Chapter 22

“Yes, I put out all the holiday decorations,” Kiera said, holding the phone against her ear as she grabbed the mail out of her mother’s mailbox and headed up the walkway. “But, Mom, why do decorations even matter if you’re not here?”

“I’ll be home before Christmas, baby girl,” her mother, Patricia “Patty” Finley—or now Patty Prentiss due to her recent wedding—responded, their phone connection surprisingly clear considering she was out of the country. “You wouldn’t believe how fun this trip has been. After the cruise, we just weren’t ready to come home! We stayed at this resort in Crete, and it’s been the most romantic two months of my life.”

“Well, I’m happy you and Jay are getting along well.” Kiera wasn’t that close to her new stepfather, but she liked him well enough. “It sounds like a fun trip.”

“Oh, it’s been wonderful, but truthfully, I can’t wait to get home soon and put up the lights outside—ooh, and the lawn Santa!”

Kiera groaned. “Mom, please. That inflatable is so awful.”

“What?” Patty squawked. “You love the lawn Santa!”

“Since when?” Kiera argued, opening the front door with one hand as she fumbled with the keys. “I’ve literally tried to stab it to death every year.”

“Well, Santa’s got thick skin, honey.”

Kiera laughed, dropping the pile of mail on the kitchen counter. “Okay, well I’m inside now and checking everything out.”

“I’ll let you go, then,” Patty said. Kiera could hear Jay in the background calling for her anyway. “Give Quinn my love, okay? I know he’ll do amazing tonight. Send me pictures!”

“I will,” she promised, happy that her mother had taken the news of her and Quinn dating so well. She’d finally told her last month when she realized her mom wasn’t coming home anytime soon, so there was no point in waiting.

“I’m just so happy for you, Kiera. He’s such a good man. You deserve a good, good man.” She heard her mother’s sniffle, obviously emotional with her last comment. “And he’s loved you so long. It’s a goddamn fairytale.”

“Fairytale?” Kiera laughed. “Since when did you want me to have the fairytale? I thought you raised me to be all about being independent of a man, being a career woman.”

“You can’t be both?” Patty asked, a slight crackle coming through the phone line. “It’s good to take care of yourself, honey. In fact, it’s wonderful. But there’s also nothing wrong with needing to be loved and adored.”

Kiera pinned the phone between her shoulder and cheek. “I know, but…I don’t know. I just don’t want to ever go through what you went through with Daddy.”

“You mean marry the love of your life and have a beautiful child who gives you the greatest joy you’ve ever imagined? Gee, that would be awful,” Patty said, her sarcasm still easily heard over the phone.

Kiera rolled her eyes at her mother’s theatrics. “Mom, I know you love me and Daddy. I just meant, wouldn’t it have been easier if—”

“Kiera, stop.” Patty cut her off. “Has life been easy since your father died? No. Do I wish I’d done anything differently? No.”

“Mom…”

Patty sighed. “Sweetheart, I’m serious. I wouldn’t do a thing differently. Life isn’t always meant to be easy, but it is meant to be happy…so find your happy. Quinn is your happy, and your father was mine. But there’s room for more. There’s room for Jay, for your career, and for a million more happies.”

Kiera smiled, lifting her head up and grabbing the phone with her hand. “That’s a lot of happy.”

“That’s how life should be, baby girl,” Patty said just before a loud foghorn sounded in the distance. “Okay, I love you, honey. I’ve got to go—it’s seniors’ bikini contest by the pool! They just voted to have a Speedo round, so I can’t miss that. Have fun at the exhibit tonight!”

“Thanks, Mom,” Kiera said, trying to erase the mental image of her mother and Jay in revealing bathing suits. “I love you, too.”

She disconnected the call and placed her cellphone on the counter with a sigh.

Her mother’s wisdom seemed so easy, so obvious, but nothing was ever really that cut-and-dried. Would she still be a doctor if she’d stayed local and pursued a relationship with Quinn six years ago? Maybe, but she knew she wouldn’t have achieved the same level of success she had now. But if she’d never rekindled things with Quinn and only pursued her career? That didn’t sound very appealing, either.

