Her breath caught. He did not just say that. No, she wouldn’t make him choose. She couldn’t. She was too afraid of what his choice would actually be.
Her expression blanked. “You better go.”
“Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not.” I’m afraid this is the last time I’ll look at you and be able to call you my boyfriend.
He kissed her and she pulled away too soon. After he left, she stood by the window and listened as his truck roared to life. Her throat tightened as she watched his taillights fade down the dark road—on the way back to his ex.
* * * *
Finn found Erin’s car on the shoulder just after the exit out of town. The road was dark and the glass was foggy from her waiting inside. He pulled up behind her and grabbed the tools out of the back of the truck. As soon as he fixed her car he needed to have a talk with her about calling someone else the next time something like this happened.
It wasn’t fair for him to upset Mallory, but what else could he have done? He couldn’t leave Erin stranded. He walked to the front of the car and banged on the hood. “Pop the hood.”
The latch under the hood released followed by the soft pinging of the driver door opening.
“You should stay in the car,” he called as he lifted the hood and turned on his flashlight. She, of course, ignored him.
“I don’t know what happened. It just made this horrible noise and stopped.”
He shined his light over all the major things that usually went wrong, but everything looked tight. “It just stopped? How did you get over to the shoulder?”
“Well, it sputtered, like.” She stepped closer and he smelled her perfume. He preferred Mallory’s perfume and found Erin’s to be the type to give him a headache. “I really appreciate you coming to help me. I hope I didn’t interrupt your night. Were you doing anything?”
“No. It’s fine. Why don’t you try to start it?”
“You’re always so wonderful, coming to my rescue and driving me when I need a hand.”
He turned and felt his brows lower. He wasn’t buying this sweet act. “You really need to start calling someone else for this kind of thing. Either that or get some roadside assistance.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was scared and I knew I could count on you.” Her hand landed on his where it rested on the car.
He glanced down at her manicured fingers. “Go start the car, Erin.”
She looked at him for a long moment then nodded. She seemed to take a long while getting the key in the ignition. When the engine turned over it purred like a kitten and he cursed.
“Son of a bitch.” He slammed the hood. “Sounds fine to me.”
She left the car running and got out again. That was when he noticed her outfit. She was wearing the jean skirt he used to like her in and a cropped little top. It was too cold for an outfit like that.
“I don’t know what happened. Maybe we should just wait here a few minutes and let it run. You know, to make sure it doesn’t shut off again.”
He doubted it would. “Do you think I’m an idiot, Erin?”
“What? Of course not. Finn, I swear, it just stopped.”
“Yeah, cars do that when you take the keys out. Do me a favor and play your games with someone else.”
She scoffed. “Because you’re too busy to help your friends now?”
“That’s the thing, Erin. We aren’t friends. Friends don’t trick each other to play games and cry wolf. Did it ever cross your mind that I might have been in the middle of something when you called?”
She laughed dryly. “Yeah. Maybe I thought I was rescuing you.”
He scowled at her. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, come on, Finn, everybody is talking about it. Do you really think a girl like that is going to compare to a girl like me?”
He stepped back. Never before had he had the urge to hit a woman. “No, I don’t think there’s any comparison. Mallory is nice and sweet and honest and doesn’t have a nasty bone in her body. You on the other hand…”
“She’s fat, Finnegan!”
He grit his teeth and gave her a look of absolute disgust. “You can call her whatever you want. Your opinions don’t matter. But for the record—regardless of whatever label you throw at her—I find her way more beautiful than you. It’s not always about the package, Erin. Maybe you should look at your reflection from time to time and figure out when your personality turned ugly. You used to be sweet.” He turned and marched back to his truck.
“Asshole! Just wait, Finn. You’ll see. You’ll be back!”
He left her there and drove the long way home, needing the time to cool off.
* * * *
When Mallory’s phone rang around ten-thirty that night she was surprised and relieved, but before she answered it those emotions were replaced with darker ones. Was this it? Was he calling to break up with her?
She answered the call. “Hello?”
“I’m sorry. You were right. I shouldn’t have gone.”
Her stomach knotted with fear. “What happened?”
“Let’s just say I made it clear from now on she needs to call someone else if there’s an emergency.”
She lowered herself to her bed. She’d been pacing her room since he left. “Are you just getting home now?”
“No. I’ve been home for about an hour. I went for a drive. I needed to think. I’m really sorry if I upset you.”
She smiled sadly. He had upset her, but she mostly upset herself. She needed to stop being so insecure and give Finn the trust he deserved. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. It was that she didn’t trust his ex. “I’m sorry too. I was awful tonight. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
“Well, we all have bad days. Listen, if you want me to take your car over to the mechanic’s tomorrow to have their dent guy look at it, I can swing by the school on my lunch, probably have it back before you’re done for the day.”
She was a terrible person. “Yeah, about that…”
“What?”
“Um, my car’s fine. There’s no dent.”
