CHAPTER ONE
"Kai, put your shoes on, your mom will be here soon!"
Mercedes Jones screamed from the kitchen for her son. Mercedes's mother Monica sat at the kitchen table with her, drinking a cup of coffee. Mrs. Jones stopped by to spend time with her daughter and grandson before her Saturday errands.
"I don't understand why you continue to have my grandson going back and forth from house to house." Monica took a sip of her coffee, her eyes peaking over the cup.
"Because it's fair."
"Fair for whom?" Mrs. Jones placed her cup on the table.
"Kai. He loves his weekends with Quinn, I can't take that from him."
Monica's eyes rolled. "He needs stability, honey."
"Mom, I told you this before. Just because I gave birth to Kai, it doesn't make me more of a mother than Quinn." Mercedes stressed her point. She had more than a few similar conversations with her stubborn mother.
"I say, you go down to the courthouse and get full custody and put Quinn on child support." Monica ignored her daughter's words. "I don't understand for the life of me why you haven't at least done the latter."
"I take care of Kai when he's with me, and Quinn takes care of him when he's with her. I never have to ask or beg Quinn for anything, she's a great mom."
"As nice as that sounds, things could change. You need to be more responsible about these things, dear."
Mercedes became annoyed by her mother's persistence. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes in her mother's presence. "I am mother." At twenty-eight years old, her mother still felt the need to control her life.
"The system Quinn and I have works. As long as Kai is happy, the rest will work itself out when it needs to."
Monica shook her head, disapprovingly. "One day you'll see, my dear." Monica took another sip of her coffee. "You know, I read an article the other day that said transgender people suffer an array of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and often commit suicide. Do you honestly want my grandson around a man like that?"
As much as Mercedes loved her mother, she couldn't deny that she was extremely transphobic. Mercedes knew the things her mother said were wrong, but she never dared challenged her mother as much as she knew she should.
"She…" Mercedes made sure to emphasize the word. "Is a great mother, and I've never felt that Kai was unsafe with her. Ever." A ring from the front door grabbed their attention. Saved by the bell, Mercedes thought to herself.
"That's probably Quinn." Mercedes stood up and quickly left to get away from her mother's nonsense.
She opened the front door to see Quinn standing on the front porch in a nirvana t-shirt, ripped blue jeans, black combat boots, and black ray bans on her face.
"I see that the Wicked Witch of the East is here." Those were the first words out of Quinn's mouth, a sarcastic smirk written on her face.
"She's still my mother, Quinn." Mercedes responded as she moved to the side to let Quinn in.
Quinn turned around and threw her hands up in surrender. "I just had to get that out, no more digs." Quinn promised.
Mercedes sighed. "Thank you. You already know how my mother is, just please try to keep things as cordial as possible."
"I'll try for you." Quinn agreed. She stepped over and embraced Mercedes in a warm hug. Mercedes wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck. The blonde woman smelled of a perfect blend of almond, lemon lime, vanilla, and sugar.
"Mama!" The two of them look up to see their four-year-old son Kai Fabray-Jones at the top of the stairs with a megawatt smile on his face. He ran down the steps and jumped into his mother's arms.
"Hey, handsome." Quinn peppered kisses all over the little boy's face as he squirmed and giggled in her arms. Mercedes stood back and watched the dynamic between the two of them. The happiness between them could light up anyone's day. Besides his brown skin and curly brown hair, Kai was a Fabray through and through. He was the mini version of Quinn, and it only became more evident, the older he got.
"Mama, can we go to the movies and watch Spider-Man?" Kai asked with a dimpled smile.
"We can do whatever you want."
"Can we get ice cream!" Kai's eyes lit up like the Spider-Man shoes on his feet.
"Of course. Spider-Man and ice cream, for the best kid in the entire world." Quinn pinched his dimpled cheeks with a smile.
"Yes!" Kai screamed. Unable to contain his excitement. Mercedes and Quinn could only smile from ear to ear as they watched his excitement.
