She grabbed my arm and softly replied, “Finn.”
My mind raced for another hour before I finally settled it and drifted off to sleep, with Rory safely in my arms.
—
My eyes snapped open, and I was greeted with the most stunning blue eyes staring at me.
“Good morning, baby.”
With a smile, she leaned in and kissed my lips. “Do you have any idea how cute you are when you’re sleeping?”
Pinching my brows, I asked, “Cute? You describe Flash as being cute. Not the man who made passionate love to you last night in a tent.”
With a giggle, she nodded. “That’s true. How about if I say handsome?”
“Handsome I’ll take. Cute not so much.”
Her smile grew bigger. Leaning closer to her, I kissed her. “Morning breath,” she mumbled against my lips.
Rolling her onto her back, I pressed my cock to her entrance, then slowly slipped inside of her. She moaned when I kissed her again. Her hands laced through my hair and her legs wrapped tightly around my waist. Arching her back, she took me in deeper. The feel of being inside of Rory was one I would never get used to. It was like a drug. The more I experienced it, the more I had to have it.
We reached our orgasms together, silently whispering each other’s name. Every time with her felt like the first time.
Once I stopped moving, I leaned my forehead against hers. “My new favorite place to be is inside of you.”
Her eyes glassed over with tears. “That’s my favorite place for you to be too.”
With a smile, she asked, “You didn’t happen to stash me a change of clothes, did you?”
“I did. I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I brought everything you had at my place.” I winked and slowly pulled out of her. Reaching for a towel, I quickly cleaned myself and then gently took care of her.
She laughed and leaned up on her elbows. “Finn, last night was one of the most magical nights of my life. Nothing will ever top it.”
“Hell, I hope that’s not true. I have a few things up my sleeve yet.”
Her smile faded for a quick second before she wiggled her eyebrows. “Will they involve me starting off my morning like I did this one?”
Slipping a pair of jeans on, I crawled onto the mattress. It caved in a little, so I made a note to myself to fill it up with more air. “You better believe they will, Éan. Now come on, get dressed—we’re late for breakfast.”
With a quick kiss on her lips, I jumped off the bed and handed her the small bag I had packed and given to Wes to bring.
She climbed off the bed, the whole time smiling the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. It looked like her skin was glowing.
I pulled a T-shirt over my head and looked for the pump to fill up the mattress.
When I glanced over my shoulder, my dick jumped as I watched Rory slip into her jeans—no panties at all—and pull them over that perfect ass of hers. “I hope we’re not planning on doing any hiking.”
“Why’s that?” I asked while I finished off filling up the mattress. Turning to face her, I saw her attempting to hide a grin.
“You didn’t pack me any shoes.”
I was puzzled. “Shoes?”
Rory busted out laughing as she reached down and held up the heels she had worn last night. “This is all I have! I don’t have any other shoes.”
My heart dropped. “Fuck me.”
Her teeth sunk into her lip. “I’m up for that again!”
She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but lost the battle. I let out a string of curse words. “I can’t believe I forgot fucking shoes!”
“Well, at least you remembered my toothbrush!”
“What size do you wear?”
With a shrug, she replied, “Seven, seven and a half. Depends on the shoe.”
“Perfect! Angie wears a seven and a half.”
She let out a small scream and clapped her hands. I felt my chest squeeze a little. Damn, I love this girl.
Walking up to her, I turned and glanced back over my shoulder. “Hop on.”
Her brows lifted. “Come again?”
“Jump on. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”
“Where to?” she asked with a chuckle.
“The house.”
A look of horror spread over her face. “How close are we to your parents’ house?” Her hands slammed against her mouth. “Oh. My. God. They’re going to know we had sex!”
I stared at her with a look of disbelief. “Um, I’m pretty sure my parents know we’re doing the deed.”
