“Mom, remember what we spoke about?” I chide.
“Oh, but Finn, please!”
“No! We agreed to not make a big deal out of this. That includes asking for specific details about the relationship.” Because I have absolutely no details.
“But—”
“Wanda,” my dad chides, draping an arm over her shoulders. “You promised. Let the two of them be together without all of us putting pressure on them.”
Thank God for my dad.
I mirror his pose, laying my arm across the back of Lee’s chair. I give the end of her braid a little tug, earning me a swift kick to my shin.
“Finn,” my sister smiles sweetly at me from across the table. “Can I please see you in the kitchen for a second? I just want to make sure that dessert is all ready to go.”
“And you need help with that?” I ask.
“Yep! You know me, clumsy Sue over here. Come with?”
She walks off to the kitchen without waiting for me to answer. Oakleigh sends me a look, and I move my arm from around her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before I get up and follow my sister.
The moment we’re in the kitchen, Wren whips around to face me, face set with an emotion that I can’t fully make out.
“Where the hell did this come from?” she asks.
“Wren, you know that I’ve been in love with that woman for an embarrassing amount of time.”
“Yeah, but I also know that you’ve been too scared to do anything about it, so why all of a sudden are you making out?”
Finally, a question I can answer.
I take a deep breath and lean against the countertop. “We were arguing about shit as we usually do, and she started telling me how I’ll forever be in the best-friend’s-brother zone.”
“What the hell is the best-friend’s-brother zone?” Wren questions.
“How the fuck should I know?” My sister huffs in frustration but lets me continue. “Anyway, at some point things just started to sound a bit more…flirtatious? Next thing you know, I’m there telling her that if I wanted to get out of that zone then I could. She essentially told me to prove it, without saying those exact words, and well…here we are.”
Wren watches me with confusion, and I begin to shuffle my feet. Mom’s laughter drifts in from the dining room and I turn toward it.
“So, what? You’ve just been dating in secret this whole time?”
In my panic, words seem to be biggest enemy, and so I simply shrug.
Wren steps closer to me and I find interest in my sneakers that have definitely seen better days. God, have they always looked this bad? I really should buy some new ones.
“Why are you acting so nervous?” she asks, watching me intently.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Look at you. I feel like I’m in a fucking interrogation room.”
“You are.”
Yay for me, I guess.
“Wrennie, I’m not doing this with you.”
I’m about to turn away, but she spins me back around.
“Yes, you are, Finley. That’s my best friend out there, not some random woman.”
