Chapter Twenty
Beck
I’m standing on the back deck fuming and wishing to fuck I’d grabbed another beer on the way out.
How the fuck has all this happened? I mean, I get that Kelsey is friends with my family, she always was, they loved her.
Pop practically treated her like a daughter from the second we got together and Finn always saw her as nothing more than a sister.
Growing up, never once did I think my brother had a thing for my girl.
And never in my life would I have imagined that Kelsey might start something up with my brother.
Sure she might be sleeping in my bed now, but the thought of her being in my brother’s, even just once.
Fuck, it makes me want to punch something, preferably Finn.
I hear the back door open and then shut, but I don’t turn around, I know who it’s going to be. Kelsey slides her arms around my waist from behind and rests her chin on my shoulder. I don’t move, keeping my arms by my side as I continue to stare out at the ocean.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice quiet. “I probably should have mentioned that this dinner is a regular thing with the three of us.”
“I think what you should have mentioned,” I say, my voice even and calm, despite the anger boiling inside me. “Is that you and Finn were once an item.”
“What the fuck?” Kelsey shouts, her arms disappearing as she walks around and stands in front of me now. “You’ve got some fucking nerve, Beck,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’ve got some nerve?” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“How about you, Kels? I mean how does it work, you can’t have one brother so you just move on to the other one?
What happened when I walked back into town, huh?
Finn just got cast aside? I mean I know I’m the better lay, but jesus fucking christ, Kels.
” My voice is getting louder and louder and I’ve no doubt that in addition to sounding like a complete and utter dick, Pop and Finn are hearing every single word of this conversation.
“You,” Kelsey says, her voice low as she steps towards me and sticks a finger in my chest. “Are an asshole, Beck.”
“What?” I bite back, my hands on my hips now.
“You honestly think I’d just move on to your brother after you left?
” she says, her voice laced with anger now.
“That you meant that little to me, that I’d be over you and under your brother as soon as you were gone?
Fucking hell, Beck, Finn is like a brother to me.
Your family…your family became my family,” she says, her voice catching on the words.
“They became my family when I lost mine. When I lost you.”
Kelsey’s eyes are glistening with tears now and I’ve gone from feeling like the biggest dickhead on the planet to the biggest asshole of all time in the space of about five seconds.
I should have known Kelsey and my brother wouldn’t get involved with each other. Not only do they see each other as brother and sister, both of them have far too much class for that.
“Shit, Kels,” I say, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into my arms. “I’m sorry, I’m being a dick.”
“Yeah, you are,” she says, her face buried against my chest. “I love you, Beck,” she says, looking up at me now.
“I love everything about you, including your family. The three of us just grew even closer after you left because all of us missed you. Just like all of us love you,” she adds, her voice quiet.
“She’s right you know,” Finn says.
I turn and see Pop and my brother standing by the back door. They’re watching us with concerned looks on their faces making me feel like an even bigger dick.
I exhale hard, turning to face them, Kelsey still wrapped in my arms. “I owe you all an apology,” I say, meeting each of their stares.
“Not just for the way I acted tonight, but…” I stop and run a hand through my hair as I try and work out how I’m supposed to apologize for a decade of being a dick.
“But also for walking out on you all those years ago. I was a dickhead,” I say. “Apparently I still am.”
“We all know why you did it, Son,” Pop says. “None of us blames you for wanting more than what life in this small town would offer. We just didn’t expect you’d forget about us, that’s all.”
I meet Pop’s eyes and see all of the hurt the old man’s carried for the past ten years. It makes me realize just how much I’ve fucked up here, not just with Kelsey, but with my family too.
“I know,” I say, not looking away. “It was a shitty thing to do and I have no excuses for the way I’ve acted.” I stop and take another deep breath. “You have no idea how much I wish I could go back and re-do the last ten years, Pop. With all of you.”
Finn steps closer now and puts a hand on my shoulder. “You can’t change the past, Beck,” he says. “But you can sure as fuck fix the future.”
“I know,” I tell him, pressing a kiss to the top of Kelsey’s head. “Trust me when I say I intend to, Finn. I don’t want to miss out on any of this anymore,” I say, waving an arm around the four of us. “I told Kelsey that I’m not leaving her again and I meant it. I mean it with you guys too.”
