"Yeah, it's good." Quinn nodded—it was worth the praise.Moreover, Sam had never once cooked in his life, and it was a huge surprise that he could do it so well. If anything, Quinn was prepared to taste something bitter.Sam's mood improved thanks to her approval as well, and he switched channels back to the court case. "You were watching that?""Yeah." "A court case?" Sam frowned, slightly confused.All women preferred variety shows or romance dramas, did they not?!"I prefer the legal field—it's why I went to law school back then," Quinn admitted."Yeah," Sam replied, remembering that Quinn was a lawyer and a legal consultant for Saunderia.Did that mean she gave up on her preferred career to stay with him? Sam felt emotional in a way he could not describe just then, and he could feel a warm sensation spreading over his heart."I'll watch it with you," he volunteered—he did not actually like it, but he was willing to get involved with her life. Quinn nodded, thinking th
"Umph."All Quinn could feel was the softness on her lips as Sam suddenly leaned in to kiss her.However, he was gentle as if she were a treasure that needed babying, and after pulling away, he stared at her lips and whispered, "So soft."Quinn flushed right then—so he was having a wet dream just then?!She was at once amused and fuming.A leopard really never changes its spots—so he was thinking about that all the time?! It was a pipe dream wishing he would change that side of him!Quinn sighed, just as Sam leaned in for another kiss."Wake up, Sam," she huffed as she shoved him, rougher this time in hopes that he would wake up.She certainly did not want to get humped for no good reason, especially when she was still on her period. Her persistent shaking also had an effect on Sam, and he frowned at her. "Why's this dream so vivid?""It's not a dream," Quinn told him.Sam promptly leapt off the couch, coming to his senses right then as all drowsiness left him. "Shit, it's
Sam lay in bed, tossing and turning but unable to fall asleep. He somehow dozed off earlier as he merely stayed there, but now that he was in bed, he was wide awake.He waited for Quinn, but she was not coming even after a long while.As such, he quietly got out of bed and peeked through the door slit to find her still watching TV with a serious look.He tiptoed back to bed, inwardly relieved.He was not impatient—he was just worried Quinn would not return to his room.Still, he tiptoed back and forth for a while to peek at Quinn, until he finally saw her turn off the TV.Startled, he scrambled back to his bed to pretend to sleep.Quinn returned to her room to wash up before heading into Sam's room.She kept her movement quiet seeing that he was asleep, pulling up the blanket to lay beside him.She did not want to wake him but could not help shifting closer either.Sam suddenly stiffened, getting nervous as he usually did around Quinn.He held his breath, feeling her soft,
Now that Sam could hold his own, Quinn wondered if she should move back to her own office.Still, she decided that there was no hurry—Sam's office was spacious, so it would not affect them working together.Quinn turned on her computer, ready to read through some documents and announcements.That was when Danny—Sam's secretary—entered the room, and he was surprised to see her there. "Hello, Ms. Summer.""Hey." Quinn smiled. "What are you doing here? You're not sitting through the meeting with Sam?""Meeting?" Danny appeared perplexed.Quinn frowned. "You mean there's no meeting?""Not in the morning today—just one at 3 PM," Danny quickly said. Quinn was left further perplexed. "Well, where's Sam? Is he out with a partner or doing rounds?"Logically, Danny would always follow Sam everywhere he went… so why was Sam alone missing?"He didn't come in this morning," Danny said then. "He called me early in the morning saying that he would come in late, since he has something perso
Sam froze when he saw Quinn, his face falling like he was caught red-handed doing something bad.By then, Quinn had calmed herself down enough to accept that Sam did not actually change fundamentally, though her chest started heaving when she saw his reaction.Even if she was ready for the worst, she thought there was a chance there had been a misunderstanding. After all, Sam might have been doing something important and not what she was thinking.However, was his reaction just now not a sign of his guilt? What else would it be?Quinn's eyes turned red thoroughly, but she quickly hid it and pretended nothing happened.On the other hand, Sam needed some time to recover and ask, "When did you get here?""A while," Quinn replied vaguely, keeping her head down sorting through some documents so she looked busy."Weren't you helping my mom with my dad's birthday celebration?""It's all done—we're just waiting for the actual event next week," Quinn replied calmly."Oh. So you're comi
Right after he did, Cordy sent a direct message to Zoe: [Can you calm down and see what Quinn has to say first? Sam worked hard for this surprise. Don't ruin it for him.]Zoe promptly replied: [Okay, okay. I won't talk.]Back in the group chat, Quinn typed: [You knew, Zoe?]Zoe replied: [Knew what? No idea.]Quinn then responded: [Then what was that supposed to mean?]Zoe promptly thought of something. [I mean, Sam did change. He used to goof off, and now he's doing so well at work! Jay's been praising him from time to time just to mess with Bob, since Bob's the one who's done nothing of note yet.]She went on at length just to change the subject and cover up her blunder.Still, Quinn replied: [I don't mean at work, although he's improved a lot on that front. I'm talking about his personal life.]Zoe responded: [Personal life? Isn't it going well? You two are doing fine now, no?]Quinn continued: [I might just be imagining it.]Zoe frowned. [Elaborate?]Quinn paused in hesit
