Chapter Eighteen
Finn grabbed his coffee, taking a sip and humming at the salty caramel and the sweetness of the thick chocolate syrup, the way he had been liking it lately, as he found a seat in the corner to wait for Bevin.
They had made plans to hang out since Prince was going to spend time with his father.
They had a tradition of getting together every six months to do father-son things, something similar to what he did with Bevin.
But this time, they were headed to Shoreline to see Lucas Hamilton, Finn's old boss, and reconnect with the family.
Prince had asked Finn to tag along, but he wasn’t in the mood for the trip.
Lately, he had been tired and a little off, especially in the mornings.
He had a feeling he knew what it could be, but it was too soon to tell.
He had made an appointment with his doctor for a full check-up, but until then, he was not going to worry about it.
He had just sat down and taken a sip of his coffee when a figure sat across from him.
"What took you so long?" he said, looking up, but was taken aback by who was sitting in front of him and felt his stomach turn, and not from the coffee. "New York is such a big metropolis. Why is it that I seem to bump into you more than when we were at the resort?"
Roderick said nothing. He leaned back in his seat, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a credit card, sliding it across the table to Finn.
"What is this?" Finn didn’t touch the card but looked at Roderick.
"On here is twenty million dollars. Take it and get out of Prince's life. It's enough to take care of you for the rest of your life, I'm sure." The smug look from the night of the party returned, and so did Finn's urge to punch the shit out of him.
Finn wasn’t sure if Roderick was serious or if this was a dream. To make sure, he pinched himself and hissed at the pain.
Nope, I'm awake. Or maybe he is the one who has checked out of reality.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you get some kind of joy playing the villain in a non-existent movie?" Finn snapped. "I've entertained your foolishness for far too long. Grow the fuck up, man." He didn’t bother softening the disgust in his tone.
Roderick's face twisted into a scowl. "I don't like you."
"That much is obvious," Finn said, rolling his eyes.
"How dare you take what belongs to me?" Roderick growled low.
"You don't belong in our world. You're nothing but a pretty face and a leech.
Prince should have been with me, and then out of nowhere, you show up and steal him from me.
I want you fucking gone. With you gone, I can take back my rightful place beside him. "
"Why don't you let my father decide who he wants standing next to him?"
Finn looked up when he heard Bevin's voice. He went to stand, but Bevin placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to stay seated.
"I've always been taught to respect my elders, but I never liked you. I've always claimed my dad is a good judge of character, but maybe he missed something about you. Now, I want you to apologize to Finn for being rude and for insulting him by thinking you could pay him off."
"Or?" Roderick asked.
"Or I'll show you just how disrespectful I can be," Bevin said, his tone leaving no room for doubt about what he meant.
Finn watched Roderick's eyes flicker, as if he were weighing his options and deciding just how serious Bevin was. Finn had seen Bevin in a fight before and knew his friend could take Roderick down with one hit.
"You disappoint me," Roderick said, standing.
Bevin shrugged, unbothered. "That's not an apology," he said, grabbing him by the collar. Fear flashed in Roderick's eyes. Finn stood, touched Bevin's arm, and Bevin released Roderick, shoving him back.
"Apologize," Bevin growled.
Roderick looked at Finn with hate in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Finn said nothing. Roderick turned to leave, but Bevin stopped him.
"Wait." He picked up the card from the table. "You forgot this," he said and threw it at Roderick, hitting him square in the face. Roderick caught it before it could hit the floor.
Roderick huffed and hurried away, leaving Finn alone with an angry Bevin.
"What the hell, Finn? Don't tell me he's been bothering you?"
"Only when we happen to bump into each other," Finn said honestly.
"You better tell my dad, or I will," Bevin said, echoing what Nova had suggested, but this time Finn's response was different.
"I will." He sat back down and pushed his unfinished coffee to the side. "Let's not think about him. You promised me a day of fun," he said when Bevin sat down, looking like he wanted to dive deeper into the conversation.
Finn didn’t want to talk about Roderick. He saw him as harmless and figured he would soon grow tired of whatever fantasy he had cooked up in his head.
"Dinner and a movie, how's that?" Bevin asked.