"You know you shouldn't be giving him all that sugar." Mercedes hastily turned around at the sound of her mother's judgmental voice. She stood behind them, clutching her purse and staring directly at Quinn.
"But Nana, I like ice cream." Kai whined, his inherited Fabray pout on full display.
"Don't worry, Kai. I'm going to buy you ice cream." Quinn kissed the side of his head. The glare she sent Monica's way didn't go unnoticed by Mercedes or Monica.
Mercedes could read on her mother's face that the comment and glare weren't appreciated. Mercedes decided to step in before her mother started an argument with Quinn.
"Mom, it's fine." Mercedes simply said. Kai eating ice cream was just an excuse for her mother to call Quinn out.
"I'm simply trying to look out for my grandson." Monica's voice was laced with annoyance.
"Well, he's my son and I didn't ask for any tips or suggestions." Quinn responded immediately.
Monica gasped, her mouth agape. She looked over to Mercedes. "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?"
Mercedes dropped her head as soon as the words left her mother's lips.
"Excuse me?" Quinn's reaction to Monica misgendering her was immediate and direct. The anger in her eyes and clenched jaw a sign that things would soon go left.
Mercedes wasn't in the mood to referee another fight between her mom and Quinn. Especially in front of Kai. "Mom, don't do this in front of Kai…please." Mercedes pleaded.
"Fine." Monica sighed. The stare down between her and Quinn continued. "Come here, Kai, come say bye to Nana." Monica reached out her arms for Kai.
Quinn placed Kai back down on the ground and he sprinted over to his grandmother. She wrapped him up in a big hug.
Mercedes eyes went back and forth between her mother and Quinn. The faster she got her mother out of the house, the better. Monica gave Quinn one last disapproving look before leaving the home.
Mercedes breathed out a sigh of relief. "Kai, sweetie, go grab your bag out of the living room."
"Okay, mommy." Kai ran down the hall to the living room.
Mercedes approached Quinn, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry about that." Mercedes apologized to Quinn. She could see that the interaction upset Quinn.
"I just want her to admit that the only reason she doesn't like me, is because I'm trans. " Said a visibly upset Quinn.
"I'm sorry, my mom was just raised differently. Both of her parents were pastors and unfortunately, she's stuck in her religious beliefs."
"You shouldn't have to put up with that Mercedes, no one should." advised Quinn.
Mercedes knew she was right, but at the end of the day. Family meant everything to Mercedes. She couldn't completely distance herself from her mother. It just didn't feel right to her.
"I can handle my mother, don't worry about me." Mercedes assured.
Kai came running back from the living room, his Spider-Man book bag dragging on the floor. "I'm ready, mama." said Kai, his smile showing off his dimples.
Mercedes picked up the bag and handed it over to Quinn. She bent down so that she was eye to eye with him. "Have fun with mama okay, I'll see you in a few days."
"I love you, mommy." Those words from Kai were all that Mercedes needed to hear to brighten her mood.
"I love you too, baby." Mercedes gave Kai a kiss on his forehead and cheek. She wrapped him up in her arms. Saying goodbye to Kai was always hard for her. Mercedes gave him one last kiss on the cheek before handing him over to Quinn." Take care of my baby."
Quinn took a hold of Kai's tiny hand. "We'll see you on Monday. Try not to miss us too much." Quinn winked at her.
Mercedes watched as Quinn and Kai walked out the door. She waved goodbye to Kai one last time before the door shut behind them.
M.
Mercedes and two of her closest friends, Mikayla and Sasha sat in the lounge area of the club with champagne glasses in their hands. The three of them attended Spelman College together and remained closed friends post graduation.
"Mercedes, this place is lit." Sasha commented as she glanced around the packed club.
"Right. I came here with Andre a few weeks ago, and now I'm obsessed."
"You mean when you went on a date with Andre?" Sasha questioned, her eyebrows raised.
"It wasn't a date, he's just interested in having me work with him on his next project. We talked about music the entire time."
"Well, if you don't want him. Send his fine ass to me." Sasha said, with a laugh.
