Page 33 of Exile and Embrace

He raises an eyebrow as I pull out a stemless glass and pour myself a healthy serving.

The bottle trembles slightly in my hand before I set it back down.

Finn’s look is fleeting before he skims through the papers again. “How was your day?” His voice is low and robotic.

Yet another reminder that his only going through the motions with me.

It’s the same way that his brother used to ask me about my day. The tone makes it obvious that though he is asking, he doesn’t care.

“It was fine. Met an aunt I didn’t know I had.” I finish the glass of wine and pour another. “Found out that my grandparents are dead.”

Finn hums and grabs a paper from the other side of the counter. “That’s interesting.”

I can tell he isn’t paying any attention. He doesn’t care.

And I shouldn’t care that he doesn’t. But I do. And it hurts.

Getting involved with Finn was a bad idea, but I need him. We agreed to stay together until we both have what we need.

And there’s the added issue that needing him comes with the risk of getting involved with Declan again. Or maybe a carbon copy of him that’s been hiding all this time.

Would Finn be able to hide his real personality for years in prison?

Do I know the person sitting across from me at all?

He was sweet when we were younger. Cold—like his dad and brother—but the sweet moments were there.

Now, his disinterest is blatant.

I take another sip of my wine. “How was your day? You were gone before I woke up.”

He blows out a long breath. “Yeah. I needed to get an early start. I’ve got a lot going on.”

“Like what?”

Finn glances at me, his head still dipped down over the papers. “Nothing that important. Just part of the shit I need to get done while we’re here.”

He doesn’t say anything else, and I don’t ask. He’s tight-lipped and I have no desire to change that.

Instead, I take my bottle of wine and the glass and go sit in the backyard. Watching the stars sparkle against the night sky is better than trying to force a relationship of any kind with Finn.

The more distance we keep between us through the course of this fake engagement, the better.

9

FINN

I’m going to fuck this up royally.

Nobody is going to believe that we’re engaged if I keep avoiding her.

Except that’s all I’ve done since we got to Oregon three days ago. It’s all that I can keep doing.

If Ava gets too close to me, then she’s closer to the danger.

I promised that I was going to do everything I could to keep her out of it, and I intend to keep my word.

Ava glances up as I walk into the bedroom. Her legs are stretched out in front of her. The tiny shorts she always wears to bed are climbing up the legs I want draped over my shoulders.

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