Page 66 of Something Unforgettable

“The guys, huh?” Xavier teased.

Finn gave him a tentative smile. “Micah, Izzy, and Eli. Nick was there, too, but I think it was for moral support. He said you would like anything I wore.”

“He was right,” Xavier said, dropping a soft kiss on Finn’s lips. “You’re gorgeous no matter what you wear. Or don’t wear, for that matter.”

That one made Finn blush and Xavier loved it. He kissed him again, just because, stepping between his thighs so they were as close as possible.

“Once we get some food in you, I think we should talk about what happened.” Xavier was sure Finn’s parents were to blame, but knowing the actual trigger would let him avoid it in the future. He caressed Finn’s cheek. “Do you think you can explain it to me?”

Finn shut his beautiful, mismatched eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, Daddy. I can tell you.”

Xavier let out a relieved breath. Thank god. He didn’t know what he would have done if Finn had continued to insist they were breaking up.

They made it back out to the table and a very concerned but professional server who double-checked to make sure everything was okay and offered a bottle of wine on the house to make up for how poorly their night had gone so far. Xavier accepted. He could afford the wine, but he appreciated the gesture and the discretion.

He kept Finn close at the table—he couldn’t bring himself to let Finn out of his reach, and — judging by how the sweet boy was plastered to Xavier’s side — Finn clearly felt the same way. Xavier even went so far as to order a variety of finger foods so they wouldn’t have to separate to eat.

Finn’s appetite seemed intact, and Xavier encouraged him to eat his fill, wanting him to have the energy for what was going to be a difficult conversation. They were just finishing the last of an amazing plate of bacon-wrapped scallops when Finn sighed and rested his head on Xavier’s shoulder.

“We don’t have to do this now. It can wait until we get home,” Xavier said, kissing the top of Finn’s head.

Finn shook his head. “I want to get it over with.”

Xavier took his hand and waited.

“My parents—” Finn paused. “I think they tried, when I was younger. I remember my dad coming to career day at school. And my mom sometimes took me on business trips with her. But once I could take care of myself it wasn’t a big deal if they were late or forgot something they promised to do with me. They were saving people’s lives. It would be selfish to ask them to stop just so they could be there for back-to-school night.”

Xavier’s heart broke all over again. He wondered if Finn’s parents—and he used the term loosely—had any idea how much their son had sacrificed for their chosen careers. He doubted it.

“I was really excited about turning thirteen,” Finn said, his voice soft but unwavering. “I couldn’t wait to be a teenager instead of a little kid. I thought I’d be so grown up.” His self-deprecating smile made Xavier’s chest ache. “It was their idea to celebrate, you know? They chose the restaurant and the time. My dad made the reservation. I would have been happy with a quiet dinner at home, just the three of us, or even a present that showed they knew what I liked.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Xavier said, his eyes burning at the pleading in Finn’s voice.

“I sat at that table for over an hour.” Finn’s voice was raw with remembered pain. “I had a cell phone and I kept calling but neither of them picked up.” He swallowed, throat clicking. “Eventually I went home. My mom was on her way out the door. She had a business trip and was late to catch her flight. My dad was still at the hospital, working.” He dashed at his eyes and sniffled.

Xavier held him closer. “Why don’t we take a break?”

“No. I want you to understand. They forgot me all the time, but it was my birthday and I believed them. Sometimes I still have nightmares about sitting there. I know no one is coming but I can’t make myself leave, and they close the restaurant around me and I’m all alone in the dark.”

Xavier cursed the fact that they were in public and he couldn’t haul Finn into his lap and kiss his tears away.

“I’m so sorry I made you relive that tonight. If I had known—” God, he couldn’t stop thinking of all the things he could have done differently, starting with not having his boy meet him at the restaurant.

“I came to live with Pops right after that. I told him the whole thing and he was so mad that he flew to Miami to get me. He’d never even been on a plane before.” Finn sounded awed, his hero worship of his grandfather clear. Another thing Xavier could add to the list of his mistakes. He shouldn’t have sent Finn back here alone to deal with his grandfather’s health. Tonight might have been unavoidable, but that one was a hundred percent on him and he would find a way to make up for it.

Finn stroked his hand where it was gripping too hard on Finn’s thigh. “Things got better once I was in Split Rock. Pops was always here for me. He never forgot my birthday, or even little things, like when I had a big test I needed to study for.”

Something clicked in Xavier’s mind. “You must have been terrified when he started having trouble with his memory.”

Finn shivered and turned to hide his face in Xavier’s shoulder. “Yeah.”

Xavier cupped the back of his head and shut his eyes. Enough. He needed Finn in his arms, and that wasn’t happening in the restaurant. He signaled for the check and got Finn out of there as quickly as possible. It was still raining, but the car was parked right across the street—the only thing that had gone right today.

It was a shorter drive to the cottage so he took Finn there and ushered him inside. He’d been quiet since finishing his story, and Xavier wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He got his answer as soon as he had both their coats off and Finn flung himself into Xavier’s arms. Xavier picked him up and carried him to the bed, sitting on the end of it.

Finn was wrapped around him and hanging on for dear life as Xavier ran a hand up and down his back.

“I’m going to take a step back at work,” Xavier told him. “I spoke with Gabriel this morning.”

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