"You're crazy." Mercedes replied. She knew Sasha was only half joking.
"I'm only half joking. He is fine, though." Mikayla gave Sasha a high five.
"That he is, but we all know, Mercedes is saving herself for Quinn." Mikayla inserted.
"You ain't lying." Sasha agreed.
Mercedes shook her head. "Quinn and I are just friends, I don't know how many times I have to say it."
Mikayla chuckled. "Friends that have a child and sleep together. I don't have many friends like that."
Mercedes nodded. "I'll admit, our situation may be unique because of Kai, but having a friend with benefits relationship isn't."
"The way you two do it, it definitely is. Everything about you two screams couple." Sasha added.
"But we're not. Quinn's allowed to do her thing, and I'm allowed to do mine. No labels and no expectations. Just bomb ass sex."
"So, let me get this straight." Mikayla put her glass down on the table. "If Quinn fell in love and got engaged tomorrow, you would be one hundred percent okay with it?"
Mercedes knew the truth, but she wasn't going to admit it aloud.
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. "If Quinn found love, I would never interfere. I would be happy for her as long as that person was accepting of Kai."
The look on their faces said they didn't believe a word she said. But Mercedes was sticking to her story.
"Either way, it seems to be working so far. I really admire how the two of you have been able to coparent. My parents couldn't even stand to be in the same room with each other." Sasha commended.
Mercedes appreciated the compliment. She and Quinn worked hard to have a successful friendship and coparenting relationship. She credited Quinn for being a great partner. Since the day Mercedes revealed her pregnancy to her, the support from Quinn was overwhelming.
"Thank you, Sasha. Hopefully, we're able to keep it this way." Mercedes acknowledged.
"Enough Quinn talk, let's go dance. I look too fine to go home alone tonight." Mikayla stood up in her thigh high slit dress and high heels.
Mercedes and Sasha got up and followed her to the dance floor. The three of them in the middle of the packed club, dancing and twerking on each other.
All of a sudden, Mercedes felt someone pressed up against her butt. Mercedes turned around quickly, prepared to cuss out whoever the person was behind her.
"Excuse me but-." Mercedes stopped mid-sentence when she turned around and saw Quinn standing there with the biggest grin on her face.
"Hey." Quinn wrapped her arms around Mercedes's waist in a firm grip. She wore a cheeky grin, red lipstick, a skin tight dress. The black thigh high dress showed off Quinn's fit figure.
Mercedes had to refrain from biting her bottom lip as she looked Quinn up and down. "Be careful, I wouldn't want your groupies seeing you all over me like this." Mercedes wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck.
Quinn brought Mercedes in closer, pulling her by her waist. "I love when you're jealous." Quinn smirked.
"Please, I'm not worried about your groupies. I know I can have you whenever I want." Mercedes bites down on her bottom lip.
"Is that so?" Quinn raised her eyebrows. "In that case, why not have me right now?" Her hands traveled down and gripped Mercedes's butt.
Mercedes couldn't suppress the grin that stretched across her face. "It's girl's night, I can't just leave them for a booty call." Even though that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Quinn smirked. "Just give me one second." Quinn brushed by her and walked up to Mikayla. She whispered something in her ear and the two of them exchanged a few laughs before Mikayla high-fives Quinn. Mercedes stared confused as Quinn walked back over.
"And what was that?" Mercedes questioned.
"I just told her to put their drinks on my tab and I would make sure you got home safe."
Of course. Mercedes thought to herself. Mikayla could be convinced of almost anything with the promise of free drinks.
Quinn reached her hand out to Mercedes. "Come, let's go back to my place."
Mercedes tried her best to play it cool as she took her hand. Her brain was thinking, Yes, baby. Take me home and fuck me silly. But her mouth said. "Sure. Let's go."'
M.
"Oh fuck! I'm cumming!" Unable to hold herself upright as the orgasm ripped through her body, Mercedes collapsed on top of Quinn.
"Woah." Quinn chest raised up and down rapidly as she gazed up at the ceiling, focused on catching her breath.
