25. Margo
TWENTY-FIVE
MARGO
I’m a nervous wreck.
I’m trying to project confidence, but when we pull up to his ex’s house, I panic.
“Hey.” Finn shifts the car into park and taps my knee. “You okay?”
“I’m good. I had a lot more confidence when we were at your house, but I’m okay.”
“We don’t have to go in.”
I appreciate his ability to stay calm under pressure, and I appreciate that he’s not forcing me to do anything. It’s one of the reasons why I like him so much: I feel safe when I’m with him.
I take a deep breath and look over at him. Finn is watching me, and his concern makes me smile. “I want to go in. It’ll be good to close this part of my life and move on. With you.”
“Look at you being all cute. Miss Independent knows all the right things to say.”
I laugh and lean over so I can kiss his cheek. “Maybe Miss Independent was just waiting for the right guy to come along.”
“I see my cheesiness has rubbed off on you. If Jeremy gives you a hard time, I’ll kick his ass.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“I’d do a lot of things for you, Margo, and putting my son in his fucking place is one of them.”
“Whoa.” I smile and climb out of the car. I scoop up the big bowl of mashed potatoes we made together and hold it close to my chest. “That’s hot.”
“What is? Defending your honor?”
“Yeah. Maybe we should do some role-playing where you go into protector mode.”
Finn’s eyes flash with heat. He walks around the car and wraps his arm around my waist, careful to not disrupt the covered turkey he’s holding. “That can be arranged. How about as a reward for getting through dinner?”
“Now you’re talking.” We walk to the house decorated with icicle lights and reindeer in the lawn. “Remind me your ex’s name?”
“Layla. You’ll like her. And you’ve met Holden, Rhett, and Jada. The allies are all on your side.”
It reassures me, and when we head into the house without knocking, my nerves abate.
“Should we take our shoes off?” I ask in the foyer, and he nods.
“Yeah. We don’t want the crawling babies to slip on a wet spot and hurt themselves. That’s something you have in common.”
“Wow.” I kick off my boots and use my free hand to flip him off. “Look who has jokes. Does that sweater make you think you’re funny?”
“I am funny, and I can see you trying not to smile.” He presses his lips to my forehead and starts down the hall. “Merry Christmas!”
I follow him into the kitchen. A beautiful blonde with long hair hugs him and laughs.
“There he is. Merry Christmas Finny,” she says, but her attention moves to me. She lights up and grins. “And who is this?”
“I’m the pretty friend. Margo,” I say, and Layla grins. “It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me spend Christmas in your home.”
“Oh, of course. Welcome.” She hugs me next, then hurries back to the stove. “I figured there was more to that friend story than Finn let on.”
“A lot more.” Finn sets the turkey on the counter and I put the mashed potatoes next to it. “Might as well get this out now so dinner doesn’t turn into a screaming match. Margo dated Jeremy for a few months. They broke up after he was a dick.”
“Not surprising. That kid thinks he’s god’s gift to the world sometimes.” Layla huffs and shakes her head. “Our son’s infidelity aside, how did you two meet?”
“It involved me collapsing at the finish line of a half marathon. Not my finest moment,” I admit. Finn pulls me close to his side and rests his chin on top of my head. The gesture feels so normal and natural, like we’ve acted this way in front of people a hundred times. “Then there was another random run-in at a bar, and now here we are.”
“This just made my entire day. If Jer tries to act like an asshole, let me know. I have a toilet that needs to be cleaned in the guest bathroom, and I have no problem grounding him like I did when he was a teenager,” Layla tells me, and I laugh.
“I appreciate it. I’m hoping we can all move on and enjoy the holiday. It’s no big deal. No one’s done anything wrong—well, I mean, he did, but Finn and I didn’t.” I shrug and relax into Finn’s arms. “I don’t care what Jeremy thinks.”
“I like you a lot.” Layla smiles and lifts her glass of wine my way. “Keep her around, Finny.”
Finn curls his fingers around my chin and tips my head back. His eyes meet mine and he smiles. “That’s the plan.”
The front door slams shut, and I jump. Footsteps echo down the hall, and Jeremy walks into the kitchen. “Mom. Where is—” He spots me standing next to Finn. His eyes widen, and he freezes. “ Margo ?”
“Hey, Jeremy.” I offer him a tentative smile. I’m waving the white flag, and the sooner we get past this, the better. “Merry Christmas.”
“What the hell are you doing here? You’re not here to… fuck . Please don’t tell me you’re trying to get back together with me.”
I lift an eyebrow. “After you cheated on me? I’m all set.”
“She’s here with me,” Finn says, interrupting us. His voice is sharp, some authoritative tone I haven’t heard him use before. I love the deep growl that comes from the back of his throat. I love how his hand tightens on my waist. I love how he doesn’t stop showing me affection just because his son is here.
“What do you mean here with you ? Wait.” Jeremy’s eyes bounce between us. He bursts out laughing. “You two are fucking? Are you serious? She’s my age, Dad.”
“Fucking. Among other things. Is that a problem?” Finn asks.
“A problem? It’s weird as fuck. And Margo never struck me as a wh?—”
“Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to her,” Finn snaps, and I shiver. “We’re not playing that game. It’s not weird. It’s not creepy. We met. She didn’t know who I was. We spent time together, and we like each other. We’re adults. It’s consensual. Keep your comments to yourself, or say them to me. Not her.”
