Strings Attached (45 page)

‘George! What’s going on? What’s this got to do with you?’ Adam asked, catching her arm on her way past him.

‘I can’t explain now Adam, but I will. Just give us a bit of time,’ George said as Quinn pulled her away.

‘Us?’ Adam queried, looking at Marisa.

‘Yep, was sworn to secrecy about that, but I guess the whole world’s going to know soon enough. Quinn and George, been at it like the cast of
Watership Down
since she got the catering job at
the Hexagon
. I only just found out, well the other day, when I walked in on them in bed together. Looks like it might be love if she’s like stopping the wedding. Wonder what Taylor’s going to do with her dress? Maybe she’ll put it on Ebay,’ Marisa said thoughtfully.

Thirty Nine

‘Quinn, stop! Where are we going?’ George questioned as Quinn pulled her along at a quick pace, up the castle steps towards the next level.

‘Somewhere no one will bother us. In here,’ Quinn said, pushing open a door.

George followed him up a second set of stairs to the roof of the castle. He climbed up onto the batt
l
ements and held his hands out to her. She hauled herself up and then followed him, scrambling up the tiled roof to the very peak, next to the bell tower. The slates were hot from the sun and her hands were sore, but she still clung to the bracelet.

‘Can’t see any paparazzi climbing up here,’ Quinn remarked.

‘Did you not see the helicopter earlier?’ George replied.

Quinn let out a breath. It was so long and low, it sounded like he’d been holding it for a lifetime. George didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know where to begin.

‘You know I knew there was something more about you, the first time I saw you at the party. I didn’t know what it was then, but there was this immediate connection. I don’t make a habit of kissing caterers you know, but that night, I just couldn’t help myself,’ Quinn spoke.

‘And there I was thinking it was my tomboyish charm.’

‘Well, there was that too,’ Quinn said, looking at her.

‘Look, Quinn, I didn’t stop the wedding to stake my claim on you.’

‘No?’

‘No. I mean it wasn’t right, legally I mean.’

‘And that was why you stopped it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, do you think anyone would ever have known?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.’

‘Do you love me George?’

‘What d’you mean? Why are you saying it like that?’

‘Do you love
me
, Quinn. Or do you still love Paul?’ Quinn asked her, looking at her intently.

‘I never loved anyone the way I loved Paul,
until
I met you. You taught me how to love again. Finding out you’re Paul, doesn’t change the way I feel about you,’ George told him.

‘But the way you feel about me wasn’t enough for you to stop the wedding.’

‘I could say the same about you.’

‘No. I stopped the wedding, before the whole Marisa screaming her lungs out bit. I told them I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t going to do it, because of you,’ Quinn informed her.

‘I don’t understand why it’s important,’ George told him.

‘It’s important, because even if I am who you say I am, I can’t connect with him, me – whatever - not yet,’ Quinn exclaimed.

‘I realise that. I can’t imagine how it must feel, to know, after all this time. I’m as shocked as you are. When I saw that bracelet - well I haven’t seen that bracelet, since Paul left,’ George spoke.

‘Yeah, since he left you.’

‘It wasn’t as simple as that.’

‘He left you and worse than that, you were married! Why didn’t you tell your parents? Why didn’t he tell his? Why didn’t he tell everyone where to get off and tell them you were married and you were going to make things work together?’ Quinn asked her.

‘That’s exactly what he would have done, in normal circumstances. His mum was so ill Quinn. His dad got the new job in Canada and they were going there to get specialist treatment for her, treatment that could save her life. I couldn’t expect him to stay behind with me when his mum was like that. She needed him and his dad needed him. As much as he liked to do what he wanted, he was also fiercely loyal and he loved his parents. I’ve told you all this,’ George tried to explain.

‘But he didn’t keep in contact. He didn’t call you.’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Quinn I don’t know. He was sixteen, maybe he moved on, maybe he lost my number. I don’t know.’

‘He can’t have moved on that much, he was still wearing the bracelet in his twenties,’ Quinn blasted.

‘Quinn, this isn’t my fault. I didn’t make this happen. I don’t know what happened after Paul left. You’re as much in the dark as I am,’ George told him.

‘I can’t believe I would have left you and not contacted you. If you and him, if
we
were so much in love that we got married! I mean, Christ! You paint the two of you like Romeo and f**king Juliet,’ Quinn spoke.

‘I don’t know what you want me to say, but there’s someone else we should be considering here. What am I going to say to Adam?’ George wanted to know.

‘Adam,’ Quinn said, taking a deep breath and running his hands over his hair.

‘He’s Paul’s son - your son,’ George said barely able to say the words.

‘I don’t know how to deal with that. I mean he’s how old?’ Quinn asked.

‘Eighteen.’

‘So how old does that make me? Because Roger tells me I’m thirty every single f**king year.’

‘Thirty four.’

‘Thirty four, with an eighteen year old son,’ Quinn said with a shake of his head.

‘Yeah well, at least now he’s toilet trained,’ George blasted.

‘George, I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘If you don’t want to be part of his life, then that’s fine. I guess he doesn’t have to know. I suppose I could hold the truth from him - it’s not like I don’t know how to do that,’ she snapped.

‘Come on, that wasn’t what I meant. It’s just a shock, I mean Christ! A few minutes ago I was just me and now I’ve got a wife and a child I knew nothing about and I’m someone else. I’m just slightly freaked OK?’ Quinn told her.

‘I know. So am I,’ George said, taking hold of his hand.