She slapped my chest, then quickly wrapped her hair around and twisted a piece of something in some magical way that kept it up in a ponytail. “I haven’t even brushed my teeth! Or washed my face! You want me to just wander up to your parents’ house on your back…with no shoes?”
With a shrug, I answered, “Yeah. What’s the problem?”
She glared at me for a good minute before she burst out in a laughing fit. I had no idea what was so damn funny. All I knew was I loved the sound of Rory’s laughter and the way it rushed over my body and settled right in the middle of my heart.
It didn’t take long for me to start laughing right along with her, until I finally asked, “Why are we laughing?”
Wiping her tears away, she shook her head slightly. She placed her hands on my chest and grabbed my T-shirt. “Finn Ward, I need you to know I’ve never loved like this before. And it’s not just me loving you. It’s the way you’ve made me love life. The stolen moments that only the two of us will ever know about. The memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
I lifted my hand and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “We’re going to make so many more memories, Éan.”
Her eyes searched my face, and she swallowed hard. “I love you, Finn. Thank you for bringing me to life.”
My heart dropped in my chest as I gazed into the eyes of the only woman I’d ever loved. The only woman I would ever love. Cupping her face in my hands, I softly brushed my lips against hers. “You’re my whole world, Rory.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. I gently kissed it away and drew her in closer to me. Lifting her chin so that our mouths met. “My everything.”
Chapter 39
Rory
Breakfast with the family
The beat of my heart was pounding in my ears so loudly I could hardly hear myself think. The second his lips touched mine, I attempted to sear the moment into my memory. Finn’s whispered words caused my heart to soar and ache at the same time. I wanted desperately to tell him what my father had said, how he’d used Finn’s career as a bargaining tool for me to give him up. But I knew that if I told Finn, he would simply walk away from being a firefighter. And I knew that that was something I wouldn’t be able to live with.
“Damn, I love your kisses,” Finn said as he gazed into my eyes.
“I love yours.”
He winked and turned around again. “Jump on—I’m starving!”
I hopped onto his back and ducked when he slipped out of the large tent.
“Oh wow!” I gasped as I took in the site around me. “It’s beautiful here.”
“It wasn’t a bad place to grow up, that’s for sure.”
“I wish I could remember when we were little. My mother said you had a crush on me.”
Finn tickled my foot, and I let out a scream. “I had the crush? I’m pretty sure it was the other way around.”
Leaning in closer, I placed my mouth near his ear. “Aren’t you the one who declared to my father you were going to marry me?”
With a laugh, Finn nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But hey, I was a smart kid. Knew something special when I saw it.”
My stomach dropped and I held on to him a little tighter. How am I ever going to be able to let him go?
The sound of a dog barking caught my attention. “Flash!” I cried out when I saw the Dalmatian running toward us.
“No!” Finn shou
ted. “Flash! No!”
Before I knew what was happening, I was on the ground and Flash was licking me like he hadn’t seen me in weeks. “I take it my father said you can keep taking Flash home with you?” I asked, laughing.
“Well, he hasn’t told me to stop yet.”
Finn pulled Flash off me, reached down, and picked me up. Our eyes met. My chest ached as I saw the concern in his. “Are you hurt?” he asked worriedly?
Yes. But not in the way you think.
“No, I’m okay.”
The tenderness in his voice was unmistakable. He loved me, and I knew deep in my heart Finn would never hurt me like my father insisted he would.
I almost blurted out for Finn to run away with me. We could go live on an island somewhere, just the two of us.
Together.
Forever.
“Let’s get some breakfast, baby.”
Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he walked toward the house. Flash was barking and running back and forth, too excited to hold it in.
“He loves it here,” I said.
Finn let out a loud laugh. “Hell yeah he does. He has room to run and isn’t locked up in a crate. Bastard hasn’t done one thing to the house. Nothing.”
With a giggle, I leaned my head into him. “I could get used to you carrying me everywhere. I may have to forget my shoes all the time.”
“I don’t need an excuse to hold you in my arms.”
