3. Finn
Finn
Ipulled up to the school sick to my stomach. I’d known the Gagnons wouldn’t welcome me with open arms, but I may have underestimated how much Adele despised me.
Couldn’t blame her. She had her reasons. But it hurt, nonetheless.
Being associated with him. The assumption that I’d behave the way he had because I was unfortunate enough to be his son. I hated it.
And the pain in her eyes hit me in the gut. There was a time I thought we might be friends. Even more than friends, if I was being honest.
Now? It was obvious there was no chance. I’d be lucky if I could keep my job for more than a week. Hell, I’d be lucky to survive that long in her presence. That glare would stop a weaker man’s heart. And I wasn’t sure how long my own could tolerate it.
I jumped out of the truck and headed up to the gym, waving at Alice Gagnon, the school principal. She was herding small kids to the carpool area for camp pickup.
Merry was near the swings with a couple other kids, but before I could get to her, a hand landed on my arm, halting me in my tracks. Fuck.
“Finn.”
The petite woman who still had a hold of me wore elbow-length false eyelashes and sky-high heels.
“So good to see you.”
I gave her a tight nod. “Veronica.”
“Oh. Call me Ronnie,” she trilled, her talons still locked around my forearm. This was the thing I hated most about being a single dad. The moms.
Since Alicia worked long hours, I did most of the pickups and drop-offs.
I soaked in every extra minute with Merry I could get before leaving her with her mom for the night.
Our custody arrangement was flexible, mostly because we got along so well, and so far, it suited all of us.
I had dinner at Alicia and Mike’s frequently, and we spent holidays together.
But being a present parent made me a prime target for every single woman within a hundred-mile radius.
There had been a time, right after Alicia and I split, when I enjoyed the attention.
Anymore, it was exhausting. Single moms came out of the woodwork to chat me up at every event I attended with my daughter.
They all had cutesy nicknames like Ronnie, Sherri, and Lainey, and they fawned all over me with their cloying perfume and too-tight tops.
Their efforts took from the time I had with my daughter, from the moments where I was happy to stand back and observe my little girl with her friends.
The worst part, though? Was that while most of them were trying to get into my pants, they were also talking shit about my family behind my back.
The whispers, the gossip, the pity. It was unbearable most days, though not wholly unsurprising. My dad had gone from small-town rich guy to murderer-slash-drug dealer in the blink of an eye.
I gave her a tight smile. “Sorry, in a bit of a rush today.”
“You never texted me back about a playdate,” she said, giving me an exaggerated pout.
“Oh, right. Sorry,” I threw over my shoulder as I picked up my pace. My legs were easily twice the length of hers and she was wearing stilettos, but somehow, Ronnie kept up. “We really need to get together.”
Merry caught sight of me and snatched her backpack off the ground quickly.
Eyes locked on mine, she gave me a slight nod.
“Dad!” she screamed, running straight for me.
“You’re late.” She mimed looking at an imaginary watch, then she gave me the kind of disappointed look I was used to seeing from her mother.
“Sorry, baby,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
“Let’s go.” She grabbed my arm and yanked, heading for the parking lot. I gave Ronnie a nod and jogged after my little girl.
When we were safely in the truck, Merry turned and raised one brow.
“Nice save,” I said. Damn, my daughter was as sharp as a goddamn tack.
“Why can’t you tell Miss Landry that you don’t want to go on a date with her?” She folded down the mirror and adjusted her ponytail. She had her mom’s dark hair and dark eyes, but the rest of her was pure Hebert, from the height down to the attitude.
“Nice try. Get in back.” I thumbed over my shoulder. Her distraction techniques were good, but not that good.
She sighed and dropped her head back, but without argument, she climbed into the back seat. “Mom says you should always be honest and up-front with people.”
“Your mom’s correct, as always. It’s awkward.”
“Speak for yourself. It’s more awkward to see all the moms drooling over you. Can’t you wear dad clothes and get a dad bod and act like a lame dad or something?”
I laughed. “I am a lame dad.”
“I know that. But the world doesn’t get it.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, kid.”
She slumped against the back seat, but not before leaning forward and adjusting the radio station.
As we drove and joked, the stress of the day melted away. I would make this work. I would succeed. There was no other option.
Because I was stuck. Pure and simple. And I’d do what I had to in order to get through this. To get myself and Merry to a better place.