Mercedes rolled off Quinn and onto her side. "Damn. You always know how to hit my spots." Mercedes rested her hand on Quinn's chest.
Quinn chuckled. Sweat glistened on her skin. "Practice makes perfect." Quinn pulled her in closer by her waist.
"Mhm." Mercedes leaned all the way in and their lips met in a tender kiss. Her thumb stroked her skin as she cupped Quinn's face.
The lovers are interrupted by Quinn's iPhone, ringing on the nightstand. She reached over and grabbed her phone. "It's Rachel." Quinn showed Mercedes the name on her phone screen.
Mercedes sat up in a haste. She covered her bare chest with the silk sheets. "Why is Rachel calling you?"
Quinn looked confused as well. "I'm not sure, I haven't spoken to her in over a year." She sat up in the bed with her boobs exposed.
Mercedes stared back at Quinn with a suspicious glance.
"I'm being honest, Mercedes. I'm just as surprised as you are." Quinn added. "I'll be right back." She hopped up from the bed and got dressed in her robe before stepping out of the bedroom.
Mercedes took the opportunity to take a shower. She normally wouldn't mind another woman calling Quinn's phone late at night, but Rachel Berry was another story. Quinn and Rachel were high school sweethearts and whenever Rachel came around, she made sure to remind everyone. Mercedes tried to have a friendship with Rachel in high school, but everything turned into a competition between them. Any chance of them becoming true friends, ended when Mercedes became pregnant with Kai.
Mercedes was in the shower for about ten minutes when she felt the shower door open and in stepped Quinn. She walked up behind her and began to massage Mercedes's scalp as the water ran through her hair. The gesture relaxed Mercedes's tension.
"So, um, Rachel is back in town." Quinn said after a few seconds of silence.
"Let me guess, she wants to see you." Mercedes turned around to face her as the water ran down her scalp and back.
"She does, but I told her I was busy tonight." Quinn responded. Her fingers still massaging Mercedes's scalp.
Mercedes leaned back into the feeling of her soft fingers combing through her hair. "Are you sure? I don't mind taking a cab home." That wasn't true.
Quinn shook her head. "I want you to be here. I wish you would stop pretending that you're just another girl to me." She gently grabbed Mercedes's chin. "Because you're not."
The hazel eyes that gazed back at her were sincere. So sincere that a shiver traveled down her spine. Mercedes didn't get a chance to respond before she felt Quinn's soft lips on her own. As soon as their lips touched, she forgot all about Rachel Berry.
M.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday dear Kai.
Happy Birthday to you!
Everyone clapped and cheered as they watched Kai blow out the candles on his Superhero themed birthday cake. Mercedes stood on one side of Kai and Quinn stood on the other as their family and friends surrounded them. Kai's superhero themed birthday party was held at Mercedes's family estate. The ten million dollar home was decked out in both Marvel and DC characters decorations. Along with superheroes actors roaming the estates. Kai was having the time of his life.
"Aww, he looks so happy." Quinn's mother Judy Fabray said as they stood by the pool watching Kai run around in his Spider-Man costume.
"Your mother did a fantastic job with the party, Mercedes." Russell complimented, his silver hair shining under the sun.
"My mother lives for a party. Being able to spoil Kai was just the cherry on top." Mercedes admitted. Her mother insisted on throwing the party at the estate. From the moment her mother began planning the party she knew it would be extravagant and an unnecessarily expensive.
But Kai was happy so Mercedes was happy.
"Mommies!" Kai came running over to them, jumping up and down. "Thank you so much for my party! I love it!"
Mercedes's heart melted, seeing the joy and happiness on Kai's face. "You're so welcome." Mercedes bent down and wrapped Kai up in a tight hug, squeezing him in her arms. She kissed him on the side of his cheek before passing him over to Quinn, who did the same.
"Love you, Bear." Quinn kissed the side of his head before placing the beaming child back on his feet.
"What about Nana and Papa?" Judy bent down with open arms, and it took no time for Kai to run into her arms as well.
