This was a stupid idea...a really bad, horrible, stupid idea. He could've told you that before he even started the car. He shouldn't care and he hated himself for caring more than anything in the world right now. He had every right to be angry that she lied about Drizzle...well technically now, Beth being his, and no one would hold it against him if he kept this grudge for the rest of his life. But he couldn't stop himself, and like always his heart shut his mind up and he turned the corner onto Burnsley Street, a street he could probably drive blindfolded. He knew the exact distance it would take to get from Mrs. Gatsy's perfectly trimmed hedges to the Fabray's driveway. He drove this road and pulled into that familiar driveway a million times.
He was just going to pass by, that's all. Just a simple drive-by to make sure that Mrs. Fabray's car was in the driveway and Quinn had someone home with her...not that he cared or anything. But knowing what Puck put her through and knowing her family history, he felt inclined to make sure at least someone was there.
He pulled next to the Fabray mailbox, which was painted perfectly and attempted to give off the perception of a happy family, not one tainted with betrayal and teenage pregnancy, but looking through the living room window, you could tell that was not the case. He could see Quinn, looking tired with her hair atop her head, in baggy sweats trying to calm a screaming baby on her shoulder. The baby looked so tiny, just as she did when he snuck into the hospital to get just one look at Drizzle...Beth before he never had the chance again. He would never admit to the tears he felt rolling down his face at first sight of her; She was absolutely perfect because she looked absolutely identical to Quinn.
He wanted to never hear from Quinn again, and he wanted to never see that perfect little green-eyed baby again, but he couldn't. She must be going through hell. But when Beth was placed in her arms and Puck was there convincing her to keep her, that they could be together and be a real family, the thought of holding Beth forever was too alluring to resist. How was she supposed to know that only a couple days later, Puck would take back his promise, leave a pathetic note expressing his sorrow and inability to step up and be a father, and take off without another word?
Mrs. Fabray's car was nowhere in sight and he sighed. He should've expected this, her promise to help Quinn with Beth was just as long lived as Puck's. Realizing this, he couldn't stop himself from putting his car in park. He knew what he was about to do. There was nothing that would stop his stupid heart or his stupid feet from traveling up to the Fabray's door. Quinn needed him, and that overshadowed anything else in his life, always.
He could hear the newborn's cries from outside the large red door, and knocked quietly hoping that maybe she wouldn't hear and he could walk away, guilt free claiming he tried. No such luck. The door opened slowly as Quinn balanced the red-faced, wailing Beth in her arms. She looked helpless and visibly shocked that Finn Hudson was at her door. She brushed her fallen bangs out of her face with her free hand, and could barely muster up enough voice to whisper "Finn"
She stared at him for a couple seconds, noting his look of concern as he did a once over of Quinn. Yes, she was a wreck. Her hair hadn't been washed in days, she was in exercise shorts even though she wasn't practicing cheer and yes, she was wearing a McKinley High hoodie that was stained with baby puke and breast milk. If she wasn't so damn tired, she would be embarrassed.
"What? What're you doing here?" She finally stammered to the boy who was once the love of her life with shock and Finn tried to quickly come up with an excuse in his head. "I umm, my mom wanted me to see if your mom had a bunt cake pan" Finn cringed, worst excuse ever.
"A bunt cake? I don't know, I mean you can go check I guess? You remember where everything is right?" Quinn asked, pointing him in the direction of the kitchen, knowing full well he could remember where everything was. He spent most of his nights here when they were dating cooking for the two of them while the Fabrays were out of town. As he walked away, he watched as Quinn walked down the two steps back into the living room and sit on the couch with a still crying Beth, whispering soothing words to the infant and rocking back and forth.
He pretended to rummage around the kitchen, noting the large amount of baby bottles now occupying the sink and counter, knowing Mrs. Fabray would be having a fit if she was home about the clutter. He began purposely knocking things together to make it seem like he was actually looking for...what did he tell her he was looking for?
"Nope, guess not" he said, walking back into the living room awkwardly, looking at Quinn with adoration as she held tried in vain to calm the wailing little girl down. He could tell she looked stressed, and desperate to try and stop Beth's cries.
