Page 10 of The Guy from that One Summer
Finn did just that. I never wanted to be owned… until I learned what being owned by him could mean.
Family. Safety. Freedom to be me. Friendship. And the greatest sex anyone could ever have.
“I’m thankful he left me that day and that I stumbled up that path, falling face-first. It led me to you, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better than to be here in your arms right now.” I turn my head and meet his lips. When they touch, we share lazy, slow kisses, our tongues playing a synched melody together.
I love Finn Callin. He’s everything I could have wanted in a man, in a husband, in a father for my children, and most importantly a best friend. He’s a charming, cocky son of a gun, but he’s also the greatest gentleman and fiercest protector.
“Thank you,” I say simply.
“For what?” He rubs at my stomach, my hips and thighs, anywhere he can touch from his position.
“For watching my face fall into the sand with my ass in the air, and, instead of laughing, helping me into the house. I wouldn’t be here with you and our children if you hadn’t come in and saved the day the way you did.”
“Oh, baby, I didn’t save the day. I fucking stole it. And now, you can try to get away from me, but I will follow you to the ends of the earth until you are mine once again.”
“Crazy. You are mad,” I tell him, turning to face him. As I cup his face, we search one another. He gives me his beautiful green eyes, and my blue ones dive into them, and it’s a real connection. That’s the pivotal event from the night we met that I remember the most.
Before all the alcohol and haziness set in, I remember the intensity in his eyes that we shared. I remember the way they didn’t just peruse my body, but they pierced my soul. There was an instant connection there, as if he knew me and I knew him from a time longer than just that night.
And for nine years, we have learned so much about one another, yet each day feels like the first day, like we’re just starting to date. I thought that type of love only existed in movies. What’s more is our sex life, while I believed only existed in good pornos.
We’ve never stopped dating, and we’ve never stopped looking at each other like we’re one another’s wildest and wettest dreams.
And all of that comes wrapped in a pretty bow that is the family we’ve created. Our children are our pride and joy, just examples of the love he and I share. They make us laugh, a perfect combination of Finn and me.
Oliver is super witty and keeps you constantly on your toes. And Olivia, God, she’s just like me. She knows how to dish it out and not take shit from anybody, and she’s only five. Lord, help the world when she’s out there on her own. Olivia and Oliver will take over and set a path that so many people wish they could walk with as much ferocity and confidence as those two.
But don’t get me wrong—they keep us off-kilter. And yet, while these two weeks are important for Finn and me to have each summer, to reconnect and recenter, we miss them like crazy.
A lot of our neighbors back in the city call us the Crazy Brady Bunch. We are always having fun, being the loudest at the park, forever laughing.
And to think this all started when I was left at the altar, thinking that was it for me, that my life was an utter disaster and could never be repaired. Then, insert Finn, the Hamptons, and half a bottle of tequila, and you have the perfect recipe for the start of a happily ever after.
Try saying that three times in a row without sounding like an insane person.
“You’re really in your head there, aren’t you, daisy?”
My stomach flips when he says this. He reads me so well, and using the nickname he first gave me when we met…. God, will this ever change? Will I ever stop getting butterflies? Or will I always be completely and utterly obsessed with the stranger who became my husband?
“I just can’t believe we’re here from where we started. I love you, Finn.”
He kisses my forehead and tucks a piece of my long brunette hair behind my ear. “And I love you, Remy.”
I know tomorrow, when the kids get back, we will have to return home to the city, but I already can’t wait until next summer. “Are you excited for the next time we come back?”
He grins, and it’s the one that’s always been his signature—a cocky and all-knowing one. “I’ll be dreaming about it every day until then.”
“Well, also until then, we can just rewatch that video over and over again,” I remind him of the video we made tonight, and I can definitely say that is something we have never done. Finn and I have a healthy sexual relationship, but something abouthere—this house, the Hamptons—it just brings out a different side of us.
“Even if we didn’t have the video, I would never forget tonight. Or any other night since I met you.” He winks at me.
“You know, one day, I really think I should write a book about this.” I rub at his chest, feeling the hard muscles under my feminine hands. Such a stark contrast, another thing I love about us.
“Yeah, and what would you call it, Remy?”
“Oh, that’s a good one. Maybe something ominous, or mysterious, or even something really simple.” I shrug and giggle, and he joins it with a chuckle.
“Hmmm. I think I know what you could call it.”
