Chapter Nineteen
“Everything okay?” Finley asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Kieran squeezed his hand and smiled over at him. “Not going to lie. I’m more than a little nervous about meeting your mom.”
As much as he’d protested otherwise, it turned out that Kieran had wanted to take certain things slow, such as meeting the parents.
Finley had been dodging and deflecting Hope’s attempts to orchestrate an introduction for over a month after Harry let the cat out of the bag.
So much for her staying in her lane. The gesture was for Kieran’s benefit, and he worried it would create friction between Finley and his mom, which was the last thing he wanted, and not only because she kept them well lubed with a constant supply of Monkey Grease.
Bless her heart. But what if she decided Kieran wasn’t good enough?
She’d wanted Finley to date that Michael guy, who exuded confidence and success.
That dude wouldn’t freak out about meeting anyone’s family.
Kieran had nothing to offer Finley besides a drawing from his sketchbook.
And my tomorrows. What mother in her right mind would want that kind of uncertainty for her son?
“Maybe we should’ve called first? This feels like an ambush,” Kieran said.
Finley hip-checked him on the sidewalk. “Knock it off. Hope is going to adore you. Stop making a big deal out of this. We’re just making a low-stakes swing by her shop to say hello.”
“And get more lube.”
Heat flooded Kieran’s cheeks, and Finley laughed. “And that too.” Finley stopped a few feet away and tugged on Kieran’s hand to halt his progress. “Don’t let her see you blush,” he cautioned in the same tone others used to say don’t feed the wild animals.
Kieran snorted and shook his head. “Or what?”
Finley’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh no, I think you just challenged the universe to give you a Hope Newton performance.”
As usual, Finley knew the perfect thing to say to ease Kieran’s nerves.
Their lives had become so beautifully entwined over the past four weeks.
Finley’s photographs decorated Kieran’s cabin, and Kieran’s sketches joined Finley’s art collection in his office.
Well, at least the drawings and photos that were made for public consumption.
The racier images and drawings were kept for private viewings only.
They worked and played together like a well-oiled machine, and even spent most of their nights in the small cabin.
Kieran did have moments of overwhelm that Finley intuitively detected.
On those nights, he’d kiss Kieran tenderly and head back to his bedroom at the old homestead without need for excuses or explanations.
The first time it happened, Finley had been a little tentative the next morning, so Kieran had backed him into his office, shut the door, and demonstrated just how happy he was to see him.
After that, Finley didn’t worry that the time away meant they were growing apart.
Each day brought them closer together, and meeting the rest of Finley’s family felt like a natural next step.
Something cold and wet smacked against Kieran’s back. He stiffened and spun around and saw an ice cream cone on the sidewalk.
“Men shall not lay with other men,” said a man with white hair and a white beard. Hostility and something akin to madness shimmered in his pale eyes. “I will cast out all the sinners.”
Kieran was too stunned to speak, but Finley didn’t suffer from the same affliction. He stepped around Kieran and planted himself between Kieran and the threat.
“Your grammar is the sin. It’s lie, not lay. The word shall is a future tense auxiliary verb.” Finley took a few steps toward the man, who had the wisdom to ease back. “I assure you I shall lie with this man whenever and however I want to.”
The old man trembled as he pointed a finger at Finley. “You’re the witch’s son.”
Before Finley could answer, the door to his mother’s shop burst open and a young man with dark blond hair darted onto the sidewalk.
He was dressed just like the man who’d accosted them and didn’t look like he was faring any better.
He froze like a deer in headlights just as a woman burst through the door with a Super Soaker.
He recognized Hope from Finley’s photos and watched in awe as she leveled her weapon of choice at her harasser.
“I warned you assholes,” she said before she pulled the trigger, hitting the man at center mass with a blast of water.
His arms pinwheeled and he flailed about as people on the sidewalk darted to the left and right to avoid the woman’s wrath.
Her victim staggered to one knee before scrambling to his feet and fleeing for safety.
Hope cackled like a madwoman the entire time, her gray-and-white hair flowing behind her, and Kieran was pretty sure he fell in love with her a little just like he’d fallen for her son.
“Witch!” the white-haired man called out.