Mercedes stood back with a smile as she watched Kai being loved on by his grandparents. She couldn't help but feel, filled with happiness knowing that her son was loved by not only her family but Quinn's as well. Judy and Russell were great grandparents and despite the fact that they lived hours away, they always made time to see Kai.
"Okay, I'm going to go play with my friends now." Kai stated, as if he had an important meeting to attend.
"Alright Bear, go have fun." Quinn ruffled with Kai's curly brown hair, before letting him run off to play.
"Mercedes and Quinn, I tell you, the two of you raised an incredible kid. I'm proud of the both of you." Russell complimented the young women.
Mercedes and Quinn looked at each other and smiled. It was hard for the young couple in the beginning. Neither of them were prepared to be parents, but once Kai was born, they did everything they could to make sure he was loved, protected, and happy.
"Thank you, Russell. That really means a lot." Mercedes appreciated the encouraging words.
"Thanks, dad." Quinn gave her father a smile and a pat on his shoulder. He in return leaned over and kissed his daughter on the side of her head.
"And what about you two?" Judy questioned. A tight lipped smile on her face.
Mercedes tilted her head. "What do you mean?" Mercedes shot her a quizzical glance.
"Mom, please don't start." Quinn looked off into the distance.
Judy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just saying, I know I'm old school, but I think it would be great to see Kai raised in a two parent home. Plus, I see how happy my daughter is when she's around you and talks about you."
Quinn turned to Mercedes and it was the first time she'd seen Quinn shy. "Forgive my mother, she loves to make things awkward for everyone." She took a nervous sip of the lemonade in her cup.
"Why does it have to be awkward? I'm not the only one that sees the chemistry between you two, and I just can't understand why you haven't at least tried." Judy pleaded.
Mercedes couldn't lie to herself. The thought of being in a romantic relationship with Quinn, crossed her mind more than a few times. She was intelligent, gorgeous, confident, caring, and funny. Their sexual chemistry was intense and they always vibed well together. Quinn was the total package as some would say. But the thought of losing her as a friend was a risk that Mercedes wasn't willing to take.
"Quinn and I have done such a great job co-parenting, I would hate for a messy breakup to change our dynamic." Mercedes confessed. She looked over to see Quinn facing away from them. She looked over in the direction that she was staring in, and her mouth dropped when she saw her ex-boyfriend Sam Evans walking towards them, escorted by her mother.
"Did you know he was coming?" Quinn leaned over and questioned Mercedes.
"Of course not." Mercedes asserted. She would never invite Sam to Kai's party. This was her mother's sneaky ways.
"Mercedes, dear, look who stopped by." Monica walked up with the proudest smile on her face. Sam's six-foot frame, towered over Monica.
"I hope I'm not crashing the party." Sam's pearly white teeth glistened as he looked at Mercedes with his dimpled grin. "I brought a gift for Kai." He reached the box out for Mercedes, the Rolex watch on his wrist shined in the sunlight.
Quinn quickly snatched the gift out of his hands. "Thanks." Quinn's displeasure with Sam being there, was evident.
"Mercedes, Sam was telling me that he's moving back to Atlanta, and he needs someone to help him find his next property."
"Is that right?" Mercedes tried to hide it, but having both Quinn and Sam in front of her was slightly unnerving.
"I'm working in the Atlanta Falcons front office now and I heard you're the best real estate agent in Georgia. I came to see if that's true…among other things." Sam winked at Mercedes. His flirting far from subtle.
Mercedes cleared her throat. "I uhm, just give my office a call, and I'm sure we can work something out."
"I look forward to it." He winked again and from the corner of her eye, she could see Quinn clinching her jaw.
"Well, thank you all for letting me crash your party." Sam shook hands with Russell and Judy. He turned to Mercedes. "I'll call you." Sam kissed the back of Mercedes hand.
Mercedes just nodded her head, quickly taking her hand back.
"I'll walk you to the door, Sam. You can tell me more about your executive position with the Falcons." Mercedes watched as her mother looked back with a smile as she escorted Sam away.
