Chapter Eighteen #2
"One thing I've come to know about Finn during my time working with him is that he always knows what he wants, Prince."
"That is true." Prince appreciated that about Finn more than he could say.
"Tell me something," Lucas said.
"What's up?"
"Why didn't you join the Seekers? I know you went through the training, but left after."
"I'm not a secret agent kind of man. I'm not looking for danger. And soon after completing the training, my father came to me with the marriage contract for Nova."
"I still can't believe your father did that." Lucas shook his head. "If Asher had done that to me or any of my brothers..."
"Your mother would’ve kicked his ass."
Lucas barked out a hearty laugh. "So damn true."
"I understood why he did it, and as angry as I was, I didn’t feel I had a choice. The contract was set before I had any say, and going against my grandfather was not something I could have done at the time. Not to mention my dad was still grieving my mother. I just couldn’t bring myself to say no."
"You're a bleeding heart, you know that."
"Takes one to know one," Prince shot back, smiling.
"Nova was in a similar situation, but you got through it. Bevin is your world.
"But now you want more and are afraid that asking for it might change things. I get it," Lucas said. "But like I told Finn when he was trying to decide whether to go into business, I have never known you to be afraid of anything. Like I said, you might be surprised by his answer."
Lucas patted him on the shoulder, then went back inside, leaving Prince alone. He stared out at nothing, letting Lucas's words settle before he pulled out his cellphone and called Finn. He knew Finn was with Bevin, but not what they were doing. Finn answered after the first ring.
"Prince, are you coming home soon?" Finn asked.
"Finn, I love you," he said, getting straight to the matter of his heart.
"I love you so much I cannot see my life without you.
Baby, I want to marry you and have children.
I know you are younger than me and might not want that, but I had to tell you what is on my heart and not keep it bottled up any longer. "
Finn was silent for a few moments, and Prince wondered if he had hung up, or if saying all of that over the phone had been a mistake.
"I love you too," Finn said. "I want all those things and more with you. I never want to be without you, so hurry home so I can tell you to your face."
"Okay," Prince said, his face breaking into a wide grin. "I'll be there soon."
They hung up, and Prince could not stop smiling. He didn’t go back inside until his father came out to tell him he was ready to head home.
When Prince entered the apartment later that night, Finn was there to greet him with flowers.
"Princeton Sullivan, you are my world, and I love you."
"Say it again," Prince said, stepping close, taking the flowers, and setting them on the counter before pulling Finn into his arms.
"I love you, Prince."
"I love you too." Prince leaned down and claimed his mouth, and all his worries from the day drifted away, now that he was in the arms of the man he loved, and who loved him back.
Finn stared at the three tests sitting on the bathroom sink. He had suspected it, but honestly hadn’t thought it would actually happen.
Pregnant.
He had been taking his suppressant controls, but even Finn would admit there were days he missed a dose because he was too busy with work.
And if he calculated correctly, it had been about two and a half months since he had been waking up daily feeling off and sometimes nauseated, though he had chalked it up to being hungry.
It was also around the same time he and Prince had finally said I love you.
Finn didn’t plan on taking the tests until he went to the doctor but his symptoms were getting so bad he wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer.
"Finn, babe, are you alright?" Prince called out, knocking on the bathroom door, startling him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." He quickly gathered the tests, put them in a bag, and dropped them in the trash. He didn’t want to tell Prince yet. Not until he was certain.
One week later, Finn walked out of his doctor's office with a clean bill of health, simply waiting on a few results to come back, but one had already come in before the full examination was complete.
He was truly pregnant. And his guess was right.
He was two and a half months along. He smiled, knowing he was building his own family, something he had always craved.
Glancing across the street, he spotted a flower shop and hurried over, bought two dozen white tulips, then stopped at the grocery store to pick up supplies before heading home to prepare a spectacular dinner for him and Prince. He was not going to wait another day to tell Prince the good news.
On the other side of town, Prince examined the ring carefully.
The platinum band, cushion-cut ruby center stone, and halo of small diamonds had been custom-made and would fit Finn perfectly.
He could not wait any longer. He was going to propose.
Prince had it all worked out. A romantic dinner, and then he would pop the question.
