Page 60 of Falling for Finn

“Finn,please,” she urges. “You can’t deny what we shared for five years.No onecan change that.” As she emphasizes her words, she glances at me. Then she bravely takes a step and reaches out for him. He leans back, avoiding her touch.

His tone grows colder. “It’s over. It’sbeenover, Aspen. I’m in love with Oakley, so go back to your fiancé.”

My heart thuds at how easy that spewed from his mouth.

It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

I remind myself over and over.

“I can’t believe this.” She looks like she’s trying to cry, but nothing comes out. She wipes fake tears before storming away. I’m so confused about what the hell happened.

When we’re alone, I turn to him. “Did she seriously try to get you back with me standing right next to you?” The nerve of this chick.

He leads me away from the crowd, and I can see his heart rate is elevated. “She told me she made a mistake and wanted me to give us another chance.”

My face scrunches. “She’sengaged.”

“I know. She said she realized how much she still loved me. Even asked if I’d meet her later tonight outside the bakery.”

“For what?”

He waggles his brows. “What do you think?”

I cover my mouth, shocked that she was going to cheat on Austin. What kind of person does that? A piece of shit, that’s who. I hardly know her fiancé, but he seemed nice enough and obviously deserves way better.

“I told her the only reason she wants me is because I’ve moved on. She saw how happy we were and couldn’t stand it. She kept pleading with me, and eventually, I told her she needed to stop begging like a dog because I wasn’t giving in to her manipulation.”

“I can’t imagine she liked that comparison.”

He shrugs. “It went over her head. She went on and on about how we’re soulmates, and I’m the love of her life.”

I hate that I wonder if she’s right.

“Finn. If you’re feeling any doubt that?—”

“Hell no. I’mnot.” His voice softens. “Nothing she says or does will ever let me unsee who she is on the inside. She’s an ugly, jealous person who wants to use me as a pawn in her game. Only I’m not playing this time. She threw a fit, begging me to take her back, all with her fiancé a hundred yards away talking to my aunt. I won’t allow Aspen to bamboozle her way back into my life after she hurt me the way she did. If you’d asked me a few months ago if I’d have taken her back, I probably would’ve said yes. But now? There’s no way.”

“Why the change of heart?”

He smiles. “You helped me see I didn’t deserve the way she treated me and that I deserved better.”

“I did?”

“Yeah.” He lets out a shaky breath. “You made me realize there’s more to a relationship than being a human doormat. It’s supposed to be fun and full of passion, and well, I never had any of that with her. I was going through the motions of having a girlfriend, but it always felt like something was missing. You made me realize a lot. I can safely say I was never in love with her, but rather, in love with the idea of being with someone. I made up this scenario in my head of having a family and raising our kids on the farm, and she never imagined that with me. Bottom line: Aspen and I aren’t compatible and never were.”

My heart slams against my chest, and I’m so proud of him for knowing his worth.

“You deserve true happiness and to be with someone who loves you for you. She obviously has no respect for relationships, and I’m glad you’re not spending the rest of your life with a selfish twat.”

He pulls me into a hug and inhales the scent of my shampoo. We stay like this for a moment before breaking apart. “If she hadn’t broken up with me, we’d still be together. I would’ve never left her and would’ve kept trying to repair something that wasn’t fixable. I owe you my life, Oakley.”

His genuine tone has my heart breaking.

I wish I were that person to give him everything he deserves.

He takes my hand, and as we walk past the apple-tossing game, we hear high-pitched shouting. Finn and I turn right as Aspen stomps over to her fiancé, screaming at the top of her lungs. Most are watching the scene as she throws her hands up in the air and acts like a psycho. She’s so angry and needs to take it out on someone.

“Poor guy. That could’ve been you.”

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