In the other chat group, Cordy was assuring Quinn. [You're being paranoid. Zoe and I both think that Sam has changed a lot.]Quinn replied: [I think so too, and I was even happy that he made amends. But he's not the type to stay still, and I guess I expected too much from him—I wouldn't have been so disappointed otherwise.]Cordy typed: [Sam was a hellraiser, but I think he's an earnest man. Given his personality, I don't think he'd hide an affair if he really was having one.]While Quinn was left stunned, Zoe simply watched, afraid to butt in just in case she misspoke.At the same time, she was impressed with how persuasive Cordy was.If it were her, she would never be able to convince Quinn of Sam's innocence without exposing him. Cordy then replied: [Think about it. What is Sam like? Would he hide anything from you after being married to you for so many years?][That's why you shouldn't overthink this. Maybe he's just up to something he can't talk to you about yet, and one s
Cordy typed: [The point is, what do we do to allay Quinn's suspicion?]Sam had no idea and could not help peeking at Quinn just then.Quinn was already focused on him, so when he turned, she promptly looked toward him.As their eyes met, Sam promptly averted his gaze, looking really guilty just then.Quinn pursed her lips, left perplexed by Sam's recent behavior. Sam was at a loss too—he did not do anything wrong, so why could he not hold his head high?He texted the secret chat group: [I don't know.]And it was the truth.Zoe thought about it. [How about coming up with some excuse and telling her where you were this morning?]Cordy replied: [No, that would expose him. We just assured Quinn, so if Sam explains himself right away, Quinn would be sharp enough to tell that we were talking to him. She might blame us, so doing anything now is unnecessary since it'd come off as suspiciously specific denial.]Zoe responded: [So? What should he do?]Cordy thought about it. [Actuall
Soon, another nurse emerged from the delivery room with a small bundle. "Is the mother's family here?""Yes!" John exclaimed loudly."The delivery was successful," the nurse said. "The baby weighs eight pounds—""How is she?" John asked in agitation, not caring about the child."She's fine. The doctor is just helping her clean up and she'll be out soon," the nurse replied.As John breathed a sigh of relief, the nurse reminded him, "Aren't you the father? Here's your child."John took the baby off her arms, staring at her for a moment as the others flocked around him. "Oh, she's so fair!" Zoe could not help exclaiming. "That's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.""Are you saying that your son's ugly?" Bob teased."To be honest, yeah," Zoe replied without thinking.Jay cleared his throat—even if it was a subjective opinion, it still hurt to have his own baby called ugly."Let me carry her," Zoe volunteered just then, and John did not hesitate to hand her his baby.As Zoe
"What?!" Zoe exclaimed in shock.Beside them, John's face fell despite being usually stoic.Still, even before anyone could react, he scooped Cordy up in his arms and left.Zoe did not hesitate to follow, but Jay reminded her, "We're the hosts, Zoe.""Don't care." Zoe was completely unconcerned. "Ask my mom and your sister to handle the guests. I'm going with Cordy!"Jay hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow since there was no reasoning with Zoe.Sam and Quinn also realized that something was out of place.As they pulled away reluctantly, Bob shouted from below, "If you're done kissing, we're going to the hospital! Cordy's going into labor!"Quinn hurried after them as soon as she hurt, but Sam caught her. "Slow down. We can catch up."In fact, most of the guests were leaving as well—it was as if the banquet for Zoe's son was actually intended for everyone else.The poor boy was certainly unlucky to have such unreliable parents!-As everyone rushed to the hospit
"I'm swelling from my pregnancy," Quinn explained. "It's not your fault."Sam was left staring at her for a while before asking, "So, what should I do?""I'll put it on when I slim down.""Oh." Sam was a little disappointed, since he had always dreamed of having her put on the ring he had custom made.But this was fine—they had all the time they needed, and the most important thing for him is that Quinn was marrying him!He rose to his feet just then, and everyone was cheering as soon as he did. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"Quinn blushed right then, and Sam could see that she was embarrassed.He did not want to make things awkward for her, even if he was quite eager at the moment.Heaven knows how much he missed that night's drunken fumble they had. In fact, during the times he remembered it in dreams, he had to wash his pants when he woke up.Still, just as he took Quinn's hand and started to leave, he felt a softness on his lips—Quinn was kissing him! Sam's heart pounded thunderous