Mercedes just shook her head, the audacity of her mother to pick Kai's birthday party to be petty was more than frustrating.
"I'm going to put this gift with the others." Quinn stormed off in the direction of the mansion.
Mercedes sighed. "Excuse us for a moment." Mercedes apologized to Russell and Judy before following behind Quinn. Once inside she pulled the blonde into an empty bedroom.
Mercedes shut the door behind them. Quinn placed the gift on the bed. Mercedes leaned against the door as she watched the other woman pace back and forth.
"And you call me the jealous one." Mercedes joked, hoping to lighten the mood.
Quinn turned her head, looking exasperated. "I can't do this anymore."
Mercedes frowned. "Do what anymore?" She walked over and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Sex with no relationship. If we're going to continue to have sex, there needs to be a commitment." Quinn spoke softly but stern. She backed away from Mercedes.
Mercedes stepped towards her again but kept her hands at her side. "Where is this coming from?"
Quinn shook her head. "No. Please don't pretend that what I'm feeling is one sided. I know you feel it too. I see it every time I look into your eyes.
Mercedes nibbled on her bottom lip. There was no reason to lie anymore.
"I'm tired of the late night fucks, I want the real thing." Besides Kai's birth, Mercedes had never seen Quinn so emotional.
"Quinn, I…I." Mercedes stuttered, afraid of the truth or lie to come out.
"I know we can be really happy together. We can be a family." Quinn reached out and stroked Mercedes's cheeks with her thumbs as she cupped her face.
As she stared into Quinn's soft hazel eyes, so many questions popped into her mind. Could they truly make it work? Could they raise Kai and live happily ever after? Maybe marriage and more children? Or, what if a messy break up ruined a decade long friendship simply for a chance at finding love?
Mercedes sighed. "You're only thinking about the outcome with our happy ending." She did her best to keep eye contact with Quinn. "What about the not so happy ending. The ending that involves a messy break up and our friendship ruined. Or worse, it changes how we co-parent."
Quinn wasn't backing down. "Then at least we tried. To not try at all wouldn't be fair to me, you, or Kai." She pleaded.
Mercedes dropped her head. As badly as she wanted to make Quinn her girlfriend, she couldn't risk the friendship. Furthermore, her mother wouldn't stand for it.
"Quinn, you know you mean so much to me. You've not only given me the greatest friendship, but you've given me Kai. And for that, I'll always love you." Mercedes sighed. "But I really don't want to lose us being us. I care too much about our friendship to do that." It wasn't what Mercedes wanted, but it was the decision she felt was best for the three of them.
Quinn shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Mercedes could see it in her hazel eyes that she was devastated. "Fine, just friends."
Mercedes's stomach twisted up in knots, seeing the tears form at the corner of her eyes. "Quinn, I'm so sorry." She tried to reach out for her but Quinn quickly moved to the side.
"You're right. Our friendship means more. No point in risking it for a chance to fall in love."
The tears began to form in Mercedes's eyes as well. "Quinn, please. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry."
Quinn wiped her tears away. "I know. I guess this is just the way things have to be. Right?" She didn't wait for an answer. She turned away and existed the room in a rush, ignoring Mercedes as she called out her name. Mercedes flopped down on the bed and buried her head in her hand. Even though she felt that she was doing the right thing, her heart was broken.
M.
Mercedes sat across the table from Sam at an Italian restaurant in downtown Atlanta. Mercedes and Sam, had spent the past hour discussing real estate.
"I must say, we have plenty of options within your budget. I see no issue with us getting you into the home of your dreams within the next two months."
"Outstanding. I knew I made the right decision coming to you first."
"I mean, I am pretty incredible at my job." Mercedes brushed off her shoulders. The two of them bursted out laughing.
"I've missed this." Sam admitted. "We seem to always have a great time together." Sam smiled at her and Mercedes couldn't help but smile back.
But this was about business and not pleasure. "So, I'll get to work first thing tomorrow morning the-." Mercedes stopped mid-sentence when she saw two familiar faces from the corner of her eye.
