Page 15 of Finch

“Finch,” Hugh said softly, “I—”

Before he could say what was on his mind, the crackle of rolling tires on the driveway stole

Hugh’s attention away. Heart in his throat, he jumped to his feet. “It must be the Audi! They’re

here. God, Finch, I’m nervous all over again. How will I know?”

Finch came to stand beside Hugh, the anchor to his storm-swept ship. “You’ll know because

when you see her,” Finch said, “you’ll think to yourself there’s not a creature in the world who

could rival her beauty. When you hear her speak, you’ll hope a day never comes when she

runs out of things to say. And her laugh—you’ll know from the second you hear it that you’ll

pursue it for the rest of your life. Her very presence will resonate inside you, and you’ll know.”

What a fount of reassurance Finch could be! Heartened, Hugh spun to face him and pulled the

man into a tight embrace. Finch went rigid in his arms.

“Thank you, old friend,” Hugh whispered into Finch’s ear. “I truly don’t know what I’d do without

you by my side.”

Finch said nothing, but Hugh felt him tremble just slightly, as if what Hugh had said had warmed

him so much that the rest of the world had gone cold by comparison.

When Hugh let him go, Finch took a hasty step back and bowed his head. “You’ll have to

excuse me, sir. I’ve just remembered I neglected to dust the baseboards in the guest room

Astrid will be staying in. As she will be arriving shortly, it’s of utmost importance I get it done.”

“Oh, of course.” Hugh nodded. “You’re dismissed. Thank you for your hard work and

encouragement. I really couldn’t have asked for a better secretary.”

It looked like Finch’s lips twitched as if to speak, but he turned on his heel and swiftly exited

the room instead. Strange how he didn’t take the stairs to the next floor where the bedrooms

were located. Hugh was about to call after him to tell him he was going the wrong way when

he heard the click as George unlocked the front door—Astrid was about to arrive. Filled to the

brim with hope that this would be the first step toward starting a family, Hugh stood a little

straighter and did his best to smile, but fell a little short. How could he be happy when there

was something wrong with Finch? He resolved to shelve the issue for now and figure it out

later. Astrid was waiting, after all, and the future waited for no dragon any more than it did a

man.

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