Quinn looked up at him with tired, watery eyes and quickly looked back down when his eyes met hers. "Oh...um tell your mom I'm sorry" He could see the tears stream down her cheek as she looked down, still unable to calm the whimpering baby. Finn took cautious, small steps until he sat down on the couch across from Quinn, knowing that there was nothing she hated more than having someone see her cry.
After a couple seconds of silence, he spoke up "Quinn?" She looked up, embarrassment flushing her cheeks "Where's your mom? Didn't she say she would stay home and help you?" Quinn stood up and Finn worried he had said something to upset her, he knew the subject of her mom was a touchy one, and the hormones probably weren't helping the situation.
He relaxed when she began gently bouncing her legs and swaying side to side in place, realizing she was just trying to sooth Beth. He wanted to help her, but he had never been around babies and had no idea what to do for her. tears were still falling down her closed, tired eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, biting her lip. Finn knew from experience that this is what she did to try and stop herself from crying even harder.
"She had an emergency business meeting in Chicago or something. She'll be gone for a couple days." She sniffled, trying to sound like it didn't bother her as she leaned down to pick up a burp rag from the floor.
She threw a blanket over her shoulder and wiggled her free arm out of her hoodie, and Finn looked around the room, trying to stare anywhere a now topless Quinn and her trying to get Beth to eat.
Minutes passed by and they fell into a comfortable silence, and Quinn didn't even give him her usual "you're a moron" look when he passed her a tissue.
"I'm sorry" she finally whispered after Beth finished eating and was sound asleep as Quinn held her on her knees, holding her little head in one hand and softly patting her back with the other. Beth looked content, her lips pursed together, milk dribbling down her chin and Finn couldn't help the soft smile that spread across his mouth.
"Quinn, you have nothing to apologize for". Quinn gave him her signature eyebrow raise and Finn let out an awkward chuckle "Okay, fine but crying is not one of them" She gave him a sideways smile and turned her attention back to Beth, dabbing her chin and pulling her curled up little body onto her chest.
Finn stared at the little baby in awe as her chest rose and fell and watched as Quinn softly played with her little fingers while she slept. All the nights he spent talking to Quinn's belly, he was talking to this little baby now nestled in Quinn's neck. And it was so surreal.
"I don't know how you're doing it." Finn stated, not really expecting an answer and Quinn half-heartedly laughed "I'm not doing good at it. I can't figure out her cries and she doesn't sleep for longer than an hour at a time." She said, kissing the top of Beth's head, her way of letting the little baby know she really didn't mind.
Finn laughed softly but continued "That's not what I was talking about. I don't know how you don't hate him." Oh, that. Quinn's smile faded instantly and Finn immediately regretted bringing it up. Judging by the tears welling back up in Quinn's eyes, he definitely shouldn't have.
Her cracking voice broke his train of thought "I don't hate him for getting me pregnant." She stated, and Finn looked up at her "I hate him for making me love her." She cried, subconsciously pulling Beth closer to her.
"I had a plan. I knew I couldn't give her everything she needed as much as I wanted to. She was going to have a great life, and I came to terms with the fact that it wasn't going to be with me. Then they put her in my arms, and Puck was whispering how we could be a family. How I could hold her like this every day if I wanted to, and I forgot all about my plan and the only thought in my head was how could I love something on this planet more than I love her?"
She was hiccuping between words and crying harder than he had ever seen before, but she continued "And now, I love her too much. I'm too selfish with her, I can't give her up, Finn...I can't!"
"Shh, Shh Quinn, it's okay" he said, as he moved couches to be closer to her. "Quinn, look at me. He lifted her chin to look at him. "I'm not here to tell you that you made a mistake...believe me, I understand not being able to stay away from someone you love. Loving her, it's the least selfish thing you can do. I'm just here because as much crap that we've gone through this past year, I still care about you and I wanted to make sure you're okay."
He rubbed her back soothingly in circles as she shook with sobs. He pulled her closer to him, careful not to wake the baby on her shoulder but wrapped his arm firmly around her side and dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head.
