Page 43 of The Moment Promised

Finn’s car. The sun is soon to set.

“I’m getting gas, do you want to go grab a snack and use the bathroom?”

I rub my eyes and break out into a smile. “Yes!”

Finn follows me into the convenient store. I take in all the mouse shaped trademarks, knowing exactly where we are.Orlando. I walk over to the sunglass section and grab a heart shaped pair.

“Try these on.” I hand him the sunglasses.

He rolls his eyes, but for some reason does as he’s told. I smile wide at his appearance. I grab a mouse shaped pair for myself and put them on.

I hear a little voice from below me say, “Mommy, mommy! I want those sunglasses!”

I glance down, and the little girl gasps. She can’t be more than three. “A-are you…a princess?”

A giggle catches in my throat, I’m about to tell her I’m not when Finn interrupts.

“Shh.” He brings his index finger over his mouth. “She is, but she’s an undercover princess. No one is supposed to know…actually—” He appears thoughtful for a moment. “How did you figure it out?”

The little girl’s eyes are two big circles staring up at me like I’m the coolest thing she’s ever seen. “She’s really pretty. And has princess hair,” she says.

Finn pulls the sunglasses right off my face, crouches down to hand them to her. “I know, right. A face shouldn’t be that pretty.”

“Maddy! Get over here!” the girl’s mother calls, realizing her daughter is talking to some strangers at a gas station. I back up a little, knocking into the sunglass display.

The girl glances at me one last time before following her mom out of the small store.

I flick Finn’s forehead.

“Hey!”

“An undercover princess?” I laugh. “What even is that?”

“I was put on the spot, okay?” He rolls his eyes. “What else was I supposed to say?”

“Hmm, maybe that I wasn’t a princess?”

“Yeah, okay, love. I also could’ve told her the tooth fairy isn’t real.”

I shake my head with a smile. “So…you think I have a pretty face,” I tease.

He reaches past me, grabbing another pair of sunglasses, slowly putting them on my face. “That, Adeline, was never a secret.”

I can see my reflection in his sunglasses turn red. The closer I look, the more I realize there’s a button on the frame. I reach up and press it, and suddenly the heart shaped glasses are glowing, and I break out into laughter.

His lips lift at the corner as he watches me intently. I can still make out his eyes through the glasses, they wrinkle at the sides in an easy-going smile.

I pull out my phone, snapping a picture to remember this moment.

Finn and I grab some candy, and a magnet from the souvenir section. He checks out while I use the ladies’ room, and then we are back on our way.

After an hour or so of listening to the radio, Finn disturbs the silence. “What do you love the most?”

You.

I gasp out loud by how fast my brain answered his question. Everything crashes into me at once, making it so very clear how undeniable my love for Finn Walker really is.

Oh my…

---