Page 60 of Finn's Solace

"Depends. Do you like it?"

"I'll like whatever name you picked for me, Gin."

Finn eyed me for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll find the perfect nickname for you."

"I'll be waiting." I shot him a wink, making him blush, then went back to my work.

Lightning shot through the sky, and it started pouring. Greta hightailed it inside as I rushed to my feet and jumped up onto the deck.

"I gotta text Ames. Something's going on with Raiden," Finn mumbled as we went inside, and I raised a brow at him.

"He really affects the weather that much?"

Finn nodded emphatically, scrolled through his phone for a moment, then showed me a screenshot of a chat between him and someone named Cam. The dragon's son, I remembered as I scanned the text. It seemed to be a list of rain types and the corresponding feelings of his dad based on his observation.

According to him, today's repeated rains meant Raiden was either anxious about something, or getting ready for a fight.

"I'm betting on anxious. Their eggs are supposed to hatch in two months, but if something went wrong..."

"You should text Amelia," I prompted, then peered out the window. "Would you like some coffee? Or maybe some hot cocoa?"

Finn's eyes lit up when I mentioned hot cocoa, and I grinned. "Two hot cocoas coming right up."

"No marshmallows, please," he said, and I blinked, then shrugged.

"Got it."

Taking his elbow, I led him to the couch since he seemed intent to stand there in the middle of the room as he texted, then went into the kitchen. Greta stayed with him, and I hoped whatever news he got would be good.

I was just pouring the hot cocoa into mugs when Finn exclaimed "Holy fuck!" and almost made me spill the hot liquid all over my hand.

Catching my breath, I finished pouring, then took the mugs to the living room, joining Finn on the couch. Placing the mugs on the table, I turned to him.

"What happened?"

He glanced up from his phone, as if he'd forgotten I was here, then gave me a brilliant smile before shoving his phone in front of my face.

It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing, and when I did, I sucked in a sharp breath, moving the phone away from my face so I could see it properly.

"Is that..."

Finn nodded quickly, his green eyes shining bright. "One of them hatched early. It started cracking this morning, hence the weird rain. Dad's there now. He's the one who sent me the pic. Raiden called him over to make sure the baby was healthy."

"They're so tiny," I murmured as I peered at the small dragon. They were all flesh and squinty, closed eyes right now, but their skin was a dark gray, which I assumed was the dragons' natural skin color. They didn't have any scales yet, and I imagined they'd grow as they got older. "Raiden and his mate must be so happy."

"Yeah, nervous too since they're a preemie. Dad will take care of them, though. I'm sure of it," Finn said, and I adored the confidence in his voice. I was so glad he'd met his parents, that they'd given him the life he deserved.

"Do you want kids?" I asked, then blinked, surprised. I hadn't been planning to ask him that, at least not so early in our bonding.

Finn looked equally surprised by my question, but he gathered himself quickly. "I do, but not anytime soon. I feel like Ijust got done raising Penny and Dean, and I don't want to do that again," he said, then sucked in a breath and rushed to add, "Not that I don't love them or think raising them was a chore, but I just—I want to live for myself for a while."

"Gin," I said, waiting until he'd caught his breath and met my eyes before continuing. "You don't have to justify yourself, not to anyone, and certainly not to me. Your siblings are the amazing people they are because of you. I have no doubts about that. You were a wonderful parent to them, and I know you'll be a great dad to any kids we decide to have someday. It doesn't have to be now, and I won't mind if you changed your mind someday either."

"But do you want kids?" he asked, and I smiled.

"I do, but I don't need them to feel fulfilled. I have my garden for that, my job, Greta, you. All of it makes me happy. If I ever have kids, it would be because they need me, not because I need them. I won't put that kind of responsibility on them."

Finn stared at me for a long moment, then threw himself at me, his lips slamming into mine as he covered my body with his. I heard something fall, then the splash of liquid, and remembered our drinks a little too late.

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