Dream Lover (23 page)

‘Positive.’ Quinn had looked away but she had the impression that Max looked in her direction for a second before going onto tell his brother, ‘It’s complicated, but there’s no doubt the baby is mine.’

While everyone sat eating desert Quinn looked from one brother to the other, without a doubt it would be hard to tell them apart. A small sharp pain stabbed at her heart as she realised there was one easy way to distinguish one from the other. By looking at their eyes, Nigel’s eyes were happy, were as Max's were full of sadness.

Quinn took an instant liking to her brother and sister-in-law and as the couple left she was pleased Chrissie promised to keep in touch with her.

Once their visitors had gone she turned to Max, ‘Why did you let me think it was you?’ she asked, unable to understand why he had allowed her to think he was being unfaithful to her.

‘I wanted you to trust me, Ashleigh didn’t. She thought I was unfaithful with every woman I walked passed,’ he explained.

‘Sometimes people need reassuring, for lots of different reasons,’ she smoothed her hands over her stomach. ‘I needed reassuring because I feel gross and ungainly, because I know you don’t love me,’ she bit her lip for a moment. ‘It wouldn’t have done any harm for once to have bent your own rules a little and shown me just a little…compassion to reassure me,’ there was no reproach in her voice no malice in her words just a pleading for him to understand.

‘I’ve always told you I think you are beautiful,’ he said quickly. Quinn blinked rapidly to rid her eyes of the tears that suddenly filled them. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly.

She shook her head, ‘I don’t want you to be…sorry,’ she gave a small sniff, ‘I want… I want you to say you love me,’ she said wistfully, unable to keep the tiny sob from her voice.

Max pulled her into his arms, ‘I can’t,’ he said softly burying his face in her hair.

She pressed her face hard against his chest, inhaling the smell that was his, ‘Not even to make me happy?’ she sobbed sadly.

‘Oh don’t Quinn, please don’t cry,’ he begged wrapping his arms around her so tightly his own body shook every time she sobbed.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Max was due to be away in London for the rest of the week, as he wouldn’t be returning home until the Saturday he insisted Quinn went to stay with her mother.

Elizabeth Morgan could see her daughter was not happy, she knew the last thing she needed to hear was
‘I told you so
,’ holding her tongue she fussed around her asking questions about the baby and how the nursery was coming along.

‘It’s all finished now, the only thing missing is the baby, although I haven’t bought any clothes yet, just some blankets and sheets,’ she gave a small smile, ‘I think I should go into town soon before I’m too big to fit in the shop,’ she laughed.

‘Maybe we could go together,’ her mother suggested. ‘How is Maxwell?’ she asked watching her daughters face carefully.

Quinn pressed her lips together quickly before answering, ‘He’s fine, busy as ever. I met his other brother and wife this week. You remember him telling us about Nigel and Chrissie, they are a nice couple,’ she looked away from her mothers shrewd brown eyes, not wanting her to know they were having problems.

‘Their parents must be proud to have three such successful sons and all so handsome as well,’ she paused for a moment, ‘it must be a strain for their wives though,’ she observed. ‘I don’t mean to pry dear, but has your pregnancy so early in your relationship caused problems? It can sometimes,’ she hesitated for a moment, ‘it did for your father and I,’ she saw Quinn’s surprised expression. ‘Although he wanted a family every time I was expecting he would change,’ her brow creased, ‘he could be quite nasty and hurtful,’ she looked at her daughter’s large round stomach. ‘He told me I looked repulsive when I was pregnant…’

Quinn grasped her mother’s hands in her own, ‘Oh mum how awful, what a terrible thing to do,’ she cried, and then shook her head. ‘Max has never said anything like that to me,’ she gave a small laugh; ‘He still thinks I’m beautiful!’ Even though she had a close relationship with her mother she could not bring herself to tell her the real reason for her sadness, that her husband did not love her and that all he was interested in was their child.