“Then why did you say—”
“I lied.” The line became silent. “I didn’t mean to, I just didn’t want to explain what really happened. I was embarrassed.”
He didn’t sound happy, but he asked anyway. “What really happened, Mallory? I gotta tell you, I’m getting a little tired of being lied to by women today.”
His comment stung. She wasn’t a liar. She hadn’t meant to make up a story, but her self-preservation took over. “When I was at the market I ran into your ex.”
“Erin? You saw Erin?”
“Yes. She wasn’t nice to me. She said some really mean stuff and I left right afterward. I was so upset I came home and just sat here.”
“What did she say?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Mallory—”
“No, Finn. It hurt and I can’t say her accusations weren’t true. I just want to forget about her.”
He cursed under his breath. “I don’t know what’s going on with her lately, but she isn’t someone you should put a lot of stock in. I’m sorry she was mean to you, but next time, please, just tell me if something like this happens. If I’d known that earlier, there would’ve be no way I would’ve helped her.”
She didn’t know if that was necessarily true and there was no way he could know that either. “Let’s not talk about her anymore.”
“That sounds like a good idea. How about tomorrow I come to your place and I make you dinner?”
The rest of their conversation was nice and had nothing to do with miserable exes or hurt feelings. By the time she hung up with him, it was almost midnight. She’d barely slept the night before and needed her rest.
* * * *
The following morning, Mallory stared at the scale and scowled. She’d gained a pound. It was stupid to care about one silly pound, but she did. There were always days t
hat her weight fluctuated. She was due to get her period that week, and that was likely the cause. Nevertheless, she had only six more pounds to go until she reached her first goal.
September was almost over and before she knew it, it would be Thanksgiving. If she kept at it, she might even be able to lose forty pounds by then. What would that look like?
That day at work, she had a visitor in the office. Samantha McCullough popped in and surprised her by inviting her and Finn to dinner.
“Colin and I would love to have you two over. We could play a game or something along those lines. Maybe this weekend?”
“Sure. I mean, I’ll have to talk to Finn, but that sounds great.”
Samantha gave her a wide smile and nodded happily. “Great. I’ll tell Colin to call his brother and set it up. Let them handle the details.”
That night she told Finn about the invitation to have dinner with his brother and sister-in-law. Finn laughed and she felt like she was missing something.
“What’s so funny?”
“This. They think they’re so slick sending Samantha in to do their dirty work.”
“I don’t understand.”
He tossed some sliced peppers into the pan with the shrimp. “It won’t be dinner with just the four of us.”
“I know. Tallulah will be there too. I want to meet their daughter.”
He sighed. “They’ll all be there. First my parents will hear about it, then my sister, she’ll tell my brothers, and soon they’ll all be there.”
“But Sam made it sound like it would just be a quiet night with the four of us.”
“Where there’re McCulloughs, there is no quiet. You should remember that.”
“But I already met most of them.”
“You haven’t really met Kate and her brood yet. She’s the overprotective older sister. There’s no way she’d miss this.”
“You say that like it’s a science fair.”
“That’s because they’ll all be judging you.”
She shrunk back. “Maybe I’ll tell Sam we can’t make it.”
“Too late. She’ll guilt you. She’s a McCullough by injection and a fast learner. We’re going. Might as well suck it up and deal with it.”
The following Friday, they pulled up outside of Samantha and Colin’s home. It was a sweet house with green siding and black shutters. Candles burned in each window. She would have noticed the yard or perhaps any gardens they had, if not for the dozen cars crowding every free space of ground.
Finn shut off the car and she sucked in a breath. “You okay, champ?” he asked as she gripped her knees.
She shook her head. She didn’t feel like being inspected and judged. “Yes.”
He laughed. “Your mouth says yes, but your head says no.”
She continued to shake her head. “I’m okay.”
He patted her knee. “Come on. They’re all probably watching you from the window anyway. Let’s get this over with.”
He came around to her door and helped her out of the truck. Her steps were slow. Before they even crossed the first porch step the door swung open and Colin stepped out. He held up his hands and said, “I had nothing to do with this.”
Finn chuckled. “Possession is nine tenths of the law, Colin. You’re housing them.”
“I was told we were going to play cards and eat. Sammy never said anything about the rest of them showing up.”
The door opened and they all turned to see a little boy step onto the porch. “Uncle Colin, Tallulah stinks. Aunt Sam said to find you and tell you to handle it.”
Colin sighed and followed the boy inside.
Finn faced Mallory. “Ready?”
She sucked in a breath and huffed it out, steeling herself for what lay ahead. “As I’ll ever be.”
They entered the house and it was like a scene from Vietnam. Kids raced around the banister yelling, adult voices carried from the kitchen, each person shouting over the next, and in the den—the foxhole—were the men, each one quiet as though waiting out an attack. Finn took her hand and pulled her toward the den.
“Hey,” he greeted.
