Best of Me

Chapter Nine

Hello! I've decided to update sooner than Friday (by a day, I know, so generous). I've managed to crank out a couple chapters between schoolwork and my job, so I felt good about updating.

Quinn and Theo finally interact with some of the family; and there will be even more the next chapter. Again, I'm sorry this one day is drawn out so long, there was a lot I wanted to fit in it that I didn't wanna gloss over. I might update again over the weekend just to get this day over with, but we'll see!

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Nine:

A few hours later we're milling around with my family. My mom and dad are in the kitchen with Grandpa Alaric and Grandma Priscilla preparing the dinner for tonight while the rest of us catch up with each other. Christopher and Mac-his partner who I haven't formally met yet-are talking animatedly with Julia in the far corner of the family room. Elliot, Jasper, and Asa are arguing over who the current best hockey player is in the NHL-none of the names I recognize. CoCo and Michael are playing with Izzy on the floor having a mini tea-party with some of her dolls. My Aunt Hazel and Uncle Grant are hiding by the bar cart in the dining room pretending like they aren't stealing sips of the whiskey my dad has out. I chuckle when Uncle Grant shoots me a conspirator wink before taking another swig.

My eyes eventually find Quinn near the foyer talking with Asa's fiancé, Natasha. I left Quinn alone for a moment to go to the bathroom and when I came back she seemed to be in a nice conversation with her. I didn't want to interrupt, which left me leaning against the wall across the room taking in my family around me. It's loud, hectic, and full of the rabble of conversations overlapping. It's everything my holidays at home have always been. And Quinn is fitting right in. No one suspects a thing and a relaxed smile finds its way onto my face.

The sound of wheels on the hardwood signal the entrance of Granny Flora. Her wheelchair rolls up beside me and she smiles, "she's cute." Granny Flora nods her head in the direction of Quinn.

"Oh," I jump a little shocked by the comment. My granny has never been one to take a liking to significant others. She's crass, and very opinionated, and it isn't often that she approves in anyway. No one is ever good enough for her grand-kids-her words, not mine. "Thanks, granny."

"Why aren't you over there with her?" I tear my gaze away from Quinn and turn toward Granny Flora. I haven't seen her in a while, and I'm taken aback a moment by how much she has aged since last year. She's thinner and is shivering a lot. There's an old knitted blanket over her lap, a turtleneck sweater pulled high up on her neck, her grey hair is cropped close to her head, her thick glasses cover her dark eyes; she looks innocent enough. But most of my family knows better. She is a take no shit woman. Even wheelchair bound due to bad hips and old age, she will not hesitate to roll you over if you bother her.

"I don't want to suffocate her," I shrug looking between granny and Quinn. "She's been doing find on her own. See." I point to where she is nodding and smiling at what Natasha is saying. Granny Flora clucks disapprovingly.

"You children are hopeless, I swear. This generation is so busy looking further ahead they miss the things right in front of their eyes," She shakes her head and fixes a meaningful look at me. "You're blinder than I am if you haven't noticed that she's been sending you help me eyes for the past twenty-minutes, Theodora."

"What?" I scrunch my eyebrows together. "Really?" Granny Flora sighs and we both turn to look at Quinn again. She's still smiling and nodding, but the closer I look the more I noticed it's a strained expression. "Oh, fuck."

"That Natasha girl is lovely, but she can ramble for hours. It's exhausting, really. I've trained myself to sleep with my eyes open so I don't have to listen."