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Thud. There went my heart. I was convinced only Finn would ever make me feel so loved and cherished. Like I was his entire world.
“They have emerged from their lovers’ quarters.”
My cheeks instantly heated.
“Rory, you remember my older pain-in-the-ass brother Wes.”
With a smile, I nodded and held my left hand out while still hanging on to Finn’s neck. “It’s great seeing you again, Wes. Thank you so much for doing everything with the…um…tent.”
Wes threw his head back and laughed, then motioned for us to follow him into the house.
The moment Finn walked up onto the porch, the front door flew open. “Rory!”
Finn’s mother, Jenn, came rushing over to us. Then she stopped on a dime.
“Are you hurt? Did that dog knock you over? Where are your shoes?”
Setting me down, Finn walked up to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before drawing her in for a hug.
“Mom, catch your breath, will you? I forgot to pack her shoes, yes the damn dog knocked us over, but no one is hurt.”
Jenn wore a wide grin as she kissed Finn back, pushed him out of the way, and walked up to me. Taking my hands in hers, she slowly shook her head. “My goodness. I still can’t get over how beautiful you’ve grown up to be, Rory.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ward.”
“There will be none of that ‘Mrs. Ward’ crap! I told you to call me Jenn,” she said as she waved her hand about. “Now, let’s get you some breakfast. I’m sure you worked up an appetite.”
“Mom!” Finn said as I stared at her with a horrified expression.
“What? All that dancing last night at the gala? Then making the poor girl sleep in a tent? She probably didn’t get a wink of sleep.”
Jenn turned and headed into the house as I covered my mouth to contain my laughter. Wes chuckled and hit Finn on the back while tossing me a wink. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
—
Breakfast was a mix of chaos and pure fun. Wes talked about his life in New York City. I was pretty sure I was the only who caught the sadness in his eyes. He even hinted at moving back to Boston, at which Jenn perked up, though she didn’t push the matter. I honestly couldn’t imagine having parents who weren’t pushy or in my business every second of the day.
“What’s it like being a lawyer, Rory?” Mike asked as he took a drink of coffee.
I shrugged. “Long hours and lots of research and questioning.”
Mike lifted his brow and gave me a discerning look. “You don’t like being a lawyer?”
“I do.” My eyes drifted across the room to Finn. “At one point in my life I wanted to do something different, but that all changed when I decided to pursue law. I committed to becoming an attorney and went after it a hundred and ten percent.”
“You sound like your mother,” Jenn stated as she sat down on the armrest of the chair Mike was sitting in.
With a warm smile, I replied, “That’s a compliment….Thank you.”
Angie walked up to me with a huge smile on her face as she handed me a pair of sneakers. “You’re lucky we’re the same shoe size!”
With a light chuckle, I took the sneakers and thanked her. “You have no idea how much you’ve saved my feet.”
She waved me off. “It’s nothing. Now that I know we’re the same shoe size, though, I may be raiding your closet.”
I quickly pulled on the socks she’d given me, followed by the sneakers, all the while trying to keep a fake smile on my face. “Anytime. You’re more than welcome to any of my shoes. I will warn you, though: I have a bit of an obsession with them.”
Angie smiled. “We just became besties. Seriously.”
My chest pained, knowing that unless I came up with a plan to get around my father’s ultimatum, this would probably be the last time I’d ever see Angie. If I break her brother’s heart, she won’t want anything to do with me.
The door flew open and Preston came dashing in. “Make sure you tell Harmony she’s beautiful!”
Everyone looked around the room, confused. “What in the hell are you talking about?” Wes asked right as an exhausted Harmony came walking through the door holding Presley.
Jenn jumped up and immediately took the baby from her. “My little angel is here. Harmony darling, you’re looking rather beautiful this morning.”
Harmony flashed Preston a death glare, and I couldn’t help but try to cover my smile with my hand.
Preston shrugged as if he had no idea where that had come from.
“Hey, Harmony! Look who’s here,” Angie said, walking over to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
Harmony’s eyes lit up. “Rory!”
Again, the guilt hit me like a brick wall. Fake-grinning, I replied, “It’s great seeing you, Harmony.”