On the Saturday morning Max rang her from London to tell her he was on his way home, ‘Shall I come for you?’ he asked.

‘No… I think I’ll stay a little longer,’ she bit on her lip when she heard him suck his breath in.

‘How much longer?’ he asked unable to hide the catch to his voice. ‘You will come back to me won’t you Quinn?’

She took a deep breath before answering, ‘Yes, just not yet,’ she said softly, so wrapped up in her own misery she didn’t hear his.

‘I’ll ring you again later,’ he said.

‘If you want to,’ she replied.

Quinn thought she was doing a first class job of putting on a bright and happy face, it was the following day when her elder brother Daniel came to visit that her facade fell apart.

He walked into the room and took one look at his young sister, ‘You look tired,’ he told her candidly, ‘I hope Cordell isn’t the reason…’ as the words left his lips she burst into tears. ‘Oh hell sis, I’m sorry,’ he mumbled sitting beside her and pulling her in to his arms.

At that moment the telephone rang, when Elizabeth called from the kitchen for Daniel to answer he did only to find Maxwell on the other end of the line asking to speak to his wife.

‘You bastard Cordell what have you done to my sister…’ Dan yelled in to the phone.

A huge row ensued over the telephone between the two men ending with Max telling Daniel he would be over to collect his wife make sure she was ready to go home.

‘You shouldn’t have got involved,’ Quinn wept, dismayed at the turn of events, ‘I didn’t want to go home yet…’

‘You don’t have to, I’ll see him on his way if he gets heavy handed with you,’ he promised.

Quinn laughed, ‘Don’t be stupid…’ she started to tell him.

‘He doesn’t scare me,’ he said pulling back his shoulders. ‘I don’t care how big he is,’ he said bravely, foolishly.

Max arrived forty minutes later in a foul mood, at Quinn’s instance she saw him alone.

‘Just what have you told your family?’ he demanded angrily.

‘Nothing, Dan is jumping to his own conclusions,’ she told him.

‘Get your things together you’re coming home with me,’ he insisted.

‘I don’t want to, not yet,’ she told him brushing her fingers across her brow, she could feel the start of a headache.

‘I’m not going home without you,’ he informed her, trying very hard to keep control of his temper.

A slight sound from the door way caught both their attentions, ‘You heard my sister, and she said she doesn’t want to go.’ Daniel was no fool he knew Cordell could probably wipe him out with one blow but he was damned if he was going to stand by and watch him destroy his sister.

Quinn could see her brother was not over keen to get into a row with Max, but she blessed him silently for at least trying to stand up to him.

‘Please stay out of this Daniel,’ both Max and Quinn spoke together.

‘We agree on something,’ Max commented dryly.

But Daniel was not
‘staying out
,’ walking further into the room he approached his brother-in-law, ‘My sister deserves to be treated better than you are obviously treating her, I’d be ashamed to show my face if my wife looked as unhappy as she does,’ his eyes rested on his sister for a moment.

‘Please Dan don’t get involved,’ Quinn pleaded.

Max stood up, ‘Just what have you been saying,’ he demanded glaring down at her.

‘She didn’t have to say anything, you only have to look at her to see how unhappy she is,’ he threw at Max angrily; ‘you don’t deserve her!’

Max gave a hash laugh, ‘You’re quite wrong there, Quinn and I deserve each other…’

Daniel positively bristled, ‘Just what do you mean by that?’ he asked every word edge with anger.

Max looked toward his wife before answering, ‘Well she frequently tells me I’m a bastard,’ he narrowed his eyes at his brother-in-law for a moment before going on, ‘if I am she’s a first class…’

He never got any further with his insults as Dan moved quickly and grabbed Max by the front of his jacket, ‘Take that back!’ he yelled angrily.

Quinn stood up as fast as she could and moved between the two men, knowing neither would do anything to harm her or the child she carried. ‘Please stop it the two of you!’ Both men lifted a protective arm toward her, ‘Now get out and leave me alone,’ she looked up from one to the other, ‘get out, both of you!’ she said repeated a little more sharply when they didn’t move.

