Kenneth hadn't skimped on their hotel room...It was more like a suite, huge and spacious, with a complimentary bottle of champagne, chilled and waiting for them. Crissy dropped her suitcase by the door and immediately dragged Quinn off to explore the massive walk in shower, much bigger than the shower at Quinn's house.

As Quinn's hands trailed over her skin, slick with soap and water, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back against his chest. The day's events kept replaying in her mind and she couldn't stop thinking about how Andrea had actually agreed to run interference for her against their mother. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the completely foreign concept that Andrea had been concerned for her...

Quinn hands drifted down her waist and over her hips as he kissed down her neck, nosing at her ear. The expanse of his chest was impossibly warm and solid, pressed to every inch of her back.

Then he hooked an arm around her waist as he slid into her and every rational thought and every worry flew from Crissy's mind.

[][][]

When Quinn had long since fallen asleep, Crissy pushed her knee between his and sidled closer. His arm came tighter around her, his fingers flexed against her back. Even when he was dreaming, he still wanted to touch her, to hold her a little tighter. Crissy closed her eyes and focused on the steady, even rhythm of his breathing. When everything was quiet like this and Quinn was wrapped around her, keeping her safe and protected and warm, she didn't have a problem falling asleep.

But her thoughts started to wander again and once she started, she couldn't stop. Minutes stretched into hours as she tried not to think about tomorrow, about what was in store for her. Andrea and Kenneth might have been able to head off her mother for a little while but eventually, Crissy was going to face her and she would hear everything her mother had been holding back for months. It was becoming impossible to ignore the thunderstorm waiting on the horizon, boiling and black.

By the time the first glow of sunlight slipped through the curtains, Crissy still hadn't slept. Again. And the exhaustion was starting to seep into her muscles, into her bones, making the impending day even harder to face.

Quinn's breath hitched as he woke and nuzzled against her ear, peppering her shoulder and neck with kisses.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" he mumbled.

She hummed and buried her face in his shoulder. His hand smoothed over her hair as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll order some coffee," he said.

She slid her hands up his back. "Not yet," she said. "Just a few more minutes."

He smiled as he kissed her forehead and his hands skimmed down to her waist, pulling the blankets up around her as he slowly extracted himself from Crissy's arms. She caught his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles before she finally released him and burrowed deeper into the warmth of his body heat still lingering on the sheets.

After a minute or two of listening to his muffled movements in the hotel room, Crissy's phone blared to life somewhere in the depths of her purse. She groaned and buried her head under her pillow. Quinn's hand settled on her ankle as he peeled a corner of the blanket away. He tucked the phone in next to her and pulled the blankets over her again before he headed for the shower.

Crissy squinted at the glare of her phone screen to see Amy's number.

"Good morning!" Amy chirped.

"It's even earlier for you there than it is here," Crissy replied.

"I know you didn't sleep, sugar, so it's not like I'm waking you up. Besides, I wanted to catch you before you were swept off into the chaos today."

"Speaking of which, you wouldn't believe what happened."

Amy gasped and Crissy could just see her wiggling with excitement.

"Juicy gossip fresh out of the oven right from the start," she said. "I'm so ready for this."

"Andrea was concerned for my well-being after the fire," Crissy said. "And she asked me all sorts of questions to make sure I was okay. She didn't look or sound entirely comfortable doing it but she did make an effort."

A beat of silence passed.

"...what?" Amy said. "Run that by me again?"

"And Kenneth convinced her to help him run interference yesterday during my last minute dress fitting. I haven't actually seen Mom yet."

"What?!"

"Now you understand why I couldn't sleep."

"No kidding. What about Quinn? How is he handling all this?"

"Infuriatingly calm and level-headed, of course."

"Distracting you properly?"

"Amy," Crissy said, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"These are the details I live for, sugar, come on."

"I know you do. What about you? Are you sunburned yet?"

Amy groaned. "Yes. Right from day one, I got roasted. But Manny is doting on me hand and foot."

"And his family? Are they kicking you out like you thought they would?"

Amy made a few non-committal noises and Crissy smiled.

"I get to say it," Crissy said.

"No you don't."

"They love you, don't they?"

"Manny's mother might be ready for me to move in so I never have to return to the States but that's not the point."

Crissy laughed. "Told you."

"Brat."

Quinn returned carrying two cups of coffee and sat on the edge of the bed, holding one out to her. She accepted it with a smile as he hooked his fingers under her knees and lifted her feet into his lap.

"I'm leaving you now, Amy," Crissy said. "Quinn has coffee."

Amy hummed. "I knew it. Coffee ranks higher on your priorities list than I do."

"It's the same for you so don't pretend like you're just figuring this out."

"Call me after the wedding okay?" Amy said. "Tell me everything that happens. I don't care how late it is, just call me."

"You should be enjoying your vacation and resting."

"And I am. But call me, sugar, I mean it. Otherwise I'll call you repeatedly until you pick up and you know I can be annoying as hell when I want attention."