"Shhh. You're okay. It's okay" he whispered into the side of her head until he felt her body relax. "Sometimes it doesn't feel like it will be, Finn" she hiccuped. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair as she leaned her head against his shoulder, unable to answer because he wasn't sure if it would be either.
x
He didn't know how long he sat there, but he figured it had been a while since it was pitch black outside and Quinn had long since given into her exhaustion and was fast asleep on his shoulder. He knew he should get up, and at least call his mom to tell her where he was. He didn't even stop home after Glee club and his phone must have a million missed calls from her. He looked down at the sleeping girl on his shoulder, and the even littler sleeping girl in her arms; he didn't know if it was possible to find something in the world more beautiful.
His thoughts were interrupted by Beth stirring out of her sleep and very slowly opening up her eyes. His eyes met hers for the first time, and the feeling was almost debilitating to him. His heart swelled with sadness, happiness and pure awe as he looked into her tiny eyes. She lifted her arm up over her head and pursed her lips together before yawning and making what Finn considered the cutest cooing noise he had ever heard in his life.
He contemplated waking up Quinn, but she definitely needed more sleep than what the newborn was offering her, she was still fast asleep, mouth agap and Finn knew there was no way he could wake her. He looked down at Beth once again, and her eye were now wide open and she began squirming in Quinn's arms. Finn awkwardly lifted Quinn's head off his shoulder, scooted closer to the edge of the couch and picked Beth out of her arms.
"Hi Drizzle" he whispered, smiling at the infant, trying to situate her in her arms, her entire little body easily cradled by his one forearm, making sure he wasn't letting go of her head. He didn't pay attention to almost anything in the parenting classes Quinn had dragged him to, but that was the one thing he did remember. He couldn't remember why it was so important, but there was no way in hell he wanted to find out.
He stood up with Beth held close on his body with one arm and grabbed a blanket from the ottoman, and with his free hand, gently lowered Quinn so she was laying down and draped the blanket over her sleeping frame. He brushed the bangs that had fallen over her eyes back and stared a little longer than he should have, coming to the harsh realization that he still truly loved her.
He walked out of the living room and into the kitchen with Beth. "Mommy's gonna sleep while we hang out. Cause I heard a little rumor that you, little peanut, have not been letting mommy sleep." When Beth made a scrunchy face and let out a little noise, Finn laughed "Oh that's a lie?"
He wasn't sure if he was holding her correctly, and he was still majorly freaked out that he was actually holding this little life he spent so much time the past couple months dreaming about. It made his heart ache, knowing he couldn't look for his features in her, or have her know just how much he had loved her before she was born.
Finn looked down at Beth, who was whimpering slightly. The baby was all Quinn, from her button nose, to her green eyes to her fuzzy blonde hair atop her head. He got a good look at what Beth was wearing, and chuckled. Only Quinn would find a vintage lace onsie. He should've figured, Quinn was the girliest girl he knew, with her dresses and headbands and perfume that would drive him crazy; it would only be fitting of her daughter to be just as girly.
As he sat there, awestruck by this little human, letting her hand clasp around his finger, she let out a whimper that quickly turned to a full fledged crying. He panicked, he hadn't been doing anything differently and as he rocked her, she was still wailing in his arms. His felt his face get hot and beads of sweat began forming on his brow. What if she squirmed right out of his arms? What was he doing wrong? Why was this cry the saddest thing he's ever head in his life? Why did she have to inheret Quinn's set of lungs?
"Shhh it's okay Drizzle, it's okay. I've gotcha." He whispered, cradling his head against hers and rubbing her back.
"Is she okay?" Finn was startled by Quinn walking up behind him, her eyes full of sleep and disoriented but looked worried. Finn couldn't even formulate words, but managed to stutter out "Yeah, we were doing fine and then she just started crying!" He sounded stressed, and the sweat on his forehead and worry in his voice made her chuckle, and kinda love him a little more.
She gently grabbed the baby from his shoulder. "Oh, she's probably just hungry again", she said after being reassured Finn hadn't dropped her on her head or anything.
