13. Finn
Chapter Thirteen
Finn
I'm not leaving. That decision was made approximately thirty seconds after I heard Kaia laugh for the first time.
I lean against the counter, watching her wipe down a surface that doesn't need wiping, and think to myself, Yeah…
I'm keeping her. Not in a weird way, in a…
Okay, maybe a little in a weird way. But this is important and I don't have time to overthink it—which, historically, not thinking usually works out for me more often than not.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and open the group chat.
Finn
I'm inviting her to dinner.
There's a pause, and I can practically feel the collective inhale from the house.
Adrian
You're doing what?
I grin.
Finn
Inviting. Her. To. Dinner. Keep up, Mr. Five Degrees.
Lachlan
Finn.
Ahh, there it is. Even with just my typed name, I catch his tone. I roll my eyes.
Finn
Relax, I'm not dragging her out anywhere. I'm bringing her to us. I doubt she’s ready for a whole public outing thing.
Jonas
He's right.
I light up. Support! Thank you, my handsome Beta. I owe him later.
Finn
THANK YOU, JONAS!
Jonas
But you need to keep it low pressure.
I wave that off, even though no one in the group can see me.
Finn
I'm low pressure. I'm basically a master of chill.
Adrian
You're the opposite of chill, my handsome Omega.
Rude. But he did call me handsome, so it hurts less.
Finn
Anyway, I'm asking her what she wants, then going grocery shopping if anyone wants to join. Adrian, can you cook?
There's a long pause, and I can practically hear Adrian reconsidering all of his life choices that led him to end up with me as his Omega. We couldn't be any more polar opposite if we tried, but I love him. And he loves me.
Adrian
What does she like?
I glance up and watch how Kaia restacks cups with quiet precision, how her brow slightly furrows like she's concentrating harder than the task requires. I smile.
Finn
I'll find out.
Lachlan
Please don't overwhelm her.
My smile softens slightly.
Finn
I won't.
By the time we finish closing, I've managed to only mildly get yelled at twice—which honestly is pretty good for me. "Okay," I say, and Kaia glances up.
"Okay…"
"We're having dinner." It isn't a question but a statement.
Her hand stills on the register. "We're…what?"
"Dinner," I repeat, like it clarifies everything. "My place, tonight."
Her eyes narrow slightly. "It sounds like there’s a question in there you forgot to ask."
I shake my head. "No. I'm asking, just confidently." That earns me a look. A real one, suspicion despite the amusement tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"I don't know you."
I grin. "Perfect opportunity to fix that."
"That's not how that works."
"It's exactly how that works."
She shakes her head, but there's no real heat behind it, just hesitation. I see it immediately. There’s no resistance or rejection, just uncertainty.
I soften my approach. "It's chill. No big thing. Just dinner. At a house—with people you've technically already half-met."
Her brows pull together. "Half-met?"
"Lachlan, the coffee guy from yesterday. Jonas, the beach guy? They're normal—well, Jonas is normal. Lachlan's just quiet."
She hesitates, so I tilt my head and give her my best puppy dog eyes that even Adrian can’t say no to.
Kaia huffs out a laugh, and I lean in slightly, lowering my voice. "Come over. It'll be easy. No pressure. If you hate it, I'll bring you right back. Immediately. No questions asked. We can have a code word. Pineapple. If you say pineapple, I'll spill water on someone and say we have to leave."
She smiles softly and searches my face, looking for something. After a long second, she exhales. "I need to shower and change…"
I light up immediately. "Yay! Perfect! This is great. I love this!"
Her eyes narrow. "You're very enthusiastic."
"Sorry, I can play it cool." I pull out my phone. "I can pick you up in like two hours?" Her body goes still, just for a second, but I catch it. The where problem. I don't let the pause linger. "Or I can just pick you up from here."
Her shoulders ease immediately. "Yeah, that would be great."
"Done." I don't question or push or make it weird. I just accept it, because whatever the hesitation was, it mattered, and I'm not going to make it worse. "What do you like?" I ask. "Food-wise?"
She blinks. "Um…anything is fine."
I make a face. "That's a terrible answer."
"That's a flexible answer.
"It's an unhelpful answer."
She huffs, and it's adorable. "I like tacos?" she says, but it comes out sounding like a question.
I grin. "Perfect. Adrian makes the best tacos." She smiles, and I say, "I'll see you back here in two hours."
Once I’m back in my car, I start typing:
Finn
SHE SAID YES!
Several typing bubbles pop up at once.
Adrian
Of course she did.
Jonas
Be nice.
Lachlan
What are we cooking?
Finn
TACOS!
Adrian
Of course we are.
Finn
Because your tacos are the best and I'm setting you up for success.
Can someone send me a grocery list of stuff we need? I'll head over there now.
Adrian
On it.
The grocery store trip is fast and focused, which for me is saying something. I grab everything on the list and everything I think we might need, plus extra just in case. I check out in record time, because I'm on a mission.
By the time I get home, the house feels different already. Alive, but in a quieter, more alert way than the usual chaos. I find Adrian in the kitchen, already pulling utensils out of the cabinet drawers.
"You're late," Adrian says without looking up.
"Hi, Alpha. I missed you, too." He rolls his eyes at me, then puts the spatula down and comes over to hug me.
I kiss him, and he says, "I missed you. I'm not used to you being gone all day. And you smell like her."
"I didn't do anything, I promise. I was good, daddy."
He growls lightly. "Go shower. You smell like outside."
"I thought I smelled like her. Which one is it, daddy?"
He growls. "Go!"
I smile and walk past Jonas, who's leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching us. "Want to join me, my handsome Beta? I still need to thank you for the support earlier…"
He smiles at me, then asks quickly, "Adrian, you need anything?"
Adrian says, "Take the brat away from here. I'll get Lachlan."
I grin at Jonas, and he shakes his head at me and whispers, "You're going to be in trouble."
"Me? Never!" I let him pull me upstairs to my bathroom.