Finn (15 page)

Reese and I walk into the Princess Palace and both squeal at the set up. Winnie is going to love this! Small pedicure and manicure stations are set up in the middle of the room with make-up mirrors against the walls. The owner and two assistants help us unload, and we set up the tiaras, flip-flops, and goodie bags.

“I’m dying to hear about yesterday.” Reese gives me a pointed look. “You’ve been a little quiet.”

She knows all about Friday night’s confessions and that Finn invited me to go with him yesterday to pick up his motorcycle. She’s also started the countdown to what she calls “Presley’s Hump Day”. I cringe at the crass phrase.

“It was fun, a little overwhelming at first. He neglected to mention his whole group of friends, including Max, were coming too.”

“Wow, he’s moving fast.”

“Yeah,” I agree, and Raven’s twisted face fills my mind.

“What?” Reese squints her eyes. “Did something happen?”

I look around to make sure the staff can’t hear and then fill her in on the whole day, including Raven’s guarded introduction, then her blatant hostility.

“What the fuck? Isn’t she supposed to be one of his best friends?”

“I guess. When we left, she invited everyone back to her house, but I used this party as an excuse to get out of it. Finn was upset but said he understood. Ember took me back to my car, and I went home.”

“AND?”

“And what? I worked on a few articles last night.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“I almost did when he called last night, but he was so excited about the bike, and Max was there. They were going to go riding this morning, so I kept my mouth shut. He told me he missed me. Then he texted this morning and said he’d see me around noon.”

“How do you feel about this?”

I start to answer, but the door flies open and Winnie comes in wearing a flashy princess dress with an attached tutu that takes up the width of the doorway.

I give my dad a raised eyebrow, and he shrugs, ignoring my smirk. Johnny follows them in carrying the cake. I point to the table for the food and brace as my niece launches herself at me.

“This is so pretty!” she screeches and scrambles into Reese’s waiting arms. “Thank you.”

My nose starts to prickle, and my eyes water. Reese catches my eye, and her own lips start to quiver. She takes a deep breath and walks away to show Winnie the set-up, while I get a hold on my emotions.

“Did you pick the girliest place in the fucking city?” Johnny scoffs as he kisses my cheek. “Next year, I’m in charge.”

“Gladly. You think it’s easy, but I give you two days of planning until you’re begging me to help.”

He gives me a grin as Dad comes up and surveys the place. “Did you bring beer?”

“Yes, Dad, there’s a keg in the back… along with chicken wings and baseball,” I answer sarcastically. “NO!”

He kisses my forehead and chuckles. I give his waist a squeeze as the door opens and a slew of little girls dash in, swarming Winnie and Reese in excitement.

The next hour flies by as the manager gets each girl set up in a rotation of pedicures, manicures, and make-up sessions. I peek at my watch nervously and wonder if I should text Finn about the pizza when a caravan of cars drives up front.

Finn, Ember, Robbie, Max, Tripp, and Evelyn walk in with huge bags and trays. My dad sends me a questioning look, and I can only shrug in surprise.

The instant I see Finn, my heart starts to race. He gives me a quick wink and then focuses on Winnie, who is wide-eyed and shocked. She squeals when he tilts a tray and shows her the mega-size serving of Chick-fil-A nuggets.

The poor woman doing her make-up is interrupted as Winnie rushes away and runs straight to him. He is able to hand off the tray before she barrels into his legs.

I watch in awe as he lifts her up and gives her a wide smile then whispers something in her little ear. Her smile spreads so wide the room lights up, and she wiggles down and comes running to me.

“He got us Chick-fil-A!”

“I see that, honey.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, but how about I find out while you finish your make-up?”

She agrees and runs back to her station, while I go over to the crew that is now unloading an entire buffet of food. Finn gives me a look I’ve come to know well, but I shake my head and dart my eyes to his mom and my dad. He doesn’t seem to care and lifts my chin, leaning down to kiss me.

“Hey,” he mumbles against my lips. The deep rumble of his voice sends the butterflies in my stomach back into a tizzy.

