Love Unspoken

Sprout started squirming and yelling as soon as Maddox picked him up.

Maddox just shrugged and turned to Quinn. "I'm heading out."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't look too thrilled. Maybe you should leave him here."

She was worried Maddox might lose his cool and snap at Sprout.

Maddox chuckled. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

With Brandy in one arm and Sprout in the other, Maddox headed out. Sprout was hollering, clearly not a fan of Maddox. Quinn exchanged a helpless look with Alexander.

Alexander, noticing her worry, said, "Relax, Maddox knows what he's doing. Let's use this time to figure out the house plans." He pulled out a thick folder from his suitcase, filled with detailed blueprints.

Quinn leaned in to check them out. The designs were super detailed, almost like a step-by-step guide.

Everything was laid out: the structure, layout, materials, even the dimensions of the wood. It was so clear that anyone could follow it.

Quinn flipped through the pages eagerly. "Where was that spot we picked last time?"

"Southeast. Wanna go check it out?" Alexander suggested.

"Yeah, let's go!" Quinn said, excited.

She had forgotten the way, but Alexander led the way. After about ten minutes, they reached the spot.

It was a wide-open area with pink flowers and ankle-high grass.

A massive tree stood nearby, so big that neither Quinn nor Alexander could wrap their arms around it. The tree had soaked up all the nutrients, leaving no other trees around. Its canopy spread out like a giant umbrella.

They decided to build the house next to this tree.

Quinn looked around. "When do we start?"

"Anytime, but let's wait for clear weather. Let's aim to finish before New Year," Alexander replied.

"Sounds good," Quinn agreed.

They wandered around. It was peaceful, with just the occasional breeze carrying the scent of soil and grass, calming their nerves.

As it got dark, they headed back.

Quinn wondered how Sprout was doing with Maddox and if they had clashed. She went to find them.novelbin

It had been raining for days, so no one had started working, and there was no noise from machinery.

After a bit of walking, Quinn arrived at a square. It was the only one not made of wood; the ground was cement and stone slabs, about the size of a basketball court. There were houses and pavilions around it. It looked pretty impressive.

She spotted Sprout and Maddox right away. To her surprise, Sprout was riding on Maddox's back, with Maddox on all fours, playing horse.

Was this the "education" Maddox mentioned?

Sprout was on his back, waving his arms and tapping Maddox's head, laughing loudly.

Maddox grumbled, "You little rascal, stop hitting my head!"

Sprout mumbled something, mixed with giggles.

Suddenly, Maddox lifted Sprout onto his shoulders and stood up. Holding Sprout's body, he said, "Time for a plane ride!" Quinn felt a bit awkward watching them.