A/N: So, this chapter took some time to crank it out. I had to really push through it but here it is.
Chapter 10 - The Evans Kid and Fathers
She's nervous. Looking around for a few seconds, she doesn't see anyone who could be Dr. Evans' son, so she sits down. On one of those really uncomfortable green benches, but it does the job of keeping her steady. She pulls out her phone from her dress' pocket and then crosses her legs.
She texts Rachel, "hey :)" because she doesn't want to make a big deal about this morning when she had the best date ever last night.
Beth fell asleep right before the movie finished. She spent the entire time in Rachel's arms and they talked softly about the movie, and work, and New York with Blaine, and Beth, the restaurant, and Quinn's mom, and her best friends, and Rachel's dads. It was the things they talk about while on the phone, but without the distance. And much more comfortable. At least for Quinn.
It's ten in the morning, and Quinn agreed to meet with Dr. Evans' son. His name is Sam apparently, and he is a month younger than she is.
Her phone vibrates in her hand and smiles when the screen shows her Rachel is replying.
"Good morning, Quinn. Did you sleep well?"
She wonders if Rachel is just now waking up or if she's really just this polite all the time.
"I slept like a baby. Beth had competition. You?"
She thinks of Beth at home, with her mom and smiles. She already misses her baby girl, and she's only been away for about half an hour now.
After the movie was over, Rachel ran to the kitchen and found the Kisses bag and they shared a good portion of the rest of the bag. Rachel had told her she doesn't like chocolate that much, but by the way she was eating those last night, Quinn doubts that's entirely true.
At some point in the night, Rachel chuckled softly under her breath and looked at Quinn's lips from behind her eyelashes. "Quinn," she had said with a teasing tone. Quinn shivers just thinking about the way Rachel was looking at her. Then Rachel's hand rose from where it had been and Rachel carefully userd her thumb to clean chocolate off the corner of her lips. So carefully. The way her finger slightly pressed against her mouth was so electrifying. So sexual that she felt her entire body react. When she managed to look back up at Rachel, she had only smiled softly and said Quinn was: "cute."
When she feels the phone vibrate again, she snaps back to reality. Her chest is rising and falling in a pattern - she's working herself up with only thoughts of Rachel. It's just that Rachel is so careful and attentive, and everything she does is laced in sexy.
"Damn," she mutters to herself and exhales forcefully. She opens the message Rachel sent.
"I've never slept so soundly - maybe only that day we shared a bed. Did you have fun?"
The phone almost falls from her hands when she sees the text and thinks about that night, again. Her entire week, her thoughts drifted back over and over to that night of being so close to Rachel but not being able to actually do anything about it. Wanting to kiss her and being told to wait. Everything was strangely perfect. Now she understands Rachel's reasoning and she is thankful that Rachel is being so careful with her; protecting her.
Quinn thinks Rachel must be playing with her. Of course she had fun! "It was the best date I've ever been to."
"Q?" Her head snaps up and away from the phone at the voice.
She stands up and smooths the skirt of her baby blue dress with elephant prints. "Puck, hi." She says, breathing out his name in a familiar manner. Her heart clenches looking at him.
"Hey, baby mama." He says softly and pulls her in for a hug. Her arms are guided around his waist and his strong arms wrap her shoulders. "I missed you and Beth. How is she? Where is she?" He looks for his daughter but doesn't seem to find the stroller with his precious kid.
"She's not here, Puck." Quinn says and manages to step away. Awkwardly she tells him, "I'm waiting on someone actually."
His eyes fall; he knows she thinks it's time for him to go now. She bets he's feeling betrayed. "Q," he tries. "I've been trying to contact you since the end of the semester. Come on, isn't it time for me to see her again?"
"Yes," she immediately says and nods. "Just- look, I know how much you've missed Beth while away at school but right now is not the best time for you to come see her." Of course she misses him. They have a child together and everytime she looks at Beth, she sees him. But right now, with Rachel and not really knowing how they'll deal with their budding relationship, she really doesn't want to confuse anybody - Puck, Rachel, Beth, or herself.