"She just ate!" Finn exclaimed, genuinely shocked. Quinn raised her eyebrow and laughed tiredly, not even bothering to tell Finn to turn around when she lifted her shirt for Beth to eat, and he pretend to look for something to eat, diverting his eyes away from her. "She has the same appetite as you" she teased, Finn closed the fridge, pretending to look hurt.
He didn't know how she was wasn't freaking out, he was still on high alert. "Jesus, that scared me. Who knew the scariest thing I've encountered would be 6 pounds and dressed in lace? And here I thought Santana was bad"
Quinn laughed so hard she had to cross her legs and brace herself against the kitchen counter. And she thinks this is the first genuine laugh she's experienced in the past month. He thinks it's the best sound he's heard in a month.
"Oww" she said, laughing, but he could see her wince in pain through her giggles.
"You okay?" He asked, worried. "Yeah, just turns out pushing out a watermelon out of your lady business isn't all it's cracked up to be, and I'm still really sore and swollen" she admitted leaning against the counter, blushing a little. She had never talked to Finn about anything like this. He had noticed the way she was walking really slow and kinda limped her way around the house and he made a face, now understanding why.
"Ouch, Quinn. That sounds...awful" He didn't know what else to say. So he leaned against the same counter, playing with Beth's toes as she ate.
Quinn looked up at him shyly, bit her bottom lip and smiled, and he swears she's the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes on. She suddenly becomes aware of how close he is, and she can't help but want him closer. She's missed him so much these past couple months, so much that she wants to cry and she's sure it's a mix of hormones and lack of sleep, but she truly has missed him.
Finn looked at the clock, it was already midnight.
"You should probably get going. Your mom is going to be so worried about you. I know you haven't called her, Finn." Quinn scolded him, and he rolled his eyes. That didn't take long for her to start scolding him again.
He excuses himself from the kitchen and Quinn finally gets a good look at herself in the reflection of the oven. She looked awful, she was surprised Finn wasn't jumping at the first chance to leave. Her excess baby weight left her feeling fatter than usual, her hair hadn't been properly washed in days and she had no make-up on. But Finn, she supposes was never the guy to care about any of that. He never noticed the days she did her hair just right, or when she had a perfect outfit on and before it used to frustrate her, but now she was extremely thankful.
She heard Finn's footsteps and turned around to see him rub at the back of his neck and yawn. His mom had chewed him out for a little while, but when he explained that he was helping Quinn with Beth, her tone softened and suddenly grew a lot more understanding.
"So...mom had an idea, and remember you can say no to any part of this" he said, holding his hands up in defense.
Quinn raised her eyebrow, burping Beth. "I may have accidentally let it slip that you were home alone with Beth and she wants me to stay with you and help you through the night. Now, of course I'll sleep on the couch."
Quinn immediately felt guilty "No Finn, I can do this by myself. You don't have to be here out of pity for us."
Finn groaned in frustration "QUINN! When are you going to realize I'm not doing this out of pity? or because I feel bad for you? Just because Puck didn't give a shit about you doesn't mean that I don't! Is it really so hard to believe that I actually still give a damn about you?"
Quinn was taken back by his outburst, he'd never really yelled at her before. She wanted to yell right back, but she kept mindful that Beth was still in her arms. She didn't say anything for a long time, and he could barely hear her whisper when she finally did.
"Finn of course it's hard for me to believe. I was terrible to you. I did...terrible things to you and I lied and cheated. You should hate me Finn! You don't have to be nice because I'm the pathetic church girl that got knocked up and left! And I have to realize that it's just going to be Beth and I by ourselves, I should probably learn how to do it on my own now. I can't depend on you Finn."
"Quinn, I forgave you a long time ago. It's time you forgive yourself. And don't for a second think you can't depend on me. I want you to. Now...give me Beth" He said, reaching for the baby curled on her shoulder.
"You...are going to take a much needed bath for as long as you need, and Beth and I are going to be here waiting for you when you get back. No arguing with us, either. Go." he said, nudging her towards the stairs when she opened her mouth to protest.
She gave Beth a kiss before begrudgingly trudging up the stairs, looking back at Finn who was enamored with baby in his arms.
