Page 35 of Finn's Future

I laughed before I could stop myself. Finn’s eyes flicked towards me, something softer moving through them before he cleared his throat and stood.

“Come on then,” he said, grabbing his keys from the counter. “We’ll go.”

“You don’t have to?—”

“I do.”

Ten minutes later, Noah was bundled into his car seat while I climbed into Finn’s truck, nerves tightening my chest. It wasstupid. We were only going to a store, but going out in public felt scary.

Finn must’ve noticed because the second we pulled into the parking lot, his hand landed briefly on the back of my neck.

“Breathe.”

“I am breathing.” Which was a lie, because the feeling of his thumb rubbing up and down my neck stole my breath.

“Barely.”

I glared at him weakly as he climbed out. By the time I got around the truck, Finn already had Noah in his arms. My eyes welled on their own as I watched Noah immediately grab onto the front of Finn’s kutte.

“Traitor,” I muttered under my breath.

Finn smirked.

The grocery store was bright and loud and too full of people. I stayed close to Finn automatically, my eyes flicking toward every voice that got too loud, every man that walked too close.

Without saying anything, Finn moved closer too. One large hand settled against my lower back as he guided me around a woman blocking the aisle with her trolley, and warmth spread through me.

A teenage employee stocking shelves looked at Finn’s kutte once before suddenly becoming very interested in the cereal display.

We went straight for the diapers and Finn stood in front of the wall of boxes like he was facing some kind of tactical nightmare.

“There’s too many,” he muttered.

I folded my arms, trying not to smile. “You survived biker wars, but Pampers is where you draw the line?”

“These all look the same.”

“They’re not.”

“Kate, they’re diapers.”

I laughed again and Noah immediately squealed like he wanted to join in.

Finn looked down at him, completely helpless against the tiny grin Noah gave him. “Don’t encourage her,” he told him seriously.

An older woman passed us with a basket hooked over her arm and smiled warmly. I’d seen the looks people gave Finn, so her smile surprised me a little.

“That your first?” she asked Finn, nodding towards Noah.

Finn froze.

I opened my mouth automatically, ready to explain, but before I could, Noah slapped Finn’s cheek and giggled.

The woman laughed. “Oh, he’s already got you wrapped around his finger.”

A smile broke out on Finn’s face and his thumb brushed absently over Noah’s back. “Yeah,” he said roughly. “Guess he does.”

The woman smiled at me next. “You’ve got a good one there, honey. Most men don’t look at babies like that unless they’re all the way gone already.”