Puck averts his gaze and frowns, looking away from her. He fixes his gaze on a random child playing on the swings. Then he sighs, "I think Santana mentioned this new... relationship of yours." Quinn isn't even that upset about it because she knows Santana and Puck tell each other everything. Also, she knows he's never judge her about it.
"It's just for another week, okay?" She touches his elbow lightly and he nods, still hurt.
She stares at his head - now shaved, no mohawk like he had when they slept together. "Yeah, okay. One week, Q. And then I'm coming by, I don't care if you have your girl over or whatever."
She hugs him again, "thank you." When she pulls away, he has a smile on his lips that she recognizes as one of his naughty looks. "No, you cannot 'join us' in any way, shape, or form." She chastises him and punches his bicep - still hard rock.
He rolls his eyes playfully and wiggles his eyebrows, "so she's hot, huh? Santana told me some about her."
"Santana should not be telling you anything about my personal life," she grumbles, but doesn't really mean it.
"Hey, I'm not going to tell Jude," he assures her. Her phone vibrates in her hands and she looks at it to check, grinning when she sees Rachel responded. She has the same reaction every time. She's itching to check but she doesn't want to be rude to Puck. "Is that her?" He asks and pokes her.
She swats his hand away, "get off -" They're playing around when she hears someone clear their throat.
She turns on her heel, and has to hold on to Puck's arm for support so she doesn't fall off balance. The guy standing right there is... Very gorgeous.
"You're Quinn, right? My dad said you'd be the pretty girl with the blonde hair and blinding smile." His hands are shoved deep down his jeans' pockets. He's wearing a brown shirt and cowboy boots. She thinks it's endearing.
She looks from him to Puck, back to him. "Uh, yes! I am Quinn. This," she motions to Puck - who catches her eye and looks pissed - "is my friend, Noah Puckerman-"
"Puck," he corrects her and extends his hand at the blondie with the green eyes.
She continues, "-and this is..." she knows his name. Dr. Evans has told her, but she always speaks of him as 'The Evans' Kid' so that that's all she can think of him as. She snaps her fingers, trying to ignite her memory.
"Sam," he tells her, and then looks at Puck - their look is charged, - and takes his hand. "Samuel Evans." His handshake is strong - or so it seems from Quinn's point of view. Then he lets go of Puck's hand, and looks at Quinn, turning his body toward her.
He runs a hand through his hair, "Dad wasn't kidding when he said you're beautiful." He gives her a half -smile, charming.
She bashfully dips her chin, clasping her hands behind her back.
Puck is completely revolted. He wants to pull her away from this Sam guy and shake her and yell, 'what the hell are you doing?' But he doesn't because he can't because she straight up told him when she was pregnant that she wasn't in love with him like he was - is - in love with her. Sure, hearing about a girl is different - maybe it's a phase or experiment. But watching her be shy around another guy is... Fucking weird.
He mumbles an excuse, and says "I'll see you around, Q." His hand palms the back of his neck and he shoves the other in the back pocket of his shorts. He nods at Sam, "nice to meet you."
"Bye, Puck," Quinn tells him and smiles. "I'll... Call you, and stuff." She tells him cryptically but he knows what she means.
He just nods and leaves.
Quinn watches him go, his head down, and feels a pang and her stomach knot for not being able to be in love with him. He would've been perfect for her. And he is her daughter's father; he deserves it more than anyone else.
Somehow, this train of thought leads her to think of Rachel. But then Sam's voice asks, "you okay?"
She smiles, apologizing, "Yes! I'm sorry about that, it's just - I haven't seen him in a long time and-"
"That's cool," Sam tells her. Then he smacks his - rather big - lips a few times and asks, "so what do you do for fun here in Lima?" He looked around them with expectant features; children playing in the playground, couples walking around the park on the trail; teens playing soccer.
This park was just a meeting point because she really just wants coffee. There is a neat little coffee house nearby that has a guy with a scruffy beard who plays there every Saturday morning. "Well," she pockets her phone without checking Rachel's message, and instead of telling him the idea she came up with, she asks, "what did you have in mind?"
