Chapter 34
The magic word isn’t “please”
Finn
Dad’s grin lingered as he headed back toward the house, leaving me alone with the woman who’d spent her afternoon revolutionizing my family’s operation like it was nothing.
“So,” I tugged her closer, breathing in the familiar green tea and mint of her shampoo as I dropped a kiss on the top of her head, “you gave them Sherlock, huh?”
“It felt good to help,” she said simply. “Lou’s been a little guarded, but showing her how Sherlock could make her life easier.”
“You changed everything,” I let my hands roam over her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her top.
“Dad’s gonna be talking about this for weeks.
You just gave them tools that’ll transform how this whole place works.
” I pulled back to look at her face, then leaned down to kiss her thoroughly.
“Every day there’s something you do that makes me… ”
The rest of that thought—about how I was falling for her more and more every day, how I couldn’t imagine being apart from her—stayed locked down where it was safe.
Alex’s cheeks flushed pink, and she pressed closer against me. “Your family’s pretty great.”
“They are,” I agreed. “Speaking of which, we should probably get cleaned up for dinner. I’m about three layers of dust past presentable.”
“I noticed,” Alex smiled, her hand finding the front of my shirt. “Though I have to say, the whole rugged cowboy thing works for you. Maybe we should blow off dinner…”
Her tone was teasing but with an edge that hadn’t been there this morning. She bit her lip as her fingers played with the buttons on my work shirt and I felt my mouth go dry.
“Alex—”
“Plus you’ve been so modest about changing around me,” her voice dropped lower—as did her hand. “Very gentlemanly. It does things to a woman.”
Heat flooded me as I stepped closer, hands finding her waist.
“Just being respectful,” my voice was rough.
“Mm-hmm,” her fingers traced the edge of my jeans. “Very thoughtful of you.”
The way she said it suggested she had other opinions about my thoughtfulness.
“Come on,” I said, catching her hand before it could wander any further south. “Let’s get ready for dinner before someone comes looking for us.”
“Fine,” Alex sighed dramatically. “But I’m picking your shirt.”
“Deal.”
Back in our room, Alex immediately claimed the bathroom. “I need to fix my hair and change,” she announced, already gathering clothes from the dresser and closet. “Unless you want to shower first?”
“You go ahead,” I settled into a chair by the window. “Take your time.”
The sound of running water gave me space to think.
Alex’s energy today felt as if her usual filters had been dialed down a notch and the Alex that surfaced that glorious evening after her family’s engagement party was waiting to break through.
Maybe it was time to stop being quite so careful.
The hormone therapy was working—I felt more like myself than I had in the last year.
When she emerged twenty minutes later, I forgot how to form complete thoughts.
The emerald-striped blouse made her eyes look impossibly bright and the way the white cotton skirt moved around her legs when she walked, while the belt emphasized the curve of her waist, made me want to put my hands there and never let go.
“Your turn,” she said, moving to her makeup bag.
“Thanks, darlin’,” I headed for the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar—not wide open, but enough to see what she’d do.
Under the perfectly boring, tepid water, I let myself imagine Alex’s reaction if she caught a glimpse. Instead of the panic that used to accompany that thought, I felt... curious. Ready.
When I came out, towel around my waist, Alex was standing at the vanity putting in earrings. She glanced over and her eyes lingered—first on my chest where the pale round scars from tube placement were visible, then tracking the skin graft scars that wrapped around my left shoulder and side.
I took a deep breath as her gaze caught on the thick ridge of tissue along my collarbone before meeting my eyes in the mirror.
“I hung a shirt on the closet door,” her voice was slightly rougher than usual, but steady. I didn’t miss the way she licked her lips, the attention sending a spike of confidence through me.
I pulled on my underwear and jeans, then the red western shirt she’d picked out, leaving it unbuttoned for the moment. When I turned to grab my belt, I caught her eyes detailing—curious and hungry.
“Much better,” she smiled when I approached, stepping closer to adjust my collar. Her fingers brushed against my neck, just above where the worst of the scarring began. I let her touch linger, watched her eyes darken as she slowly buttoned the shirt over skin she now knew was marked by trauma.
“Appreciate the professional consultation,” I teased, catching her hands and giving her a quick kiss before pulling away to retrieve my boots. “Ready to go?”