Maybe happiness was something that came in phases, because it would all just be too much at once. Maybe that was how she got it all—the man and the career. She’d focused on her passion for years, and Quinn was that passion now. Funny how a simple phone call with her mother could have her reeling in existential questions.

Truth be told, Kiera missed her mom. Her childhood home was big and lonely when it was empty, and she’d been more than happy to ditch it for Quinn’s place for the majority of the last two months. She still checked in every couple of days to get more clothes or empty the mailbox, but that was about it.

Kiera walked over to the cabinet, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water from the fridge. Taking a long drink, she began sorting through the large pile of mail. Junk, bills, magazines…it was way too much for only a few days, but her mother signed up for every catalog possible.

A long white envelope caught her eye and she slid it out of the stack, finding it was addressed to her. Eyes widening, she read the name of the sender.

“No way!” she gasped, ripping the edge of the envelope quickly and pulling out the stack of paperwork inside.

We are happy to inform you of your acceptance to the Myers Truman Physical Therapy Fellowship in Seattle, Washington, for the upcoming spring term. This fellowship includes a subsequent acceptance to the University of Washington for the remainder of your training. Congratulations on your acceptance into this prestigious program.

Sitting on the stool at the counter, Kiera reread the first paragraph fifteen times before glancing through the rest of the paperwork. Then she read the cover letter again. And again.

And again.

“I can’t believe I got in,” she whispered to herself.

She’d applied to this fellowship over a year ago and been wait-listed for the fall semester. It hadn’t been much of a surprise because while she was good at what she did, the fellowship was so elite they accepted only ten students a year.

She’d been accepted into a residency program here instead, and moved back home. And it had been great. It had been amazing, actually. She loved where she was now, but…this was her dream.

Dread suddenly filled her stomach as she thought of Quinn.

Tonight was the gallery exhibit and a huge moment for him. He was already so nervous, and if the evening went well, it could mean a whole new future for him. She was supposed to be supporting him, standing by him, not thinking about moving across the country…again. She would be leaving Quinn to move across the country again.

Standing quickly, Kiera ran for the hall bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl as a wave of nausea hit her hard. A few tears slid down her face as she wiped at her mouth with toilet paper, holding on to the bowl as she sat on the tile floor.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to have it all—the man and the career.

She couldn’t leave Quinn. She’d already done that once, and it had destroyed him. There was no way she could do that a second time—especially with everything she knew now. She’d had the excuse before of being in the dark, but there was nothing confusing about her relationship with Quinn now.

She loved him. Head over heels in love, even though she hadn’t quite said the words yet. They spent every moment they weren’t working together, every night cuddled together, and the way he looked at her…my God, he made her feel alive. He made her feel loved, valued, appreciated.

He was her happy…or, at least, she wanted him to be.

Slowly, she stood and walked over to the sink, then rinsed her mouth and washed her face. Lifting her chin, she stared at her reflection. Eyes puffy and red, the heartache was evident on her face.

When she thought of how hurt Quinn must have been six years ago thinking she’d rejected him, it broke her heart. She’d never meant to do that to him, and yet, that’s what had happened.

Guilt still ate at her when she thought about how careless she’d been with him, and with his heart. She’d made a promise to him, and to herself, that she’d never do that again. He was her best friend, and now her lover, her partner. The loyalty and trust that came with that was something she didn’t want to risk.

Leveling with herself, she breathed out slowly, gripping the edge of the sink. She was turning down her dream fellowship. She was turning down her dream school. She was staying in Woodlawn. She was staying with Quinn. She wasn’t going to make him choose her or his family. This was how their modern-day fairytale was meant to be.

She was picking Quinn. She was picking what they had together. That was enough—they were enough.

Taking one more deep breath, she left the bathroom and returned to the letter on the counter and shoved it in her purse. She finished sorting the rest of the mail, watering the plants, and putting out the trash for the morning. After making sure everything in the house was tidy and in place, she packed a few more clothes in an overnight bag to bring over to Quinn’s.

Closing the door to her childhood home, she headed down the walk to her car and tossed her bag in the trunk. Getting behind the wheel, she glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror.

It’ll be okay. Quinn’s worth it. We’re worth it.

Right?