Will’s voice permeated the air as Molly and Savannah walked towards the house. “Mom, this is Finn. He moved in down the street about a month ago, we’re going to be Pirates together in college.”
Finnegan
(17 years old - Five Years Earlier)
“This watermelon salad is delicious, Mrs. Morrison. I don’t even know what half of these ingredients are, but…” Finn shoveled another heaped forkful of what he’d hoped was watermelon salad into his mouth to stop his babbling and made a satisfied ‘mmm’ sound. With a little luck, a localized earthquake would strike right under his feet and suck him into the depths of the earth.
“It’s watermelon, cucumber, feta, red onion, mint, with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar.” Will’s sister was the one who answered. Although she hadn’t met his eyes since she’d come into the house, her gaze had scorched him from the moment he’d arrived in the yard.
Worse still, he’d been drawn to her, too. Her long, dark hair was tied high on her head, allowing the sharp edges of her high cheekbones, jaw, and nose to stand out on her pale skin. He couldn’t see her eyes behind the shades, probably a blessing, if he had, he’d likely have come in Will’s pool.
Finn had moved to town just over a month ago. Will had found him playing street hockey in the cul-de-sac at the end of their street and asked to join in, making small talk over Finn’s Snow Pirates shirt. Their brolationship had started almost right away. Turned out they were in the same class at school, and when they weren’t in class together, they were playing hockey together.
One of the first things Will had said to Finn was that his little sister was off limits. At the time Finn had nodded his agreement. Younger sisters weren’t cool, they were often clingy, needy and desperate to hang out with the cool kids. Finn had no plans to date his new bestie’s little sister.
But what Will had neglected to mention, however, was she wasn’t so ‘little’, and as Finn stood fighting every urge to reach out and stroke her collarbone, he realized he’d gotten it all wrong. She was most definitely the cool kid, he was desperate to hang out with her, and he’d already screwed himself over by giving his word he’d never touch her.
Mercifully, the girls didn’t linger. They piled their plates high with food and went back outside. When the door swung closed behind her a sadness settled in his stomach. The excitement and electricity thrumming through the room left with her. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her. He wanted to make her laugh again, just so he could hear the obnoxious noise that delighted him the first time. She gave off an air of not giving a shit and he was here for it.
“The brunette was Molly.” Will scooped a mouthful of pasta salad into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “In case you couldn’t tell.”
Finn’s mouth dried up, and the watermelon salad suddenly felt like grains of sand against his tongue. He swallowed hard. “She’s your only sister, right?”
Will snorted. “Yeah. I couldn’t handle another Molly. Let’s take our plates outside.”
He’d barely met the woman and her orbit was already dragging him into torment and temptation. Could he sit across the yard from her and eat lunch as though he didn’t want to lose himself kissing her? “I…” Food lodged in his throat and he coughed. “I should probably go home.”
Confusion tugged Will’s brows together. “After we eat?”
Had Finn eaten something he was allergic to? His tongue was thick and heavy, and words seemed to evade him so he settled for a nod. Was this what love at first sight felt like? He shook his head. That was the thing of fairytales and Disney movies. Maybe he’d eaten too much watermelon salad and it was a case of indigestion.
“Which is it?”
“Huh?”
“You nodded, then shook your head. Going, or staying? I figured we could hang out in the pool for a while, maybe play some video games before practice.”
“Sure.” His traitorous legs dragged him out of the house behind Will, passing Molly and her friend on their way. He stumbled over his own feet – perhaps that was wishful thinking. Perhaps he’d tripped over the not-so-thin air that hung between them, charged with secretive glances and an inability to stop staring at his friend’s sister.
It was going to be a long summer.
Finnegan
(17 years old – eight weeks later)
The unmistakable crunch of bone on bone rang out in the field as Finn’s curled up fist connected with his opponent’s jaw. No one made Molly Morrison cry on his watch. Her mascara-smudged cheeks, red-rimmed, sad eyes, and quiet demeanor would be etched in his soul for as long as he lived.
Her new boyfriend had cheated on her after only a month of dating, with someone she knew from school. She’d walked into Chili’s with her family for dinner and witnessed the two of them canoodling in a booth in the middle of the restaurant, not even attempting to hide their infidelity from public view.
She hadn’t stayed around. Breaking up with him at full volume, spine straight, shoulders squared, she’d looked like a fierce goddess, shooting daggers from her ferocious, green eyes and spitting fire from her lips. Mrs. Morrison had sent Finn and Will after her while she placed a to-go order for dinner, and the striking gladiator deflated in front of his eyes when they caught up to her.
He wanted to swoop her into his arms and dry her tears, to tell her that asshole ex of hers didn’t deserve her time. He wanted to press her against his chest, and tell her his heart beat only for her and his very being burned with need to keep her safe forever. But he couldn’t. So instead, he was laying into one of his teammates under the guise of being like a big brother to her.
Pretending he didn’t want Will to sully his squeaky clean reputation, or get dragged into a fight he might not win, he’d thrown the first punch. With each swing he tried to convince himself it was the truth, but under it all, he was a goner for Molly Morrison and had no idea how the fuck he was going to handle it when she found herself a new man.
Chapter 1
Molly
