Page 32 of Cabin Fever With My First Flame

I rub my belly just as she had. “Then I must be having twins.”

She giggles, and then her smile fades and becomes sweeter. “Our kids did an amazing job, and I get the feeling that they want us to be more than friends.”

“You do realize they aren’t actually my kids, right? They mean well and think that you’ll make me happy.”

Bailey reaches over and takes my hand. “Micah, Isaac, and Jonah may not be yours by birth, but make no mistake about it, Finn, they areyourkids. You are now the father figure in their life, and until you get married, you have the honorary title of ‘mother figure’ as well. Although you’re their uncle, one day you’ll start referring to them as yours. Just wait and see.”

“And what’s your take on the ‘making me happy’ part?” I ask.

She sighs. “I spent years wondering what I would say to you when I came face-to-face with you again, Finn. Never, in a million years, did I think that we could get along after all the hurt feelings and pent-up resentment. I thought I would hateyou and that you would hate me, even though I had no idea what I had done.”

She raises a hand to stop me from apologizing. “Please don’t say ‘I’m sorry.’ I know you are. But, Finn, you have treated me with nothing but respect and kindness even though you may have thought you had every right to do differently. It shows that you are still the sweet, kind-hearted man that I had fallen in love with so many years ago. Until a few days ago, you believed the worst of me and still took us in without a thought or care as to how it may impact you and your family. You were generous and thoughtful, as were Micah, Isaac, and Jonah.”

I squeeze her hand and go out on a limb, asking, “Is there a chance for us in the future?”

“Maybe,” she says, brutally honest. “‘Future’ being the operative word. The fact of the matter is that youdidbelieve the worst of me. I want God, love, and trust to be the pinnacle of a relationship. It’s going to take time to rebuild the trust, Finn. A part of me will always love you because you were my first true love. That doesn’t ever go away. It only changes over time.”

“Maybe” is better than a flat-out “No,” so I simply dip my chin to acknowledge her words and ring the bell twice.

All six kids rush in and start clearing the table. Ella and Micah stay behind, standing with their hands behind their backs. Bailey looks at them with a raised eyebrow. “Are you waiting for a tip?” she asks jokingly.

Ella points up toward the ceiling, where a plant is haphazardly taped to it. “You are under the mistletoe. You can’t leave until you kiss. That’s the tradition.”

I stare at the dead plant. “That’s not mistletoe.”

Micah clears his throat. “Actually, it is. Ella and I found it in my mom’s scrapbook. That is the same mistletoe Grandpa and Grammy Hollister kissed under at an office Christmas partyback in 1972. It was in that moment that they knew they were meant for one another.”

“But it’s dead!” Bailey says.

Ella grins. “The plant may be dead…”

“But my grandparents’ love is still alive,” Micah finishes.

Bailey clutches her heart in mock horror. “Oh, no! Finn, they’re already finishing each other’s sentences. Should we be worried?”

Micah glances at Ella and then shakes his head as if he’s dismissing an unwanted thought. “We rehearsed it, so don’t go getting any ideas!”

Ella sighs. “Just kiss and get it over with already!”

Bailey leans in and kisses the corner of my lip far too quickly for my liking and because we have an audience. “Done!”

I growl. “Not even close! You totally missed!”

I wrap my hand around Bailey’s waist and bring her close to my body. She gasps at the unexpected move, and I use the opportunity to mold my mouth to hers. My other hand slides around the back of her head and grasps the hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her head slightly. My tongue darts out to gently probe, even though my lips are firmly pressed against hers. When I feel the tip of her tongue tease mine, I deepen this kiss, pulling her body flush against mine so that no one would be able to tell where I end and she begins.

Bailey’s arms wrap around my neck, and the contented feeling of coming home permeates my body. But we do have an audience, so I dial it back and slow the kiss down, nipping at her lower lip the way she’s always loved. The woman I’ve been madly in love with since I was 15 has a look of pure bliss on her face, and her eyes are closed as if she’s been dreaming and doesn’t want to wake up. I never want to see that expression on her face for anyoneotherthan me. I nip her lower lip one more time andthen step back. I say the only thing I can think of in my Bailey-induced-stupor.

“And that’s how ‘friends’ kiss under the mistletoe.”

Chapter nineteen

Bailey

“And that’s how ‘friends’kiss under the mistletoe.”

Yeah, I’ve never kissed anyone under the mistletoe before, let alone like the way Finn just rocked my world. I never got to kiss Daniel under the mistletoe because he didn’t believe that public displays of affection were appropriate. Finn had no problem telling me without words exactly where he stands and what hewants. I’ll admit that it was a kiss that has me rethinkingwhereI stand.

Before Finn walks out of the room, he directs Micah to ‘gear up, so we can move out.’”

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