He shrugs, "I'm pretty laid-back when it comes to hanging out."
"Sweet," she tells him and they start walking together. "You drink coffee?"
He shakes his head, "but I drink tea." She smiles relieved. It'd be awkward if they went to the coffee house and he just watched her drink.
"So, Sam," she says again. She doesn't want to be the one asking all the questions, not to seem interested, but he's not asking her anything. "Where do you go to school? Your dad said Cali, but where?"
"UCSD; I got in with a swimming scholarship."
"So you swim?" She asks.
He smiles, shyly, "I mean, yeah. Wasn't my first sport; football was. But at the end of high school I wanted to impress a girl and so I joined the swim team and found out I was actually really good at it."
"That's pretty impressive," she says and points him toward the coffee shop in the corner.
He opens the door for her. She mumbles a thanks and slips in. "Do you come here often?" He asks and looks around with pursed lips.
She shrugs, "I like the atmosphere but I honestly haven't been here in a while."
The coffee place has a vintage feel, with older tables and chairs. There's a setup stage toward the back - away from the main door and large window. There are bookshelves all over the place for people to read if they want.
A man is tuning his guitar on stage, and when Sam notices him he smiles. "His guitar is really sweet," Sam says and looks back at Quinn. Then he's leading them closer to the stage. "It's a Gibson," he whispers to her, eyeing the guitar.
"You play, Evans?" Quinn asks and motions him to the counter.
He walks away from the stage with hesitance but soon he's next to Quinn, looking up at the choices. "Some," he tells her. She smiles.
"How can I help you, Q?" The girl behind the counter asks. She has worked here for as long as Quinn started coming here. Her name is Devin, and she has dark brown hair - under the hat she wears for work - with ice blue eyes. Her nose is freckled; Quinn has always thought she was cute.
"Hey, Dev. Can I get the same as always for me and a-" she waits for Sam to finish her sentence.
"The best tea you have," he says and smiles, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket.
Quinn is quick to try and stop him, "hey, please - don't. We can-"
"Don't worry about it, Quinn. A gentleman always pays." He smiles and then hands the money to Devin who looks at Quinn with impressed eyes.
Devin rings everything up and then passes the order to the barista making drinks that morning. He must be new since Quinn doesn't recognize him.
"Can we sit closer to the stage?" Sam asks, with wide eyes.
"Of course," she tells him, silently giggling.
The man starts playing his set. He has a rough, low voice; melodious but at the same time haunting. His tone is perfect though, and his guitar skills are pretty awesome. "See how his use of harmonics are perfectly placed? He's not showing off," he leans toward Quinn to say.
She's been completely lost with his talk about harmonics and fifths, and other music theory terms for the past five minutes. She's sure that if Sam and Puck spent time together, though, they'd have so much fun jamming. That was one of the reasons she fell for Puck's advances; his badass quality and guitar knowledge. Something about it was so hot.
She doesn't know if she's testing herself, but she is trying to be as into Sam right now as she was into Puck when he first started trying to teach her how to play. But nothing.
She wonders about Rachel and if she had been here, she'd be more into it too. She thinks Sam is really cool, and his passion is pretty obvious, but he's no Rachel with her warm brown eyes, and caring touches. Rachel is a musician too. She chuckles.
"Yeah?" He asks, confused.
She's stammering to find an answer that won't upset him when Devin calls their names. "Q, and Tea-Boy." Quinn turns quickly toward a smirking Devin holding the two cups.
Sam's halfway up the table but she puts a hand on his chest to stop him and says, "I know - a gentleman probably would get those, but let me." She smiles and he nods, sitting back down and listening to the guitar player attentively.
"He's cute," Devin points out to Quinn while handing over the cups.
"Yeah?" Quinn asks, feigning that she hadn't realized it yet. She looks back and then makes a surprised face to Devin, "oh my-" she whispers, "you're right, I hadn't noticed."
Devin laughs and pokes her bicep, "I'm just saying." She looks at Sam again and then says, "if it doesn't work out, let me know. I'm single and in desperate need to get under one of those."