X
Quinn sat soaking in the bathtub, trying to relax. Finn was so wonderful for offering to watch Beth, but she was pretty sure she was the first baby he had ever been around. Did he know about supporting her neck or making sure she didn't hit the soft spot on her head? She tried to push those thoughts out of her head, when did she become that mom?
Her anxiety got the best of her and she climbed out, wrapping a towel around her, wanting to make sure the 6'3 football player was okay with her baby girl. She slipped on her clothes quickly, not even bothering to dry her body completely. The house was quiet, what if something bad had happened?
She tied her hair up in a messy bun and walked down the stairs as fast as her sore body would let her.
"Finn?" She called out, hearing no response. She looked in the kitchen, living room and even the nursery; all of which were empty and with each passing room, panic set in a little more.
She climbed back up the stairs, wondering if she was should call 911 claiming there was a maniac crazy ex boyfriend stealing babies on the loose. That plan changed when she opened the door to her room and saw Finn sprawled across her bed, Beth sleeping soundly curled up on his chest, her head under his chin and one of his hands cradling her and the other laying protectively over her back. She let out a sign of relief and leaned against the door frame, taking in the sight in front of her.
She tiptoed towards the bed, trying her best to not wake either up as she sat down on the opposite side of the bed. She carefully shifted her weight and winced when her bed made a creaking sound and Finn's eyes slowly opened. He looked around, confused for a second before he saw her green eyes staring at him, muttering a soft apology for waking him up.
"Sorry, I set her down to change her diaper and get her into PJ's and she just looked so content, I laid down with her for like 2 seconds." He explained and she noted the brand new pink footie pajamas beth was wearing.
"Thanks Finn, you really didn't have to do that." He rolled his eyes at her, his way of letting her know it wasn't a big deal.
He moved to try and re-adjust the sleeping baby on his chest so he could get up to sleep on the couch when her soft fingers pressed against his chest.
"Stay" was all she said, her eyes begging him not to move, her hands fidgeted in her crossed legs, her sure sign of nervousness.
He nodded and laid back down as she reached over him to turn off the lights. She leaned in closer to him, giving Beth a soft kiss on the nose and he was hoping she couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating.
She yawned and lay down next to him, so close that he could smell her shampoo, and without another word, he placed his hand on her back, pulling her closer to him. She made no attempt to protest, and contently laid her head on his chest, finally feeling an overwhelming amount of comfort that she had been missing these last couple months without him. Even at Puck's house, she slept as far away from him as possible, and he didn't do that cuddly-pretend-to-care shit.
Finn gently rubbed his hand over her lower back and she reveled in the feeling of his touch, trying to fight off sleep and stay up with him as long as possible. Her eyelids grew heavy and she could hear him murmur goodnight, and she couldn't tell if she had dreamed the feeling of his lips being pressed against her forehead before drifting off to sleep.
X
She woke up to sunlight streaming through her wooden shutters of her bedroom, her eyes fluttering open slowly. For the first time in days, she woke up feeling rested, which she had almost forgotten what it felt like. Last night had gone surprisingly well, and she couldn't stop the soft smile that appeared when she thought of the main reason why; Finn.
She owed him a gold medal for last night. When Beth woke him up by peeing through her diaper at 2:30 all over his shirt, he didn't say anything even as Quinn apologized profusely for the state of his shirt, wiping it with a burp cloth frantically. He merely chuckled, reassuring her it wasn't a big deal and handed Beth to her so he could change.
As Quinn changed Beth's clothes, she turned around to find Finn shirtless and tried to suppress her smile by focusing her attention back at the little girl on the bed. He crawled back into bed without another word, and Quinn was sure he was asleep by the time she began feeding Beth. She settled against the bed rest, yawning and looking down at the green eyes innocently staring back at her, little mouth suckling and making little noises as she ate.
She was startled when she felt Finn's fingertips graze her arm. They ran up and down the length of her arm, a subtle sign to let her know he was still awake if she needed anything.
She damn near cried when 20 minutes later, Finn tiredly sat up, took the now full and sleepy baby and began burping her without even being asked.