“Hey.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“You didn’t have enough time to miss me. I left you less than twenty-four hours ago.”

“It seems every minute I’m not with you I miss you.”

His words send a rush of warmth throughout my body, and I lay my head on his chest to hide my blush.

Dad, Reese, and Johnny come up and welcome everyone as Johnny immediately starts shoveling food into his mouth. I swat at his hand, but he jumps back and hides behind Reese.

“How did you do this?” I point to the food. “Chick-fil-A is closed.”

Robbie, Tripp, and Max start to snicker, but Evelyn beams at her son. Ember gives a little giggle.

“Will someone introduce me to the birthday girl? I’ve been dying to meet her,” Evelyn asks, and Reese, Dad, and Johnny all walk with her to meet Winnie.

The other guys mumble something under their breath and move away, leaving Finn and I alone.

“Ember has a connection with the owner of a few of the franchises around town. She got me in touch, and he did me a favor.”

“This is too much. Pizza would have been fine.”

“But I think I specifically remember the birthday girl saying she wanted this. So I made it happen.”

“She’s going to be spoiled.”

“That’s okay. She deserves it, just like her aunt. It has become my new life’s mission to see this look on your face.” His fingertips brush across my cheeks as I swallow the lump forming in my throat.

I look up into his eyes and know this is it. When I reflect back on my life, this is the moment I will forever remember as throwing caution to the wind and taking a leap of faith. Even if I get burned, my heart and mind are working together to tell me Finn Black is worth the risk.

So that’s what I do; I take the risk. “Stay with me. Tonight after the party, stay with me.”

Then I hold my breath.

Finn

M
ove your ass!
I honk at the idle car in front of me that’s oblivious the light’s turned green. Finally, she inches forward and turns right. I growl in aggravation as I turn behind her and wonder if she’s ever heard of ‘right on red’. The second the lanes open up, I gun past her and take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves.

It’s been two hours since I left Presley, and it’s been the longest two hours of my life. If I had my choice, I’d have followed her home, but she promised to go by her dad’s and help Winnie put her presents away. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if I could join them, not wanting to spend another minute away. Then thoughts of Simon came to my head, and I knew they needed time together as a family.

If Presley was going to shed one tear, I wanted to be there. But interfering with her family seemed too personal.

Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me
… her words fly around my head as I try to slow my racing pulse. Never have these words meant as much as they did coming from her mouth. I was momentarily stunned into silence until her face started to heat and her lip trembled.

Without another thought, I yanked her into me roughly, burying my head in her neck. “I’d fucking love to.”

Something changed in those few seconds, and I could feel a deeper connection all the way to my bones. We stayed close the whole party, her never leaving my side for more than a few minutes.

When Winnie announced to all her friends that her aunt’s boyfriend found a way to get her Chick-fil-A, I swelled with pride. Presley led them all in a round of cheers, which ended up with me being swarmed by ten little girls. Robbie, Max, and Tripp stood to the side with looks of horror while my mom gave me a quick wink and knowing grin.

Hell, I was ecstatic. The one time I opened myself up to the possibility of love, it backfired. But I was wrong then. My feelings for Presley supersede anything I’ve ever felt. In this short period of time, she’s captivated me.

I park in the empty spot next to hers, my excitement growing with every step toward her door. Before I can knock, she swings it open and throws herself in my arms, forcing me to catch her and lift her up. She frames my head with her hands and peppers my face with quick kisses as I walk us in and shut the door with my foot.

My bag drops to the floor, and I hug her tight, going straight for her mouth. Her tongue dances with mine, meeting me stroke for stroke until I have to pull away, kissing along her jawline.

As much as I want to keep her like this all night long, holding her close and tasting every inch of her skin, I place her on her feet and step back. Linking our hands together, I run my lips across her knuckles.

“The promise of a whole night with you has made me a very happy man.”

“What you did today was extraordinary. Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful. Winnie couldn’t quit talking about you. My dad and Johnny were pretty impressed, too.”

“That’s good, but I didn’t do it to impress them.”