‘OK, maybe slightly freaked was a bit of an understatement. Totally freaked doesn’t even begin to cover it. Should we have some sort of test? DNA?’ Quinn asked.

‘Yes, you should. Then you’ll know for certain who you are and Adam will have something concrete to tell him who his father is,’ George agreed.

‘What do you think he’ll say?’

‘Shit, I don’t know. He’s only just found out I’m his mother.’

‘Yeah, it’s going to be a shock,’ Quinn said, rubbing his mouth with his fingers.

The Channel Nine helicopter took off again and began to buzz about, getting closer to the castle. The news of the wedding being brought to a halt was filtering out of Spain and hitting the media in America.

‘Do you remember anything about us? I mean, about me and Paul?’ George asked him.

‘The pink hair? The bad punk band? I’m guessing the dreams were memories,’ Quinn started.

‘Yeah, I had pink streaks in my hair when we were together and you were in a punk band. But they weren’t that terrible. They were quite good actually,’ George informed him.

‘Jesus! Really! Are you sure? They’re always awful when I hear them.’

‘They were good. They could have been really good but then you left - well Paul left - you know.’

‘And the tattoo?’ Quinn asked.

‘We both decided to get tattoos. We lied to the guy that we were both eighteen and I had mine done first. It hurt like Hell but I wasn’t going to admit that. Then, when it was Paul’s turn, he practically fainted the second the needle touched his skin. The guy managed to start the top of the ‘G’ and that was it, he couldn’t take any
more. I laughed for days about that. For someone who was supposed to be fearless, he couldn’t even manage a tattoo!’

‘So it was supposed to be a ‘G’.’

‘Yeah, but it ended up like half a ‘C’ – that’s why he started calling me ‘C’, to make up for being such a total wimp,’ George replied with a smile.

‘Don’t you feel any resentment towards him? I mean he left you and he didn’t contact you. Why aren’t you angry?’ Quinn wanted to know.

‘I was never angry with him because I knew he loved me. There was a reason why he didn’t contact me. I don’t know what it was and I guess I’ll never know, but there would have been a reason. Like you said, he was still wearing the bracelet when he had the accident - and he gave me Adam. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t be mad at someone who gave me something so precious,’ George told him.

Quinn shook his head and took another long, slow deep breath.

‘I wish I could remember. I just can’t,’ he said, putting his head in his hands.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘It
does
matter. I need an answer, even if you don’t. I want to know what happened to my parents, I want to know why I didn’t call you, I want to know where I was going on that motorbike without a helmet and I want to remember marrying you,’ Quinn told her.

‘I’ve got pictures of the wedding. It was in Scotland. We hitchhiked there and back and used all our money for one night in a hotel.’

‘It sounds terrible,’ Quinn said.

‘It was perfect, apart from you being sick. We drank too much and you ate the whole – oh my God.’

‘What?’

‘You ate the whole cake I made - a chocolate and banana cake.’

‘Bananas huh?’

‘Yeah,’

‘Well that explains that then.’

‘I guess so.’

‘All these years though and you never got a divorce or an annulment? Why?’

‘Because I still loved him. There was never any reason to.’

‘What are we going to do?’ Quinn asked her.

‘We’re going to get down off this roof and then I’m going back to the villa to pack. You need some time Quinn, to take this in, to get your head around things - to talk to Taylor,’ George reminded him.

‘I don’t want you to go.’

‘Look, you’re confused, you’ve got a lot to think about and all this to come to terms with. You don’t need me getting in the way. This whole new situation wasn’t how it was supposed to be,’ George spoke, pulling herself to her feet.

‘You’re my wife,’ Quinn reminded her, swallowing as he said the words.

‘Yeah, I know, but in the weirdest of ways. Anyway, we can talk about that. I mean, you’ve been thrown into it, if you want an annulment or whatever I’ll do it. Like you said, it’s probably about time,’ George said matter of factly.

‘You want out? You find the guy you’ve been in love with all these years and now you want to let him go, let
me
go?
!
’ Quinn exclaimed.

‘I don’t want to force you into a situation you aren’t ready for. I mean a wife and a
grown-up
son
...
’ George began.

‘Why don’t you let me decide what I’m ready for? OK, I’m terrified about being Adam’s father. I mean, I know nothing about being a father. I have no idea what I’m meant to do. But, I’m not concerned about being married to you. I asked you, remember? I asked you to marry me and you said no,’ Quinn spoke, looking up at her.

‘You would have said anything to stop me ending things. You didn’t mean it,’ George replied, trying to avoid looking at him.

‘Yes I did,’ Quinn insisted.

‘Don’t say that Quinn. You don’t mean it, you’re emotional, we both are. Look at everything we’ve just found out,’ George said her voice breaking.

‘Forget all the Paul stuff for a minute. Forget about Adam.
I’m
asking you,
Quinn
is asking you. Just imagine for a second it was just you and me, nothing else, no strings attached. Would you marry me?’ Quinn asked her, taking hold of her hand.

George looked at him, looking at her. The handsome guy who broke down her defences and made her feel alive again for the first time in almost twenty years. There was only one answer she could give.

‘Yes.’

Quinn stood up and pulled her towards him, kissing her mouth, holding her tightly, his hands cupping her face softly. Then he broke off, untied the chain around her neck and took off the ring. He slipped it on her ring finger and held her hand in his.

‘Then that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get married, again. Although this time, I want more than one night in a hotel and definitely no hitchhiking,’ Quinn insisted.

‘Not even for old time’s sake?’ George asked with a smile.