“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.
Chapter 13
Finn
Move 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.