FINN THOMPSON
Finn:
Just checking it’s still okay to bring JJ over to see Skye?
Maya:
You’ve asked a thousand times and it’s fine
Istare down at the message as JJ drives us over to Maya’s place, and even though it might be fine, I don’t want to cross any boundaries that make her uncomfortable. But this is also a big part of my life, and when JJ and Ivy end up together forever, he’ll be Skye’s uncle.
That is a major headfuck, but in a good way.
“Has she changed her mind yet?” JJ asks as he turns down Maya’s street.
I shake my head. “Na, it’s all good.”
“Told you.” He smiles at the road. “I won’t be there for long. Pop in, pop out.”
“Yeah,” I say as I lock my phone and slide it back into my pocket.
When JJ parks up outside the house, I take a moment to compose myself. I do it every time, and I’m not entirely sure why. It makes my palms sweat knowing I’m about to see my daughter and the woman I can’t stop thinking about.
We exit JJ’s car and walk down the path to the front door before knocking. It takes a few seconds for it to open, and there stands Maya with a very awake Skye in her arms. My eyes expand at the sight of them, and I melt knowing this is my family. Mine.
“Hey, guys,” Maya says with soft features but tired eyes. “Look who’s awake.”
I lean down to kiss Skye’s forehead as she stares up at me. “Hi, sweetheart,” I say softly. “I missed you so much.”
Skye wriggles a little in Maya’s arms but continues to watch me. My gaze flicks to Maya, and I resist the urge to rest my hand over her cheek and offer her a kiss, too, but that’s not appropriate because we’re ‘co-parenting’ after all.
That word never gets easier.
“How are you?” I ask Maya.
She purses her lips. “Yeah, I’m doing okay. Come in.”
I hold the door open for JJ as we step inside.
“Hey, Maya,” JJ says politely. “It’s been a while.”
Maya laughs softly and presses a hand to her hair. “Yeah, it has.”
JJ’s eyes flick to Skye in her arms, and he steps forward.
“And this is Skye,” I say as he stares at her in awe. “Isn’t she perfect?”
“Oh my god,” he exhales in disbelief. “I can’t believe this.”
“Do you want to hold her?” Maya asks, and we both look at her.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’d love to.”
Maya places Skye in his arms, and at first, she’s unsure and keeps her eyes on him for a long moment. “Hello, Skye,” JJ says as he clutches her tight. “You are so tiny.” Skye releases a cry and kicks in his hold. “Oh god, what did I do?”
“Nothing,” I reassure him. “Want me to take her?”
JJ nods, panic creeping up over his face.
I step forward and take her from his arms before cradling her. “Shh,” I whisper and kiss her temple. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay.”
It takes a few moments for her to settle as I brush my fingers over her head delicately, and she calms down, resting her face against my chest.
JJ blinks at me. “Okay, maybe this daddy thing suits you because what the hell?”
I chuckle, and Maya smiles. “It really does suit him, doesn’t it?”
My lungs constrict at her words and the way her face flushes as she watches us. It’s unreserved and completely real, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive being around her, knowing I can’t have her in the way I want.
“How are you, Maya?” JJ asks genuinely.
Maya hums. “Getting by,” she voices. “But better now I have Finn.”
Okay, she’s definitely trying to kill me today.
“Finn hasn’t stopped talking about you guys for weeks,” JJ says.
“All good things, I hope.” She laughs before brushing a hand through her hair.
JJ’s face softens. “Only good things. Skye really looks like you.”
“Me?” Maya presses a palm to her chest. “Oh, no. I think she looks like Finn.”
“I see it,” JJ agrees. “I see Ivy in her, too.”
“I thought that.” I grin before turning to Maya. “Maybe next time Ivy is down, she can meet you and Skye.”
Maya blinks at me. “Yeah, I’d like to meet her. I can’t believe I haven’t yet.”
JJ’s phone buzzes, and he glances at it quickly. “Guys, sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got to run. It was good to see you, Maya, and meet Skye. But maybe we’ll do something soon?”
“Yeah.” Maya’s eyes light up. “I’d like that. Some normality.”
“Good.” JJ presses a hand to my shoulder and stares down at Skye. “Bye, little one.”
“I’ll see you back at the house,” I say.
JJ waves us off before shutting the front door.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask Maya as I clutch the back of Skye’s head.
“Yeah, I didn't have a lot of sleep,” she huffs hesitantly. “Didn’t have time to shower before you came over, and I feel like a mess.”
I frown. “Go shower. I’ve got this.”
“You don’t need to leave?”
“No. You’ve got me for the rest of the day.”
Maya’s chest trembles as she inhales a long breath. “Okay. Thanks.”
I watch as Maya slips into the bathroom, and I sit down on the sofa and turn on the TV to something quiet. My eyes flick down to my daughter as I watch her peacefully drift off in my arms.
My heart slows at the sight of her. “You are everything I didn’t know I needed,” I whisper. “I’m going to do everything to make you proud, to make sure you have the best life, to never let you down.”