"Oh, go for it," Quinn says. "I'm just showing him around, I'm not into him."
"Really?" Devin asks, perking up and fixing a strand of hair back under the hat.
Quinn nods, "really. Besides, I'm kind of... Seing someone. But, hey, good luck with him." Quinn winks before Devin asks anything about who she's seeing (she's not ready to come out to everyone she knows yet), and goes back to sit with Sam.
Sam is practically drooling.
Not at Quinn - or Devin - but the man on stage playing the guitar, with the rustic beard. Quinn thinks he really needs to shave.
"Here you go- their best tea for you," She sets his tea in front of him, "and a mocha for me." She sits and crosses her legs.
"Thanks," Sam mumbles. He itches the side of his face, it looks like he's trying to grow a beard. And if he isn't, he'll definitely start now. "I love this place, Quinn. Thanks for bringing me here."
She smiles around her cup - she's blowing into it to cool it still - and says, "I love that guy. His name is Charlie." Sam looks at the singer again and nods. "And the people who work here - I mean, Dev is amazing." She hooks a thumb back in that direction. Sam looks. Then he smiles shyly, and Quinn knows that Devin must be looking.
This is the perfect opportunity to bring up the whole 'Let's just be friends' thing. Sam looks into his cup and then looks behind Quinn again. He blushes deeper, and Quinn smiles.
"She's pretty, right?"
He looks surprised. "Yeah, I mean, she's pretty-" he sounds like he doesn't know if this is a test or not. She realizes that he is really under the impression that this is a date and now she really needs to just address the issue.
"Sam," she says gently. "You can totally get her number before we leave. I-" she struggles to find words that won't see as harsh. "I'm kind of seeing someone. And I came to this with a mindset that we could be friends. If you're interested in more than that, I'm sorry." She shrugs and then takes the first sip of her drink.
He nods, his brows furrow. He looks at her, then at Devin, then at her again, and finally his tea. "Is it that Puck guy?"
Quinn almost chokes on her drink (even though his guess is not that big of a stretch, seeing she already has dated Puck), and shakes her head furiously. "No. It's not... Him."
Sam seems relieved and then asks, "so I have no chances?"
She smiles, but says, "No, I'm sorry. Maybe I should've let your father know ahead of time, but I felt a little... Pressured. But really, I'm sorry."
He considers this and says, "no, I'm sorry. I had no idea that's how you felt."
"Well," she says, drinking again, and then licking her upper lip, "now I'm kind of glad I came because you're alright, Sam Evans." Her lips curl up and he smiles back, timidly. "You really are a gentleman and we should definitely be friends; if you're interested, that is."
He nods, "Yeah, man. I totally dig new friends."
She watches as he looks behind her once again and then just shoves him, "go talk to her. I really don't care."
So he does. He gets up and Quinn watches as he speaks to Devin about a thing or another.
She has a chance to reply Rachel now, but first she still hasn't read what she said. While Charlie sings a cover of Iron and Wine's Passing Afternoon, Quinn opens her texts.
"I intend to make the next one even better," the text reads. She bites her bottom lip, super excited about this apparent next date they have. She doesn't remember ever talking about a next date with Rachel but she isn't about to complain.
"Really? And when is this date happening?"
She looks over her shoulder and gives Devin a thumbs up. Rachel replies.
"Whenever you want it to be; whenever you can. However, as much as I love Beth, this needs to be a date for two.;)"
Quinn squeals internally. She clutches her phone closer to her chest and taps her foot repeatedly on the wooden floor. "I'm definitely as interested in a date for two as you are. I'm free tomorrow. It's Mom's day to take Beth to church and stuff."
The response is almost immediate, "great. I'll be at your house at around ten?"
"Sounds perfect. I can't wait to see you."
"You better not be having too much fun with the Evans kid. :p" Rachel warns her. She can see Rachel's teasing face though. Playful as ever, Rachel is probably laughing at herself.
And then another text comes in, "is he cute though?"
Quinn laughs quietly, "He's a great (cute - but not even as cute as you) guy but I already assured him he's not getting anywhere with me because of someone. So now he's chatting up a friend of mine who works at the coffee shop I brought him to."
