuffled toward the doors. They stepped outside and walked over to the table, forgetting to close the door behind them.
“Can I?” Quinn asked and held her hands out for the tiny bundle while Lou jumped up to close the door.
Chris handed Andrew over to her. She beamed down at the baby when he wrapped his tiny hand around one of her fingers. His onyx eyes watched her while he blew bubbles at her. She may not have dreamed of having children herself, but she’d fallen in love with Andrew. She often watched him while Julian was on the beach and Chris and Melissa napped.
Andrew cooed happily as he jerked on her finger and giggled. She would never have children, but she would have Andrew and his children and countless others to watch over long after their parents were gone from this world. She shut off the depressing thought and bent to kiss his forehead. She inhaled his sweet, baby powder and milk scent.
She was so engrossed in Andrew that she forgot about Julian’s news until Julian cleared his throat and straddled the bench to sit beside her. He ran his finger over Andrew’s cheek before kissing her ear. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell them?”
“Oh, yes!” she cried and lifted her head to look at all of them. “Julian bought this house! We can use it as part of our base for five months of the year and stay in Canada for the other seven! When we’re not traveling again, of course.”
“What?” Julian sputtered. “I didn’t agree to seven in Canada.”
She smiled sweetly at him as the others talked excitedly amongst themselves. “You didn’t specify seven and five months where.”
He scowled at her for a minute before leaning forward to kiss her nose. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“I am,” she replied. “I really am.”
He pulled her closer to him, and she dropped her head onto his chest. “I’m lucky you love me too.”
“You really are. No one else would put up with you.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. Quinn lifted her head to take in the people around her as Julian’s love enveloped her. After her family had been killed, she’d been certain she would never know love again. Now she was surrounded by it, and she’d never been happier in her life. She knew it would only get better with every passing year.
***
Julian hugged Quinn against him as he savored the radiant joy on her face. He’d never believed himself deserving of love, and after everything he’d done in his life, he knew he probably didn’t deserve it. But somehow, he’d been blessed with this woman with her enormous heart and warrior spirit. Somehow he’d been gifted a love he’d never dreamed possible for himself. For the rest of his life, he would do everything he could to make her smile like this at least once a day.
When he’d first stop killing, he’d been half certain he would return to it one day. Now, he knew he never would, not while he had her, and even if he somehow lost her, he could never be that vampire again. Quinn’s love had changed him; it had made him a better man, and he would never do anything to cause her any disappointment.