Knowing that her parents don't want her to marry Grey, Quinn prays about it and receives a positive answer. Their wedding day on September 20, 1999 turns out as good as can be expected with the budget constraints Quinn worked under getting here. The tension between Quinn, her parents and Grey is so high during the three-hour ordeal and Quinn is so sick that she can't wait for the night to be over. Quinn hopes her wedding night is going to be everything she'd dreamed it would be. She's afraid she won't be able to please Grey; not the way he wants. He is the experienced one after all. Quinn is shocked however, when the night turns into the first of many violent acts she will endure at Grey's hand. As time goes on, through Grey's leaving for military training for the National Guard Reserves, finding out she is a stepmother, his return, and his inability to keep a job, their marriage gets worse. From the outside, no one can tell they aren't happy, but behind closed doors, it is anything but. . . Even finding out they are going to be parents isn't something Grey is all too excited about. He plays the part well when his family and friends are around, but he doesn't care that having a baby is a huge risk for Quinn. She continues to work throughout her pregnancy, while he does the bare minimum to keep the bills paid. The day our son, Tyler is born is the happiest day in Quinn's life even though Grey acts as if he is being "put out" having to be there. Raising Tyler is the highlight of Quinn's days. Refusing to go back to work, she demands Grey find a job, any job, and keep it. The emotional abuse runs rampant as Tyler grows bigger and bigger as Grey continues to demean Quinn, calling her names and even threatening to punch her on several occasions. Regardless of the tension between his parents, Tyler is a happy and giggly baby. The events of September 11, 2001, change Quinn's life in ways she doesn't expect when Grey deploys to Iraq in January 2003, promising to come home a better man. Upon his return 15 months later, nothing changes. In fact, Grey tells her he doesn't know if he wants to come home to her. Over the next several months, the abuse heightens, to the point that Grey is mentally and emotionally abusive whenever he talks to or about Quinn. She loves Grey and wants to make things work regardless of the abuse. She knows he can change, but will he?
About the Author: Hunter Marshall is a native of Idaho. She was born three months too early with a disability and wasn't supposed to be able to walk, talk, see, hear or have any semblance of a normal life. Her mother however, believed she was more than a disability. She made sure Hunter did everything she was capable of to reach her full potential. Coming from a big family, it was either keep up or get left in the dust. It was because her love of reading and writing that Hunter knew, even at an early age, she was destined to be a writer. Hunter went on to graduate high school much to the awe and amazement of the doctors who told her parents she would never amount to anything, get married and have children. She then succeeded in getting a degree in Social Work. Her knowledge of Social Work and concern for issues facing mankind have assisted her in many aspects of her life including raising a family and writing this novel. It is her faith and belief in a loving Father in Heaven that is a driving force in coming to terms with her past and learning that, although difficulties may arise, there are ways to "get through" the times that seem impossible.