Curious (The Finn Factor 1)

“Oh yeah?” What? Always listen to your first instincts? Don’t sleep with men who aren’t gay? Never kiss in public because all phones have cameras?

“Secrets rarely stay secret for long, so you may as well be honest from the start,” Seamus said. “And love is a blessing, no matter what form it takes.”

Jeremy looked at him and sighed. “Wise words. No wonder women keep leaving children on your doorstep.”

Seamus chuckled at the familiar line. “Father of the year, that’s me. I had a good teacher.”

“I didn’t.”

Seamus studied him. “No, you didn’t. But you’re still one of the better men I know. And if you’re as smart as we all know you are, you won’t give in to defeat and despair so easily. I don’t think things are as dark as they might seem.”

With Owen? “I think you might be wrong about that one.”

“Both my brothers are good men, Jeremy. Good talkers as a rule, except when it comes to their feelings. It doesn’t mean they don’t have them.”

Did he think there was still a chance? And was Seamus Finn giving Jeremy his approval to date his previously straight brother?

Seamus suddenly smiled. “You brood too much. Don’t go Van Gogh on us, Porter. You draw comics, not sunflowers. Just come and have breakfast and smile at my mother so she knows she can leave.”

Feeling better but still afraid to hope, Jeremy stood. “Yes, sir.”

As they walked slowly back toward his house, Seamus glanced at him curiously. “Speaking of secrets, did you know about Stephen and Natasha?”

“Never had a clue.” And he should have.

Seamus whistled. “That is a long damn time to keep something like that from us. Kind of blows my advice all to hell, doesn’t it?”

“You didn’t know either?”

Shaking his head, Seamus said, “Just because we’re twins doesn’t mean we’re connected at the hip, and we must have been standing in the other line when they were handing out psychic bonds. Stephen plays things pretty close to the vest—the stronger he feels, the less you know.” He shrugged. “I’m more upset with myself to be honest. Apparently, I’m the only Finn brother not doing something exciting or scandalous enough to lie about. How sad is that?”

Jeremy’s smile was rueful. “There’s always tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow I’ll still have four kids, a family business and a life full of to-do lists. Doesn’t exactly leave a lot of time for bad behavior.”

“You’re a Finn. You’ll find a way.”

And Jeremy would have a lot of free time on his hands now that needed to be filled. Maybe he could babysit.

Chapter Twelve

The sound of a crash from another room woke Jeremy from a restless sleep. Everyone had gone home hours ago, so he jolted out of bed, instantly alert. If someone had picked tonight of all nights to break into his damn house, whoever it was would be sorry. He was eager to hit something. Someone. All he needed was the right excuse.

He walked silently down the dark hall, listening.

Somebody was in his office. Swearing.

Recognizing the voice, Jeremy ground his teeth together. He leaned on the doorjamb and flipped the wall switch, blinking against the bright light that flooded the room. A familiar figure knelt on the floor beside his drafting table, trying to pick up the shards of what used to be a porcelain collectible of one of his comic book characters.

“You broke my demon.”

Owen looked up and winced. “Hell, I’m sorry. I’m not as light on my feet as I used to be.”

Jeremy looked at the open window and shook his head. “You climbed in through my window?”

“You bolted the door.” Owen stood and placed the shards on the table, brushing off his hands. “It’s the strangest thing. My key doesn’t work when you bolt the door. But since I know you always forget to lock this window I… Yeah. I guess I should have knocked.”

“Yes.” Jeremy wanted to be glad to see him, but it hurt too much. “You missed your family. All of them. Tasha too.”

Suddenly thirsty, he turned and headed for the kitchen.

Owen followed. “I know I did. There were a few things I had to do first and I figured you’d have so much company you wouldn’t notice. Then the day got away from me. I heard Jen spent the night, though. Thank you for that. I think she needed to step away from everything for a while.”

Jeremy got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, taking a deep, much-needed drink before he spoke again. “Why are you here, Finn? It’s late.”

Owen’s expression changed from apology to surprise, then it hardened. “What do you mean, why am I here? I’m staying here. I have a key, remember?”

“Don’t play this game, Owen. If you wanted to slip in while I was asleep to grab your things, I get that. I won’t stop you.”