Page 78 of A Hard Fit

“Oh,” Finn said, at a loss for words, eyes watering in the winter air.

Rory’s smile made his heart want to explode. “I thought we could start the new year together at the place…where we started.”

Finn blinked away a tear and slung his arm around Rory’s shoulders. “Did we start here?”

“Yes,” Rory said without missing a beat. “The moment I saw you.”

“All right,” Finn said, voice gruff. “Let’s do it.”

The hostess led them to a high-top table and scanned their tickets, which included a buffet dinner, live music, and bottomless sparkling wine.

“I love it,” Finn said, once the server dropped off their first glasses of bubbly. “Thank you for planning our New Year’s.”

“You’re welcome,” Rory said, tapping their glasses together. “Cheers.”

* * * *

“So…” Rory said after dinner, scooping up the last bite of brownie from their plate. “Any New Year’s resolutions for you this year?”

Finn shrugged. “I don’t usually make them. Damn, this is good.” He licked his lips and went for another bite of chocolate mousse. “You?”

Rory paused to suck the last of the icing from their fork. “I’d like to spend more time outside.”

“Oh yeah? Doing what?” Finn grinned. “You want to join me on my runs?”

“God, no.” Rory laughed. “But that bike ride was fun. I feel like I need more…trees. Nature.” Their fork flashed out to stab a raspberry on Finn’s plate.

Finn gasped in fake indignation. “Are you stealing my dessert?”

Rory went for another berry. “No. I would never.”

Their forks battled as they raced to finish Finn’s plate. Finn swallowed his final bite and reached to brush a streak of chocolate off Rory’s smiling lip. “Would you like to dance?”

Rory took Finn’s hand. “Yes.”

They danced for a few numbers on the crowded floor, the band rocking solid Top Forty covers, until a slow song came on. Rory slipped into Finn’s arms.

Finn closed his eyes and breathed Rory in, his stomach swirling with the same butterflies he always got when Rory was close.

“So, my mom’s birthday is coming up…” Rory said.

Finn opened his eyes. “That’s what you want to talk about right now?”

Rory chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, it just popped into my head that I forgot to call her back earlier. Are you free on the tenth? My parents always host a dinner at their favorite restaurant.”

Finn’s stomach swirled again but not in a good way. “Man…”

“I know, I know, we just had Christmas… Sorry.”

“Will…”Will Jackson be there?“Is it the whole family again?”

“No, only my mom’s side this time.”

‘Only.’Finn wanted to want to go so badly. He wished the ‘yes’ could roll right off his tongue. He wanted to be there for Rory. He wanted to feel comfortable surrounded by a hundred relatives—like he belonged in a family like that.

‘It’s cute that you tried.’

Finn took a breath. “Would it be the worst thing if I didn’t go?”

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