Quinn wonders what Rachel could possibly be doing if she's replying so quickly. She wishes that they were together now, instead. Even though Sam is really great. It's not his fault she wants to be with Rachel. It's totally Rachel's fault for slowly making a way into her life!
"Wow, I totally just lost all respect for him. I don't care if you tell him that you are married. Have you SEEN yourself, Quinn? What guy gives up so easily? I sure as hell wouldn't have."
Quinn laughs because really, Rachel? She rolls her eyes and replies, "You'd love him."
"Hey, I'm just saying. He's dumb."
Taking another sip, she looks at Sam, happily chatting with Devin, while she writes something on a napkin. "I think he just scored her number. Good for him!"
He drops on the chair he had been sitting on before with an impressed grin on his face. "Dude, she had to go back to work but I think she is into me."
Quinn laughs, "you think? Yes, she definitely is." Sam seems like a good guy friend to have. She needs more reliable men in her life and she hopes she isn't wrong of her judgement of Sam so far. "So, how long are you staying in Lima?"
"Probably a few more weeks. Maybe for half the summer. Maybe more," he shrugs. He doesn't seem to have a plan, really, but she really hopes they get to become friends.
"That's cool. Well, I'll be here the entire time," she says with an eye-roll and then continues, "we can hang out again. Maybe I'll introduce you to my friends."
He nods and says, "cool, sounds like a plan."
They both go back to listening to Charlie, until Charlie decides to take a break and Quinn notices it's almost lunch time. She tells him she has to go soon (and she does because of Beth, so it's not a lie), and they leave the coffee shop. Sam still holds the door open for Quinn and then waves goodbye to Devin with a goofy smile.
She walks them both to her car, parked on the other side of the park they first met at, and asks, "how did you get here?" She can take him home if he needs a ride.
"I drove, too." He fishes keys out of his pocket and shakes them lightly before putting his hand back in the pocket. "My dad let me borrow his truck and even gave me directions."
"Okay," she smiles honestly and steps in for a hug. "It was very nice to meet you, Sam Evans. I had a good time."
He exhales into the hug, "Me, too. Even though this turned out different than I thought it'd go." He laughs at his own statement, and Quinn giggles along.
"I'll see you around, Sam." She tells him and gets in her car. She sees him waving at her through the rearview mirror before walking away to where she assumes the truck is.
She immediately calls Rachel. Rachel picks up on the first ring.
"Hi," Rachel says, and Quinn can see the smile on her face.
"Hey," Quinn says while stopping at a red light. "Just said goodbye to Sam."
"Really, now?" Rachel asks.
"Really. What are you doing?"
"You don't really want to know. I'm really boring."
Quinn laughs and starts driving again, in the direction of her house. She's already dreading having to spend the afternoon at home. What she really wants to do is hang out with Rachel, but they already have a date for tomorrow. "Tell me."
"I'm reading," Rachel gives in, and chuckles because whenever Quinn asks her to do something, she'll do it.
This catches Quinn's attention. She loves knowing that Rachel reads on her free time. "What are you reading then?" She turns into her neighborhood.
"Pride and Prejudice?" Rachel says with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Then she groans, "I know. I'm a romantic and I desperately need for Mr. Darcy to just tell Elizabeth how he feels about her."
Quinn parks the car in front of her house, grabs her bag and walks out of the car. "Don't be embarrassed. I've read that book so many times."
"Really?"
"Really."
Comfortable silence settles between them as Quinn walks up the steps to her own home. She opens the door without knocking and yells, "Mom? Beth?"
Then she hears footsteps. They're heavier than either of those options - those steps do not belong to her mom or her daughter. She is dreading it already because she knows she won't like the surprise. The sound is coming from the kitchen. "Hello?" She calls out into the quiet house.
Rachel picks up the fear in Quinn's voice and even though she knows she's not talking to her, Rachel says, "it's Rachel, Quinn." To reassure her that whatever it's happening, she's okay. She'll be okay.
"I think someone's in my house," Quinn whispers. Dread settles at the bottom of her stomach because it can only be one person.
