Chapter 31 Finn
FINN
We walked into Bree’s apartment together, arms slung around her body and shifting around so no one had to let her go.
Ronan kicked the door shut and let out an explosive sigh.
I dropped onto the couch, pulling Bree down with me. “You know what you did tonight?”
She eyed me, then leaned her head back to watch Ronan, who’d taken four glasses from the cabinet and poured equal measures of whisky into each. He carried them over, handing them out one by one.
“What did I do?” Bree took her glass, her fingers trailing over Ronan’s arm. “Other than run out of beer on tap and break a glass.”
I knew where tonight would end, but before we lost ourselves in bed, I needed Bree to hear me. “You packed Maeve’s pub without a holiday to justify it.” I held her gaze. “You did that. Three months ago, there were dead flowers in the windows and the coffee tasted like shit.”
She sipped her whiskey and tucked her head against my shoulder.
The smile on her face put a matching one on mine.
“So it’s a good thing we ran out of beer?
” A giggle erupted when I dug my finger into her side.
“I get what you’re saying, Finn. The pub was doing okay when I arrived. Declan had everything under control.”
“But it’s better now.” Declan turned his glass in his hands, elbows propped on his knees and eyes on Bree. “I kept the lights on, but you brought the heart back.”
Bree blinked rapidly and kicked off her shoes before pulling her feet onto the couch.
“I’m so proud of you, Bree. We all are.” I spoke for the three of us, because I knew Ronan wouldn’t unless pressed, and Declan was emotionally constipated when it came to talking about feelings.
“We didn’t know what to expect when you showed up, and you have been so much more than we ever imagined. ”
“Keep that up and I’m going to cry again.” She sniffed dramatically and cleared her throat. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Ronan, especially.” Reaching behind her head, she gripped his wrist. “He did all the hard work, I just gave directions.”
“You did more than that.” He bent over the couch to kiss her forehead.
“Finn’s right. We’re proud of you. You could have walked away after hearing Maeve’s stipulation on the will.
You had every reason to leave when the gossip started, but you stuck it out.
We’ve all said it before, but I’ll remind you.
You. Are. Incredible.” He punctuated each word with a kiss on her lips.
I shared a look with Declan, the two of us gaping at one another while Ronan bared his heart in a way he’d avoided for years.
Damn it. We’d all done it, then. We’d all fallen for the woman who never planned on staying. I’d known better, we all had, but Bree made loving her so easy.
My stomach knotted, the feeling of cold dread spreading with every breath. I had something else I needed to talk to her about. I’d hoped to wait, but this feeling in my chest refused to relent. “Have you thought about staying?”
I’d thrown our agreement out the window months ago, and I couldn’t help hoping Bree felt the same way.
Bree set her glass in her palm and turned it three times in Maeve’s old superstition to ward off bad luck. “That was always the plan.”
Fuck the plan. I locked my teeth together and took a breath before I blurted it out. Maybe I should. “Plans can change.”
“Finn.” It was the quiet way she said my name, the resignation in it, that did me in.
“I’m not trying to pressure you.” Hell, if I thought it would work, I’d tie her up and take her home with me. “I need to know what you want. We all do. I’m not asking about the plan. I’m asking you to tell me what you want. You.” I poked her in the chest, letting the touch linger.
She finished her whiskey with a gulping sound. “I’ve thought about staying. It’s on my mind more often than not, especially given the circumstances.” She waved her hand around. “Considering how everyone except you three feel about me.”
“Fuck them.” The words shot out with enough venom Declan arched a brow. I ran a hand through my hair, hoping the motion would calm me down. It didn’t. “I mean it. Fuck them. Fuck the whole town.”
“You can’t mean that. You live here. All three of you have jobs and reputations, and no one, not one single person outside of this room will be okay with what we’re doing.
” She sounded so sad, so utterly defeated, that my anger rushed out, leaving me drained.
“You haven’t had to deal with it. I’m sorry, but I’m the one everybody hates.
They all still look up to you. They respect you.
” She leaned away and put the glass on the small coffee table with the orchid Ronan had brought over a few weeks ago.
“Despite all that, I want to stay. I want that more than I ever thought possible.”
Thank fuck. Progress. I could work with that.
I set my glass down beside hers and took her hands. “I love you. I want you to stay. I will do anything, whatever it takes, to make you feel comfortable enough to stay.”
Her breathing hitched.
Ronan cupped the back of her head. “I never thought I would love again. I was done with all of that. Done with pain and heartbreak. Until you. I’m in love with you too.”
Declan moved in, scooting closer to Bree. “I love you too, more than I ever thought possible. You have become the reason I walk into the pub every morning. You’re in my mind every second of every day.”
“Easy, Declan, you’re going to make us look bad.” I mock-whispered from the side of my mouth.
Bree’s lips twitched. “I love all of you so much it hurts.” She took a steadying breath. “I didn’t plan for that. I came back to fulfill my obligation to Nana. That’s it. But then I met all of you, and I don’t know what home is without you.”
“What do we need to do?” I ran my hand through her hair, around to the back of her neck, and massaged the tight knots in her shoulders.
“If the town needs an explanation, we’ll give them one.” Declan’s jaw hardened. He didn’t like what they did to Bree any more than the rest of us. We’d even discussed going public, but never without her consent. She was right. They never blamed us, and they should.
“We’ll all three stand in front of the courthouse and tell the whole town we’re in love with you and they can kiss our asses if they don’t like it.” I rubbed another knot. “Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know. I hate the way they look at me.” She leaned into my touch.
“Or we take it to the grave.” Ronan offered her a way out without phrasing it that way.
Bree sighed. “That takes so much work, and everyone already suspects what we’re doing.” Her body curled in on itself. “Can I have some time to think about it?”
I almost offered a move to Boston. Surely we’d be more accepted there, but what would the three of us do about our jobs?
I filed it away as a possibility. I would go anywhere for her, and I was pretty sure Ronan and Declan would too, but part of me hated giving in to the town and their small-minded ways.
They hadn’t cared who was in my bed before.
Why did it matter now?
“You don’t have to decide anything tonight.” I kissed her cheek. “Tonight, we celebrate your accomplishment in meeting Maeve’s stipulation in her will. You’ve done the Sullivan women proud.”
Her chin came up at that. “Thank you, Finn.”
“Anytime, love.” I kissed her again, full on the lips, then grinned. “How would you like to celebrate?”
“Oh, I have some ideas.” Wiggling her eyebrows, she shimmied out of her shirt, tossing it behind her into Declan’s face.
He peeled it off, then followed her down onto the couch, kissing her spine when she bent to kiss my throat.
Now this was the kind of celebration I preferred. I cupped her breasts and moaned when she palmed my cock through my work pants. The rough rasp of fabric accentuated her breathing, and I pushed into her hand.
We’d given breath to our feelings. It might not have solved any problems, but we all knew where we stood. I could live with that until a permanent solution came up.
Bree dragged her nails down my chest and nuzzled her face against my zipper. “I want you in my mouth, Finn.”
Fuck yeah. Tonight was far from over.