Page 36 of Protecting Jess

His phone buzzed with another message. Finn really should check out what the guys were saying, but he would in a few minutes.

“Yeah, we’ll arrange a time to go see him.”

“I’m sure he’d like that, but I’m confused about how there was a different way to look at your friend’s accident? There’s nothing good about it at all.”

“My team’s grounded. We won’t be going on missions until he’s medically cleared.” He probably had a goofy smile on his face, but he didn’t care. He was happy he had the opportunity to spend more time with Jess, particularly given the status change of their relationship.

“You seem extra happy about that.” Jess frowned, her neatly groomed brows drawn tight.

Finn smiled. “My commander also said if I wanted to take leave, I could.”

Her eyes widened. “How long?”

“At least a couple of weeks. We can go back to San Antonio. Together. Being with you the last couple of days has reminded me it’s been a while since I’ve been to the ranch and seen my family.”

“Is this what you really want to do with your time off?” Jess asked.

“Of course. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise. I know Mom will be over the moon that I’m coming home for a visit.”

Her smile disappeared, and she worried her bottom lip. He wanted to soothe her bruised flesh, but didn’t. Finn waited her out.

“Are you going to tell my parents about what happened here?” she asked.

The way she spoke had him sitting up a little straighter. He noted how her fingers rubbed over the scar on her arm, as though the wound was hurting.

Like he wanted to do when she was chewing on her bottom lip, Finn wanted to soothe the ache.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard about her being hurt. As much as he didn’t want to hear about Jess, whenever he’d spoken to his mom, she hadn’t mentioned once that Jess had been hurt whenever she updated him. Considering how close his mom and aunt had become over the years, there was no way the topic of Jess’s stalker and attack wouldn’t have come up.

Unless…

No. Not possible.

“They don’t know, do they? They don’t know anything about what you went through?”

Jess went to the balcony, her arms wrapped around her belly.

Finn suspected she wasn’t seeing the view. He didn’t need her to answer his question. Her reaction told him everything he needed to know.

Would she tell him why she hadn’t told them?

Did she think that they’d blame her for Bartholomew’s actions? There was no way they would’ve done that. Not after everything Poppy had gone through before she and Slick had gotten married.

Finn stood beside her, not touching her, but letting Jess know he was there.

“Dad never wanted me to go to Julliard. He was proud, but worried about me being in New York by myself. You know how dangerous it all is. How could I tell him he was right? How could I let them come and see me in the hospital?”

No matter how hard it would’ve been, there was no way Slick and Aunt Poppy wouldn’t have been at Jess’s bedside the minute she called. Not that Finn was going to discount why she’d done what she had. She’d had her reasons and he’d respect them; just didn’t quite agree with them.

“I don’t believe they would’ve judged you. They would’ve wanted to be with you. Help you heal and be by your side when you went through it all.” Finn sighed and shifted his hand so his little finger brushed against hers. “If you don’t want to tell them, I’ll respect that.”

“Thank you.”

The need to hold her overwhelmed him, and Finn pulled her in for a hug. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of having Jess in his arms.

When they turned up together at his home and at Jess’s parents’, there were going to be plenty of questions.

Finn could imagine his mom’s glitter-lined eyes widening, and a slow smile spreading across her face. He might’ve told her—when his teenage hormones had been zigzagging through his body—that he liked Jess. He’d been mortified afterwards and told her he hadn’t meant anything by it. She’d hugged him and said if it was meant to be, it would be.

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