The Christmas Tree Guy (19 page)

“I think so.”

“I know you have really good judgment and the boys mean everything to you, so for you to contemplate letting him get to know them, he must be pretty special.”

Sydnee’s eye darted to the dark wood of the kitchen table as she fiddled with the edges of her napkin. “He is.”

“But?”

“It’s just that I met him a couple of months ago and it seems too fast to get that close to someone.” Sydnee was truly at a loss for what she should do. The thought of Quinn spending time with the boys scared her. The what-ifs were unbearable.

“Well, could you see him in your life for a long time?”

“It’s crazy, but…yes.” If she stripped down all of the outside elements, she could see herself spending time with Quinn every day for the rest of her life. He made her laugh, he listened to her, and he made sure she was happy and seemed to want the best for her at all times. What wasn’t to love about that?

“I can tell by that smile. Honey, you look absolutely content just mentioning this man. Something I haven’t seen in you for a long time. That makes me tremendously happy.”

“But, what about the age and race differences? What do I do?” Drawing her eyes up to Leanne, Sydnee pleaded with her mother-in-law to give her some indication of what she should do. She needed someone to tell her because this decision was getting harder and harder for her to make.

“Sweetheart, who you date is your business.”

“I know, but I value yours and Charles’ opinions.” She’d grown so close to Charles and Leanne and was grateful for all of the love and support they had shown her. “You could have wanted nothing to do with me after Matt and I divorced, but you have never once turned me away or made me feel uncomfortable.”

“Honestly, I don’t have a problem with interracial relationships, but I know it’s sometimes hard for a couple to battle all of the outside influences.”

Don’t I know it.
“I’ve already experienced that.” Sydnee muttered thinking back to the night of Mina’s party. She was so hurt by the malicious remarks Mina made about Quinn. Mina had no clue what Quinn was like. She didn’t know he was sensitive or caring. She didn’t know the man had a great sense of humor and kept Sydnee in stitches. Sydnee had known Mina almost as long as she’d known Sara. She met her when she went to one of Sara’s family gatherings. From day one, Mina had been a live wire. Sydnee planned, but Mina
really
planned. Sydnee had always known growing up that she would finish college and get married. But Mina had it down to the year, the month and day for everything. Sara had filled her in on how Mina had determined before she even officially met Aaron, that she would marry him based off of his major, GPA and the organizations he joined. Sydnee had never met someone so focused on making sure she would live the life she always dreamed. Nothing was left to chance and it was a well-orchestrated life. Mina made sure if nothing else, she was well taken care of and her life was never going to be one of struggle. All Mina could focus on was Quinn’s culture and financial status. All Sydnee cared about was what was truly in his heart.

“The only thing I can say is, stay strong through it all if it’s truly what you want. And remember sweetheart, age is a funny thing.” Leanne stood and started to clear the dishes from the table upon hearing little footsteps clattering through the hallway.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s amazing how it becomes irrelevant as you get older. Just think, when you’re 58, he’ll be 50,” she winked as the boys ran into the kitchen letting Sydnee know the cartoon was over.

Giggling, Sydnee looked at Leanne with a mix of disbelief and relief before walking behind her and giving her a hug. “Thanks, Leanne.”

“Honey, you’re welcome. Just trust your instincts, okay?” Leanne patted her arm and grinned before kissing the twins goodbye and the three made their way out to Sydnee’s SUV.

“Well?” Sydnee looked up to see Quinn grinning at her with anticipation.

“It’s delicious. How did you learn to cook like this?”

“Thank you, but I have to give the credit to my mom.” It was Valentine’s Day and instead of going out, Quinn had invited Sydnee over to his place and had cooked dinner. Sydnee had to admit she was more than a little impressed. For one, his condo was immaculate for a guy. She remembered the first time she had gone to Matt’s place; he had thrown everything in a closet as a way of cleaning up. She wished she’d taken that as a hint of what she could expect from him in the future. He was always either never helping around the house or he was constantly trying to cover up his messes easily. She shook her head to clear any thoughts about her ex-husband from her mind and focused on Quinn and their evening together. She was doubly impressed he had cooked dinner for her. And not some frozen dinner nuked in a microwave.