Thud. There went my heart. I was convinced only Finn would ever make me feel so loved and cherished. Like I was his entire world.
“They have emerged from their lovers’ quarters.”
My cheeks instantly heated.
“Rory, you remember my older pain-in-the-ass brother Wes.”
With a smile, I nodded and held my left hand out while still hanging on to Finn’s neck. “It’s great seeing you again, Wes. Thank you so much for doing everything with the…um…tent.”
Wes threw his head back and laughed, then motioned for us to follow him into the house.
The moment Finn walked up onto the porch, the front door flew open. “Rory!”
Finn’s mother, Jenn, came rushing over to us. Then she stopped on a dime.
“Are you hurt? Did that dog knock you over? Where are your shoes?”
Setting me down, Finn walked up to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before drawing her in for a hug.
“Mom, catch your breath, will you? I forgot to pack her shoes, yes the damn dog knocked us over, but no one is hurt.”
Jenn wore a wide grin as she kissed Finn back, pushed him out of the way, and walked up to me. Taking my hands in hers, she slowly shook her head. “My goodness. I still can’t get over how beautiful you’ve grown up to be, Rory.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ward.”
“There will be none of that ‘Mrs. Ward’ crap! I told you to call me Jenn,” she said as she waved her hand about. “Now, let’s get you some breakfast. I’m sure you worked up an appetite.”
“Mom!” Finn said as I stared at her with a horrified expression.
“What? All that dancing last night at the gala? Then making the poor girl sleep in a tent? She probably didn’t get a wink of sleep.”
Jenn turned and headed into the house as I covered my mouth to contain my laughter. Wes chuckled and hit Finn on the back while tossing me a wink. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
—
Breakfast was a mix of chaos and pure fun. Wes talked about his life in New York City. I was pretty sure I was the only who caught the sadness in his eyes. He even hinted at moving back to Boston, at which Jenn perked up, though she didn’t push the matter. I honestly couldn’t imagine having parents who weren’t pushy or in my business every second of the day.
“What’s it like being a lawyer, Rory?” Mike asked as he took a drink of coffee.
I shrugged. “Long hours and lots of research and questioning.”
Mike lifted his brow and gave me a discerning look. “You don’t like being a lawyer?”
“I do.” My eyes drifted across the room to Finn. “At one point in my life I wanted to do something different, but that all changed when I decided to pursue law. I committed to becoming an attorney and went after it a hundred and ten percent.”
“You sound like your mother,” Jenn stated as she sat down on the armrest of the chair Mike was sitting in.
With a warm smile, I replied, “That’s a compliment….Thank you.”
Angie walked up to me with a huge smile on her face as she handed me a pair of sneakers. “You’re lucky we’re the same shoe size!”
With a light chuckle, I took the sneakers and thanked her. “You have no idea how much you’ve saved my feet.”
She waved me off. “It’s nothing. Now that I know we’re the same shoe size, though, I may be raiding your closet.”
I quickly pulled on the socks she’d given me, followed by the sneakers, all the while trying to keep a fake smile on my face. “Anytime. You’re more than welcome to any of my shoes. I will warn you, though: I have a bit of an obsession with them.”
Angie smiled. “We just became besties. Seriously.”
My chest pained, knowing that unless I came up with a plan to get around my father’s ultimatum, this would probably be the last time I’d ever see Angie. If I break her brother’s heart, she won’t want anything to do with me.
The door flew open and Preston came dashing in. “Make sure you tell Harmony she’s beautiful!”
Everyone looked around the room, confused. “What in the hell are you talking about?” Wes asked right as an exhausted Harmony came walking through the door holding Presley.
Jenn jumped up and immediately took the baby from her. “My little angel is here. Harmony darling, you’re looking rather beautiful this morning.”
Harmony flashed Preston a death glare, and I couldn’t help but try to cover my smile with my hand.
Preston shrugged as if he had no idea where that had come from.