Skye’s cheeks are puffed out, and her little lips are the cutest things I’ve ever seen.
“I love you,” I murmur before pressing a delicate kiss to her forehead. “I love you so much, sweetheart. You have no idea.”
When the programme I put on finishes, I glance over at the bathroom door. Maya can take all the time she wants, but when it creeps up to an hour, I start to get concerned. I can no longer hear the shower running, and the silence alarms me.
I place Skye down in her cot as she sleeps without being disturbed. I head back to the bathroom and raise my knuckles gently to knock.
“Maya?” But I’m met with silence, and something churns in my gut. Something doesn’t feel right. “Maya, everything okay?”
My hand wraps around the door handle when I don’t get a reply. I press down and peek inside to find Maya standing at the basin of the sink, her body completely naked as she faces the mirror.
“Oh, shit,” I murmur as she jumps, scrambling to cover her body. “I’m sorry. I—”
A towel is wrapped around her in record time as I avert my gaze. “Jesus, Finn.”
“You weren’t replying,” I say. “And I was getting worried. Sorry.”
When I glance back at her, her cheeks are blazing red.
“And if we’re being honest, I’ve seen it all before.”
She whimpers. “You haven’t seen this body before.”
My brows pinch together. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the same body you know, Finn.” A hand presses to her cheek as her eyes close. “My body is completely different since having Skye. The stretch marks, the extra pouches, the loose skin. All of it.”
I lean on the doorframe. “Maya, you gave birth. Your incredible body did that. You grew an entire human inside you and carried her for nine months, and you still look as beautiful as ever.”
Maya lifts her eyes to mine, and I hate the vulnerability in them. “Don’t say things that aren’t true.”
I step forward and grasp her chin between my fingers. “I’m gonna say what I want.”
“I really don’t like what I see,” she whimpers. “And I wish I had more time to work on myself. It knocks my confidence most days.”
Her words cut me open because she has no idea how gorgeous she is to me, inside and out. Every time I see her, it’s like I’m back to the moment I first met her.
I rest my forehead down onto hers without hesitation. “Your body will always be beautiful. Then and now. It’s done things I could never do. Do you know how incredible your body is?”
Maya sniffles and glances up at me with watery eyes. “I’m such a mess.”
“You’re not,” I reassure her. “I promise you, you’re not. You’re probably still adapting to your hormones, and how you feel is completely valid. It’s not going to be like this forever.”
She pulls away from my grip, and the towel loosens. “Just look, I’m not—”
The towel pools at her feet, and I’m staring back at her naked body. Her perfect, naked body. I internally groan at the sight because it’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this, but this isn’t sexual. She’s sharing something personal with me, and that means something.
Maya grabs loose skin at her sides and points to the stretch marks over her stomach. “See? It’s awful.”
“No. It’s not.”
“It is, Finn,” she says, her throat tensing. “My boobs aren’t perky anymore, and my legs are bigger, and—”
I lower myself to the ground, kneeling before her. My hands delicately grip the sides of her hips before I bring my mouth to her stomach, her sides, her ribs. All of it. I kiss over every inch of her skin.
“You.” Kiss. “Are.” Kiss. “Perfect.” Kiss.
Maya shivers as I place my lips to her sensitive spots. Sure, it’s sensual. But it’s not for me. It’s for her. And I’ll do it every day if it makes her see how incredible her body is. That I’ll never be able to look at her without believing she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
“Finn—”
“You are,” I whisper into her skin. “From the first day I met you.”
Maya whimpers.
“This body gave us our little girl,” I say as I peek my eyes up at her. “This body is nothing short of perfect.”
Maya’s eyes meet mine, and her mouth quivers. Her hand gently grips my jaw and holds me still. Our breathing is all I can hear, along with my pounding heart.
I stand back up, my height towering over her. I brush back strands of damp hair and lean down an inch to press a kiss to her cheek, her chin, her jaw.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmur. “So much.”
“We shouldn’t do this,” she rasps.
“I’m just appreciating you, sunshine. Like I always should have.”
Her eyes close as I kiss the corner of her mouth. “I missed you, too.”
I wrap an arm around her waist and tug her towards me. “God, I want to kiss you so badly.”
“We can’t. It’s dangerous.”
“For what?”
“For my heart,” she responds.
I inhale and drop my forehead onto hers. After a few moments, I pull away, and we stare back at each other through dilated eyes. I don’t look down at her body; I keep my gaze firmly on her face.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, attempting to control my lungs that are working overtime.
“Uh…” She shrugs. “A little.”
I nod once. “I’ll make something for us.”
“Okay,” she says, cheeks heating again. “I’ll be out in a second.”
I offer her a quick smile before leaving to head to the kitchen, where my lips are still on fire from trailing them over her body. My blood vibrates in my veins, and as much as I want to hold her and kiss her, I respect her boundaries.
But I won’t stop trying until she’s mine again.