Boy Next Door

Good Man

"Alright cutie pants...what should daddy do to make Valentine's Day extra special for mommy?" Shawn asked Quinn as he laid next to her on the floor while she happily flailed her adorably chubby little arms and legs around in the air. "This isn't the time to mess around, Q! Valentine's Day is next week. It needs to be extra special..."

"What needs to be extra special?" Camila asked as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Oh nothing..." Shawn looked back down at their daughter as she blew spit bubbles out of her mouth while babbling to herself.

"Somehow I'm not convinced," she laughed. "Hey, uh...I have a question for you." Camila sat down on the couch in front of them, looking down at her hands as she anxiously twiddled her thumbs.

"Ask away."

"How would you feel about Quinn...meeting Zach's parents...?" Shawn furrowed his brows in thought, looking down at the tiny girl that laid next to him. He put his large hand on her tummy, her tiny hand reaching to wrap tightly around his thumb.

"Honestly? I don't love the idea...but I also don't know them. If you really trust them, then I'm not going to stop you. Is Zach still...?"

"He's still in jail," she answered. "I checked already." Shawn swallowed hard and nodded.

"Ok. I want to go with you. I mean, I don't have to go in with you...I know that might make things awkward. But I at least want to drive you. I want to be close by." Camila smiled softly before standing up and squatting next to Shawn, kissing his forehead.

"I love you...and I love how committed you are to protecting your girls. I promise they're good people, they just have a shitty son."

"I trust you, and if you trust them then I trust them too." Camila nodded and stepped out onto the balcony to call Zach's parents. She sucked in an anxious breath as soon as Robert answered his phone.

"Robert, hi..."

"Camila! It's so good to hear from you. It's been a while...I assume you're officially a mom now?"

"I am," she said with a smile. "A little girl, her name is Quinn Rosette. She was born on Halloween."

"Quinn Rosette...that's a beautiful name, Camila. And a Halloween baby! Oh, I bet that's going to be so much fun for her growing up."

"Would, um...would you and Denise like to meet her?" The line was silent for a moment, instantly making Camila more nervous.

"It would be an honor," he replied softly. The emotion in his voice was evident. "Would this evening work? You could stay for dinner, if you'd like."

"Y-yeah...that should work."

"Fantastic. I'll talk to Denise and figure out what time. Can I text you when I found out the time?"

"Absolutely, that'd be great," she responded. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Sounds like it! See you soon, Camila." She stepped back into their apartment from the balcony, immediately noticing Shawn looking at her expectantly.

"They invited us over for dinner," Camila said.

"Us?"

"Me and Quinn...they don't know about you..."

"That's okay," Shawn said. "I can wait in the car."

Later that night, the three of them were on the way to the large, fancy house that her ex's parents lived at. Shawn's eyes widened when he realized just how wealthy Zach's family must be.

"I feel like I'm not allowed to be here," he joked.

"Yeah," Camila chuckled. "It's a bit much." Shawn parked the car in Robert and Denise's large, cobblestone driveway before Camila got out and got Quinn out of the backseat. "I'll be out here the entire time. Text me if you need anything."

"Of course," Camila said, giving him a quick kiss before heading up to the front door. She rang the doorbell and within seconds Denise was opening the door with a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, sweetheart! It's so good to see you again! And look at this little angel..." Denise looked down at Quinn, softly caressing the soft, dark hair on the top of her head. "She looks just like you, Camila. She's beautiful."

"Thank you," Camila replied. "She's the most perfect daughter I could ever ask for."

"Come in, come in. Robert has been dying to meet her."

Sure enough, Robert nearly ran to the foyer from the kitchen when he heard that Camila had arrived.

"Camila! Welcome, it's so good to see you again. Let me see that beautiful daughter of yours." Robert's eyes nearly started tearing up when he saw Quinn's face for the first time. "Well look at this little princess, she could be your twin."

"Ha, yeah...that's what everyone says. Would you guys like to hold her...?" Both of their eyes lit up, nodding excitedly as the three of them made their way to the couches in the living room. Robert held her first, enjoying the way her small hand held tight to his finger. Denise's eyes widened when she noticed the engagement ring on Camila's hand as she handed Quinn to Robert.

"That's quite a rock you've got there, dear..." she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, um...yeah..." Camila said uncomfortably. "I'm...engaged."

"Wow!" Zach's mother said happily. "That's so incredible. I'm so happy for you, dear."

"Does he treat you well?" Robert asked. Camila nodded.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "He treats me better than I ever thought possible. I've honestly never been happier."

"Well what's his name? What's he like? Tell us everything!" Denise cheered.

"His name is Shawn, he's a musician...he's...he's actually outside waiting for us in the car."

"What?" Robert said in shock. "Tell him to come inside. There's plenty of food for him and we'd love to meet him. There's no need for him to wait in the car." Camila smiled and nodded, pulling her phone out to text him. Within the next minute Shawn was at the front door meeting Zach's parents.

"It's nice to meet you, sir. Camila has told me so many good things about you."

"Well she seemed to speak fairly highly of you too!" Robert said as he shook Shawn's hand. "Come in, join us for dinner." They all sat around the table in their formal dining room enjoying the dinner that Robert and Denise's chef had prepared.

"So how did you two meet?" Denise asked curiously. Camila cleared her throat.

"Um, Shawn lived in the apartment across from Zach and I."

"So...you've met our son?" Robert asked.

"Yes, sir. I have."

"Well I sincerely apologize about that," Robert quipped, causing everyone to let out a light chuckle. "You guys got serious pretty quickly..."

"I love her," Shawn said plainly. "I love her and I love Quinn. I knew almost immediately that they were the best thing to ever happen to me and I just...couldn't let them get away from me."

"Well I'm glad to hear that Camila's finally got herself a man with more than half a braincell..." Denise joked. "It still makes me sick to think about what our son put you through."

"He did hurt me...a lot...but he also gave me one of the best things that's ever happened to me," Camila sighed. "That relationship did cause me a lot of pain...but it also provided me with the deepest love I've ever felt...it just wasn't from him."

"We're proud of you, sweetheart. You know that we've always considered you family...and we're so happy to see that everything has worked out so well for you, despite the trials you had to face to get to that point," Robert said. "And Shawn, you better continue treating her well. I don't know you well, but I can tell that you're a good man and a good father figure for Quinn. It's incredibly comforting to know that she'll be growing up with a solid male role model in her life."

"Thank you, sir," Shawn replied, squeezing Camila's hand beneath the table. "I promise I'll take care of her, both of them, forever."