Michael “call me Mike” was a good guy. He adored Alicia and Merry. But he was corporate to the bone. Drove a fucking Volvo, always wore a collared shirt, and listed one of his hobbies as “grilling.”
He was the antithesis of me. Though I chose not to read too much into that. Alicia was still my best friend and my co-parent, and she deserved happiness. She’d followed my ass around for years, taking care of Merry and putting her own dreams on hold.
And if this was what she wanted, practicing family law in Bangor and a life with a guy like Mike, then I would not stand in her way.
But it meant I was stuck here.
I hadn’t planned to leave the Navy so early. I’d always seen myself as a lifer, despite how hard the last deployment had been. But Alicia was set on coming back to Lovewell. She wanted Merry to grow up near her grandparents and cousins. And I appreciated that.
Even if it meant I had to come back too. Because my baby girl was the most important thing in my life, and I would never, ever pass up a minute with her.
I had missed so much time with her while I was in the Navy. My service took me away from her too often, and I promised I’d never let that happen again.
So, like the good sailor I was, I showed up here, ready to settle in and give it my all. Even if it meant working for my father.
It helped that he wanted nothing more than to have his war hero son home. He wanted to brag about me to all his cronies and flaunt me and Merry around.
So he bought a plane. That’s how he lured me back into the family business. With the title to the bush plane and a promise to invest in my air tourism company.
Didn’t take long for that to go to shit. And my brothers and I were stuck trying to save the family business and our own asses.
Alicia and Mike were both successful lawyers. They could provide Merry with everything she needed. And it stung. Because I was her dad, and I would be damned if I slacked on the most important job I’d ever have.
So I would work. Even if it was for the Gagnons. I would keep my plane and start my business. And along the way, I’d never miss a birthday or a parent teacher conference or a soccer game.
“You know you don’t have to feed me,” I said with a groan. Though I couldn’t be sure if it was a groan of exasperation or of satisfaction. Despite my belief that grilling did not qualify as a hobby, Mike could cook the hell out of a rack of ribs.
He laughed, picking up his plate, then Alicia’s. “I always make too much. You know that.” He dropped a quick kiss on Alicia’s head before carrying the dishes back to the kitchen. “And you’re family.”
I wanted to hate him so much, but I couldn’t—especially when he made ribs that good—and that was unsettling.
Alicia met Mike shortly after we moved back to Lovewell.
It was clear from day one that they were destined to be together.
And it burned me. Deeply. Not because I was jealous of him or because I wanted Alicia for myself, but because she’d found it.
The real thing. After wasting her twenties with my dumb ass, she went out and found a successful, ambitious guy.
The kind of guy who could give her and Merry a wonderful life.
Me? Until today, I’d been unemployed. I had a convict for a father, a trashed reputation, and a family business circling the drain.
“Merry. Get the rest of these.”
My daughter sighed loudly but grabbed my plate and hers, leaving Alicia and me in the sunroom. The house was new construction. It was enormous and had state-of-the-art everything. It made my sad apartment that much more pathetic.
Merry had her own room and bathroom and a huge yard, and they were talking about putting in a pool next year. They’d probably get her a dog, the thing she wanted more than anything—aside from a sibling.
Me? I had spent most of my life rejecting material wealth. My dad was ostentatious and snobby, and I’d worked hard to ensure that I was nothing like him.
No one joins the military for money, and I wanted a greater purpose.
I rarely had regrets, but right at this moment, taking in my surroundings, I was kicking myself for not settling for some kind of corporate job. Because Merry deserved everything she ever wanted.
“You’re not okay.” It wasn’t a question.
I shrugged.
“The new job?”
“It’s a go,” I said. “Not ideal circumstances. But—”
“It’s flying.” Alicia finished my sentence. She knew me. Probably better than anyone. She knew how deep my love of flying went. There were times she had resented it. That I didn’t have the same kind of passion for her. But we were long past those days.
“Henri Gagnon has been decent. But his sister, Adele? Let’s just say if anything happens to me, you know who did it.”
“Are you seriously making a murder joke right now?” Alicia asked.
I shrugged. Okay, maybe it was too soon. “At this point, I’ve got to laugh about this shit.”
“Didn’t you have a crush on her once upon a time?” Alicia played with the stem of her wineglass and shot me a sly smile.
“No,” I practically barked, protesting way too much.