AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you going to give him a chance to explain?”
I freeze in place, not entirely sure how to answer that question. I’m sitting in the middle of a church on Sunday morning, so lying is kind of out of the question right now, butI don’t knowdoesn’t seem like a good enough answer for her either. I doubt Ms. Charlotte would want to know I did, in fact, see her son, but it was only for a few minutes before he shoved a piece of paper in my hand, promising to explain why he hadn’t contacted me for two weeks.
But he should be here in a few minutes.
Yeah, probably not the best idea to tell her that.
“How are you feeling today, Mr. Buckley?” Peyton chimes in as she squeezes my shoulder gently and takes her seat beside me. “I heard from Auntie Roberta that they cut back on your physical therapy visits.”
My cheeks heat as I drop my chin to my chest and clench my eyes tightly shut, hoping the ground will open and swallow me whole. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. The questions and sympathetic looks from people. And having to sit next to his parents and mine while listening to Sunday morning service, pretending that I’m not completely head over heels in love with their son but have no idea whether or not he feels the same. Sure, he’s told me repeatedly that he cared about me. Promising to never leave me and to give me space, but he lied. He left me at the first sign of trouble.
“Oh, good morning to you, too, Peyton. I didn’t see you there.” Ms. Charlotte’s sweet voice brings me back to the present, but I refuse to look at her.
“Good morning, ma’am,” Peyton responds cheerfully.
“Are you looking for me?”
Fuck. I know that voice. The deep baritone that sends a tingle of need through my entire body and instantly transports me back to a few minutes ago. I will myself to keep my eyes down and focused on the floor, but I can feel his gaze on me, burning into me as he wills me to look in his direction, and I can’t resist.
I lift my head, my eyes locking with his. I must admit, Finn is gorgeous. My skin feels as if it’s on fire as he stares at me, something moving through his eyes as he watches me for a few moments before his mother’s voice breaks the spell.
“There’s my boy.” Ms. Charlotte pushes to her feet, opening her arms and quickly pulling Finn into a tight embrace.
His eyes drift shut, and a soft smile blooms on his face as he wraps his arms around his mother before pulling back slightly and planting a kiss on her forehead. “You saw me a few minutes ago, Momma. I just had to run and grab something from the car.” His eyes flick towards mine for a moment before returning to his mother.
Most men my age would scoff at the unwanted attention from their parents, especially their mothers, but Finn seems different. Just by the look on his face, I can tell he’s soaking this right up, wanting to be near his mother just as much as she wants to be near him. It should be a turnoff, causing the warning bells to alarm in my mind, but it has the opposite effect. My insides are melting. There is nothing more heartwarming than seeing a man love his mother. Not in the mommy issues kind of way, but a genuine love and adoration for the woman that gave him life kind of way.
“I know, honey.”
“You don’t have to worry about me so much anymore, Ma.” His eyes flick to mine quickly, causing my cheeks to heat even further.
Ms. Charlotte opens her mouth to respond just as the organ begins playing, signaling the start of service. I turn my head to the front, trying desperately to focus on the minister as he welcomes all of us to service.
“I forgot to give you this,” Peyton whispers before dropping a maroon cup with her bakery logo in front of my face.
“Where did that come from?” I wrap both of my hands around the cup before running my nose across the opening, breathing in the rich aroma of my life juice. “Did you hide it inside your oversized bag or something?”
“It’s called a messenger bag. This isn’t a video game, Mari. Your jokes about my hobbies are getting old, friend.” Peyton rolls her eyes at my mention of her secret before plucking the cup from my hands.
“Aww, don’t be such a sourpuss. You know I love you,” I whine, grabbing the cup from her hands and taking a healthy sip. The warm liquid slides down my throat, causing me to moan softly. Suddenly, someone coughs loudly, causing Peyton to giggle.
“What did I miss?”
“If you don’t want Finn to attack you in the middle of church, I’d suggest you stop moaning like that.”
My cheeks are set ablaze for what seems like the millionth time today as I turn my head slightly, peeking at the end of the pew where I assume Finn is seated. His eyes are focused directly on me, now black as onyx as they travel down my body. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth to stop the moan bubbling in my throat from escaping. He was supposed to be nothing more than a one-night stand, but I can’t stop the way my skin tingles in need.
“Your secret admirer came to the shop and specifically ordered it for you.” Peyton nudges my shoulder, interrupting my internal musings.
“You saw him?”
“No, Katie helped him. I had no idea he was even going to be here until I saw him sitting with his parents.” Peyton looks from left to right before leaning closer to my ear. “He made her promise that I wouldn’t tell you where it came from.”
“He did…” I catch myself from saying another word and smile at her. “Well played, my friend.”
“You can’t blame a girl for trying,” Peyton huffs softly before dropping her head to my shoulder. “Now, pay attention before Auntie Roberta gives us both an earful for not paying attention during service.”
“What did he say to you outside of the church?” Peyton mumbles, and I hand her the paper I shoved into my pocket earlier. She fumbles with the paper, trying to open it, but I grasp her hand. I doubt there’s anything private on that note, but a part of me doesn’t want to know what it says.
