Disclaimer: No, I don't own Glee or else you'd be seeing a heck of a lot of Quick scenes.
A/N: This isn't my best work but it's not my worst. Just a little thing I did to kill time at work. But if you could kindly review and tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your input. Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a good day :)
"Do you want to keep her?" I asked Quinn as I looked through the glass at our precious little girl, Beth.
"No," Quinn said confidently. I knew she was lying. The way she looked at Beth when she was first born was indescribable. I know deep down that Quinn loves our little girl and that she's making this decision with Beth's best interest at heart. "Do you?" she asked me.
I tilted my head as I continued to stare at her and sighed heavily. "Yes," the word left my lips before I even thought about the consequences that would pursue. I was half expecting Quinn to go on a rant about how I'm a man whore who couldn't possibly handle the responsibility of taking care of Beth. What came next out of Quinn's mouth took me by surprise.
"Did you love me?" her voice was small; it was as if she was scared to ask the question, let alone hear the answer. I turned my head to look deep into her green eyes.
"Yes … especially now," she smiled. It was the first real smile I had seen on her face in a long time.
"Which one is she?" Shelby Cochran appeared next the duo and scanned the nursery for her target. "Oh, never mind. Does she have a name?"
"No," Quinn answered quickly.
"Beth …," I said, reminding Quinn that she had agreed to name her that after I sang the Kiss song for her and our little girl.
"I know you two are giving her up for adoption," Shelby paused, "and I was wondering if I could adopt her."
I looked down at Quinn to Shelby. "It's up to Quinn. This is her decision," I mumbled. The last thing I wanted to do was give up my baby girl but I had no choice in the situation.
Quinn closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. At least two minutes passed before Quinn re-opened them. She had taken the moment to think deeply about everything that was laid out in front of her. "No," was the only thing that Quinn had said.
I stood up straighter as hope surged through my body. "Why Q? Shelby surely is capable of raising Beth," I used Coach Sylvester's nickname for her.
"Shelby can't raise Beth because we are going to raise Beth. My Mom offered to turn our guest bedroom into a nursery. I'm really sorry Shelby but I can't give her up," Quinn stared at the woman with a sincere look in her eyes.
"I completely understand. I regret giving Rachel up for adoption and I would not want to put you through the same pain that I'm going through with each passing day. I wish you two the best of luck," Shelby smiled before walking away from the pair.
"Qui-"I began to say her name but she quickly cut me off.
"Noah," she used my real name. She was the only one besides my Mom to do so. "There are going to be ground rules if you expect to be in Beth's life," she turned to face me.
"I'll do anything. Your wish is my command," I honestly meant every word I said. Sure, I may be a bully but I am not a liar. That little bundle of pink in the nursery was priceless to me. I would move Heaven and Earth to keep her safe and happy.
"First, you have to a get a job. I can get one too now that Beth is born. We both need the financial income to provide for her. I refuse to depend completely on my mother. She isn't the one who got me pregnant, you are," I nodded and waited for her to continue.
"Secondly, I need you to prove that you do love me. Promise me you will stop sleeping around with other girls and that you are actually going to give us a shot to be a real family. This wouldn't be a consideration if you didn't tell me you love me. But you did. So I need to know if its worth going for because I don't want you to be with me just because of Be-," I stepped forward and cut her off by gently placing a small but meaningful kiss on her lips. She was taken by surprise but she did not pull away.
"Q, I promise I will stay faithful to both you and Beth," I said once the kiss ended.
"I believe you Noah. Do not let me down again, please," our eyes met and I saw something in them I had never seen before; a future.
"I won't Quinn. It'll take years to prove to you how much you really mean to me but that's exactly what I plan on doing because I cannot imagine my life without you. Not anymore. I know we're only 16 but I also know that I truly love you," I said and she smiled once more and her eyes began to water.
"Don't cry, I didn't mean to make you cry," I said and lifted my hand to wipe away the tear that began to roll down her cheek. My hand gently traced her jaw line and I tilted my head as I smiled at her. She moved her hand up and rested it on top of mine.
"They're tears of happiness Noah. You make me happy. Now I believe it's time for you to meet your little girl," she took me by the hand and led me into the nursery. One of the nurses picked Beth up out of the bassinet. I had refused to hold her in the room because I did not want to get attached to her. The nurse handed Quinn the baby and she smiled. "Beth, come say hi to Daddy," she walked over and slipped the little girl into my awaiting arms.
"Hi Beth, I'm your Daddy. I promise you I will give you everything you need in this life and that you'll always be happy. I love you more than you can imagine and I know your Mommy does too. We're going to make this work, I promise," I kissed her softly on the forehead as I rocked her in my arms. Not only did Quinn slip Beth into my arms; she slipped the both of them into my heart.