When Beth woke him up with her shrill newborn cries just a mere hour and a half later, he didn't complain, nor groan when sat up, rubbed his eyes and gently lifted her up from the bassinet stationed right beside the bed.
Quinn yawned, raising a tired arm to stop him. "I got her, Finn. You go back to sleep." Finn had already stood up with Beth over his shoulder and shook his head. "This isn't her hungry cry right?" Quinn tiredly shook her head no, impressed that he remembered that babies had different cries, maybe he had been paying attention in those classes she dragged him to.
"Then I've got this. You, SLEEP." He said, walking around the bed to her side, taking the burp rag off her shoulder, and he tiredly leaned down to kiss her forehead. She didn't have enough time to register what was happening, and before she knew it, he was gone and a smile played upon her lips.
Her heart thumped and her mind raced with ridiculous thoughts like how much she felt like a family just then and it scared her and made her heart swell at the same time. And how she couldn't imagine tomorrow night when he was gone and the bed would be empty again. Or just how much she wanted him to bring his lips a little further south and meet her own. Now how was she supposed to sleep?
Her thoughts from the night before were interrupted by a distant baby squeal. She hurriedly sat up in the bed, realizing Beth was nowhere in sight and neither was Finn. She got out of bed, wrapping her silky robe around her body as she stumbled down the stairs.
As she turned the corner to the kitchen, she could hear Finn's booming laughter and cooing coming from her daughter and could smell the distinct smell of bacon frying. She found Finn looking over at Beth, who he had placed in her bouncer desperately flailing her little limbs up at the dangling stars playing soft music. Finn's dimpled grin looked even sexier when she knew it was for Beth. "You're so silly, little girl" He cooed, facing to flip the bacon over.
"Am I interrupting?" Quinn laughed, giving Beth a kiss on the toes and sauntering over to the stove. Finn cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed of his baby talk, but quietly wrapped his arm around the tiny girl standing barefoot next to him.
"Did you sleep okay?" he asked her, trying to keep his cool as she brushed against him to see what he was cooking.
"I slept better than I have in months. Thank you so much Finn, I don't know what I would do without you." They locked eyes for a second, before both diverted to looking at the food cooking below them.
"It's no problem at all Quinn. Beth and I had a little romantic dance out here to some dude named Michael Bubble or something and she was fast asleep before our first dance was even over. And we just fell asleep on the couch and didn't move till about 20 minutes ago, so you really didn't miss anything" He said, reassuring her by squeezing her side.
Quinn was in disbelief. "She slept that entire time? Why can't you sleep like that for mommy, huh?" She said, directing her question to the infant, who cooed in return.
"I've got the magical touch. Don't you remember how easily you used to fall asleep in these arms? Two minutes into a movie, and you'd be snoring" Finn laughed, and Quinn pouted, nudging him.
"Breakfast is served, my ladies. Bacon and pancakes for the mamma. A nice milk for the littler lady" Quinn smiled and rolled her eyes, she missed him being such a idiot.
X
He set his and her plate down and scooted the bouncer closer to them on the table.
When he looked up, a tear was streaming down her eye. Shit, what could she be crying about? He didn't do anything wrong...at least not that he remembered. He rubbed her hand cautiously "Quinn, what's the matter?"
She looked up at him, her green, watery eyes seemed so loving "You...made me bacon. I love bacon. You remembered that I love bacon." Finn tried to contain his puzzled look, she must be crazy. "Yeah...you love it, don't you?" He asked worriedly.
Quinn thought about the past 6 months she had lived with Puck, and how no matter how much she begged, his mom would refuse to let her eat even the tiniest bit of bacon, scolding Puck for knocking up a non-Jewish girl. Sure it was little, and insignificant but Finn had cooked it for her without asking and even though he wasn't the biggest fan of it.
"I do love it." she smiled up at him and he was even more confused. "I'm sorry, it must just be the hormones. It's just that Puck never let me have bacon. Stupid, really." She whispered, looking down at her food when Finn's laughter startled her. She looked up to see him laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.
