When I come down from my high and my breathing returns to normal, Finn’s hold on me loosens. I snuggle into his warm body, not wanting to let go.
“Babe, we need to talk about something.” His hand stops mid-stroke on my back. “Promise me you’ll never run from me again like you did on Saturday. I can’t take it.”
I lift up, bracing on his chest, and my heart crumbles at the look of hurt on his face. “I’m sorry, Finn. It was knee-jerk. My reaction was imbecilic.”
He starts to chuckle and presses my face to his. “I told you I’d need a thesaurus.”
My cheeks burn as he continues to laugh. My phone rings in the other room, and I hesitantly roll away. “I have to get that. It’s my dad’s ringtone. We’re supposed to meet for dinner tonight.” I roll off the bed and toss on a t-shirt from the floor.
“Perfect. Tell him I’m coming. It’s time we had the chat.”
I stop, waiting for the panic, but it never comes. “You’re right. It’s time.”
Finn’s face breaks out in huge grin as his eyes dance with happiness. Suddenly, telling my dad and brother about my boyfriend staying the night isn’t so scary. Because less than an hour ago, he became so much more.
Chapter 19
Finn
A hushed whisper, a tiny giggle, the slight squeak of the door.
Rustle…
Rustle…
Rustle…
“Roooaaarrrrr,” Winnie screams right before her little body lands on me, arms and legs flailing. Presley follows, both of them trying to hold me down as I pretend to squirm. I twist strategically, pinning them both and roaring as I tickle them. Winnie screams through her giggles as Presley begs for mercy. I let them go, kissing Presley’s cheek and rolling away.
Little does Winnie know that Presley woke me up almost an hour ago, spilling Winnie’s plans to ambush me.
“Better luck next time, girls. Remember, I was trained to be alert.” I give them a wink and go to the bathroom to get ready for work.
I move around comfortably, making myself at home. The minute we drove away from the restaurant on Tuesday night with Jeff’s blessing, Presley insisted we stop at Target and buy a second set of all my toiletries to keep here. Then we went to my condo and packed a bag.
Tripp, not missing his chance to give me shit, sat on my bed with Presley and harassed me endlessly. When he figured out I wasn’t taking his bait, he started in on her, trying to convince her he was a much better choice.
That got my attention.
On our way out, I let him know he’d be joining me at the gym this weekend. Tripp’s a fit guy, built lean and muscular, but he’s no match for Robbie and me on weights. Last time we put him through our routine, he limped for a week.
I smile at the thought as I get dressed and join the girls in the kitchen. Presley hands me a cup of coffee and sits down across the table from a very pouty little girl.
“Why the sad face?”
“Aunt Presley said she’s taking down our fort today. It’s the best fort ever made, and she’s going to destroy it!” Her little lips start to tremble as tears fall down her cheeks.
A part of me surges with pride at her apparent pride in our creation, and another part of me starts to panic at her impending emotional outburst. I look at Presley for help, but she’s biting her lip, trying to hide her grin, giving me no help at all. When she finally looks at me, her eyes are dancing with humor.
“My little drama queen doesn’t understand that today is cleaning day, and in order to properly vacuum and dust the living room, all the mess has to be cleaned up.”
“It’s not a mess. It’s a masterpiece!” Winnie argues, her voice cracking.
“Hey, hey, hey… no need for tears. We’ll make another one.”
She swings her head to me with a look of surprise. “We will?”
“Absolutely. Last night was nothing compared to what we can really do. Next time, we can extend it all the way to the wall and bring the TV inside. It’ll be like your own personal movie theatre.”