40. Finn
Chapter Forty
Finn
I've been planning this for three days. Three. Days. Which, for me, is basically a lifetime. I don't plan things—I just do them. I see something I want, and I go for it. Impulse is my default setting.
But this? This is important. This matters. Kaia deserves important. She deserves thought and effort and something more than my usual chaos. So I planned. Sort of.
Okay, I made a list. An actual, physical list on a piece of paper with bullet points and little boxes to check off and everything.
And then immediately lost the list somewhere between my bedroom and the kitchen. Probably under a pile of laundry. Or maybe I used it as a bookmark.
Who knows.
The point is, I tried. I actually tried to do this right.
The only problem? Adrian.
"Absolutely not," he says when I bring my idea up at breakfast, not even looking up from his laptop.
I blink. Set down my coffee mug a little harder than necessary. "What do you mean, absolutely not?"
"I mean," Adrian says, finally glancing up at me, setting his coffee down with that controlled precision that makes me want to reach over and mess up his perfectly styled hair, "you're not taking her out alone. Not yet."
"Why not?" I cross my arms, leaning back in my chair.
"Because she's still…" He stops. Recalibrates. I can see him choosing his words carefully, which somehow makes it worse. "Because it's not safe yet. The situation with her family pack is unresolved."
I cross my arms tighter. "Lachlan took her out, like just the other day. Alone."
"Lachlan is an Alpha," Adrian says, like that explains everything.
"So you think I can't protect her?" My voice comes out sharper than I intend.
Adrian's jaw tightens. Just slightly. That little muscle near his ear that only moves when he's really annoyed. "That's not what I said."
"That's what it sounded like."
"Well, it's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Jonas, sitting at the counter with his tea and a book, doesn't look up from the page he's reading. "You two done?"
"No," we say in unison.
Jonas sighs. Long-suffering. Theatrical. He closes his book with a soft thud. "You two done now?" Silence. "Adrian, Finn wants to take Kaia on a date. That's reasonable. She's been here for a week now. She deserves to feel like she has some normalcy, some freedom."
"Thank you," I say, gesturing at Jonas.
"However," Jonas continues, looking directly at me with that steady gaze that always makes me feel like he can see straight through all my bullshit.
"Adrian's concern is also reasonable. Kaia’s family could be searching for her.
The thought has been sitting at the back of my mind ever since she told us what she ran from. They could be watching. Waiting."
I deflate slightly. "Okay, but…"
"Compromise," Jonas says simply, taking a sip of his tea.
Adrian and I both look at him.
"Adrian goes with you," Jonas says, setting his mug down. "But stays back. Gives you space. Gives you privacy. Just...there. In case. Like a really well-dressed shadow."
I open my mouth to argue, then stop. Because actually? It’s not terrible. It’s actually kind of perfect. I look at Adrian, studying his expression.
"You'd really just...hang back? Like, actually give us space and not hover three feet away the entire time?"
Adrian studies me for a long moment. His expression is unreadable, which means he's thinking. Calculating. Then he nods. Once. Sharp. Final.
"I won't interfere unless necessary."
"Define necessary."
"If either of you are in danger. Real, immediate danger."
"Okay, but like, actual danger, not you thinking someone looked at us weird or stood too close in line."
Adrian's mouth twitches. Almost a smile. Almost.
"Actual danger."
I grin. Wide. Victorious. "Deal."
I pick her up from the café at three. The afternoon sunlight blazes through the windows, making everything look warm and golden. She's wiping down the counter when I walk in, and the second she sees me, her face lights up.
Fuck.
That smile. It hits me right in the chest every single time, like someone's reaching in and squeezing my heart.
"Hi," she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hi yourself," I say, leaning against the counter in what I hope is a casual, cool way and not the way that makes Jonas say I look like I'm trying too hard. "You ready?"
"For what?"
"Our date."
Her eyes widen slightly. Those beautiful hazel eyes that shift between green and gold depending on the light.
"Date?"
"Yep. You. Me. Adventure. Maybe some questionable decisions. Definitely food."
She blinks. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise."
"Finn…"
"A good surprise," I promise, holding up three fingers like a Scout's honor even though I’ve never been a Scout. "I swear. Would I steer you wrong?"
"I've known you for like ten days. I don't have enough data."
I laugh. Fuck, I love that she's getting more comfortable. More herself.
She studies my face for a second, and I can see her weighing my words. Deciding. Then, she smiles.
"Okay."
