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He drained his beer and grabbed another. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about his father returning to New York one day. His father was back, and Finn had to make a decision. He gazed at his reflection in the window, surrounded by the city lights outside. He was no longer a kid intimidated by his father. He was a man who had tried to do the right thing and had no reason to hide. He and his father would have to find some way to coexist in the same city. It was time to end his self-imposed imprisonment.
Keeping his distance was easy when Colleen was in California, but now she was living in the same building. They’d been friends in the past. What would be wrong with seeing her again? He’d shared a lot with her tonight—maybe too much. He would have to take it one step at a time before he shared everything.
Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through his contacts. He hit the call button and hoped she’d pick up.
“Hello?”
“It’s Finn.”
“How did you get my number?” Her voice was cautious.
“Sean gave it to me. He thought it would come in handy. You know, in case of an emergency.” He was relieved she hadn’t hung up on him.
After a short pause, she asked, “Is this an emergency?” Her tone was lighter, a mixture of playful and sarcasm. She hadn’t given up on him yet.
“I think so.” He smiled into the phone.
Silence for a few moments. “What happened when you dropped me off? We had a good time and then things got weird.”
He cleared his throat. She deserved an honest answer. “My father coming back to town has me on edge. I’m sorry if I dumped my bad mood onto you.”
“I’m glad you shared some of your past with me. We’ve known each other for a long time. You can trust me—as a friend.”
As a friend. Of course, he wanted to be friends, but he couldn’t keep pretending that’s all he wanted. And yet, she deserved someone much better than him. Finn lowered his head.
“Finn? Talk to me,” Colleen urged.
“I do trust you. And thanks for understanding—and for being my friend.”
“What happens now?”
“What do you want to happen?” If she only wanted to be friends, he would accept that. At least he would be able to see her once in a while. What he wanted to do was to go down to the tenth floor and kiss her until she begged for more.
“Tomorrow is Sunday. I’d like to hang out with you again. I want to see more of New York.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Hmm,” she said, her voice sleepy. “Central Park, and maybe—a museum?”
He relaxed with the realization that she was giving him this opportunity. “All right. Get a good night’s sleep. We’re going to get going early.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“And this time, wear comfortable shoes, not princess shoes.”
“You can be such an asshole, Finn O’Connor,” she said.
He grinned, hearing her soft laugh before she hung up.
CHAPTER 14
FINN
Finn took a glimpse out the window after his shower. It was a cloudy morning, and hopefully it would be cooler today. He dressed in jeans and his favorite gray T-shirt. He checked the internet one last time. Still no news about his father. Good.
Picking up his keys, he left his loft and headed down to see Colleen. He’d hoped Sean would be able to join them, but he was going to be tied up at work again. Apart from being his best friend, Sean would’ve been a buffer in case Finn was tempted to cross the boundaries of friendship with Colleen.
Once he arrived at her apartment, he knocked on the door and waited. When there was no answer, he knocked louder.
