Page 49 of Finn

“Well, see,” I reply excitedly, “they owe you. Now is the time to take advantage of it.” I can tell she’s truly considering it, so I add softly, “Come with me, Sammie. I can show you my old haunts and some cool things around town. You know we’ll have a good time. We always do.”

“That’s true,” she agrees.

“Come on. What do you think?”

I can see the wheels turning in her head as she mulls it over. “It would be nice to get away,” she muses. “I’d also love to see where you grew up. Plus”—her eyes meet mine again—“I know we would have fun.”

“We will,” I confirm.

Say yes, Sammie,I think but don’t utter out loud.

I want her to make this decision on her own.

Finally, she blows out a breath, sits up straight in her chair, and says, “Yes, I’ll come with you.”

“You will?” I double-check. “You’re sure?”

“Uh-huh. I’m more than sure. Let’s do this, Finn.”

“Yeah, all right!” I cheer.

Man, I wish I could reach over and hold her hand right now.

Or even give her a hug.

But since I can’t do those things, I just smile and tell her, “Sammie, we are going to have the trip of a lifetime. I promise.”

Sammie

“Damn, I can’t believe you’re going to Alaska,” Ellie says. “I have to be honest. I’m a bit jealous.”

I laugh as I place another hoodie into the suitcase on my bed.

Glancing over to where she’s standing by my walk-in closet, helping me decide which clothes to pack, I say, “Oh, stop. I’m sure you and Nils will have plenty of fun right here in Atlanta. Besides, didn’t you say you two were considering taking a short trip to some private island?”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “I think we will do that. But it’s not Alaska. Also, that trip won’t happen till at least a week or two from now, maybe longer. We have nothing set in stone. No reservations or flights.” She pretends to pout, and then she mock-whines, “You get to go tomorrow. Lucky bitch.”

She’s teasing, so I just shake my head at her pretend drama.

Ellie’s right, though. Finn and I do leave tomorrow.

As expected, the season for the Thunder ended two nights ago. It was bittersweet. One half of me wanted them to make the playoffs, as I know how important hockey is to Finn. But the other half was hoping all along that the season would end early.

That’s how much I want to go to Alaska with that man.

Anyway, he wants to get out of Atlanta as soon as possible. He’s down at the arena now, cleaning out his locker, having his exit interview with the coach, and saying goodbye to the guys.

Tomorrow morning we’ll fly out to Seattle, then catch a flight to Juneau later in the evening.

Ellie came over to my townhouse to help me pack after she found out we’re leaving so soon. She insisted we have one last day of girl time, especially since I won’t be around for a few weeks.

After fussing around on a shelf in my closet, she emerges with two thick sweaters and another hoodie.

“Here.” She holds all three garments out to me. “You’re going to need more of these.”

“I already have a bunch stuffed in here,” I protest, nodding to the suitcase on my bed. “Finn does have a washer and dryer up there, you know? Plus, I’m sure there’s a dry cleaner in the area.”

“Still.” She shakes the clothes. “Just pack them anyway. Better to have more than not enough.”

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