“Your mom must be a gourmet chef,” she said, placing her fork on the plate and sitting back in her chair. She was already stuffed when he had placed a slice of cheesecake topped with whipped cream in front of her. “I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

“No, not a gourmet chef, but she loves to cook. Hence the restaurant.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes, when she and my dad split she would make me sit in the kitchen with her while I did homework. It was her way of keeping her eye on me so I couldn’t get into something, but also to keep her company. Usually, I ended up helping her and I picked up a few things here and there.” Sydnee loved the thought of him spending time with his mother. They were very close from what he told her and his eyes danced when he talked about her. She only hoped her boys would light up like that while talking about her someday. “So, when my uncle opened Deuce-22 a little while ago, he knew she would be great there, so…”

“Your family sounds amazing.”

“Oh they are. Quite a few characters in the mix.”

“So what else do I not know about you, Quinn Masters?”

“What do you want to know, Sydnee Garrett?” Quinn watched her over the flicker of the candles he had placed in the middle of the table. He went all out for their dinner and she felt pretty special that he went through the trouble to make their night romantic. No one had done anything remotely romantic for her in a long time. None of the blind dates she went on had been anywhere close. Most had taken her to dinner and proceeded to talk about themselves and their achievements the entire night, or they expected to get her in bed as soon as dinner was over. And forget Matt ever doing anything like this for her. Oh, when they first met, he impressed her with flowers and candy, but as the years wore on, the flowers and candy deliveries trickled and waned into nonexistence. Grinning at Quinn’s sharp wit, she took a sip of her wine.

“I don’t know. Maybe, how do you do it?” She stood up and walked over to the fireplace mantel to look at the pictures lined up. They were of him and his mom at different points in Quinn’s life. She nearly laughed out loud at the ‘masterpiece’ yellow plate he’d painted with her weeks before sitting on the mantel between the pictures.

“Do what?” Placing his napkin on the table, he joined her at the fireplace.

“You’re so positive and upbeat all of the time. It’s like you never look back.” Envy was her middle name when it came to the way Quinn seemed to handle any adversity in his life. He told her before about his father leaving his mother when he was younger and the bitterness he held for the man for a long time after. It took years for them to get to a place where Quinn could actually have a conversation with him, but amazingly enough, they found a way to communicate again. Cortland Masters was a businessman first, family man, second. He was so focused on building his real estate company that he lost all ability to relate to his son and wife. It took a toll on the marriage and before long, he and Janae divorced. According to Quinn, Janae hoped he would rebuild his relationship with his dad. And she was the
only
reason he even entertained talking to his father. Their relationship still wasn’t the best, but it was good enough to pacify his mother and that was good enough for him.

“I wouldn’t say all of that. I just try to take one day at a time and make the most of it.” She felt his hand caress her shoulder and she finally understood the saying ‘putty in my hands.’ She felt like a boneless blob of goo every time he touched her. The electricity flowing through his palms was enough to revive the dead.

“I guess it just scares me that my past is going to come back to bite me.”

Dipping his head to look into her eyes, Quinn took her hands in his. She instantly felt comfort in the heat of his hands on hers and she looked up. “Let me ask you something—are you happy now?”

“What?”

“Are you happy? I mean, overall, at this moment, are you happy?”

She wondered where he was going with the questions he was asking. “Ah, well, yeah. I am. Why?”

“Good. Then I guess you aren’t letting the past dictate your future happiness.”

Standing in front of him, Sydnee looked in his animated eyes and nodded. “I guess you’re right.” Quinn moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I think you had a lot to do with that,” she added, placing her arms around his neck.

