Page 66 of Mistletoe & Magic
“You should tell him,” Lilith says gently, like she just read my thoughts. “See what he has to say about that date.”
Rowan rolls her eyes. “It’s just a date, Mom.”
“Uh-huh,” Willa teases. “I wonder if Finn will think that’s just a date.”
“I don’t think this is going to go over well, that’s all I’m saying,” I tell her, not liking how this is going to play out.
Junie looks up from the floor and says, “Uncle Finn won’t like that, Rowan. He says you’re his endgame. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think he’s going to like you going on a date.”
“He said that?” Rowan asks Junie, and she nods solemnly.
She purses her lips and says, “Hmmm.”
But I don’t miss the thoughts passing over her face that she’s not sharing with the class. Something is up with Rowan.
I settle back against the stool, warmth spreading through me. This is what I always wanted. Sisters, laughter, love that fills up a whole room. And maybe, just maybe, a future where we all get to have the love we all deserve.
The house is quiet when we get home, except for the low crackle of the fire. Remy’s on the couch, boots off, stretched out with a book in one hand and an open bottle of beer on the table next to him.
“You’re back early,” he says, setting the book aside as I kickoff my shoes. Junie runs to give him a hug. She bounces off with Lola on her heels to go play before she has to get ready for bed.
“Mm,” I hum, crossing the room and sinking onto the couch beside him.
His arm goes around me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Have fun?”
“So, Rowan had news.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Good news or bad news?”
I grin. “Depends who you ask. She’s going on a date this weekend.”
That gets his attention. “With who?”
“Jonah. New guy in town. Works on the boats.”
He makes a surprised sound, rubbing his jaw. “Finn know?”
“That’s exactly what we asked.” I curl my legs under me, watching his face. “She said no, but I think maybe he should.”
Remy leans his head back against the couch, smiling faintly. “I think Finn already knows more than he lets on.”
“You do?”
“Mm-hmm.” His arm tightens around me. “He notices everything about Rowan. He’s just too damn stubborn to do anything about it.”
I laugh softly. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
He tips his head to look at me, and there’s a flash of heat in his eyes that makes my stomach flip. “Yeah, well. Worked out for me, didn’t it?”
I nudge him with my knee. “It did.”
For a while we just sit there, the fire throwing shadows across the room, Junie’s sounds of playing drifting from down the hall. Remy’s thumb traces idle circles over my arm, and the quiet between us feels safe, full.
“You think Finn and Rowan would be good together?” I ask after a bit.
“I think Finn needs someone who’ll love him for who he is,”he says. “And Rowan might be the only other person stubborn enough to pull that off.”
I smile, picturing it, and rest my head on his shoulder. “Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