Quinn's hand trailed over her leg back and forth, sending shivers up her skin. She glanced at him as he leaned on one hand, sipping at his coffee, the picture of innocence. He knew exactly what he was doing to her...

"Okay, okay, I'll call you," Crissy said, sliding her coffee cup onto the bedside table.

"Promise?"

"Amy..." Crissy sucked in a breath as Quinn's fingers wandered up the inside of her knee without looking at her, the slightest ghost of a sly smile creeping across his lips. "I really have to go. Like now."

"I'm not leaving you alone until you promise," Amy continued. "I can tell when you..."

"Amy," Crissy cut in as Quinn placed a kiss against her hip. "I promise. Now don't say anything more because I'm hanging up."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, your loyalty lies with coffee."

"Distraction," Crissy gasped, tangling her fingers into Quinn's hair as he kissed a line between her breasts and up to her neck.

"Oh!" Amy said. "Bye! Love you!"

Crissy tossed her phone aside, caught Quinn's face in her hands and pulled him up to kiss him until they were both breathless with laughter.

[][][]

The laughter was gone now as Crissy faced her mother's house again. This time, the driveway was crammed with expensive, shiny cars, and she could hear people talking in the backyard in hushed tones. She looked up at the pale façade of the house and she wanted to run. But Quinn squeezed her hand and smiled down at her just as he did the day before and she knew she could get through this. She'd been through worse and she had turned out just fine.

Crissy took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The door opened and this time it wasn't Andrea who answered. It was her mother, clad in a gold dress and jacket with matching heels, her blonde hair swept up and pulled back tight. Crissy's breath caught in her throat at the rigidly unhappy expression on her mother's face.

"Hi Mom," Crissy managed in a small voice.

"Cristina. You're late. I was hoping you'd be here to support your sister but apparently not."

"Well I'm here now," Crissy replied. "Where is Andrea by the way?"

"Last time I checked, she was in the kitchen, checking up on the food preparation."

Her gaze drifted over to Quinn as she spoke and she blatantly looked him up and down. Crissy's fingers tightened on Quinn's hand until she was sure there would be fingernail marks permanently tattooed into his palm.

"Is this your...date?" her mother asked, pausing for emphasis on the last word.

"Yes," Crissy said. "This is Quinn Spencer. Quinn, this is my mother, Lisa."

Quinn held his hand out but Lisa hesitated. Crissy fixed her with a steady look and she finally reached out to grudgingly shake Quinn's hand, her smile tight and disapproving already.

"Well come in," she said. "Don't just stand there. The ceremony is in an hour. You were supposed to get here at least two hours ago but obviously that didn't happen and..."

"Crissy!" Andrea said, leaning out of the kitchen doorway. Her long blonde hair, usually always carefully pulled back, now hung in loose waves around her face, softening the sharp angles of her face.

"I need your help on something," she said.

Lisa sighed. "Oh, don't drag her into that nonsense. She's not dressed, you're not dressed. Call another caterer, fire that one."

"I worked weeks with this caterer, I'm not firing him. Crissy, please?"

Quinn nudged her with his shoulder. "This is your territory, sweetheart," he said quietly. "Get moving."

Before she could ask him to come with her, Lisa waved her off.

"I'll take Quinn to show him where he can get changed," she said. "You two hurry up. I won't have either of you late for this wedding."

Panic rocketed through Crissy's chest as she watched Lisa leading Quinn off into the depths of her house. Then Andrea caught her wrist and pulled her into the kitchen.

"I'll make this quick, I promise," she said. "And Kenneth will keep an eye on Quinn."

"What's the problem?" Crissy asked.

Andrea pointed to the kitchen counter where her wedding cake was half-crushed and completely past saving.

"Oh that's..." Crissy started.

"Not good," Andrea finished for her. "And as much as I'm irritated beyond belief that this happened, it wasn't the caterer's fault. Mother got impatient and bumped into him as he was carrying it inside this morning."

"What do you want me to do about this? There's not enough time to make another one."

"You know food. You know food really, really well. And if that caterer doesn't impress the hell out of our mother, she will make sure he loses his job."

"You're asking me to work a miracle here, Andrea."

Andrea nodded. "Yes I am."

Crissy blew out a breath, her mind spinning. "I'll talk to the caterer," she said. "You go get ready."

Andrea raised her hand and for a moment, she hesitated, then she let her hand come to rest on Crissy's shoulder.

"I owe you one, Crissy," she said. "A big one. Maybe more than one, after this is over."

After Andrea left, Crissy spent a good half hour with the caterer, discussing replacement dessert options for the cake. He wouldn't stop apologizing every other word no matter how many times she reassured him that he wasn't going to lose his job over this. They finally settled on a simple, elegant dessert with chocolate, finely sliced fruit, and crystalized sugar with rose petals.

Crissy headed upstairs and she was just zipping up her dress when Lisa pushed into the room and caught her elbow in a vise grip.

"That man is not good for you," she said.

Crissy twisted away. "He's perfect for me. You've only spent a few minutes with him."