Everyone waited patiently for the final outcome.Quinn's eyes were welling up with tears, threatening to gush if she so much as blinked.She did her best to hold back her tears—to be strong!Sam pursed his lips in turn, his Adam's apple bobbing.A long while passed, and it felt like a century for Quinn when she finally heard him say, "Yes."Quinn's tears started falling in happiness as Sam declared loudly, "I'll marry you, Quinn—it's what I've always wanted to do! I won't let you go even if you regret it eventually! You only get to be with me, and I'll never let any other man claim you! I'll become very overbearing… eventually!""I won't regret it," Quinn said, determined.She certainly would not regret marrying him!Zoe walked up to them with perfect timing just then, and Sam did a double take.He finally remembered that Zoe was the host of this luncheon and was going to leave with Quinn when Zoe whipped out a small red velvet box."You know what's in here, don't you?" Zoe a
However, Sam had already pushed Quinn away before she could tell him. But even if he did not love her or did not want to be with her, she would never stay with Ryan.She had been disappointed in Sam, wondering why he would give up so easily.Was she that unimportant to him?Therefore, if it were not for Zoe and Cordy showing her that video or telling her so much, she would never have known that he loved her for years…Sam's heart ached even as he looked into Quinn's tearful eyes.He reached out a hand, but soon withdrew it—would he not burden her?Even so, it hurt to restrain himself as he watched her, and he was actually getting the feeling that Quinn loved him…But she already had Ryan's child…Well, he was fine with that, as long as the child was Quinn's.But would she not mind?"I will marry you, Sam," Quinn said slowly and clearly then. "Not because you're a good man, not because you prepared so much for me, and not because of how much you prepared for me, but because I
Everyone in the hall was staring at Sam and Quinn, while Quinn took center stage, staring fixedly at Sam.He stood in the middle of the crowd, watching her silently.She in turn felt fear that he would turn and leave, just as she did not know if she had the courage to stand before him again and to declare her feelings for him in front of so many others.Nonetheless, amid the deafening silence, Sam suddenly walked toward the stage.His pace was slow as if his feet were made of lead, but he was also unusually determined.Quinn's heart raced uncontrollably right then!Everyone else was watching them nervously, especially Cordy and Zoe, with the latter being especially concerned that the cowardly Sam would bail.Fortunately, he was a man who showed responsibility. He would not leave Quinn alone and embarrassed.Hence, as everyone looked on, Sam stood before Quinn, his gaze flickering as their eyes met.He gulped ever so slightly, his emotions clearly ruffled even as he did his bes
The guests were encouraging, loudly asking, "Why?!""Because of a woman," Sam's recording replied."Who is it?""Quinn Summer," the Sam on the screen said slowly and clearly, leaving the Sam who was in the hall stunned.What the hell?! That was the proposal video he prepared before! Why did it show up here? Did Zoe make a mistake?!He knew it—leave anything to Zoe, and she would mess it up!He started striding toward the stage, intent on stopping the recording, when John and Bob intercepted him with a look of utter guilt while the recording continued. "Quinn is my wife, and we've been married for years, but I've never really loved her—not because I don't, but because I'm afraid to. I feel too insignificant in comparison to the one she loves, so I'd always hurt her… painfully and childishly. I regret that so much now, Quinn. How could I have abandoned you for so long because of my own jealousy? I'd rather hold you in my sleep every night, but my damned pride denied me that for y
At the banquet hall, Jay and Zoe were thanking their guests with their children in their arms.Then, Zoe announced excitedly, "Please give my best friend, who is also my son's godmother, a warm applause as she comes on stage!"Sam stood at a corner of the hall, watching as Quinn walked up the stage, only realizing just then that her belly was clearly swelling despite her baggy clothes.Time flies—he had not left that long ago, but she and Ryan already had a child.She was not worried about giving him a stroke, was she?He watched as Quinn took the mic and looked around below searching, seemingly searching.After a while, he thought she was looking at him, but by the time he looked up, she had already turned away.Maybe she was looking for Ryan before remembering that Ryan was not there?Nonetheless, Quinn spoke into the mic, saying, "I'm honored to be chosen as the godmother to Zoe's son, and she's been saying he'd be engaged to my child if it's a girl. I already love my godson
As their eyes met, Sam turned frantic and averted his. "Of course.""Really?" Quinn asked."Would I lie to you?" Sam asked a little grumpily."And you didn't bring her back?" Quinn asked."I'm on a schedule, and it'd be taxing for her if I bought her along," Sam said, making things up as he went along. "I'll bring her along when things are less busy.""Is she pretty?" Quinn pressed."What, have I ever picked an ugly one?" Sam snorted smugly. "You know I prefer curvaceous types, and there are plenty of those abroad.""Do you have a photo?"Sam was silent for a while and eventually said, "Yeah.""Can I see it?""What, does she have to pass your assessment?""Just curious about the girl who can tempt you to settle down," Quinn replied. "You'd be humbled." Sam hastily came up with an excuse."I won't," Quinn said, determined."You'll see her when I bring her home." Sam refused nonetheless."I would like to see a photo now.""No, she's not that photogenic. It'd be slander a