"Finn stop it, my hormone imbalance is not funny!" She said, joining in on his laughter. He flung himself back in his chair and every time he tried to still his laughter, it would just burst out even louder than before. "You...cried...over...bacon!" He shouted through his laughter, slapping his knee.
"Owww Finn stop making me laugh!" She said clutching her stomach. He pulled her by her wrists and enveloped her in a side hug, so her cheek was against his chest. "I'm sorry, it was just too good." Finn said sincerely and Quinn could feel his body shake with silent laughter, she didn't mind as she nuzzled closer, reaching to take a bite of his pancake.
X
She was cleaning dishes when he leaned against the counter. "What are you plans for the day?" He asked and she knew he had recieved a call from his mom, probably wondering if he would be home or not.
"I think Mercedes said her and Tina were going to stop by later, but other than that, just being home with Beth. You can go home if you need to Finn. I'm sure your mom is missing you." She said, knowing Ms. Hudson and how much she loved Finn being around.
"Actually, it's not me she wants to see." He laughed "Mom was calling to see if I could convince you to come over so she could meet Beth. She said no pressure, she understands if you don't want to take Beth out of the house yet, but she's been dying to see her." He said, letting Beth wrap her hand around his finger.
Quinn smiled, a wave of relief hitting her like a ton of bricks. Ms. Hudson had been like a mom to her, and she knew her betrayal had hurt her. She hadn't spoken to her since the day she moved out of the Hudson house, but she didn't forget the tear-filled words Carole had whispered to her as they both cried. "You can stay if you need, sweetie. I'm not kicking you out"
While she knew that there was no way she could stay, for a second after she wished she could take her up on that offer looking at Puck's mom's look of disapproval from the driveway. She cried the entire drive to the Puckerman house.
"And I think if you don't bring her over soon, she might bust through this door one night, demanding to see her. She's kinda nuts like that." He joked.
"I love your mom, of course we can go see her today. I'll even put Beth in the outfit she bought her when...well when...we were together." She trailed off awkwardly.
Finn smiled, ignoring the elephant in the room. "She'd love that."
X
Finn pulled into the driveway and patted Quinn's knee that was nervously shaking. He opened the backseat and undid the car seat with some difficulty, "so many stupid straps." he mumbled to himself. Quinn took a deep breath in and stepped out the truck. She looked down at the light pink summer dress she was wearing and she smoothed it out nervously.
Finn opened the front door and she was greeted with arms wrapped around her and Carole giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi sweetie! Oh god, look at you!" She said, holding her by her forearms as Quinn blushed "there is no way you just had a baby! You look fantastic!" Quinn was instantly reminded why she loved Carole, she was so loving and not an ounce of it was fake.
"Mom, c'mon, let her breathe!" Finn teased, setting Beth's car seat on the island in the kitchen. Carole lead Quinn by hand to the kitchen behind her son. Quinn lifted the blanket shielding the infant up and unbuckled the straps, lifting the infant out of the carrier and Carole gasped.
"Quinn...she's beautiful." Quinn smiled proudly down at her daughter in her tiny yellow dress and ruffly socks. "Spitting image of her mamma." She stood, in awe of the little baby, running her finger over her blonde hair.
"Here, you can hold her" Quinn said quietly, placing the infant in Carole's arms. "Oh my goodness, you're such a tiny girl, aren't you" Carole whispered, holding her close to her chest.
"See? She's so tiny, right? Quinn was making fun of me for being so careful with her but she could, like break in your arms!" Carole laughed at Quinn's roll of her eyes at him.
"So I'm guessing he wasn't too much of a help last night if he's scared of a baby" Quinn laughed, but immediately refuted. "No, Finn was a godsend last night, he's surprisingly so good with her. And she's so good for him, which is kind of driving me nuts" Quinn said, giggling and kissing Beth's head.
"We're talking about the same kid here, right? The one that drinks out of the milk carton and can't put his dirty socks in the laundry if his life depended on it? My Finn?" Carole teased as Finn shook his head.