"I know men much better than you do." Lisa reached over and pinched Crissy's dress at the waist, tugging on it. "You never thanked me for that diet I sent you. Did you even try it? Or did you just ignore me? You were supposed to be at least three sizes smaller than this by now."

"Mom," she said, looking Lisa straight in the eyes. "Leave me alone."

Lisa blinked and pulled back as if she'd been slapped.

"Excuse me?"

"I said leave me alone. And don't lump Quinn in with Dad just because he walked out on you."

"That man is using you and you're blind to it. He'll leave you and break your heart the second another woman comes into his life and catches his attention. All men are selfish, Cristina. I've been telling you that for years. This one is no different."

"You're just saying that because you think my life is the same as yours but it's not. Quinn isn't going to leave me. He loves me exactly the way I am."

Lisa snorted. "Did he tell you that?"

"Every damn day."

"Well he's lying."

Crissy let out a short bitter laugh and shook her head. "Why? Why on earth would you think that when you don't even know him?"

"Because you're a very difficult person to love, Cristina, that's why."

Crissy clenched her teeth as red hot fury burst inside her chest. She pushed past her mother and out of the bedroom. She needed to get away. She needed distance.

"Where are you going?" Lisa demanded. "I'm talking to you."

"Not anymore. I'm done listening."

"You ungrateful child!"

Crissy spun around to face her. "Am I ungrateful because I'm standing up to you? Or is it because I'm finally calling you out on your bullshit after putting up with it for my whole life?"

Lisa's hand twitched a fraction of a second before she raised her arm and sent a stinging slap across Crissy's face. A rush of cold washed over the heat blazing through Crissy's veins and she reached up to touch her burning cheek.

"I've made dozens of sacrifices for you," Lisa hissed. "And you've thrown them away, over and over. You never listened to me. You never thanked me. After all I've done for you, a little appreciation would go a long way."

Crissy was shaking despite the resolve surging through every inch of her body now.

"All you've done for me," Crissy replied, her voice low and trembling with anger. "All you've done for me is that I'm no good if I don't wear the right dress size. All you've done for me is to tell me that my dreams are useless because they don't match your dreams. All you've done for me...all you've done for me isn't very much in the end, is it?"

Lisa's mouth worked open and closed in shock.

Crissy tipped her chin up and let her hand slide away from her face. "But I'll always be grateful," she continued. "Because while you pushed me away over and over, I found people who love me anyway. They love me, even if I'm plus sized and I have no money and I bake food for a living. That's what I'm grateful for. And it has nothing to do with you."

Crissy turned away, heading towards the door. She couldn't stay after this. She hated the idea of missing out on Andrea's wedding after they seemed to be thawing a little but she wasn't going to be in this house another second with her mother.

Lisa's footsteps clattered after her.

"I was the only one who ever loved you," she said. "All those other people don't really care about you. Don't come crying to me when they leave you because they will. You throw everything away. You threw away your family, a promising career, a fiancé who was good to you. And now? Now you're nothing."

Crissy froze. Silence settled in the hallway, silence so full to bursting it was suffocating.

There it was. That was what she had been waiting for her entire life. Those words, finally put into the air rather than simmering below the surface of her mother's actions, tainting everything she said. Crissy had always suspected it but now it had finally been said, point blank, without a doubt.

Very, very quietly, Crissy looked at her mother.

"Go to hell," she whispered.

And she went straight for the door because she was never coming back here. Not ever.

Lisa blustered and started after her. Crissy tensed, waiting for another assault, but it didn't come. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Quinn coming forward, the collar of his tuxedo undone, tie draped around his neck. He caught Lisa's arm and pulled her back.

"You've said enough," he growled.

Quinn wrapped an arm around Crissy's shoulder and together they returned to his car. She gripped a fistful of his shirt, grounding herself. The adrenaline burning through her veins was beginning to fade and she could feel herself starting to crumble with every step she took but she had to keep it together, at least until she was away from here.

Quinn helped her into the truck and stepped on the gas as he tore out of the driveway. He took her hand and glanced at her but she wouldn't look at him. She kept her gaze trained straight ahead, willing herself to hold it together until she got to the safety of Quinn's house, with the comfort of Breckenridge around her again.

After a few minutes of silence, Quinn finally spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Crissy closed her eyes. "No."

He tightened his grip until her fingers went numb.

"Do you want to talk...?"

"No. Please. I really don't."

For the entire drive back, Quinn never let go of her hand and he didn't say anything else. He parked outside the house and helped her climb out of the driver's side after him. He kept a tight grip on her hand as they walked up to the house and into his room.

At the foot of Quinn's bed, he turned to face her. She closed her eyes and the first tear slipped down her cheek. He wiped it away with this thumb, placing a long, lingering kiss against her forehead.

"Why does she say such cruel things?" Crissy whispered.

He shook his head. "I wish I knew, sweetheart."

Slowly, Quinn unzipped her dress and peeled it away, letting it drift to the floor. Crissy slid beneath the covers and he curled around her, warm and solid and protective, his chin tucked over her shoulder, his arm around her waist, as she cried herself to sleep.