Through the Fire (15 page)

W
inter had finally released its hold on the city and spring had burst forth with what seemed a new sense of vitality, Quinn thought as he tiptoed from his bedroom, leaving Rae still curled in sleep.

He smiled on his way down the stairs. Everything seemed new and better, different somehow, and so was he. He knew having Rae in his life was a big part of it. She’d stuck by him, through his tirades, his sullenness, his un
certainty, and ultimately his evolution.
Patience.
Rae had it in spades.

No doubt their relationship wasn’t perfect, but what was? All you could do was give it your best and be the best person you could. That’s what he was striving for.

He entered the living room and looked at the piano. The keys not having been touched by him in far too long. He still heard melodies in his head, saw his fingers working the ivories. Lately the same chords, the same sound kept reverberating in his head, like in the old days when he would toil for hours until he got it right. He’d told Rae months ago that he was working out a new tune in his head, but he never did more than that. But more and more the music kept calling him, stirring him up inside.

Warily he walked toward the piano, stroked the smooth wood. For an instant, his chest tightened as flashes of the past tried to claim him. And finally he did with this last hurdle what he’d done with all the others—stepped over it.

Slowly he sat down and raised the covering of the keys. His insides warmed as he gingerly placed his fingers in position, trying to locate
that space inside him that would make the keys sing. The first string of notes were off key, but he didn’t stop as the melody that had been playing in his head began to come to life through his fingers. He closed his eyes and let the music flow from him, saw the notes dance in his mind, the images that he was forever setting free. The haunting melody traveled the length of the scale, varying tempo and speed as his mind and body became one with the music.

Rae stood silently in the doorway, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wet with tears. The music was as painful as it was beautiful, but what was even more inspiring was that he was truly alive again. The demons were finally banished and the music that he played came from the soul of a healed man.

“That’s the piece that’s been missing,” Rae said softly as the song drew to a gentle close.

Quinn turned over his shoulder as she approached. She sat beside him on the bench. “It was beautiful,” she said with genuine sincerity. “I know how hard it’s been for you.”

“I’m finally past that now, Rae,” he said with resolve. “It took me a while, but I’m past it. You
know my mother talked about how the time lost that could never be regained is the greatest of regrets. I don’t want to have any more regrets, Rae. I want to use the time I have, that we have, to the fullest.”

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.”

He grinned mischievously. “I think I have an idea.”

She lowered her head for a moment, contemplating if it was too soon, but decided to try anyway. “While I was listening to you play, I could see the lyrics forming in front of my eyes. The perfect words to go with a perfect piece of music.”

Quinn angled his head to the side. “What are you saying…exactly?”

Rae pursed her lips. “I was hoping…that maybe you would consider…us putting the words and the music together.”

“Me and you, like a team? Like Ashford and Simpson?”

She grinned. “Yeah, something like that. What do you think?”

He pulled in a deep breath, wondering what
it would be like to work with this feisty woman who could be as stubborn and headstrong as he. He knew they’d battle before it was all said and done. But he was up for a good fight.

“I think I like the sound of that.”

Rae squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly knocking them both off the bench.

“Lindsay and Parker,” she announced, looking him in the eye.

“Parker and Lindsay,” he countered.

“Hmm. We’ll have to take a vote on that,” she returned, being intentionally difficult.

Quinn put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He looked into her eyes and saw all the possibilities reflected there. He saw tomorrow and the day after. Him and Rae.

“How ’bout Parker and Parker?” he asked quietly.

Rae’s animated expression suddenly became still. Her eyes widened. Her voice shook over the racing beat of her heart. “Quinn…are you asking me to…marry you?”

“Yeah, I am, Rae. Will you? Will you share the rest of my life with me and whatever our
life together will bring? Can you?” As he waited for her response he realized he’d never been so afraid in his life, afraid of what he would do if she said no.

Her lips trembled. She reached out and tucked the wayward lock behind his ear. “There’s nothing in this world I would rather do, Quinten Parker.”

He took her lips to his and sealed their future.

It was a private affair, simple but elegant, with only Rae and Quinn’s closest friends in attendance. Gail stood teary-eyed as Rae’s maid of honor, and Nick had flown in from Europe to serve as best man, along with his wife Parris who sang a song she’d composed especially for the occasion.

And Rae had given Quinn the most selfless gift of all, allowing Remy to walk her down the aisle of the tiny Baptist Church.

