“I think that would be helpful. I need to earn my way onto your wedding guest list.” She winked at him before brushing tears from her cheek.
“As much as I’m in it for the long haul with Molly, she’s not a wedding kinda girl, and I have no intentions of trying to convince her otherwise. I don’t need a piece of paper to prove she loves me.”
“Well, maybe not.” She turned to pull her purse from her chair. “And if you decide never to get married, then maybe you can just give this to her for her birthday or something.” She dug around in her bag, producing a small, dark blue velvet ring box.
“This ring was given to your great grandfather by his mother. It has been passed down over the years and your father gave it to me when he proposed. I figured you might want it for Molly.”
He snapped open the blue box. “Wow.”
A vintage ring sat tucked into the padded box. An emerald lay nestled in a circle of diamonds.
“It’s a cushion-cut emerald, surrounded by round-brilliant cut and pear-shaped modified-brilliant-cut diamonds. And when it was given to me…” She sniffed. “It was one of the happiest days of my life. But I have Bob now, and this was always destined to go to you. Seeing you with her yesterday… it was a no brainer. This belongs to Molly now.”
His chest tightened. She was right. Molly was end game for him. Which meant only one thing. He had to go talk to her dad.
***
Weary legs carried Finn up the path leading to the Morrisons’ house. Still raw from his conversation with his mom that morning, he wasn’t sure he had it in him to have another emotional conversation, but he needed to face his bonus parents and at minimum tell them his intentions with their daughter.
He lifted his hand to knock, hesitating for just a moment before the door swung open.
“Forget your key, son?” Mr. Mo tilted his head.
“No, sir. I just… I wasn’t sure… I didn’t want to assume…”
Mr. Mo sighed. “Get in here, kid. You look like you could use a beer.”
Finn pulled the door closed behind him and made his way into the dining room. He dropped onto a chair at the table and cradled his head in his hands. “I’m so sorry Da—Mr. Mo—”
“Finn.” Mr. Mo popped the cap off a bottle of Blue Moon and handed it to Finn. “I understand your fear, but you’ve been like a third child to us since you first walked into our yard five years ago. That’s not going to change because Will and you had a fight.”
The knot sitting on Finn’s chest began to unravel. “It’s not?”
“No, son. It’s not. You’re family. Whatever that means to you, however it looks, nothing has changed for us. Sure, we’ve loved Will and Molly longer, but we love you every bit as much.”
A fresh wave of tears spilled down Finn’s face, as the tightness in his body loosened.
Mr. Mo popped the top off a second bottle and took a drink. “We love you in your own right. Not because you’re a friend of our kids. If you never speak to Will again… if you and Molly break up… none of that impacts our relationship with you.”
He clasped his hand over Finn’s shoulder and squeezed. “And if you ever knock the front door again when you have a key in your pocket, we’re going to have words.”
Finn gave a watery smile. “Yes, sir.”
Mr. Mo tugged him to his feet and wrapped his arms around him. “You’re never alone. You hear me?”
Never alone. For the past five years of his life he’d been terrified of winding up alone again. To have confirmation that not only would that not have happened if he’d acted sooner, but it would also never happen, shifted something inside of him.
“Doesn’t matter how old you get. Doesn’t matter how far you go. If you need us, for anything, we’re there for you.”
Finn pulled back and sat down again, sipping on his beer to delay having to speak.
“Y’know, as her dad it’s my duty to warn you to take care of her. But I’ve watched you over the years, Finn. I don’t need to say anything to you about Molly. You know her better than anyone, and I see how you love her – even from a distance.”
Finn’s jaw dropped open.
“For the record – you won’t ever need to ask me for my blessing. For one, she’d kill you stone dead if she ever found out you did something so inherently patriarchal. And for two, you’ve had it for a long time.”
Finn picked at the label on his bottle. “I’ve been afraid to admit to having feelings for her, in case… in case I ruined everything.”
