Chapter 27
Millie
There might not be anything hotter than two tall, handsome men hunched over the sink together, hand-washing the dinner dishes.
I shamelessly watch them from the doorway as Finn hands Theo a pan to dry.
Finn seems to have recovered from whatever put him in a terrible mood when Theo arrived. Now he’s answering questions about
the logistics of the planetarium like they’ve been friends forever.
Walking toward the sink, I loop my hand into the crook of Finn’s arm. “I have a little surprise to show you after the girls
go to bed.” I catch Theo’s eyes behind Finn’s back, and he winks at me. “My mom said she would listen for the girls in case
they wake up.”
“Surprise, huh?” He hands a clean plate to Theo. “Should I be scared?”
“I promise you’ll like it. No spiders involved.”
He shoots me a playful glare. “Okay. I’m in.”
I let go of Finn’s arm and find Tessa at the table sliding the Catan game board pieces into place. “Who’s playing?” I ask.
“Fable, me, you, Finn, and maybe Theo, if Fable lets him.” Tessa grins conspiratorially. My poor little sister’s been hiding
in her room, avoiding the man since Eva went home after dinner.
My dad yawns from the couch where he’s sitting with Avery and Eloise on either side of him while Mom reads the girls a book. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, watching the two of them live out their grandparent dreams. They’ve doted on the girls all day, catering to their every need and want. My mom even let them blow out the candles on her birthday cake.
“Think Finn wants to play?” Tessa asks, setting the bags of pieces around the table.
“He definitely does,” I tell her, peeking over my shoulder to make sure he can’t hear me. “But he’s really good. So we need
a plan.”
***
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Finn says, eyebrows puckered as he scans the game board. “One, two, three different people could’ve
blocked you from getting the points for the longest road and didn’t. It’s almost like they wanted you to win.” He studies
me suspiciously.
“I kicked your ass, Spock,” I brag, taking a victory lap of high fives around the table. “You’re just jealous.”
His eyes narrow as I drop back into my spot, and Tessa and Fable snicker. Did I ask everyone to secretly gang up on Finn with
me? Absolutely. Was it worth it? One hundred percent.
I shrug, grinning at his pinched expression. He’s so cute when he’s worked up over a board game. “I’ve dethroned the king
of Catan.”
He shakes his head. “Does it still feel like a victory if you had to steal it?”
“Heck yeah. That look of grumpy confusion on your face makes it all worth it.”
Finn reaches for my waist, but I manage to escape my chair just in time. I sneak to the living room to check on the girls and find them sleeping on either side of my dad, his snores so loud between them that I don’t know how they can stay asleep through it.
After walking back to the table, I lean over Finn’s shoulder. “Want to help me get the girls upstairs? Then we can go to your
surprise.”
I guess he forgives me for the Catan win because he says, “Sounds good.”
We trudge up the stairs to my childhood bedroom, each of us carrying a sleeping child. The walls are still bright yellow from
the time I read that yellow rooms make people happy and convinced my dad to help me repaint it. I had painted it poppy red
the year before, so he wasn’t pleased with the sharp turn in an entirely different direction, but he worked on it for two
straight days anyway.
The dim fairy lights hanging from the ceiling greet us as we deposit the girls onto the air mattress my mom set up for them.
Finn gets the bed I slept in as a teenager, complete with sunflower sheets.
When Eloise is tucked into her spot, I stand to find Finn scanning my wall of books.
“No judging my book choices,” I tell him.
His eyes snap to mine. “ Twilight ?” he questions, brows almost to his hairline.
“Of course I have Twilight ,” I whisper-yell, crossing my arms.
“Team Edward or Jacob?”
Never in my life would I have guessed that Dr. Finn Ashford knew even an ounce of information about Twilight . “Team Edward, but I have a very special place in my heart for Jacob.”
“You think sneaking into a girl’s room to watch her sleep is okay?”
“Maybe I do, given the right circumstances. Like, is he a sexy vampire? Then, yes. Does he sparkle? Then, yes.” I turn on
my heel and walk out the door.
“I didn’t take you for a girl who likes stalkers,” he says, following close behind me and pinching my hip lightly.
“I didn’t take you for a guy who knew anything about Twilight , but I guess we all have our secrets.”
***
“It’s just up here,” I assure Finn as Dad’s old truck climbs up the steep hill on my parents’ property. He has a death grip
on the passenger door handle, with his other hand clasped around my thigh. “The view is worth it. I promise.”
At the top of the next hill, I stop the truck right before the flat, grassy overlook and turn it off. Finn helps me spread
out a striped blanket, and I take off my sandals and lie down on it. The grass is long enough to push the fabric up, so it
feels like a cushion under the cloth. I pat the spot next to me, and Finn slips off his shoes to lie down.
Our pinkies loop together on the blanket as we both take in the view. A clearing in the trees up here grants us a good bit
of sky to see the stars. Away from the city, they shine so much brighter, and I spent many nights watching them from this
spot as a teenager.
“You’re happy in Fern River,” Finn says, turning his head toward me.
“I love it here.”
A long, weighted sigh leaves his chest. “I can’t imagine growing up in a house like that. It’s so different from what I had.”
I wrap my hand around his. “What was your house like?”
“Silent. Sterile.” He clears his throat. “You know how at dinner tonight everyone was laughing and talking, like a family?”
“Yeah,” I say, remembering how Eloise held everyone’s attention with her detailed explanation of how raptors hunted.