"It's not hard to do when she's the perfect baby." Finn said, standing up and making faces at Beth and playing with her toes. To Finn, somehow she had become even cuter overnight and he already missed her in his arms.
X
Hours had passed, and as it grew dark around the kitchen table Quinn wondered where time had gone. Carole had cooked dinner and insisted they stayed, and when Quinn made a motion to leave, brought out dessert.
So here they were, still around the dinner table, an hour later, Beth in her car seat and Quinn absentmindedly rocking it with her foot as she laughed over stories of Finn's childhood.
Finn began clearing the dishes, and Carole cleared her throat as the laughter died down. Finn smiled at Quinn and nodded at his mom before leaving the dining room.
"So Quinn, I need to talk to you, honey. About something important." Quinn's heart felt like it was in her throat, she should've seen this coming. How could she explain how sorry she was for what had happened?
"Now sweetie, I know your mom is out of town. And I know she says she'll be back in a little while, but I think I know Judy enough to know that she...well sometimes she doesn't come through with her promises." Quinn's eyes were looking at anywhere but Carole's, knowing she would be able to see past the front Quinn had been putting on.
"I've been a single mom before too, and I know how hard this is on you, how tired you must be trying to keep up with Beth and appearances at the same time. I remember how exhausting those 3am feedings are alone." Quinn blinked back tears.
"They're worth it" She meekly responded and Carole grabbed her hand from across the table. "Oh honey, I know they are. I'm not questioning that."
Quinn looked up as Finn awkwardly shuffled back into the dining room, looking a little guilty. Finn took her hands from his moms, and turned her body towards him and tilted her chin up to look at him.
"You're a wonderful mom, Quinn. I just...want to be able to help. So I talked to mom, and we want you to move in here with us. School is out, and I would hate to have you be alone in that big empty house all by yourself all summer. I know our house is...smaller but there's plenty of room for you and Beth here. I can push my bed against the wall and there'd be plenty of room for a crib and we can put her changing table in the bathroom."
Quinn bit her bottom lip, willing tears not to spill over. "I can't ask you to do that Finn. I told you, I have to get a hang of this by myself."
Finn looked up at his mom for backup, "Quinn, honey. You've already proven you can do this on your own, look at how well you've done these past couple of weeks. It's as much selfish reasoning on our part. This house just hasn't been the same since you left."
Carole hugged the girl "I'll leave you alone to talk about it" She said, mouthing good Luck to Finn, who was still holding Quinn's shaking hands in his own, rubbing them soothingly.
"Quinn, before you say anything, I just want to say one thing. No interrupting either." He said, giving her a goofy, nervous grin.
"I know Beth isn't mine. Biologically, that is...but I love her. I can't imagine laying in bed at night here, knowing I could be up with her...and you. I know you think this is such a huge burden you'd be putting on me, but it's not. I'm not Puck, she's not just some accident I feel forced to take care of. I want to do this. Look, I know you. I know you think that I'm doing this out of pity or...or you're worried that people might think it's pathetic but screw them. I'm doing this because I can't imagine life without the both of you here with me anymore. I tried keeping my distance and it sucked, okay? So just...please. Say yes?"
His hands cupped her cheek as he kissed the tears rolling down them. "I'm not pressuring you to answer me right now, you can sleep on it if you want." Quinn nodded, still holding his hand.
"You're the greatest guy I've ever known." She said, kissing his cheek and leaning against him.
"Want me to spend the night with you again?" he asked, already knowing the answer as she nodded against his chest.
X
Finn had driven them home, and offered to lay the sleeping baby in her crib as Quinn changed into her PJs and washed her face. She turned off the water just in time to hear him whisper a soft "Daddy loves you, drizzle." She smiled and climbed into bed.
A couple minutes later, Finn climbed under the covers with her, and this time pulled her sleepy figure against his and she sighed in content.
Maybe tomorrow she would admit that she wanted him to spend every single night with her and not just tonight. Maybe tomorrow he would become braver and finally kiss her on the lips the way he wanted to, and maybe someday people would refer to Finn as Beth's dad but for now he was content with the the knowledge that he had his first love in his arms, and his second, smaller love of his life sleeping beside her.