“Oh shit,” Finley said. “Now you’ve done it.”
Hope spun around and marched forward, Super Soaker locked and loaded. “It’s bitch, not witch. Get it right.” She unleashed a torrent of water at their white-haired accoster until he staggered off into the crowd that had gathered to witness the spectacle.
Finley looked over his shoulder at Kieran. “And the universe answered.”
The crowd cheered for Hope, and she grabbed the skirt of her flowing yellow dress and gave a little curtsy.
Then she gave her full attention to her son.
It was that moment when she realized Kieran was with him.
Her eyes went wide and excitement danced in green eyes several shades darker than Finley’s.
It was also at that time Hope realized her finger was still on the trigger because she pressed it in her excitement and blasted Kieran in the chest.
The cold stunned Kieran for a second, and he froze in shock. Finley, the valiant knight, jumped in front of him once more, taking the brunt of the blast.
“Let off the trigger, you madwoman,” Finley yelled while trying to use his arms as a shield to block the water.
Hope eased off and lowered the weapon, and the three of them howled with laughter.
“What the hell is going on out here?” A lanky man stepped out of the shop and searched the sidewalk until his gaze landed on the trio. “Hope, what have you done?”
“Gary, your wife is unhinged,” Finley said as he pulled his soaked shirt away from his chest.
“You’re just figuring that out, kid?” he asked.
Gary’s sandy brown hair was going gray at the temples.
His black-framed glasses sat slightly askew on his nose, and he assessed Kieran with kind eyes.
“As far as meet-the-parents encounters go, this must be one for the records.” He extended his hand.
“I’m Gary Newton. Husband to this wonderful woman, and stepfather to this incredible young man.
You must be the Kieran we’ve been dying to meet. ”
Kieran didn’t know if their first meeting broke any records, but it sure did shatter the ice. “Good to meet you, sir,” Kieran replied, shaking the man’s hand.
Hope hip-checked her husband out of the way and was on Kieran faster than Nellie on a denim-clad ass. Unconcerned about his wet shirt, she flung her arms around him and hugged him tight before stepping back and smiling up at him. “I’m so happy to meet you, and I’m sorry I blasted you with the gun.”
“That Salvation Anew leader had just baptized me with an ice cream cone, so no worries.”
Hope growled protectively as she looped her arm through Kieran’s and led him toward the store. “I have a shirt you can have.”
“Mom, he’d rather go naked on the streets than wear a shirt with one of your slogans on it.”
“How bad could it be?” Kieran asked over his shoulder.
He understood Gary’s and Finley’s laughter when he surveyed the options in his size a few minutes later.
He could claim that a yoga session a day could keep the bad sex away, boast that good health includes sexual health, or advertise that her Monkey Grease puts the self in self-care.
“I’ll just wear my wet shirt,” Finley announced.
Kieran snorted and tossed him the sexual health shirt while he chose the Monkey Grease for himself.
Finley’s eyes twinkled with mirth as he reached for Kieran’s hand and tugged him into the changing rooms attached to the yoga studio.
He reached for the hem of Kieran’s wet shirt instead of his own, so Kieran reached for his.
But they stood there staring into each other’s eyes instead of undressing.
“The young guy my mom first hosed down is my ex.”
Kieran didn’t get a very good look at him, and it was impossible to see much with the beards anyway. “He’s an idiot. Bet she really enjoyed blasting him.”
“Damn right I did,” Hope called out from the other side. “You boys want us to step out for a little bit?”
“No,” Finley said. “We’re not fooling around. I just wanted to make sure you haven’t scared Kieran off.”
Kieran pointed to where Finley’s hand had shifted on his body. Instead of moving away from Kieran’s crotch, Finley gave it a good squeeze.
“Are you scared off, Kieran?” Hope asked. It was cute that she actually sounded concerned.
Finley squeezed his junk a little harder like he might be trying to influence Kieran’s answer. Like he had anything to worry about. “Not in the least.”
“Would you boys like to get a bite to eat?” Gary said. “We were just talking about closing up for a quick bite at the diner.”
“Can we get a rain check?” Finley asked. “We’ve got a big poker game back at the ranch soon, and I’m in charge of ordering food.”