The Bad Boy And His Baby

Chapter 42

"Look at you! You're fucking soaking wet- Buck! Get me a towel please?" My mom ushers me into the house and I'm greeted by two golden retrievers that hastily sniff at my hands. The biggest one licks the rain water off my palm and I allow myself to laugh. I would bend down to give them love but I'm shivering way too much.

"Hey, Quinn." Buck arrives with a towel but he shakes his head. "It's better you hop into the shower. This towel ain't gonna help you." He gives me a warm smile and hands me the towel before my mom shows me to the bathroom. "There's a spare room if you want to stay over."

"Thanks. I think I'm gonna stay over if that's okay." She smiles and kisses my cheek before leaving me alone. The house looks nice and spacious and everything is a modern design. One of the dogs whimper at the closed bathroom door and Buck calls them away, making me chuckle.

Thankfully everything inside the plastic bag is dry and I take a nice, warm shower. I spot my mom's shampoo in the rack which I use before I finish up and put on clothes.

I take this time to check my phone for any messages and see none from Koda. He must not know I'm gone. I wonder if Lucky will tell him why I left in the first place. My phone rings while I'm zoned out and it's Bronwyn.

"Hi, Bronwyn."

"Hi, Quinn. I miss you so much! You have no idea how relaxing it is here."

My lips curve up into a smile. I can hear the excitement bubbling through her voice as she speaks about the place and the water and the food. "I'm glad. You deserve it."

"Next time, you're coming with." I let out a chuckle. "And third wheel?" She scoffs. "No. We can make it a girls trip. Or you could come with Ji. By the way, is Ji with you?" I get a feeling of dread at the mention of his name. I really like Koda but just hearing his name has me irked. "No." My voice is soft and I don't want to tell her about what I found. Not now when she's enjoying herself.

"Shit. Where did he go?"

"I don't know. I'm with my mom." The line goes silent. "Why?"

"Nothing. Tobias is just... I don't know, he and Ji have always been close."

"Oh."

"Well, I'm going to take a dip in the jacuzzi now. I'll send you pics, yeah? And say hi to your mom for me."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you. Bye." I hang up and take a deep breath. Just for now I want to forget about Koda and what I've seen. I'll talk to him once my head is cleared. I gather my stuff and my mom takes me to the spare room. There's a single bed in the middle and the walls look freshly painted. There's not much in here except for a dresser and a mirror.

The dogs hover around us and as my mom plays with them, I can practically see her glowing and I know it's because of Buck.

Ever since I was born, mom hadn't had proper interest in a man. She would admire from afar but she always kept her attention on me. Maybe she has been mingling while she's overseas but I can see she's really happy with Buck. "Bronwyn says hi." I tell her. "Aww, is she enjoying herself?" I nod. "She needs to."

"How's her mom?" My mom shrugs. "I haven't really been keeping in touch with her. Last I heard, she was a bit pissed about Bronwyn giving the baby up for adoption but that's it." She says. "Hopefully they'll get along someday."

"Buck's making lasagne. Your favourite." One of the dogs trots over to me and I pet it. "I hope he's not making it for my sake."

She gestures for me to follow her and I leave the bag on the bed before we walk out. As soon as she opens the door, I can smell the food and it makes my mouth water. "He's a damn good cook." She comments. As we walk through the hallway, I look at a few pictures on the wall. Some are pictures of Buck at the beach but I notice two with a woman. He looks quite young in the photo so I assume it's from some time ago.

"That's his ex-wife." My mom murmurs softly. The woman is pretty with blonde hair, blue eyes and a slender figure and a big smile on her face. Buck looks just as happy as he stands with an arm around the woman. "What happened?" I question. "She died in a car accident. They didn't have any children. He still talks about her but it doesn't bother me at all. She was taken from him too soon."

I place a hand on my mom's shoulder. "She's pretty." My mom nods. "Beautiful. He says I'm different from her and that's what he likes. Even though he keeps her in his memories, he treats me like a queen. I love him, Quinn." I can't help but break into a smile. "You're like a teenager." She scoffs and playfully hits my arm.

We move to the living room and I take a seat on the couch beside her as the tv plays America's next top model. "So, Quinn, how's life with the boy? Your mom won't stop talking about you and him." Buck has a cheerful expression on his face as he grates some cheese and my mom chuckles. "I can't help it. Ji treats her so nicely."

"Mhm. I remember how nice he treated her in the kitchen that night." Buck teasingly says and I feel my cheeks heat up as they laugh.

"Not funny." I mutter. I want to laugh and joke too but Koda is brought up again once more. "How is he and Lumi?" My mom asks me as she places her hand on my knee. "Lumi's okay." She glances at me and I know she knows something's up. She can tell even when we're on the phone. I don't want to talk about it but I'm not one to not tell my mom about anything that happens in my life.

"I saw stuff in Koda's room."

My mom curses under her breath. "Hopefully not another girl's underwear. Was it that Kelsey girl or what?" I shake my head. "No, mom. We're not dating and Kelsey is too young for him. I was... looking for my duffel bag and found another bag of his with... money and guns."

"Money and guns?" My mom asks with an incredulous look on her face. "That's why he looked so damn familiar." Buck takes his dish of lasagne out of the oven to put more cheese on top. "Rattlesnake Raid. They're an infamous gang."