Even Maxine flew in with Taylor, Jamel and her brand-new daughter, Mia, in tow. And Maxine couldn’t have been more proud or as moved as when Jamel handed his father the ring to place on Rae’s finger. Taylor, always in
tune to his wife’s every emotion, wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder, and pulled her close. “She’ll be there for him now, Max,” he whispered.

She sniffed and nodded. “I know.” She hugged her daughter to her.

“Rae,” Quinn began in an almost intimate whisper, nearly overcome by the simple beauty of his wife-to-be. “When you came into my life, I was a broken and empty man. Thinking about tomorrow was not a reality for me. Until you. You’ve made me whole, Rae—finally. You made me take my life back and learn how to live again and know that it is all right to love again, to love you with all my heart, all my soul, for as long as you’ll have me. I won’t leave you, I promise not to hurt you. I’ll listen with my heart, I’ll give you all of me, every day of my life for as long as I live.”

Unchecked tears streamed down Gail’s face as she experienced up-close what it was like to be truly loved—adored.

Rae took the simple gold band from the satin pillow and placed it on Quinn’s finger.

“With you in my life, I know now that
anything is possible. We have come through the fire together, singed but whole. We have witnessed the hurts, the joys and triumphs in each other’s lives and became better because of them. We have found the one thing that people spend their whole lives searching for—unquestionable, unshakable love. For you, Quinten Parker, I will open my heart, my mind, my soul. I will let go of the past and move boldly into the future with you at my side. I promise to grow with you, share with you, love you with all my heart—for as long as time will allow.”

Vera held a simple white handkerchief to her eyes to stem the tears of joy, though bittersweet. She was thankful that she was given this moment in Quinn’s life, a memory that she could cling to.

Mrs. Finch patted Vera’s shoulder as she watched with pride the boy she’d seen grow into a real man. A strong sense of pride filled her, knowing that in some small way she played a role. Her job was done. She’d come into his life at one of its lowest points, saw him through his marriage to Nikita and his loss of her. Saw him learn to become a father to Jamel. But
what she’d nightly prayed for had finally come to pass, he’d met that one true person that was destined for him. Rae Lindsay was the woman his soul had been searching for all along.

“…I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please…kiss your beautiful bride.”

“With pleasure,” Quinn murmured, slowly pulling Rae into his arms and capturing the subtle sweetness of her lips, loving her with all his heart for the whole world to see.

“P
hoenix,” the hit single composed by Parker and Parker, set a new standard for contemporary jazz, and both Quinn and Rae were in demand for interviews, club dates, and recording contracts.

But they took it in stride, simply enjoying their life together and coming to accept that their love was what made their life complete, not their music. It was only a small part of who they were.

Yes, Quinn was back in the studio from time
to time, and Rae still composed, but mostly from home. She enjoyed her role as wife again and was determined to do it right this time. And that meant everything.

Quinn had just returned from checking on his mother, something he’d gotten into the habit of doing once a week. It was real hard at first, and a part of him resisted, while another part of him would push himself up the stairs and through her apartment door.

During the past year, they’d developed a relationship of sorts, tentatively giving over a part of themselves to the other. It would never be what it might have been, but it was a start at something.

“Honey, I’m home,” Quinn called out jokingly.

Rae emerged at the top of the stairs, clothed in nothing but a near sheer teddy that revealed more than it covered. “Is that any way to greet your woman?” she asked in a taunting voice. She crooked her finger and beckoned him upstairs. And his welcome-home treat would keep him coming through that door night after night.

Cuddling in the afterglow of their loving, Rae weighed carefully what she was about to say.

“Quinn. You asleep?”

“Hmmm. Depends.” He pulled her close.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

His eyes sprung open, his senses on alert.

“I…was thinking that we should move out to the coast.”

He was fully awake now. “The coast? Why? Our life is here.”

“Well…” she said coyly. “I just figured it would be great if Jamel got to know his…new sister or brother…and that it would be wonderful if he could, we could all…”

“Rae?” His eyes sparkled with delight. “Rae?” he repeated.

She nodded, a smile streaking across her face.

He pulled her to him, kissed her deep and long, trying to say to her without words just how much she meant to him, what she was willing to do for him, how eternally thankful he would be. Reluctantly he eased back and looked at her, really looked at her, searching for all the signs of the life that bloomed inside her—a part of him.

“And I was thinking that since we’ll be giving up this place, that your mother could move in, keep Mrs. Finch company, and…”

She rambled on, and all he could do was laugh, knowing that this woman would be orchestrating his life for a very long time. And it was all good.