Page 93 of A Newport Christmess

“We good here?” I asked, glancing between the two of them.

Vince gave a quick shake of his head, like he was coming out of a trance. “Yep. I’ll leave you two to it.”

I shut the door and locked it this time, as though that would prevent more interruptions.

Quinn’s eyes were full of amusement when her gaze met mine. “Continue.”

“I was wondering if you wanted to join my family for Christmas,” I blurted, wanting to have it out before we could get interrupted again.

Her whole countenance fell with her smile.

“No pressure or anything. I just don’t want you to be alone on Christmas. And my family is super relaxed, so it wouldn’t mean anything to them either.” Okay, I was way underselling my intentions. “Not that it wouldn’t mean anything to me, but it doesn’t have to ...”

Her gaze locked on mine. “My parents bought me a return ticket to San Diego for the morning of the 23rd.”

A knot formed at the base of my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Why hadn’t she told me? Had she asked them to buy it? I knew she was going to have to go home after Christmas, but I’d thought we’d have a few more days together. “And that’s what you want to do?” I asked, realizing that her answer had the potential to break me.

“No, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s best.”

I nearly choked on my next question. “Why would that be what’s best?” Had she seen Eliza’s post? What else would cause her to doubt my intentions? But before I could explain, a light rap on the door about drove me to madness. “Give us a minute, please,” I called.

“Yeah, so ...”—Tyler spoke through the door—“a few of us were just getting ready to leave, and some guy pulled in the drive asking for Quinn. No rush, but he’s waiting downstairs.”

I met her confused gaze. “Do you know who that could be?”

She shook her head.

Well, there was obviously no point in trying to have this conversation until the house was empty and I could get a few moments alone with Quinn. We might be a little late to the dinner, but it was better than being interrupted every other minute. “Guess we should probably go figure that out first.”

“Probably.”

I opened the door, and Tyler gave an apologetic look before his gaze settled on Quinn. “No wonder random guys are showing up on the doorstep for you. You look—”

“Amazing, incredible, wonderful, stunning, all the things.” I put my hand on her back, if only as an excuse to touch her, and gently guided her forward. “She is already well aware.”

“Yikes. Someone’s a little possessive of his woman.” Tyler gave an amused look and Quinn shot him one back before she started down the stairs in front of us at a careful pace, her hand on the railing.

“There’s a lot more to Quinn than her super-attractive body and heart-stopping face, but apparently, I’m the only one who can remember that when she looks this insanely good.”

To my relief, Quinn laughed and glanced over her shoulder when she’d stepped down the last stair. “Or maybe you should share with Tyler the turn-away-from-me strategy. That seemed to help you think more clearly a minute ago.”

Tyler nudged his shoulder into me, and I chuckled. “Okay. I may have had to utilize other measures to turn my thinking brain back on once or twice.” I took another step and bumped into Quinn, who had come to a dead stop in front of us. Her gaze was locked on the guy at the door, appraising her with far too much pleasure. A guy I recognized from a few of her older posts.

What was Cody doing here?

TWENTY-THREE

QUINN

“What are you doing here, Cody?” I heard the shake in my voice.

His gaze flicked to Landon and then Tyler before returning to me. “I need to talk to you.”

“You came all the way to Rhode Island to talk to me?”

He shrugged, his hands in his pockets. “You said you wanted our conversation to be in person, and I didn’t want to wait any longer.”

I stared at him, trying to make sense of the fact that he was here at Landon’s house. “How did you even know where to find me?”