She steps back into me and places our joined hands on her hips. “Whatever the reason, I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. So thank you.”

We stand staring at each other as the energy in the room builds. There’s no doubt she can feel the outline of my hard-on against her stomach, but she doesn’t back away. Instead, she presses in closer and kisses the underside of my jaw.

“I made us dinner.”

“Sounds good to me,” I mutter, not wanting her to move. “But as far as I’m concerned, we can stay like this all night. Not sure I want to let you go.”

She looks back to me, and her eyes are a swirling mix of deep green and gold. I get lost in them until she moves, leading me to the kitchen.

The table is already set with a large salad bowl in the middle. She points for me to sit and takes a pan out of the oven. The scent of lemon and garlic fills the room, and I groan, my mouth watering.

“What is that?”

“Lemon chicken.”

I offer to help, but she only allows me to get our drinks and serves us both.

I’m a pretty good cook, but what she has served is a gourmet meal. The first bite melts in my mouth, and I moan in appreciation, silently marking off another reason she’s perfect.

“I do like to cook, but it’s a waste with only me most of the time.” She gives me a small smile.

“Safe to say, you now have another mouth to feed.”

She fills me in on the rest of her afternoon with her family and Winnie’s overflowing excitement of having the best birthday ever.

Her next statement shocks me to the point of choking as my fork clangs down on the plate. “Excuse me?” I swallow a whole glass of water, trying to stop the burn in my throat.

“Dad received a package yesterday from Winnie’s mom, Elisa. We gave it to her together in case she had questions.”

I stay quiet, my mind racing with my own questions as I finish eating.

She notices my unease and takes our plates to the sink before holding her hands out to me and guiding me to the sofa. I take her down with me, hooking her legs over mine.

“I know exactly what you’re thinking,” she says faintly.

My arm hooks around her waist, and I shift her position, so she’s mostly facing me. “What am I thinking?”

“I saw the look on your face. It’s a look I’ve seen before, and I’ve seen often. It’s a mixture between confusion and disgust. Johnny had the same look a few hours ago.”

“I guess I’m confused. Honestly, it’s none of my business.”

“Maybe I want it to be your business. If you’re going to be in my life—”

“There’s no if,” I cut her off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She leans into me, her head landing in the crook of my neck.

“How much do you know about my family?”

“Unfortunately, not too much. My training with Simon was years ago. I knew he had a family back here in Tennessee and his mom was deceased. I heard about Winnie later, through the grapevine.”

“Winnie’s mom, Elisa, is a free spirit. She and Simon met in North Carolina while he was stationed there. She loved music and arts, lived for the earth type of girl. She and my brother were opposites in every way, but they clicked. He was crazy about her, but knew they could never settle down until he was out of the service. They had a unique relationship.

“When she found out she was pregnant, she flipped. Her first instinct was adoption because she was scared to death to raise a child on her own if Simon was deployed or worse. Simon begged her to have the baby and give it a try. She did, and in the end, she wasn’t cut out to be a parent. She gave him full custody.”

“Giving up rights to your child seems like a selfish decision.”

“Actually, it wasn’t. She gave us the best gift in the world by having Winnie. My brother may not have had the traditional, passionate love of his life, but he died knowing he had the real love of his life. He had four years with the best little girl ever. And for that, I thank Elisa.”

“Wow, that’s quite a way to look at it.”

“Finn, you’ll never understand, but Elisa was truly scared. Eventually, I think she would have snapped out of it and found a way to be a mother, and Simon respected that. His love for his daughter was so strong, he vowed to protect her and he let Elisa walk away in order to make sure Winnie had a good life.”

“Even if it meant being a single parent in the Marines?”

“Oh, yeah, why do you think I hightailed my ass up there?”

“He was so lucky to have you.”

“Maybe, but I’m the lucky one. Look at what I got out of it. I’ll always have the memories of living close to Simon before he died.”

She sucks in a deep breath, and I nudge her head to the side, so I can see her face. “You’re an incredible person. Not many twenty-two year olds would make that sacrifice.”