Holy angel on top of the Christmas tree .
Forget role-playing.
That was the hottest thing a man has ever done on my behalf.
Nothing will ever top it, and if we weren’t surrounded by his family, I’d be pulling Finn into the pantry to show him how much I appreciate him standing up for me.
“Jesus, Dad. Is this why you were acting so weird when I was over the other day? Because you’ve been messing around behind my back?”
“Behind your back?” Finn laughs, and it’s anything but humorless. “You cheated on her, so you lost your opportunity to have an opinion on this. End of discussion.”
“Who wants an appetizer?” Layla asks as she holds up a charcuterie board. “Or a drink?”
“I’ll take a drink,” I blurt, hurrying over to help her on the other side of the kitchen. “I’m so sorry for causing any issues.”
“Please. The only issue is my egotistical son who thinks the world revolves around him.” Layla pours me a big glass of wine and smiles. “I’m sorry he did that to you. I have no idea where he learned that kind of shitty behavior. Finn has never and would never?—”
“I know.” I smile and sip the Chardonnay, grateful for a distraction. “I didn’t get that impression from him. It’s only been two weeks, but he’s so attentive and thoughtful.”
“That’s how he’s always been: a nice guy who will go out of his way to make you smile. But he’s smiling too, and I’m so glad to see him so happy. He’s never brought a woman over for the holidays, and that tells me he must be serious about you.”
“Yeah.” I hide my smile with another sip of my drink. “I’m serious about him too.”
Finn and Jeremy exchange a couple more words with each other that I can’t hear. With a pointed look from Finn, Jeremy rolls his eyes and glances my way.
“Sorry, Margo,” my ex says. “I didn’t mean what I said.”
“That was the most half-assed apology I’ve ever heard, but you can try again later.” Finn clasps his son on the shoulder and grins at me. “Who’s hungry?”
Two hours later, full from a delicious meal and fun conversation, I pick up my empty plate and take it to the kitchen. I set it in the sink with the rest of the dishes, but before I can turn on the water to start cleaning up, Jeremy slides up next to me.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hello.”
“I’m sorry for cheating on you. I got caught up and enjoyed the thrill of doing something I shouldn’t be doing. It wasn’t personal.”
While I appreciate his apology, it’s not the part of our relationship that hurt the most. Being told I couldn’t do something—like run a half marathon—stung, and I don’t want him spreading that kind of negativity to other women.
I doubt I’ll get through to him, but I want to say my piece and move on from all of this.
“You said I’d never be able to run a half marathon,” I tell him, and he frowns. “Do you remember that?”
“Vaguely.”
“You said someone like me would never be able to finish a run that long. Guess what? I did, and I kicked its ass. It’s where I met your dad, so I guess I should be thanking you for your lack of faith in me. Because of your doubt, I’m happier than you could’ve ever made me. I found a man who believes in me. Who makes me want to keep running because he’s so supportive, no matter how much slower I am than him. Words hurt, Jeremy, and if you tell people what they can’t do, you’re never going to keep anyone around.”
“Wow. You actually ran a half marathon?”
“Yup.” I cross my arms over my chest. “In two hours and twenty-two minutes.”
“That’s impressive.” He sheepishly runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for doubting you. That was shitty of me.”
“It was shitty of you, but I’m glad you did. I like your dad, and I’d like to keep seeing him.”
“Is there a problem in here?” Finn asks from the doorway, and I look his way.
His Christmas sweater has a stain on the front from where he dropped mashed sweet potatoes while helping to feed Layla’s twins. His eyes twinkle, and he’s smiling at me like he hasn’t seen me in years.
“We’re good,” I tell him, and his beam stretches wider. “Just catching up.”
“Catching up? If you want to strangle him for a second, I’ll look the other way.”
“No.” I laugh and look back at Jeremy. “That won’t be necessary. Thanks for the apology. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Jeremy sets down his plate and slips out of the kitchen, careful to avoid the glare his dad is tossing his way.
“Hey.” Finn walks to me and hugs me tight. “Was he an ass to you?”
“He apologized, and I think all is well.”
“Good. If I had to pick sides, I’d pick you. Obviously.”
“Isn’t there a saying about blood being thicker than water?”
“Not when your blood is a dumbass mid-twenty-year-old who can’t keep his dick in his pants.”
I laugh and rest my cheek on Finn’s chest. I’m warm from our meal and two glasses of wine. I’m happy and relaxed in his hold. “Everything is okay. I’m glad I got to be here, and I’m glad we got that confrontation out of the way. I’m glad I get to be by your side.”
“Think you’ll come back to another gathering with the gang?” he asks.
I hear the hopefulness in his voice. The hint of excitement and the shadow of anticipation about what my answer is going to be.
“Yeah,” I whisper. I play with the lights sewn into his sweater and smile. “I’ll be back. For the food. For the company. For your eight hundred Christmas sweaters I haven’t seen yet. For finding out what clothes you like to wear when it’s warm out.” I pause and look up at him. “For you.”
His face softens. He brings his mouth to mine, and I hold his collar. “Want to know a secret, Miss Andrews?”
“More than I want anything else in this world, Mr. Mathieson.”
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
I stand on my toes and grin. “Best Christmas ever.”