“We had none of that growing up. My parents wanted us to be quiet or talk about what they designated as appropriate con versation. Most of the time, though, it was only Clara and me at dinner, and those were my favorite nights. But your family is so... lively .”
“You mean loud?” I chuckle. “My mom used to wear earplugs on the days we were particularly wild. We fought over everything
you can think of. Clothes, shoes, boys, hair clips, who got to use the car. Be glad you weren’t around for those parts.”
“That’s what I have to look forward to, I guess. One day, I’ll be breaking up fights over who gets to wear the purple hair
clip?”
“Well, Eloise probably doesn’t want that hair clip.” I laugh. “But, honestly, they seem nicer to each other than we were at
that age.”
“Who knows what they’ll be like when they’re thirteen, though. I’m slightly terrified.”
“I have a feeling they’ll be best friends for life. It may be rocky through a few hormonal years, but then it gets better.”
We fall silent for a few moments, our gazes tracking all over the sky.
I thread my fingers through his, pressing our palms together. “Where’s the best place you’ve seen the stars?”
“New Zealand. The whole sky was filled with stars, so many you couldn’t pick out individual ones.” He points to a group above
my head, outlining their shape. “That’s Lyra, Avery’s middle name.” He moves a little lower. “There’s a small cluster right
there. That’s Delphinus, the dolphin. Eloise’s middle name is Delphi.” His voice cracks on the edges as he adds, “Clara surprised
me with that the day they were born.”
My chest feels unbearably tight as I look over the constellations he pointed out. Releasing his hand, I scoot closer, cuddling
into his side. “I love those names.” He rests his palm on my hip and takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling beneath
my cheek.
The moon peeks over the trees behind my parents’ property, making a few dimmer stars disappear in its light. We watch the sky for a while, listening to the sound of the crickets in the grass and an owl calling in the night.
Finn’s fingers slip under the hem of my sweater, and he draws hypnotizing little circles on my waist. “You and Theo...
Did you ever...”
I slide my hand over his stomach, a knowing smile on my lips. “Date?”
He lets out an affirmative grumble.
“No. And I never wanted to. His sister and Fable are best friends, and our moms are also. They live down the road, so they
were around a lot growing up.” I smirk against his soft shirt. “He’s sexy, though, don’t you think?”
Finn makes a low sound, deep in his chest, and it rumbles against my cheek.
“I’ve never met someone so muscular,” I say, trying to rile him up. “His voice is so deep, it gets my heart racing. And those
forearms...”
In one swift movement, Finn flips us and leans over me, pinning me down with his leg shoved between mine. My breath picks
up when I see his knowing grin.
“I like you jealous,” I whisper. “But Theo only has eyes for Fable.”
“He better.” He presses a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. “Have you ever brought a date here?” he asks.
“What kind of girl do you think I am? I don’t reuse make-out spots.”
His eyes narrow. “This is a make-out spot?”
I shove his shoulders and use all my strength to roll us over until I straddle his waist. The blanket scratches against my
palms as I plant them beside his head. “Yes. I brought you here to show you the stars and kiss you until you forget them.”
His hands find my hips, and he pulls me lower on his lap, right where he wants me. “Better get to it, then.”
With heavy-lidded eyes, he watches as I pull his glasses from his face and set them beside us. I slide my fingers through
his hair, and he hums in pleasure.
Soft skin brushes against the pads of my fingers as I trail them down his neck and under the collar of his blue shirt. “I
like this color on you. It makes your eyes the deepest shade of navy.”
“I’ll get rid of all my other shirts, then.” He grins, sliding his hands up under the hem of my sweater and curving them to
my waist. “I like this color off you.” I raise my arms as he lazily lifts the fabric over my head and drops it beside us. His eyes feast on all the skin he’s
uncovered—the swell of my breasts and my pebbled nipples straining against the white lace of my bra. “It was fucking agony
seeing you in that bikini today.”
He sits up close to my body, a few inches from my mouth.
“I was about to tell you I’m sorry, but the truth is, I’m not,” I whisper before I press my lips to his.
His mouth opens for me, his beard tickling my cheeks as I grind my hips against his hard length.
“Are there any neighbors close enough to see or hear us?” he asks, dipping his head to my neck. He kisses my collarbone, and
his tongue leaves a warm, wet trail as it skates over the tops of my breasts.
“No,” I gasp. “Only an abandoned A-frame. But I can be quiet.”
“Can you? That feels like a challenge,” he teases, pulling back to meet my eyes as his fingers dance over one strap of my
bra. “This looks constricting.”
“It is.” I nod, and he slides both straps down my arms. Anticipation blooms in my chest, and my heart pounds against my ribs.
Finn reaches around my back, bringing his lips closer to me as he fumbles to open the clasp.
When my bra drops between us, the chilly night air brushes over my peaked nipples as he sucks in a breath. “You’re exquisite.”
His eyes shine in the moonlight as he studies me, looking over every inch of skin. Then he finally cups his hand to one achy
breast and squeezes gently. It’s so satisfying that I let out a pained whimper. He does the same with his other hand, and
it feels like they were made to fit over me.
His grip moves to my back, holding me in place as he trails his lips over my breasts. Then his tongue lands warm and wet over
my nipple, and he sucks it into his mouth.
My strangled cry completely ruins my promise to be quiet.
I grab his face and pull him back until my nipple slips free. “Shirt. Off,” I order, too impatient to make coherent sentences.
A smirk crosses his lips as he slides it over his head, and I shove him flat on his back.