Chapter Twelve
Finley
Leaving Zaine's to go home to shower and change was hard. He'd wanted to step into the massive shower at Zaine's with his girl and worship her body one more time. But he had to get to the hospital to check on his boss.
He walked into his tiny apartment and felt the loneliness again. At that moment he made his decision. He was moving into Zaine's. He would tell them later.
He showered and dressed then headed back out. He stopped and picked up a cannoli and headed to the hospital. When he got to the hospital, he checked to make sure his boss was still there, then went straight to Ferguson's room. At the door, he knocked and then stepped inside.
“McLaughlin, what brings you by?” Ferguson asked.
“I came to check on you,” he replied. “How are you feeling?”
“It's the damnedest thing. My heart has gone back to normal. The doc can't explain it, but with everything back to normal, I'll be getting out of here today.”
Finley felt an overwhelming sense of relief. The counterspell had done its job. “That's great news,” he said. “By the way, I brought you this,” he said, offering up the pastry.
“Thanks. And thanks for checking on me.”
The nurse came in to unhook the monitors and remove his I.V. for him. “I'll have your discharge papers soon,” she said and left.
“I'll get out of here so you can get dressed. Glad you're going to be okay,” Finley said and left.
When he got to his SUV, he pulled out his phone.
Me: The counterspell worked Sweetheart!
Sweetheart: I'm so glad. I missed you when I showered. It's big enough for three, you know
He groaned at the image of her all wet and naked.
Me: Minx. Quit teasing me
Sweetheart: Move in with us and it won't be a tease
He sat there debating on texting the news or calling her to hear her voice and decided he wanted to hear her excitement. So, he called.
“Hello Love,” Sorcha said on the other end of the line.
“Hello, Sweetheart. I wanted to hear your voice,” he told her.
“Awww, miss me?” she asked.
“Yeah, I do. You know, it's funny you should mention me moving in there. When I got back to the apartment, I realized two things.”
“Oh? What's that?” Sorcha asked curiosity in her voice.
“One, my apartment is cold and lonely. Two, I want to move in with you and Zaine.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, Sweetheart, I'm serious,” he told her. He had to pull the phone away from his ear because of her squealing.
“Holy shit! I'm putting you on speaker. Zaine, Babe, Finley's moving in with us!”
“About damn time he came to his senses,” Zaine's voice came over the line. “We can start packing you up today. I'll bring the boxes and our girl.”
“I have to go into the office for a few hours, but I'll be done by 4. I'll text Sorcha my address and meet you there by 4:30,” Finley told them.
“Sounds good, Fin. See you then,” Zaine said.
“See you in a few hours Love,” Sorcha said.
“See you in a few hours,” he replied and hung up. Then he turned the car on and headed to the office.
As soon as four o'clock hit, he was logging off his computer and heading out. One thing he loved about his job was the flexible hours. He was excited to get to the apartment and start packing.
While it had taken two days to pack Sorcha up, it would only take a day for him. Other than his clothes and bathroom items, he didn't have a whole lot aside from some nickknacks, as his mother would call them. He didn't even have to worry about the dishes because they weren’t his. They belonged to his landlord.
When he pulled up to the apartment building he spotted Sorcha and Zaine in a pickup truck he assumed belonged to Zaine. He got out of his SUV and approached the driver's side. “I see you beat me here. I hope you haven't been waiting long.”
“Nah, we just got here a few minutes ago,” Zaine replied.
“I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting long,” Finley said and motioned toward the building. “Shall we?”
Sorcha hopped out of the truck. “Yes, let's! I can't wait to get you moved in with us,” she said.
Finley chuckled at her exuberance. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I've missed those lips,” he said and kissed her.
“Missed you too,” Sorcha replied when the kiss ended.
“All right you two, let's get inside and get started,” Zaine interjected. He grabbed the boxes out of the back of his truck.
Finley let her go and led them inside and upstairs to his third-floor apartment. “I don't have a lot, a few nickknacks, clothes, and bathroom stuff,” he told them as he let them in. “Everything else belongs to my landlord, including the dishes.”
Sorcha went to him and hugged him. “I can see why you said it's cold and lonely. There's nothing of you in here, not really. The place is impersonal.”
“Yeah,” Finley replied.
“You can add shit that makes the house your home too,” Zaine told him.
“Thanks Zaine. Let's get started,” Finley said and pointed out what was his and what wasn't.
Three hours later, they took a break to order pizza and eat.
“I can't believe we're almost done,” Sorcha said. They only had the bathroom to pack up.
“I told you I didn't have a lot of stuff,” Finley replied.
“Yeah, you did,” Sorcha said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “It's okay, I'm just a bit of a hoarder,” she told him.
He and Zaine chuckled. “You do have a lot of stuff, Sweetheart, but most of it is books.”
“What can I say, I like to read,” she replied cheekily.
That made them laugh. “That you do,” Zaine said as they ate pizza. “But we love you just the way you are,” he told her.
“Zaine's right. Wouldn't want you any other way,” Finley put in.
“Good, because I'm not changing,” Sorcha told them. “I'm a book dragon and damn proud of it.”
“Book dragon?” Finley asked.
“Yeah. You know, dragons hoard things, I hoard books, thus I'm a book dragon,” she replied.
“Makes sense. Sexiest dragon I've ever seen,” Finley told her.
“Fuck yeah she is,” Zaine agreed.
“You boys are definitely good for my ego,” Sorcha said with a laugh.
After they finished eating, they tackled the bathroom and got it packed. “I vote you take some clothes and come to the house to sleep with us tonight,” Sorcha told Finley.
“That sounds like a perfect plan to me,” Finley replied. “I've missed sleeping with you curled up next to me,” he added.
“Then it's settled. Grab some clothes and let's get out of here,” Zaine said.
Finley went to his room and dug clothes out of one of the boxes. He was glad it was Friday, and he didn't have to get up early for work. Neither did Sorcha, so they could sleep in.
“Ready to go,” he told Sorcha and Zaine. “We can move the boxes over tomorrow.”
“Great. Let's go home,” Sorcha said.
Home. He loved the sound of that.