"It's a date," Finn agreed, smiling.
"Don't let my dad hear you say that. I can't stand any more of that bastard's glares.
" He shivered. "Clingy obsessive bastard.
" He leaned in close as if telling Finn a secret.
"I'm telling you now, don't get pregnant.
If you think he won't leave your side now, wait until you've got a bun in the oven. "
Finn touched his stomach, thinking of the possibility of carrying Prince's child.
Years ago, until his graduation, his only focus had been getting the best education possible, graduating, and making money.
Family was supposed to come much later in life, when he found the person he would fall in love with.
Yet Finn had not thought all his dreams would happen sooner than he expected.
Although his company was still in its infancy, it was growing by leaps and bounds. His bank account was not as meager as it used to be, and even though he still watched how and what he spent, he didn’t worry quite as much as he once had.
Not to mention he had surrounded himself with good people who looked out for him rather than held him back, and he was in love, not lust but genuine love that filled not only his soul but his heart.
So if children were the next step, so be it.
Even though he thought all of that, it was not what he said to Bevin.
"Hey, your grandfather and grandmother were married for a reason."
"True, but he's still clingy," Bevin grumbled.
"You'll be the same way when you fall in love."
"Smack me if that shit happens," Bevin said in disgust.
"Which part? The clingy or the falling in love?"
"Both."
Finn shook his head, chuckling. He could not wait to meet the person who captured his friend's heart, because he was going to tease him to hell and back.
"That's a bet," Finn said, feeling lighter already, the altercation with Roderick already fading from his mind.
Prince chuckled as he listened to Lucas retell a story he had heard many times, one about them teasing Christen in high school.
They were sitting at a table that seemed small but was large enough to accommodate the big Hamilton family and the friends they had acquired over the years.
In true Hamilton fashion, they took in the strays and the lonesome, making them part of the crew.
Some faces were familiar to Prince, and some were not.
"I got you guys back, didn't I?" Christen said, leaning into his husband's arms, making Prince miss Finn even more. He couldn’t wait to get home to him.
"Oh, I know that look," Marilyn said, pointing at Prince.
"What look?" Prince asked.
"The look of love. So tell me, where is he? Why didn't he come?"
"Mom, lay off," Christen said, though Prince could see in his eyes that he was just as curious.
"Oh, he's a delightful young man," his father piped in proudly. "Smart, responsible, and he has my stamp of approval."
Since meeting Finn, Hunter had not stopped talking about him.
"I can't believe you took my intern from me," Lucas grumbled. That made Prince grin. Anything to get one up on Lucas was always worth it.
"So does that mean wedding bells? Children?" Marylin questioned.
"All in good time," he said, giving a noncommittal answer.
They had been together for almost a year now and still had not said those three little words to each other.
He felt it every time they were together.
And they still hadn’t touched on the subject of children, much less marriage.
Prince wasn’t sure whether either of them was avoiding the conversation or simply assuming it was a foregone conclusion that they were in this for the long haul, no matter what happened.
The conversation had shifted while Prince was lost in thought, and since it had nothing to do with him, he got up and stepped outside to the garden for some fresh air and a quick phone call. Just as he reached for his phone, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to find Lucas following.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Why do you think something is bothering me?" Prince asked.
Lucas chuckled. "You have the same expression I had when I couldn't figure out my feelings for Tucker."
"That's not the problem," Prince said, not bothering to beat around the bush. "I know I love him."
"But you're afraid to tell him."
"Something like that," Prince said. "I don't know how he feels about marriage and children.
I want them both, and I want them with him.
With Nova, it was an obligation, a family name I had to uphold, but with Finn, it's because I want to.
And I don't want to bring up the subject for fear it's not what he wants. "
"Love is a bitch, right?" Lucas said after a few moments of silence.
Prince looked at his friend. "I thought it was life."
"Same difference," Lucas shrugged. "You can be alive, but what is any of it worth without love?"
"That doesn't sound quite right, but go on." Since his friend was in the mood to give out advice, he might as well hear it.
"Tell him what you want," Lucas said plainly. "You might be surprised by his answer."
Prince nodded.