“You think so?” He asked, and she reveled in the feel of his firm anatomy pressed against hers. “What do you say we work on our future happiness together and forget about those people who hurt us in the past?”

“I like that idea.” She moaned as his lips grazed her collarbone before he captured her lips with his. She could feel the warmth of his hands through the thin material of her blouse and her nipples hardened against his chest.

“I’m going to really enjoy being with you tonight,” he murmured against her neck. She relaxed against him as he tightened his arm around her waist and they headed to his bedroom. The only light in the room was the ethereal glow of the moon streaming through the window. He sat on the bed and pulled her close, hugging her to him, briefly resting his cheek on her midsection. Reaching up, he unbuttoned her blouse and softly kissed her exposed stomach.

“What are you trying to do to me, Quinn?” she moaned softly, running her fingers through his hair and relishing in the feel of the slight stubble on his face against her stomach. This man was blowing her mind. He was extremely gentle and it was taking everything in her power to continue standing. She could feel her legs growing weaker by the second.

“I’m making sure your future is a happy one.” He continued with his sweet seduction by carefully undressing her and then standing to remove his own clothes. Turning back to her, he lay her down on her stomach and moved onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she felt his strong hands gently massage her left calf muscle before she felt his lips kissing a trail over the same places his hands touched. He moved slowly and deliberately, kissing a trail up the back of her leg and she let out a slight giggle when he gently sucked at the back of her ticklish knee.

“Ohhh…” she twitched and turned, but he gently held her in place and continued his assault of her body with his lips. He kissed his way up and she felt her body tingle when he sucked at the sensitive skin on her bottom and her back, and she knew he meant exactly what he said when he told her he would enjoy being with her tonight. Once he finished one side, he kissed his way down the other side of her body, then he turned her over and started the same process on the front. She swore her bones were nothing but jelly by now and she didn’t know how much more she could take as she grabbed fistfuls of the sheets in her hands.

“Quinn, I can’t take much more. Please-”

“Please, what,” he whispered a searing challenge in her ear, nibbling at her lobe before taking her mouth in his. He hovered above and she was so ready to feel him inside of her.

“I want you now. Don’t make me beg.” She couldn’t take much more of his soft kisses and her back arched as he softly and gloriously ran his hand down her side. His light touches were almost undetectable except for the tingling sensation of the trail left behind. She watched a slow sensual grin spread across his face and she realized she hadn’t been paying attention because he’d already placed a condom on and was ready to enter her.

“Wait.” She stopped him and he looked at her with questioning eyes.

“What? What’s wrong?” He said, nearly breathless from their building passion.

“Nothing. I just…I want to be a contributor to my happiness as well as yours.” Pushing him over on his back, she moved slowly to straddle him, taking him fully into her, and she saw sheer pleasure reflected on his face.

“Damn...Syd.” He groaned and she gained more confidence with each involuntarily solicited sound he made. She slowly rocked back and forth eliciting more moans and praises from him. She leaned forward, grazing her breasts against his smooth chest and kissed his neck and gently nipped at his earlobe. Her silky black hair draped wildly across his shoulders as she continued riding him. She suddenly felt more in control and less inhibited and she rocked faster, feeling every inch of him inside of her, never wanting the feeling to end.

He gently gripped her hips and slowed her rhythm. “What’s your hurry? We have all night.” He grinned, reminding her that the boys were staying over with their grandparents.

“I can’t help it. I just want you so bad.”

“How bad?” Just then, she felt him grab her hips, gently swing his legs over the side of the bed and, with him firmly planted inside of her, he flipped her over on her back continuing their lovemaking. He ducked his head to flick her hardened nipple with his tongue before taking it fully in his mouth and sucking softly. She could feel his tongue swirling around the hardened bud and her body trembled. He kissed and sucked gently, moving between each of her breasts for what seemed like an eternity. She could feel the sweat from their bodies mingling and soaking into the sheets. It was unmitigated ecstasy.