Luke, his twin, quickly put his finger to his mouth. “Shh. Get in here and be quiet. If they know you’re here they’ll infiltrate our base.”
Apparently she wasn’t the only one that felt like she’d just walked into a warzone. Finn headed to the recliner in the far corner and pulled her onto his lap. She awkwardly rested her hip on the wide arm of the chair so as not to crush him.
Kelly tipped his beer to her in greeting. “What’s up, Philly?”
“Hi, Kelly.”
A football game was on the television so his attention was split. He eyed the TV and asked, “You ready for this? It’s a whole different game now that they know you and Finn are a couple.”
“Game?”
“They’re gonna interrogate you,” Colin said.
“They?”
“The women,” all the men said at once.
She remained silent. What would they want to know? She wasn’t all that interesting.
A woman she didn’t recognize went to the front door. “Where are they?” she said, directing her voice to the kitchen.
“Here it comes,” Frank, Finn’s dad, said. He may have shivered.
“So much for the second quarter,” Luke mumbled as he aimed the remote at the television and turned up the volume.
The woman at the front door squinted and leaned farther toward the glass. “Wait a minute. Isn’t that Finn’s truck?” Her gaze shot to the den and Mallory felt the moment she was spotted. “They’re here!”
Like a Black Friday rush, the women poured out of the kitchen and converged on the foxhole. Voices carried to the point she couldn’t understand a single word being said, and every man seemed to wince and hunch into their chair.
Her nails dug into Finnegan’s legs. If he left her side she’d straight up kill him. Who were all these women?
Maureen McCullough bustled to the front of the line and squeezed her cheeks. It was like having her face closed in a bus door. “There you are, loves! Why didn’t you tell us you were here?”
She placed a smacking kiss on Finn’s cheek and grabbed Mallory’s hand, tugging her up.
Oh no! Her grip on Finn was cut off.
“Everyone,” Maureen said, turning her and gripping her shoulders. “This is Mallory, Finnegan’s girlfriend!”
Mallory winced and as all the women shouted their hello. There was an older woman with bottled black hair and bright red lips. She must have been in her seventies. She seemed to be giving Mallory the stink eye under her dark, penciled on brows.
Then there were two women about Maureen’s age. One was holding a toddler on her hip. Sheilagh was in the back rolling her eyes. Beside her was the girl who had spotted Finn’s truck. She stepped forward.
“Hi. I’m Kate, Finn’s older sister. I saw you at breakfast a while back, but we were never introduced.”
“Hi,” Mallory said, a little shell-shocked.
The only person she didn’t see was Samantha. Oh, you just wait until I find you, Samantha McCullough. Quiet dinner and cards my ass!
She was dragged into the kitchen. Glancing over her shoulder, she shot Finn a look of sheer terror and mouthed Help!
His brows creased with sympathy and he mouthed love you.
* * * *
Finn chuckled as Mallory disappeared. “Kelly, toss me a beer. I know you have a hidden stock in here.” As his gaze drifted from the door to his brother and he stilled. They were all gaping at him. “What?”
His dad cleared his throat and shifted. His uncle turned to the television and asked what the score was. Kelly, Tristan, Colin, and Luke continued to stare.
“So…,” Colin started. “I guess the decade of Erin is over.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. And I’d prefer if we didn’t mention her name, around Mallory, or otherwise.”
Kelly snickered and tipped back his beer.
“What
’s so damn funny, Kelly?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yup.”
Finn glanced at Luke and Tristan. His twin held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. To each his own.”
What the hell were they talking about? Was this about Mallory? He didn’t understand what just happened. “Somebody better tell me what the problem is. I won’t put up with anyone—”
His dad coughed. “I think, Finnegan, we are all just a little surprised to see you tell the girl you love her.”
He gazed at the group of them. Each man nodded in turn. Had he said that? Yes, he’d mouthed it to her before she was dragged away like a sacrificial lamb. Finn shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “So?”
Every man mumbled something, acting like it wasn’t a big deal, when clearly it was. Luke shot him a sideways glance, his brow arching.
Finn huffed and got up to grab a beer from the cooler by the couch. He cracked it open and sipped. Plopping back in the recliner he informed them, “She’s awesome.”
“No one said she wasn’t,” Kelly commented. “But we know how you are.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Finn asked.
“I think we just all think it’s a little fast. I mean, you and Erin just broke up,” Colin said, playing the diplomat.
“And it isn’t the first time you and Erin have called it quits,” Luke added.
He was getting tired of hearing his ex’s name. “Well, this time was for good. Even if I didn’t have Mallory, I wouldn’t go back to Erin. I’m done with her.”
“Good,” all three of his brothers said at once.
Then Kelly pulled out a ten and put it on the coffee table. “I call within a year.”
Luke pulled out a ten. “My money’s on six months.”
Colin placed a five and five ones on the table. “By Christmas.”
They were either betting on how long he and Mallory would last—which really pissed him off—or on how long until—