13. Finn
Chapter 13
Finn
I tap my knuckles against the window in the old paneled door and I’ve never felt as nervous as I do this day, and as much as I hate Ava right now, I wish she was here with me to help with seeing my daughter for the first time.
The door opens and a girl who looks like Ava in the face, though her hair is darker, and she has pale blue eyes where Ava’s are green. But apart from hair and eyes, the two girls are so alike.
“Stella?” I ask. It can only be Ava’s sister.
“Finn, I’ve been expecting you,” she says. “I recognize you from Ava’s university photos.”
I nod and wonder if she keeps pictures of us. “Is Ava home?”
She shakes her head. “She said I have to supervise. I’m tougher than Ava, so don’t think you’ll be getting away with taking her anywhere.”
“I just want to meet her and for her to get to know me,” I say and at that a little girl of between three and four years old comes down the stairs, holding one hand on the banister and the other dragging a teddy behind her. I watch her until she slips behind Stella's legs.
My eyes flick to Stella’s, her face flushes a little. I glance again at the little girl peering from between her legs. Blonde, a mini version of Ava, but her eyes are gray with speckles of green.
Like mine.
I pick up the knees of my pants and crouch low to see her. “Hello, what’s your name?”
“Do you have a password?” her sweet voice replies.
I narrow my eyes as I look at this tiny girl, asking me the weirdest question. “Password.”
“No, that’s wrong,” she says.
“She can’t speak to strangers unless they have a password,” Stella says.
“Because they might pretend to know me.” My daughter’s little voice comes back to me. It’s the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard and I’m happy she talks a little to me, anyway.
“Go into the living room, Emmy.”
“You said my name Aunt Stella,” Emmy says. “Mommy will be cross with you.”
I try to muffle a laugh and try to keep a stern face. “What time will Ava be home?”
Stella looks at me through her eyelashes and shrugs a shoulder.
I laugh. “You have to text her when I’ve gone.”
She nods. “What do you expect? If you want to meet Emmy, you need to come inside.”
“Is this your boyfriend, Stella? I thought you like Jacob’s daddy,” Emmy asks. As she sits on the floor, she puts large pieces into a gigantic jigsaw puzzle strewn across the floor.
Stella’s face flushes bright red. “Emmy, you need to play more and eavesdrop less,” she chastises, and now I know my daughter is going to be a handful.
I burst out laughing, and Emmy does the same. “You made her blush,” I say.
Emmy laughs again. “She always goes red when I talk about Jacob’s daddy.” Her head tilts to one side. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Finn and I’m...”
Stella clears her throat. “Finn and Mommy used to be friends.”
“Ah, like me and Kayden,” Emmy says.
“Kayden, not Jacob?” Stella asks.
“No,” she says, dragging the O out. “Kayden used to be my friend, but isn’t anymore, and Jacob is my boyfriend.”
Stella shakes her head and smiles. “Yes, like Kayden. Can I get you a drink, Finn?”
“Is she with him?” I ask as I follow her to the kitchen door.
“Who is Mommy with?” Emmy asks.
Stella narrows her eyes in annoyance. “Nobody, sweetpea, she works late today.”
“But she’ll be home to read me a book? She said tonight we're reading a new story.”
“Of course she will.” Stella points at me. “I think Finn is hiding the last piece,” she says, subtly changing the subject.
“Finn...” Emmy drags my name out. “You're not doing this right.”
I laugh, because this tiny bundle of gorgeousness is already a sassy little thing.
“There we go,” Emmy says, jumping up and down on the floor. “Well done, Finn.”
Stella laughs. “Yes, well done Finn.”
“Can I read you a story?” I ask Emmy as she walks to the window and looks out and I know she’s looking for her mom to turn up. She turns to me, her gray eyes wide and innocent.
“It’s teddy that needs a story now,” she says, and I’m working out Emmy thinks of herself as older than she is. “And then we can watch a movie. I like anything with animals.”
“Not princesses,” I ask with wide eyes.
“No, I want to save animals and be a vet when I’m bigger, not a princess.”
“I’ll remember that,” I say, picking up a book. “Would teddy like this book?”
“Yes, I’ll sit on your knee and teddy can sit on mine,” she says. “Because teddy might not be happy sitting on your knee until he knows you better.”
“You’re already good with animals,” I say.
“I am, but teddy isn’t an animal, silly. Teddy is ... teddy.”
From then I read a book to Emmy and teddy.
After we sit and eat a dinner of chicken and vegetables together, I really want to pick Emmy up and give her a cuddle. My itchy hands are desperate to do that, but I also don’t want to outstay my welcome and by the look on Stella’s face, I have a feeling she’s thinking the same.
“I need to go now,” I tell Emmy.
Stella gives me a smile. I expect she’s desperate to call her sister and let her know she can come home.
“Not yet, Finn,” Emmy whines. “We haven’t watched the movie yet.”
“Maybe in a couple of days, I’ll come back if your mom is okay with that.”