Page 74 of Something Unforgettable

Nick swooped in then and stole it from him, replacing it with a large, steaming mug that smelled like apple pie. Finn wasn’t going to complain about that. He loved cider. An arm went around his shoulders and Xavier pulled him close as he sipped his new drink. Much better.

Micah appeared a moment later with his own cider. “I’ve got the good stuff on the stove in the kitchen,” he told him. “There’s bourbon next to the pot.” He raised his mug and Finn clinked his own against it. “Mac decided to stay home after all?”

Finn nodded. “He claims he’s still tried from the trip, but he’s never liked staying up until midnight. I think he just wants to go to bed on time.”

“Boring.” Micah huffed, then his eyes lit up again. “Oh! Tell me about New York. Where did you go? What did you eat? Did you see any shows?”

Finn opened his mouth.

“No, wait,” Micah interrupted. “Izzy and Archer want to hear about it, too. Come on.” He grabbed Finn’s elbow.

Finn resisted the pull long enough to tell Xavier he’d find him later, then let Micah drag him over to the sofa in front of the fire where the rest of the younger crowd was gathered. On the way he spotted Maggie and the sheriff chatting with a few other people their age by the tree, Keegan filling a plate at the buffet, and a handful of other people he recognized from around town. On the sofa, Izzy was at one end and Archer was at the other with his sister, Alice, in the armchair next to him. Eli hadn’t been able to make it—it was a busy night at the bar, and he wanted to be with Hunter at midnight. Finn understood. He wouldn’t have wanted to be apart from Xavi, either. Micah nudged Finn toward the open space between Archer and Izzy.

“Okay,” Micah said as he settled next to him, drink cradled in his hands. “Tell us all about your big trip with your hot sugar daddy.”

Warmth filled Finn at the genuine interest from his friends, even as he made a face at Micah. Xavi wasn’t a sugar daddy. He was just Daddy—and he happened to be rich. Totally not the same.

“New York was amazing,” he said, and took another sip of his drink. “We—”

Izzy made a sound. “What isthat?” he asked, grabbing Finn’s hand and nearly making him spill his cider.

Finn giggled and ducked his head, his cheeks going warmer than his chest as Izzy examined the ring on his right ring finger.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” he said, needing that out there before anyone got excited.

Micah and Archer were leaning in, too, though Alice had only glanced up and was now back on her phone.

“Did Eli make this?” Archer asked. “He said he was working on a secret project.”

Finn smiled as he tilted his hand, the tiny diamonds on the X-shaped silver band catching the light from the fire.

“Yeah. Xavi had him make it in time for Christmas.” Then he’d held Finn close and told him that one day soon he was going to ask Finn to be his forever. But in the meantime, he wanted Finn to have something to remind him that Daddy was always thinking about him. That Xavier loved him more than anything, and that Finn would never feel forgotten again.

He didn’t want to explain all that to his friends, though. Instead he told them, “It’s a promise for the future.”

“That’s sweet,” Archer said, cutting off Micah’s next question. “You’re a lucky guy. Now, tell us about New York. I’ve always wanted to visit there.”

Finn gave Archer a grateful smile and got a wink in return. “It was fantastic. We got to see all the holiday decorations and go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. It was fun, but super crowded. Pops just watched and laughed at us.”

Neither Finn nor Xavier was very good on ice skates, and they’d spent most of the time alternating between holding each other up and laughing at how awkward they both were. Finn had been sorry Ev was working that day.

It had taken Xavier one phone call to find Ev a new job. Ev, who had been happy to get out of Chicago and away from his old boss there, had accepted and moved to New York a month ago. He seemed happy working for Xavier’s business partner, Gabriel, and he loved the new city. Finn had tried to convince him to come back to Split Rock for New Year’s—Xavi was providing transportation, after all—but he had other plans. A club he was a member at was throwing a New Year’s masquerade. Finn hadn’t been brave enough to ask what kind of club offered memberships. Sometimes it was better to let things with Ev stay a mystery.

He filled everyone in on the rest of their trip. They’d spent a few days doing tourist things with Pops before he decided he wanted to relax at Xavier’s for the rest of the week. Ev had work during the day—because Gabriel was a workaholic and didn’t take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, even though Xavi did—so they did their own thing during the day but spent time with him in the evenings. Finn got to see a Broadway show for the first time and he couldn’t wait to do that again.

Leaving at the end of the week had been hard, but he’d also been ready to come home. New York was a great place to visit, but he wouldn’t want to live there full time.

The group on the sofa started to break up once Finn was done with his story. Izzy ducked out with a comment about tracking down a hookup for after midnight. Micah went to find his men—Finn spotted the three of them standing close, partially hidden behind the tree, and looked away to give them privacy. Archer offered to get Finn a refill and got up just as Dr. Reid settled in the armchair across from Alice.

“Hi, Dr. Reid,” Finn said, taking in the vet’s pinched expression. “Happy New Year.”

Dr. Reid flashed Finn a smile. “I’ve told you, you can call me Keegan.”

Finn winced. “Sorry. I know. I just didn’t want to sound too familiar.”

Keegan chuckled. “Because everyone and their grandmother wanted to set us up?”

Finn pressed his lips together, trying not to let an inappropriate smile slip free. “Sorry,” he said again.

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