Pop, Finn and I all stare at each other for a few minutes, neither of us saying anything. Kelsey stands silently in my arms, her arms finally wrapping around my waist in forgiveness.
“Come on,” Pop eventually says, stepping towards us. “We’ve all said our piece, let’s just move forward from here.”
Finn and I both nod at each other and then we all turn and walk back into the house. As the other two take a seat at the table, I hang back, pulling Kelsey closer as I wrap my arms around her.
“I’m really sorry, baby,” I say, kissing her forehead. “I was being a dick. Forgive me?”
Kelsey smiles up at me. “Yeah, you really were,” she says, fisting her hand in my t-shirt. “But it’s okay, you can make it up to me later,” she says, kissing me on the lips before slipping out of my arms and walking back to the table.
The rest of the evening passes by without any more arguments or misunderstandings. It’s nice being back at home with Pop and my brother and even better having Kelsey with us too. It feels so much like old times and now that I’ve pulled my head out of my ass, I finally see how much I’ve missed this.
Pop fills me in on his plans for renovating the pub, even though he’s probably getting close to retirement.
I’m not sure who he plans on having run it when he does, Finn’s too young to give up the chief job and there’s not really anyone else.
It gives me a tiny idea, but I keep it to myself for now, not wanting to get anyone’s hopes up before I’ve thought this through.
“So what’s happening with the case in Boston then?” Pop finally asks, as we’re finishing off dessert.
“Fucking idiot decided to change his story,” I tell him. “Says Ryan and I coerced him into admitting guilt, so now I’ve got to go testify on account of the moron pleading not guilty.”
“You video the interview?” he asks.
“Of course,” I say, dropping my spoon into my bowl and leaning back in my chair, slinging an arm around Kelsey’s shoulders.
“So it should be open and shut then, right?”
I nod. “Yeah it will be. Just a pain in the ass that I have to do it in the first place, that’s all,” I say, glancing at Kels.
She smiles back at me before leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be fine, babe. I’ve got these two boys to look after me, remember?”
I smile, glancing back at my brother and Pop. “Yeah, I know you do.”
The next morning I wake early, the alarm blaring out and reminding me that today is the day I have to leave.
“Fuck,” I breathe out, reaching over to silence it.
“That a promise or a request?” Kelsey murmurs.
I smile as I glance down at her naked body draped over mine.
We stayed here at Pop’s last night on account of a few too many drinks being had as we spent the night finally catching up again.
It was a lot of fun and I’m glad they’ve so easily forgiven me for basically ignoring them for the last ten years.
I’m still not sure how it is that I got so lucky, but then this is my family we’re talking about; I shouldn’t have expected anything different.
Last night also reaffirmed to me that this is where I belong, not just with Kels, but with Pop and Finn too. As much as I might love Boston and my job, this is home to me, especially now.
So it was late by the time we finally all dragged ourselves to bed. Both Kelsey and I were drunk, only managing to fumble through a quickie before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
“Mmmm, both,” I say, pulling her body up mine so I can kiss her lips. “Kinda like old times, isn’t it?”
Kelsey smiles as she tries to open her eyes. “Yeah, except this time there’s no having to sneak me up here after Pop’s gone to sleep.”
I laugh, rolling us over so Kelsey lies beneath me. “We did a lot of sneaking around in those days,” I say, kissing her jaw.
I smile as Kels’ breath catches. “I know,” she whispers. “God knows why we bothered when half the town knew we were fucking.”
“Half?” I scoff, lifting my head from her shoulder to look at her. “Try all of them.”
Kelsey pins me with a serious look. “You sure you’re gonna be able to handle all of that again, Beck?” she asks. “I mean, you didn’t seem too impressed when we ran into Mrs. Holmes yesterday.”
I smile as I lean in and run my tongue across her bottom lip. Kelsey moans as she pushes her hips up, rubbing them against my already hard dick. “I can handle it, babe,” I tell her, my hand cupping her breast now as I start to tease her nipple with my fingers.
“You sure?” she whispers, her hands sliding down my back until they reach my ass, her nails digging in as she pulls me even closer.
“Baby, for you,” I say, pinching her nipple and making her gasp. “I can put up with anything.”
“Good,” she says, squeezing my ass. “Now give me a goodbye fuck. I’ve missed doing it with you in this room.”