"Uh, Sam, can you excuse me for a second? I see an old friend." Mercedes excused herself from the table and was already out of her chair before he could respond.
Mercedes walked to the corner of the restaurant to confront the familiar faces. "Quinn and Rachel. I wasn't expecting to see the two of you tonight." Mercedes put on the best fake smile she could muster.
Quinn's eyes widen while Rachel seemed amused.
"Oh my god, Mercedes. It's been so long." Rachel hopped out of her chair and embraced Mercedes in a tight hug. Mercedes hugged her back, even though she knew the short brunette woman wasn't being sincere.
"It has. You've been booked and busy." Mercedes said while keeping the fake smile on her face.
"Severely." Rachel sat back down in her chair in dramatic fashion. She reached across the table and interlaced her fingers with Quinn's hand. "Six shows a week in New York, I was so exhausted that I barely had time to work on my album."
Mercedes eyes darted from Quinn, to Rachel, to their interlaced hands on the table. "I can imagine."
Quinn sat back quiet as a mouse. She barely made eye contact with Mercedes.
"But now that Les Misérables is over." Rachel continued. "I'm settling in Atlanta to film a new T. V show. It's called Rachel and Friends." Rachel announced.
Mercedes did her best to seem genuinely happy for her. Which she would of if Rachel didn't use every moment to show how much better her life was than everyone around her.
"Wow, your own show. That's amazing." She congratulated. Mercedes tried to make eye contact with Quinn but the blonde was focused on Rachel.
"It really is." Rachel turned to look Quinn in the eyes. "Now that I'm back, I can finally go after everything I've always wanted." Mercedes watched her kiss the palm of Quinn's hand.
The smile on Rachel's face after the kiss made Mercedes nauseous.
"And I've heard so much about Kai, I can't wait to meet him. Quinn tells me he loves dinosaurs and superheroes." Rachel added.
The smirk on her face noticed by Mercedes. It was also unappreciated by Mercedes.
"Oh really? What else has Quinn told you about our son?" Mercedes voice was laced with frustration.
"Rachel, could you excuse us for a second?" Quinn finally spoke up after being a spectator of their conversation.
"Sure, I'll be right here." Rachel gave Quinn a seductive glare as she took a sip of champagne from her glass.
Mercedes involuntarily rolled her eyes. Rachel was taking every opportunity to be petty with her. Quinn grabbed her hand and gently pulled her into one of the private rooms in the back of the restaurant.
Once inside the spacious private room, Mercedes wasted no time to speak her mind. "So you're back with Rachel?" She stood in front of Quinn with her hands on her hips.
Quinn slightly towered over her in her red bottom stilettos. "No. We're just enjoying each other's company."
Mercedes let out a sarcastic laugh. "I can't believe you went back to her after everything." She folded her arms across her chest.
"And you're back with Sam? I saw him watching us with that confused dumb look on his face." Quinn herself seemed displeased with the company Mercedes kept.
"I'm with a client, discussing real estate. I have no romantic intentions with Sam." Mercedes was being honest but Quinn didn't seem to believe her. "Unlike you, I have no intentions of giving my ex a second chance."
Quinn wasn't having it. "Give me a break, Mercedes. Rachel and I may have our issues, but at least she wants to be with me, and she doesn't let her mom control her life."
"My mom does not control my life." Mercedes felt insulted.
"Of course, she does. You may never admit it, but I know you and I would be together if it wasn't for your mother. I would have married you by now if it wasn't for her."
Mercedes's heart dropped as soon as the words left Quinn's lips. She had no idea that Quinn had such strong feelings for her. She was speechless and devastated. "I..I..I'm..I." Mercedes couldn't find the words to say. Too taken aback to know what to say next.
"There's nothing you need to say." Mercedes could see in her eyes that the marriage confession had slipped out. "You've already expressed how you feel, and I've accepted it and moved on. So excuse me, I have to get back to my date. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Quinn stormed past Mercedes without even a look back.
Mercedes just stood there, frozen, barely able to think and unable to move.