“Hey, Harmony! Look who’s here,” Angie said, walking over to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
Harmony’s eyes lit up. “Rory!”
Again, the guilt hit me like a brick wall. Fake-grinning, I replied, “It’s great seeing you, Harmony.”
She walked up to Angie and me and took our hands, then dragged us to the front door. “We need to talk.”
My heart rate increased as I glanced back at Finn, who stood there with a goofy smile on his face.
Once we got to the front porch, Harmony took off down the path. Angie followed, so I did as well.
“Harmony? Is everything okay?” I asked.
She spun around and walked backward. “I needed a break and some one-on-one with women!”
Angie and I chuckled. “Where are we going?”
“To the swings!” Harmony said with a little bit more pep in her step. We didn’t have to walk far before we came up to a set of swings. Harmony sat down and pushed off, dropping her head back and letting the sun shine on her face. The way she was smiling made me grin.
I took the middle swing. “That’s a big smile,” I said as I swung back and forth.
“I’m exhausted. Presley has colic. Preston is always at the pub. But I’m happy as hell. Well, I could use more sex.”
“Gross. Okay, that’s way too much information, Harmony,” Angie said while making a gagging sound.
Harmony groaned. “It’s true. I need a night with my husband.”
“Finn and I can watch Presley tonight if you guys want to go out,” I said.
Angie jumped up. “But you’re camping, Rory!”
“Camping?” Harmony asked with a confused expression.
“Finn had Wes set up a tent yesterday. We stayed in there last night. It was beautiful, and so romantic. I think he has some hiking or something planned for today.”
With a dreamy look on her face, Harmony sighed. “How romantic. I tell ya what: Your mom did an amazing job with these Ward brot
hers of yours, Angie.”
Angie kicked up her feet and dropped her body back, swinging higher. “Tell me about it. I compare every guy I date to my brothers. Then I see them do romantic shit like what Finn did with the whole camping thing and I just think I’m screwed unless I want to date Wes.”
The three of us started laughing as I pushed off and swung a little. My heart was so conflicted. In a way, I needed to tell someone what had happened with my parents last night, but at the same time, I couldn’t risk Harmony or Angie telling Finn.
“Okay, ladies,” Angie said suddenly, “I actually have to run. I’m meeting a friend in Boston and helping her look for a wedding gown.”
“How fun!” I said.
Angie frowned. “Not really. Once my mother finds out where I’m going she’ll be all over me with questions on why I haven’t settled down yet.”
Harmony stood and walked over to her. Taking Angie’s hands in hers, she smiled and lifted her brows as she talked. “You’re still so young. Don’t worry about settling down. Finish school, get your degree, and have a little bit of fun. Trust me.”
I couldn’t help but notice the sadness that clouded Angie’s face.
“It’s all good. I’ve got to run or the bride will be freaking out. You guys have some girl time. I’ll let Preston and Finn know where you are.”
“Bye, Angie. Have fun!” I called out as she started back toward the house.
Harmony turned and faced me. Her hands went to her hips while her head tilted some.
“Why are you staring at me with a mom look on your face?” I asked, chuckling.
She folded her arms and lifted one brow. “Spill it.”
Chapter 40
Rory
Making memories before saying goodbye
Swallowing hard, I half smiled. “What do you mean?”
Harmony slowly nodded her head and took a few steps closer to me. Her expression hardened. “Don’t play coy with me, Rory. Something is not right. I’m the queen of hiding emotions and pretending like everything is okay.”
I stopped the swing. “Everything is fine.”
My heart pounded so hard against my chest I was sure she could hear it. “Your eyes are bloodshot, and I know it’s not because Finn kept you up all night in that tent. You’ve been crying. You offered to watch Presley instead of spending another romantic night alone with Finn, and I can only guess that’s because you’re afraid to be alone with him for some reason. Your smiles have all been forced and you are a terrible liar. By the way, that might hurt your career as a lawyer.”