“More than ready,” she bounced on her toes.
“Then come on, Alexandra,” I offered her my arm. “Let’s go show you off.”
Everyone was already seated around the dining table by the time we arrived—the smell of Mom’s pot roast filling the air and mixing with potatoes, fresh baked rolls, and steamed vegetables.
Lucas and Jack were up to their usual antics while Belle filled her parents in on her day’s activities.
Móraí looked up when we walked in, her wise eyes taking in everything about us together.
“There’s our genius and her lucky guy,” Dad grinned, gesturing for us to take the empty seats. “Alex, you’ve got to tell everyone what you’ve built at your company and what you’re sharing with us.”
“Now that sounds like a story worth hearing,” Móraí leaned forward with obvious interest. “Nolan’s been singing your praises, but I want to hear it from the source.”
I pushed Alex’s chair in for her as she smiled at my grandmother. “Well, it started with my boss, Oliver, and me deciding we were over corporate drama and office politics...”
What followed was a story that had the whole table captivated—Alex walking through the early days of Catalyst, the risks they’d taken, the late nights spent building something from nothing.
She talked about finding their first employees, creating a culture that felt like family, the award-winning projects that had put them on the map and on the radar of larger companies.
I hadn’t realized I could be even prouder of her, but here I was.
“Is it scary running your own company?” Belle asked, looking up from pushing peas around her plate.
“Scary and amazing,” Alex admitted. “You’re responsible for a lot of people, but you also get to build some really amazing things. We’ve been lucky… until recently, anyway.”
Móraí raised an eyebrow. “Recently?”
“Just had our first real corporate threat,” Alex’s eyes dropped, her voice taking on an edge. “Big company tried to acquire us for our tech and probably would have put everyone out of a job.”
Móraí nodded slowly, smiling. “It takes grit to build what you’ve built. And backbone to protect it. You must know what you want in life, and who you’re meant to be no matter what others say.”
“This ranch was always too small for Finn,” she continued, glancing at me with knowing eyes. “That’s why he was always up in the sky. Why he had to spread his wings for bigger horizons before he could figure out who he was meant to be.”
Móraí’s observation hit exactly right—and wrong. Because sitting here, watching Alex charm my family while her hand found mine under the table, those bigger horizons I’d thought I needed felt less important than the person sitting next to me.
“Your grandfather would’ve been proud,” Móraí added, her voice softening. “Teaching you to fly was one of his greatest joys. Said you had natural instincts for reading the sky.”
Warmth settled in my chest at the memory. “He was a good teacher,” I smiled. “Patient with a kid who wanted to touch every control in the cockpit and needed a good lesson in consequences more than once.”
Alex squeezed my hand as her eyes met mine. I leaned over and pressed a light kiss to her lips.
“Speaking of teachers,” Mom chimed in, “Lucas has been asking when someone’s gonna teach him to fly.”
“That’d be your department, Mom,” I winked, taking a sip of water. “You’ve got your license and can actually provide proper instruction.”
“But Uncle Finn, you make stuff sound more fun when you explain it,” Lucas pouted slightly.
“If I’m around, I can show you the basics on the ground,” I offered. “Pre-flight checks, how the controls work. But for actual flying lessons, you need someone who can legally sign off on your training.”
“What do you mean if you’re around?” Jack interjected. “Penny and Lucas said you moved back here. That’s why you’ve been around so much.”
I glanced at Alex as her hand moved to my knee and squeezed.
“We’re just here for the month, buddy,” I offered an apologetic look. “Alex has to get back to her company and I need to…” I trailed off. The truth was I had nowhere else to go other than LA. I just knew I didn’t want to be here if Alex wasn’t with me.
“Billy might be a good option for lessons,” Elowyn redirected everyone back to the subject of flight. “He takes the plane up the most these days—save for you two,” she winked at us.
“When?” Lucas looked hopeful.
“You’ve still got a few years to go, kiddo, but time’ll go faster than you think,” I smiled at my nephew, pleased that he wanted to try.
Thankfully the conversation moved on, but I felt Alex’s hand move up my thigh, pressing gently, and I had to swallow a groan before it could escape my throat.
Dinner was beginning to feel like the longest meal of my life.
And from the way she kept glancing at me during conversations, I was guessing she felt the same way.