"Is it to your liking, sir?" the jeweler asked.
"It is." Prince nodded, then handed the ring back to be packaged. "I want to take it home today." He pulled out his credit card, handed it over, and sat down to wait. Prince had just pulled out his cellphone to make a call when his name was called.
"Prince."
Looking up, he saw Roderick walking over. He sat close and was about to touch Prince's arm, but Prince moved back. Before, he hadn’t minded it, but now that he was in a relationship with Finn and planning to propose, he didn’t like it.
"What are you doing here? You're not the jewelry type," Roderick said, continuing without waiting for a response. "I haven't seen you in a while, not since the birthday party for old man Wang."
"Yeah, I've been a bit busy." He really had been. Although he was still working remotely, he was busy catering to Finn's every need. "How the hell do you know I don't like wearing jewelry?"
"Because I know you better than anyone." Roderick smiled. "When are you going back to the resort? I miss our time there."
"Not for a while," Prince said, ignoring the earlier comment. "Not with Finn and Bevin's company taking off."
"Why do you need to worry about them? Their business is not yours," Roderick said in a haughty tone that was suddenly grating on Prince's nerves.
"Finn is my lover." His brows furrowed. "Of course I would concern myself with him."
"I thought you two would have broken up by now," Roderick huffed. "He's lasted longer than I thought."
"What are you on about?"
"He's not from our world, Prince. He doesn't belong with you. He's too low-class."
"What the fuck did you just say?" Prince growled, watching the shock register on Roderick's face.
"Prince, I..."
"How the fuck did I not notice you were an elitist?" Prince stood and glared down at him. He had never really paid much attention to Roderick, only ever seeing him as a friend. "Who gives you the right to judge the man I love?"
"Love," Roderick scoffed, standing to meet Prince's eyes despite being several inches shorter.
"You two are so far apart in status that it will take him years just to catch up to you.
And I'm not even talking about age. He is a user, and the sooner you and your son realize it, the better. He is no good for you."
"And who is?" Prince asked. "You?"
"Yes," Roderick answered without hesitation, which surprised Prince.
"I'm glad you're finally seeing reason. I've waited long enough for you to recognize what a good, smart catch I am and what I can do for your family's name.
My family has standing. Imagine what we could accomplish together.
That boy has no background, just a grandmother who raised him, and she's gone now. He has no one but to leech..."
Prince didn’t let him finish. He punched him in the face so hard that Roderick's head snapped back, and his body fell into the chair behind him. Roderick glared up at him, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Was that classless enough for you?" Prince snarled.
"I can't believe you just hit me," he snapped.
"You want to talk about low-class? Look in the fucking mirror. Money has nothing to do with class, Roderick. It's what's in your heart, and you have none." Prince leaned down close enough that only Roderick could hear him. "For insulting my man, prepare to lose everything the Ashford family owns."
Roderick gasped, his hands beginning to shake. "You wouldn't dare."
Prince straightened and adjusted his jacket. "You obviously don't know me well enough."
Prince might not have paid much attention to Roderick over the years, but he knew of the Ashford family's dealings, and not everything was aboveboard.
The jeweler appeared at his side. "Mr. Sullivan, your package is ready.
" He handed Prince his card and a small bag that left little question about what was inside.
Prince glanced at Roderick, who was staring at it.
"Enjoy what little class you have left," Prince said and walked away.
He didn’t wait until he got home to set things in motion. He pulled out his phone the moment he reached the street.
"I need you to do me a favor," he said once the call connected.
"I'm listening," Lucas said.
"I'm sending you some information on a certain family. Forward it to the proper authorities," Prince said, logging into a folder he kept under a private passcode and sending it directly to Lucas.
"Got it." A low whistle came through the line. "What did they do to piss you off?"
"Insulted Finn," Prince said.
"Must have been bad for you to want to bring down an entire family."
"Their son thinks he's low-class."
"Say no more. I'll handle it." Lucas hung up, and Prince took a slow breath, shaking off the residue of the encounter before he got home. He didn’t want Finn to see it on his face.
But as he drove home, one thought would not leave him alone.
How the fuck did I ever consider him a friend?