The Silence She Speaks✔

Twenty nine-Foster Man

(Ok wait a minute... FLIP FLOPPING 20K READS ON MY STORY!?!?!? I CAN NOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW HAPPY I AM!!!! LIKE OH MY FRICKING GOSH!!!!!! THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!! I LOVE ALL OF MY READERS SO FRIDGING MUCH!!!!!!)

Quinn hadn't left her room for the entire night, and I was starting to get worried. The boys were restless about it, but Chelsea and Camryn swore that Quinn was fine. Mason had to be threatened by his mother to keep him from checking on her.

Most people look and think that either Alex or Chance are the most protective of Quinn, but I think it's Mason. He's always seems a bit stressed when Quinn isn't in his sight. I don't know if it's separation anxiety or him just worrying about his sister.

Chelsea tried reassuring me that it was okay, and that it was just because he knew about her past, but I wasn't all too convinced. Maybe now I'm being the worry wart.

When my little girl finally came downstairs, she was practically bouncing off the walls. She looked so happy, and even had a little smile as she slipped into the kitchen with Sam. Dakota trotted behind her while Oreo and the pups went outside.

Mason practically tackled Quinn when he hugged her. He grabbed her face and moved her head around to get a better look before his eyes traced up and down her body. When he deemed her uninjured, he relaxed and gave her another hug.

"Quinn, were you sleeping the whole time?" Camryn asked when Mason finally pulled away. She nodded as she grabbed some juice out of the fridge. She poured herself a glass, then grabbed a dog treat after putting the juice away. Dakota jumped around her, barking happily. Quinn's smile raised a bit and she gave him the treat.

"Did you have any bad dreams, baby sis?" Alex asked worriedly while picking up Quinn and setting her down on the counter. She shook her head no, and Alex grinned. He kissed her cheek before grabbing a peach out of the fridge. "Want some?" He asked. Quinn hesitated, and took a drink of her juice to stall so she could think. Finally, she finished off her juice and looked down at her empty glass that she held in her lap. Slowly, she nodded.

Everybody's faces lit up into smiles. She blushed when she saw us beaming at her, squirming around a bit under our gaze.

Alex kissed her forehead, then cut up the peach into slices. He was oblivious to how uncomfortable she looked, but I knew. I shooed the kids out of the room and stood by Quinn, kissing her flushed cheek. She smiled at me and wrapped her little arms around my neck.

"Awe, Quinn do you love your daddy?" Alex cooed, slightly teasingly. Quinn just snuggled further into me as response. Whether it was a yes or a no, I couldn't tell you. I'll call it a maybe, seeing as she's definitely still missing her real dad. I can't blame her for it—I would definitely still be grieving my father hard. And while I can't replace Josh, I can do the best I can for Quinn. She'll always be my little girl in my eyes.

"Alright, squirt, hurry with your breakfast so we can get going," Alex ordered as he handed Quinn her plate of peaches. She gave him a military salute, making him chuckle while walking out of the room. She ate her peaches while I made myself a cup of coffee.

A loud crash made me whip around, luckily finding that only the plate had fallen and not my little Quinn too. Of course, I was only calm for so long. Seeing the tears welling up in her big blue eyes made me panic, and I carefully stepped over the glass to grab my daughter in a warm hug.

Chelsea and the kids came in, all wearing shoes, and Quinn looked at them before bursting into tears. I pulled back and looked between her and the others frantically. Mason jumped onto the counter next to little Quinn, and gently guided her to lean on him by her shoulders. He cooed sweet nothings into her ear and swayed back and forth to calm her down.