34. Adele
Adele
“You told Susan Stephens we were engaged,” I complained. I was annoyed with him, but this surreal day had taken the wind out of my sails. He was lucky I didn’t have the energy to go a few rounds.
“We will be by the time preproduction starts,” he said, reclining in a chair outside the Airstream. “Plus, she offered to let us use the chapel on her compound.”
“Not quite. She was half in love with you.” I shook my head and pasted on a grin. “I had no idea you were catnip for billionaires. If you need to pursue that, you have my permission. She may get handsy at your photo shoot.”
He glared at me, but he didn’t respond to my petty comments.
In my opinion, they were justified. Susan Stephens was enamored with Finn.
All the way down the mountain, she found reasons to touch him, and she asked him an endless number of questions.
Not that I could blame her for shooting her shot.
He was hot. And I supposed being a lady billionaire could get lonely.
Though I teased him, I didn’t really mind. There was no way in hell I’d let him miss this opportunity. It was his dream to fly tourists around the wilderness of Maine, and now, thanks to a chance encounter on a hiking trail, it was happening.
So badly, I wanted to be by his side, helping him and supporting him every step of the way.
The temperature had dropped when the sun set, so we’d pulled out the s’mores supplies and started a fire in the pit near the Airstream.
I was snuggled up in one of Finn’s shirts, too comfortable and drowsy to muster up any real anger.
Every day, a real future with him seemed more possible.
And today, that possibility had jumped to probability. At least for me.
Being with him felt so natural and so right. In the past few days, we had held hands in restaurants, kissed on trails, and snuggled as we watched the sun rise.
Every aspect was organic and simple and so much easier than I had ever imagined.
But could I let it all go? The decades of dislike and competition and the loss of my father?
My brain said no. I could never give myself to Finn completely, regardless of whether I wanted to.
Not to mention the matter of my family.
My heart, on the other hand, was singing a very different tune. What was the point of all the ugliness if we couldn’t move forward and embrace love and happiness?
And my vagina? That slut was not getting an invite to this debate, because we all knew where her loyalties lay.
I loved my dad, and I’d miss him every for the rest of my life. But he was an open, honest man who believed deeply in second chances. He was known around town for his generosity and kindness.
He would have loved Finn. He would have admired his military service and his honor and his kindness. And he would have adored his sense of humor.
Most importantly, if he were here today, he would want me to be loved and cherished.
Which was exactly how Finn made me feel. What we had was very quickly beginning to resemble what my mom and dad had showed me every day of my life. That love was showing up for one another.
Beside me, Finn was reclined in his Adirondack chair. His hair was up, and his blue eyes shone in the firelight.
“Finn,” I said softly. “I think I’m ready. To do this.”
He grasped the armrest of my chair and slid it until it was directly next to his. “You’re ready to marry me? Excellent. Maybe Susan has a justice of the peace on speed dial. We should ask her to officiate. She’s got many talents.”
I punched him playfully. “No. Not marriage.”
“Not yet.” He raised one brow and smirked.
With a roll of my eyes, I dropped my elbow to the armrest and cradled my chin in my hand. “No. But I want this. You and me. Exclusive.”
Suddenly scowling, he sat up. “We’ve been exclusive. I’m not like the other guys you’ve dated, She-Ra. When I commit, I’m all in.”
His words loosened the vise constricting my chest. It sounded so juvenile, but I’d learned the hard way that relationships had to be carefully defined.
“Okay. How about this? If you even look at another woman, I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to Clive and make you watch while you bleed out slowly in the snow. ”
“That’s very specific.” He laughed. “And dark. I gotta say, I love that you’re the jealous, possessive type.”
“You don’t get to talk, Mr. I-had-a-nervous-breakdown-over-a-flannel-shirt-in-public.”
With a low growl, he pulled me onto his lap and looped his arms around me, enveloping me with his scent.
“I stand by my choices. I didn’t want another man’s shirt touching your precious skin.
” He kissed the top of my head. “You’re mine.
I’m glad we’ve established this, because I’ve got other plans for the night. ”
He bit my earlobe, and I wiggled in his lap, loving the feel of his body wrapped around mine.
“Can we take this slowly?” I asked, holding my breath. How could I even begin to explain myself to someone like him? He was open and authentic. And I had long ago closed myself behind a fortress lined with barbed wire and surrounded by a crocodile-infested moat.
“I want to work on getting there,” I explained. “But telling my family will be difficult. If we’re going to do this right and make it last, I need a bit more time.”
He stroked my cheek. “We can face them together.”
I watched the fire as we sat wrapped around one another. This perfect bubble was going to burst when we got back to Lovewell, and the thought made me sick.
“This special thing between us?” I asked. “Can we keep it this way a little longer? A week or two?”
“Of course,” he murmured. “It feels impossible to keep my feelings for you a secret, but I’ll do anything to make you happy.”
“It’s that it feels so good. And I’ve never had anything feel like this.”
“Me neither,” he admitted, running his nose along my neck and behind my ear. “It scares me too.”
He was so good. So solid and so kind. How could I ever deserve someone like him? Dammit. That thought had tears welling in my eyes. With a deep breath in, I fought them back. I didn’t want to ruin this perfect night, this perfect weekend, with my tears. But they wouldn’t be contained.
“Thank you.” I hiccuped. “Thank you for understanding me and my anxieties. Thank you for pushing past all my walls and defense mechanisms and insecurities.”
He kissed me and held my face for a moment, watching me with so much intensity and affection I swore my heart would burst from the way he made me feel. How could someone so large and intimidating be so gentle and tender?
“I’ll never stop,” he said. “I’ll never stop fighting for you and loving you.”
That was it. My heart was a goner. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?
“Yup.” He smiled, clearly reading my mind.
“I love you, She-Ra. You don’t have to say or do anything.
But I don’t play games and I don’t hide my feelings.
So I’m telling you now—I’m wildly, madly in love with you.
I want to spend every day with you, learn every single thing about you, and spend every minute I have on this earth making you smile. ”
He stood, effortlessly cradling me in his arms. “Now I’m taking you to bed. Because my dream girl needs multiple orgasms and a good night’s sleep.”