Maria appears from the back room like she's been waiting for this exact moment, already untying her apron, grinning like the cat that got the cream. "Go. Be young. Be reckless. Have fun."
I take Kaia's hand and we step outside into the sunshine. Her fingers are warm. Slightly damp from the cleaning spray. She doesn't pull away, and my chest does that thing again.
Adrian's car is parked three spaces down. Black sedan. Tinted windows. Very Adrian. He doesn't get out. Doesn't wave. Doesn't even turn his head. He’s just…there. Kaia doesn't notice.
Good.
I open the passenger door for her with a little flourish. "Your chariot awaits, m'lady."
She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling as she slides into the seat. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculously charming."
I slide into the driver's seat, start the engine, and pull out onto the main road. The radio is playing something upbeat. Something summery.
Perfect.
Adrian follows. Far enough back that it's not obvious. Close enough that I know he's there. That I can see him in my rearview mirror.
Honestly? It's kind of comforting, like having a safety net.
"So," Kaia says, glancing over at me, sunlight catching in her hair. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope."
"Finn."
"Kaia."
She laughs. Soft. Warm. Like honey.
I reach over and lace my fingers through hers, resting our joined hands on the center console. "Trust me?"
She looks down at our hands. At my thumb brushing across her knuckles. Then back up at me. "Yeah," she says quietly. "I do."
My chest does something weird. Something warm. Something that feels a lot like...I shake my head and squeeze her hand gently.
"Good. Because if you didn't, this would be a really awkward kidnapping."
She snorts. Actually snorts. It's adorable.
The mall is busy. Not packed, but busy enough that we’ll blend in. Enough people strolling about that we'll just be another couple. Anonymous. Normal. Perfect.
I park near the main entrance, and Adrian parks four rows back. Still visible if I look. Still watching. Still there. Kaia doesn't notice; she’s too busy looking at the building, at the people streaming in and out of the automatic doors.
I open her door, offer my hand, and she takes it without hesitation. Progress.
"The mall?" she asks, looking up at the building with its glass doors and bright signs.
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because," I say, tugging her toward the entrance, weaving between a family with a stroller and a group of teenagers. "You need things."
"I don't need things. I have things."
"You have like three outfits."
"That's all I need."
"Kaia."
She stops walking. Right there in the middle of the sidewalk. Looks at me with serious eyes. "Finn, I don't have money to spend on things I don't need. The café pays me well enough, but I'm trying to save…"
"Good thing I do. Have money, I mean."
Her eyes widen. "No. Absolutely not. I can't let you…"
"Absolutely yes. And you're not letting me do anything," I say gently, stepping closer, lowering my voice. "I want to. Please? Let me do this. Let me buy you things. Nice things. Things that make you smile."
She searches my face. I can see the war happening behind her eyes. Confliction. Uncertainty. Pride versus want. Independence versus letting someone care for her.
"Just...a little?" she says finally, voice small.
I grin. "Deal. A little—which by my definition, might be different than yours, but we'll negotiate."
We start in a clothing store. Bright. Colorful. Music playing overhead. Overwhelming in the best way. Kaia immediately gravitates toward the clearance rack in the back corner, like a moth to flame. Of course she does. I steer her away. Gently. Hand on her lower back.
"Finn…"
"Nope. No clearance rack. Not today."
"But…"
"Kaia. Please. Just look at the normal stuff. The full-price, un-picked-over stuff."
She hesitates, biting her lip. Then nods. Small. Uncertain.
We wander through the racks together. I pull things out randomly. Hold them up against her. Play fashion consultant even though I have zero qualifications.
"This one?" A bright yellow sundress.
She wrinkles her nose. "Too bright. I'd look like a highlighter."
"This one?" Something with ruffles. Lots of ruffles.
"Too...frilly. I'm not twelve."
"Okay, what about this one?" A soft blue-colored sweater.
She pauses. Actually pauses. Reaches out. Touches the fabric. Soft. Cashmere blend. Simple but expensive-looking. "I like this one," she says quietly, voice almost reverent.
"Then we're getting it."
"It's forty dollars."
"So?"
"That's a lot. For a sweater. That's like...four hours of work."
Fair point.
Fair point. She needs to make the money she has last, and I can’t exactly argue with that. Fortunately for her, I have Adrian’s credit card—and Adrian has made it very clear that anything that makes Kaia happy is a perfectly reasonable use of pack money.
I take the sweater from her hands gently. Drape it over my arm. "We're getting it. Non-negotiable."
"Finn…"