Page 99

“Cheryl and Diana knew of some of them but not all of them. They could’ve discovered even more about the other women we’ve all been the older they got, and I just didn’t get that far yet.”

“The book would have the answers,” Quinn muttered against her sweater. “You smell good.” Her hands moved to Abby’s back and quickly moved under Abby’s sweater and shirt. “And feel really good.”

“Quinn…” She chuckled nervously. “That’s called fabric softener and lotion.”

“No, it’s you,” the woman protested adorably. “You still smell like honeysuckle to me, so unless you went out and bought honeysuckle-scented everything, it’s you.”

Abby just smiled and decided to let her have this one because Quinn still smelled like honeysuckle to her, too.

“I never want to move from this spot,” Quinn added softly. “Just sit right here forever, with you holding me and me holding on to you. Is that okay?”

“I would say yes, but I think we might get hungry.”

“Be romantic with me here, Abs,” Quinn said with a little laugh.

“I’m not good at that part,” Abby revealed with a hard swallow.

Quinn looked up at her and asked, “Being romantic?”

Abby nodded.

“Oh, babe… You’re doing it right now,” Quinn replied, running her hand up and then back down Abby’s back.

“I’m just standing here.”

“No, you’re holding me. You realized that I was a little in shock about this whole thing for probably at least the secondtime tonight, and you came over here to hold me.”

“That’s not romantic, Quinn.”

“It is to me,” Quinn stated. “It’s just what I needed when I needed it. If that’s not romance, what is?”

“I don’t know. Dinner with candles? Me remembering our date and not wearing my sweatpants? Remembering to go shopping for it because I was supposed to cook for you, and–”

“A million other things you can name, yes. And maybe you can do some of those things in the future, but right now, I don’t care about candles. I also liked you in your sweatpants.” Quinn shrugged a shoulder. “And youdidremember our date, Abs. You were leaving to shop when I showed up an hour early because I just couldn’t wait another hour to see you. I closed this place early, rushed to the store, and then straight to your place because I loved texting with you all day and I missed not seeing you.”

Abby smiled and said, “I missed you, too.”

“No, you didn’t.” Quinn laughed and looked up at her. “You were too busy writing about Cheryl and Diana.”

“Quinn, I replied to your texts, remember? I don’t reply toanyone’stexts when I’m writing. My family gets ignored. My publisher gets ignored. My ex-girlfriend got ignored, too. I’d say my friends get ignored as well, but I don’t have many of those these days. I didn’t ignoreyou. I was even writing a story about us in a past life, so you were sort of right there with me, and I still missed you. I replied, and I laughed at your messages and wished you were there with me. I thought about going to the shop and bringing you lunch, but I had to get the words out.”

“Why don’t you have friends these days?”

“I hardly ever left my place in LA. It’s one of the many reasons I broke up with my ex. We were in our mid-twenties, but I never wanted to do anything. I like quiet nights in. She wanted to go out in LA. We were clearly wrong for each other, but she was all I had there for a minute; the only person who put up with me. I lost most of my friends for the same reason.They came over and hung out in the beginning, but eventually, they all slowly stopped making the effort because they didn’t seememaking one.”

“You’re making an effort right now.”

“No, I’m not. I–”

“Abs, your eyes have landed on that book at least five times that I’ve noticed since you told me to sit down, but you’re still holdingmeand not going through it, even though I know you’re dying to do so. You’re making an effort, babe.” Quinn pressed her lips to Abby’s collarbone through her sweater. “And I appreciate it.”

“I…” Abby wasn’t sure what she’d been about to say, but she swallowed and began again. “You’re more important.”

Quinn looked up at her in confusion.

“Than all of it.”

“I am?”