"Are you okay? Do you need me to call the police or something for you? I'll come over right now-"
"No." Quinn says just as her father turns the corner. "That won't be necessary. I'll call you tonight about tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, but -" Quinn turns off before Rachel can say anything else and stares hard at her father holding her daughter.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asks, angry and confused. She just really needs him to let her daughter go. Fuck, fuck. Today was going to be such a great day.
Her mother shows up behind her father and smiles. It's a polite, fake smile. "Now, I know you two have had misunderstandings, Quinn, but you should give your father a chanc-"
"No!" She shouts, angry. She can't stand the idea of hearing what he has to say. Covering her eyes so he doesn't see that she needs to cry, she tells him, "let her go. Right now or I will call the cops on you." She doesn't look up, but she can feel his movements. And then she sees Beth on the floor, wanting to crawl toward her. Beth sits up and looks at the man who just set her down and then back at her mother.
Quinn feels a tear fall own her cheek and she hates herself for it. Without saying another word, or looking at either of her parents, she picks up Beth. "I'm going to Santana's."
Her mother tries again, "he's sorry, Quinnie. He wants to get to know Beth. She's his granddaughter, too!"
She leaves and doesn't stop for their pleas for her to stay.
Inside her car, with Beth strapped into her carseat, Quinn finally lets it go. She cries, while tightly gripping the wheel. Her entire body is shaking out of fear and anger and hate. Her phone rings on the seat beside hers, Rachel hasn't stopped calling since she hung up. She knows that the brunette is probably worried because she just hung up on her. "Damn it," she mutters. She really doesn't want to burden Rachel with her family drama.
Quinn thinks of Puck. And how he wants to be there for his daughter, no matter what. Whenever he's not at school in Columbus, he bothers Quinn to see her as much as he can. With Rachel around, Quinn has been kind of hesitant, but she really doesn't want Beth to have a terrible relationship with her father, like she does.
The phone finally stops ringing. She breathes in deeply and dries her face by looking at herself in the rearview mirror. She can see Beth, sitting on the carseat holding the cow Puck gave her when she was a newborn, and Mr. Swagger sitting next to her.
Her ringtone starts playing again, and when she checks it, this time it's Santana. She picks up.
"Rachel called me, freaking out." Santana says, and she also sounds like she's freaking out. "I'm at work, Q, but she said it was important because you sounded strange and all this shit about how you hung up on her and you've never sounded so afraid and now you're not picking up her calls."
"Puck's in town," Quinn tells her, voice lowering and breathing deeply.
"Okay," Santana drawls out, completely missing how that information would cause Quinn to react in the way Rachel described. "So? School's out."
"And apparently, so is my father."
"Oh, honey - no. I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Quinn nods to herself, and then finally turns on her car. "I got home and he was holding Beth. Who does he think he is?"
"Go to mine. Britt still hasn't left for work and I'm out in about two hours."
Quinn admits, lips trembling, "I was going there anyway. I... didn't know what else to do."
"Good. Our door is always open for you, you know that."
"Yes."
Santana sighs on the other side of the line. "Q?"
"I'm okay, Santana." Quinn knows what Santana was going to ask. When her father had first left, Quinn spent an entire week shut in her bedroom, not wanting to speak to anybody. Her one mistake ruined everything in her life. Her family, her body, her future, her relationships. She hated herself for it. Her one mistake led her to the best thing in her life. And the best thing in her life was waiting, in the carseat in the back of her car. Quinn starts driving, grateful she has Beth. "I'm okay, I promise." She regains control of her breathing and her eyes aren't as foggy as they once were when she was crying. "I'm on my way. Will you tell Britt I'm coming over?"
"Yeah, okay. But listen - call Rachel and tell her you're okay." Santana tells her. "She's worried."
"I will," Quinn promises.
"And you should talk to her, soon. About... your father, and Puck, and... what you went through."
"I know."
"I'll see you soon, right?"
Quinn gathers all that's within her to not cry again, "okay. Love you, S. Thank you for... everything."
"Love you," is all Santana says before hanging up.