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His mother stirred a pan of cooking apples. Her smile faded the closer he got. “Finn?”
His father looked up from the e-reader in his hand, slipping the reading glasses off his nose.
“Hey, guys.”
“Is something the matter?” His mother wiped her hands on the apron at her waist.
Should he tell them what Laura said? They were clearly on Charli’s side from the beginning. Maybe it was better to avoid mention of what he’d just learned.
“No. I’m just tired. I . . . uh . . . remembered some stuff last night.”
Claire’s eyes glittered, the hopeful smile returning to her face. “You did?”
“About Charli?” Zeke asked.
Finn shook his head. “No. About my time in the Army. But it got me thinking. Maybe if I heard more about Charli, I could remember things about us too.”
“Did you ask her?” His father picked up his cup of coffee and sipped it, his gaze studying Finn.
“Yeah. I mean, we’ve talked a lot about the past. I thought maybe hearing your version of how we got together might help.”
“You two thought you were so slick, sneaking in the window. You forgot about the fact that your bedroom was right by ours, and we slept with the window open most nights.” His father chuckled.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“We trusted you. We asked you about her, and you explained her situation at home. We knew you were taking care of her, because that’s who you are, Finn. I raised a man who did right by the women in his life.” His father shrugged.
You were the perfect gentleman. No matter how hard I tried to persuade you. Charli’s words repeated in his head.
“Although somewhere along the line, your friendship turned into something more,” his mother added.
“What was Charli’s home life like?”
His parents looked at each other before returning their gaze to him. “Haven’t you asked her that?” Claire shut off the stove.
“It came up a couple times. She said she would rather not talk about it.”
“It’s hard for her. Her mother was a basket case. She belonged to some sort of fundamentalist cult. That poor girl took the brunt of it.”
This didn’t make any sense. Who was he to believe? He couldn’t make the same mistakes he did last time. He’d watch and wait. There had to be some answers in his journal. From his own words, he was the one who’d kept secrets from her. But if she had cheated with this Damon guy, could he forgive her like the old Finn apparently had?
“Why are you asking us all these questions instead of her?” His mother’s head tipped to the side in question as she studied him.
He swallowed. “I just wanted to see her through your eyes, I guess.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“What I see is a remarkable young woman who has become a daughter to me. But what is important is what you see,” she pressed.
Finn scratched his beard, leaning back in the chair. “She’s brave. And she’s loyal—I mean, Charli’s been there for me since the hospital. She’s protected me in so many ways already.”
“That’s our girl.” His father smiled.
“But, sometimes . . . I feel like she holds some stuff back.”
His mother’s brows drew together. “Didn’t the doctor tell her to be careful with how much she brings up so that you aren’t overloaded with too much?”
“Yeah.” He conceded.
His mother patted his hand. “If anyone could overcome the obstacles you two have been given, it’s you guys. You couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”