At first neither of them moved until she repeated her demand for them to leave her alone, she could see it was a battle of wills as to who would leave first. Eventually Daniel conceded and went first, but she was only left alone for a matter of minutes when the door opened again; she looked up quickly as her mother stood uncertainly in the doorway.

‘Where are they?’ she asked wearily.

Elizabeth sat by her daughter before answering, ‘In the garden,’ when she saw her alarmed expression she went on quickly, ‘they are having quite a civilised conversation from what I can see,’ she gave a soft laugh, ‘they are sat on the patio having a can of beer!’

‘They are?’ she asked in amazement. She was afraid they would be boxing each other by now, and after half an hour Quinn asked her mother to go and check everything was all right, ‘What can they possibly find to talk about for all this time?’ she asked nervously.

This time her mother didn’t come into the room but Daniel, ‘Don’t look so worried, everything is okay. He’s not such a bad chap after all, completely mixed up, but okay,’ he added with a laugh.

‘Max is anything but mixed up...’ she started only to be interrupted.

‘You don’t know him very well then,’ Dan stopped talking when their mother came back into the room. ‘Any chance of a coffee please mum?’ he asked, he needed to speak to his sister alone.

Elizabeth nodded, ‘Yes, I know when I’m not wanted,’ she said with a small smile realising he wanted privacy.

‘What did he say?’ Quinn demanded as soon as her mother was out of earshot.

‘Nothing much, he’s a master of talking in riddles.’

‘Yes and so are you, just tell me what he said,’ she demanded.

‘Did you really marry him thinking he didn’t love you?’ he asked evenly.

‘Oh God he told you that?’ distress washed over her like a wet blanket.

Dan nodded, ‘The poor guy is in so deep he doesn’t even realise it himself,’ he saw the puzzled look on his sister’s face. ‘He’s crazy about you, he just doesn’t know it. He thinks he’s ‘
fond
’ of you, I don’t think he’s ever been in love before,’ he informed his sister smugly, he had loved his wife of ten years with a passion he hadn’t realised existed and was quick to tell anyone who cared to listen.

Quinn’s heart beat a little faster as a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. ‘Do you really think so?’

‘Too true, been there, done that got the wife to prove it,’ he finished with a self-satisfied smile.

‘So where is he now?’ she asked looking toward the door.

‘He’s gone to have a look at a new apartment for himself, he thinks you don’t love him anymore,’ Dan studied his hands for a moment. ‘He told me you’ve asked for a divorce,’ he reached across and took her hands, ‘is that what you want Quinn?’ her brother asked kindly. When she shook her head and started to weep he pulled her into his arms, ‘What the hell is wrong with you two, go home and tell him how you feel before you make a complete mess of your lives,’ he told her shaking her shoulders gently.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

When Max returned later that evening Quinn saw him alone, ‘Are you coming home with me?’ he asked quietly.

Quinn had already decided it would be best all around if she returned home that day, should he come back for her, ‘Yes, my bag is ready,’ she told him equally quietly.

The journey home was mostly in silence; most of their conversation just short questions and answers. The answers very short and to the point and could not really be called a conversation at all. But at least they were not arguing.

For the next few days’ peace prevailed, there were no sharp words, no arguments. There was nothing much else either, except a sad resigned stillness that hung between them, something like a huge blanket of sadness and despair.

‘Have you any plans for today?’ Max asked her at breakfast a few days later.

‘Yes I was planning to go into town to get some clothes for the baby,’ there was just over five weeks to go and still she hadn’t even bought so much as a vest.

‘Are you going alone?’ he asked, when she said she was he looked concerned.

‘I’ll be fine, I won’t be driving,’ she gave a small laugh; ‘I can’t get behind the steering wheel of my car for one thing!’