Page 44 of Christmas in Quincy (The Edens 0.50)

“No more secrets, baby.”

Her hands fell and she faced me. “Okay.”

“We’ll be fine.”

The phone rang in her hand and she looked at the screen. She hesitated, taking a long moment before accepting the call. “Yes?”

Ray’s voice echoed as he launched into another lecture. I didn’t catch it all but he was basically calling into question her life choices.

She closed her eyes, her frame tensing with every passing second. The fingers on her free hand curled into a fist. “Stop! Just stop. When did you become this person? When did you stop hearing me? I know you love me and want what’s best for me, but this is my decision. I love Austin. This wasn’t something we’ve been hiding from you for years. We haven’t been sneaking around your back. This trip to Montana brought us together and I’m not going to apologize. I love him. And if you accept his resignation, you might as well accept mine too. I quit as your daughter.”

I fought a grin. Cleo loved Ray, despite their differences. She might have quit Christmas, but she’d never quit as his daughter. The threat was made, but we all knew it wasn’t going to last.

Just like I knew Ray was about to cave.

He loved Cleo more than life.

His reply was muffled, but when her fingers uncurled and her shoulders dropped from her ears, I knew he’d heard her.

“Yes, we can discuss it later,” she said. “But not tomorrow. We’re coming home and then I’m going to the bakery to make Austin some cupcakes. We’ll come for dinner the night after that.”

Fuck, but I loved her.

“Okay. Bye, Dad. Merry Christmas.” She ended the call, set the phone aside and shrugged. “Neither of us are allowed to quit.”

I threw my head back and laughed, then rounded the bed and took her into my arms. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Cleo wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her ear to my heart. “Want me to order room service?”

“Not yet.” I gripped the sheet draped around her body and tugged it away before doing the same for my towel. “Merry Christmas, Cleo.”

She stood on her toes, smiling against my lips as she ran her hand up my thigh. “Merry Christmas, Austin.”

It was one we’d never forget.

“I think we should come back here,” Cleo said, glancing around the lobby of The Eloise Inn. The smile on her face had been there all morning. As we’d showered together. As we’d packed. As we’d checked out of room 410. And now as we waited for the hotel’s shuttle to drive us to the airport.

“I like Quincy.” She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Maybe we could make it an annual thing. We could come here every Christmas.”

“Every third.”

“Every other,” she countered.

I’d come here every winter and freeze my ass off if that was what she wanted. “Every fourth.”

“That’s not how compromise works.”

I chuckled. “I’ll give you every third Christmas with summer trips in between.”

She held out her hand. “Agreed.”

I took her hand and brought her knuckles to my lips just as the shuttle pulled up. We’d come back to Quincy, of that I had no doubt.

I owed this town, this hotel, my future.

I owed Quincy for Cleo.

Epilogue