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“I’m not changing it. I’m painting the walls so Finley will feel more at home here.”
“So, you popping the question or what?”
“Not yet. At least not the marriage question. I am going to ask them to move in here. We’re either at her place or mine. No point in her paying rent when I have more than enough space for all three of us here. We just re-did Finny’s room, and I know she’s going to counter with that. Finny loves her room. So I’m going to create it here too. Not to mention, the bedrooms here are much larger than Mark’s rental.”
“Where is your woman today? What does she think you’re doing?”
“I told her you were coming over and we were going to hang out. She’s with Kendall, Reagan, Dawn, and Amelia. They’re all having a girls’ day/play date for the kids over at Mark’s.”
“Are those jokers coming to help us?” he asks.
“Yep. They’ll be here soon.”
“All right, boss, put me to work.”
That’s what we do. Between the two of us, we have the room taped off and ready for paint when Ridge, Tyler, and Mark show up. Within an hour, the five of us have the room painted.
“What else is on the list?” Tyler asks.
“Pizza and beer. Thanks for your help,” I tell them as the doorbell rings. “That would be our pizza.” Rushing to the front door, I pay the delivery guy and compensate him with a generous tip. Seriously, pizza delivery is the best invention ever.
“Going all-in, huh?” Ridge asks after our appetites are satisfied and the six-pack of beer is all but demolished.
“Is there any other way?”
“Nope,” Mark says. “Happy for you, brother.”
“It’s different, you know? Caring so much about them that I wonder how their days are going. I find myself texting at random times just so she knows I’m thinking about her. I’ve watched the three of you and knew it was different. I could see it change you, but I never really understood it until Mara.”
“You just hadn’t found the one,” Tyler comments.
“Find them! Hell, they seem to fall in y’all’s lap,” Kent chimes in.
“Your day’s coming,” I tell him.
“Nah. I think I missed that train. It left the station without me on it.”
“I thought I was going to a barbecue with family. Then I walked around the side of the house and there she was. You never know when it’s going to happen.”
“So when are you asking her?” Kent asks, clearly changing the subject.
“Tomorrow probably. My parents are taking Finley to the aquarium, so we have the day to ourselves.”
“Good luck, man.” Mark slaps me on the back. “It’s not always easy, but once you get there, to where you’re both on the same page, nothing’s better.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Hey, sweet girl,” Ridge says, drawing our attention. “Okay. We’re heading out too. You need me to bring anything home?” He waits for her answer. “Sounds good. Drive safe. I love you.” He hangs up and stands. “Kendall’s on her way home. The kids are all worn out so your women are headed home too.”
“I’m out,” Kent says, standing. Mark and Tyler do the same.
“Thanks, guys. I never could have gotten this done while they were gone without your help.” They wave off my thanks and make their way to the door. Kent is pulling out, the last one to leave just as Mara’s Pathfinder pulls into the driveway.
“Hey,” I say, racing down the steps to greet them.
“Hi. I hope it’s okay that we stopped by. Finley was asking for you.”
“Just Finley?” I ask, leaning in and pressing my lips to hers.
“We missed you.” She shrugs.
“Go on inside. I’ll grab our girl.” I walk to the passenger side and open the back door. Finley gives me a sweet smile and holds her arms out. I don’t care what else is going on in life, a smile from this little girl will always light up my world. “Hey, sweetheart. Did you have fun today?”
“I pwayed.”
“You did? That sounds like so much fun.”
“I see fishes?” she asks.
I chuckle. Mara was right; we never should have told her until the day of our visit. “Yes, tomorrow you’re going to the aquarium. You’re going to see lots of fish.” I bounce her on my hip all the way to the house. She’s giggling when I set her on her feet.
“Have you been painting?” Mara asks.
Damn. I was so excited to see them, I forgot all about the evidence of my surprise. “Yeah, want to see?” Might as well go for it. Maybe it will help if Finley sees her room and is on my side.
“Finley, let’s go see what I’ve been painting.” She hops off the couch where she was settled in and more than likely ready to crash after her eventful day. She reaches me and slides her tiny hand in mine. Bending down, I scoop her up in my arms and hold my hand out for Mara to take. Together, the three of us walk down the hall and stop at the spare bedroom. “Go on in,” I tell Mara, following her.
“Seth.” She gasps as she stands in the center of the room and turns a full circle.
“Mine,” Finley says, taking in the room that looks just like hers.
“That’s right, sweetheart. This is your room.”
“Seth?”
“I want you both to feel at home here.” She continues to stare at me with a confused look, so I push forward. “We’re never at my place or yours without the other. I own this place free and clear. I bought it when it was worn down, and I rehabbed it with the guys’ help. There is no point in you paying Mark rent when you and Finny can stay here.”
“What are you saying?” she asks, her voice wobbly.
“I’m saying I want you to move in with me. I know Finny loves her room, and I thought maybe making it the same would ease the transition.”
“Seth, we can’t just move in with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s crazy. It’s crazy, right? I mean, it’s been what, two months, that’s— No, we can’t do that.”
“It’s been two of the best months of my life.” Finley is resting her head on my shoulder; poor thing has had a long day. She snuggles into me as we get closer to Mara. Reaching out, I slide my hand behind Mara’s neck and make sure I have her full attention. “I’m in love with you, Mara. Both of you. I want you here. I want this to be our home. If you hate it, we can find something new. You can change anything you want. I don’t care as long as at the end of the day, we’re all under the same roof. Permanently.”
Her eyes well with tears. “Seth— I….” She stops and swallows back her emotions.
“I’m going to love you no matter what your answer is. Take some time to think about it.” Leaning down, I place a kiss on her forehead, then drop my hand to my side. “How about a movie, Finny?” I ask. She’s going to be asleep in minutes. “Take all the time you need.” I turn and walk out of the room.
In the living room, I grab the remote and pull up Netflix to find a movie for Finley. As I suspected, she’s sound asleep within ten minutes. I settle her on the chaise longue section of the couch, prop some pillows around her, and cover her with a blanket before going to find Mara. I find her sitting in the middle of the bedroom that I painted for Finley.
“Are you doing this so I’ll sleep with you?” she asks, sensing my presence.
“What?” I take a step further into the room.
“How do you know you love me? We’ve never even had sex.”
“Mara.” I want to laugh at how ridiculous that sounds, but I can see she’s 100 percent serious. I take a seat next to her on the floor. “I love you. Not because of what I think those three words will give me, but what you give me. I miss you as soon as you walk out the door. I think about you and that little girl in there twenty-four hours a day. I think about a future with you. More babies. Finley on Christmas morning. I could go on for days. The heart of that matter is just that. My heart. There is a huge tattoo across it that reads Mara and Fi
nley.” I stop and collect my thoughts as her eyes well with tears. I keep going. “We haven’t slept together, but that’s okay. I know what you mean to me, and when we do add sex to that, it’s going to increase tenfold. I love you both for the happiness you bring to my life. I want you here. I want us to start our life together.”
“We hardly know each other,” she counters.
There is only one thing she doesn’t know about me, and now might not be the best time to bring it up, but I’ve been putting it off and I need to tell her. I can’t let her decide to move in here without her knowing. “There is only one thing in my past that I’ve never told you.” Her worried eyes find mine. “Something happened. I don’t even remember it, but it happened all the same. I’ve avoided telling you because I didn’t want to lose you. However, I can’t let you move in here without knowing everything.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m going to tell you, but you have to promise me you’ll stay. That we’ll talk about it.”
“I’ll stay,” she agrees, although hesitantly.
“I remember the day I first laid eyes on you. You were sitting on the deck, Finley was in your lap and you were laughing at something one of the girls had said. I remember that it felt as though the air had been knocked out of my lungs. You were beautiful, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.” I take a breath and begin again. “I pulled Ridge aside to ask who you were. ‘Amelia’s friend,’ he said. ‘She’s here for a job interview.’ He didn’t tell me that it was for Beckett Construction.
“I watched you that day. The way you were with Finley, the way your hair would blow in the breeze. I memorized as much of you as I could. I remember we made small talk about the weather, and I fought to memorize every word of our conversation. The sound of your voice, all of it. I wanted you then. However, you were a single mom and I know what that means. I know that it’s not just your heart on the line, but that little girl’s as well. So, regardless of how bad I wanted you, I kept things friendly. I went to bed that night with my cock in my hand and memories of you. I woke up the next day still thinking about you.”
