Page 74 of Give Me a Reason

It was stupid and naïve. But I wanted it all. I wanted him, his daughter, and the family. I was falling for him a little more each day. It was a combination of mind-blowing sex and family time.

It was hard to believe he thought he wasn’t made to be a boyfriend or a husband because he was a good guy.

I paused in the doorway to the kitchen. There were take-out bags and coffee cups on the counter. Paisley sat at the counter, her face, hands, and shirt covered in white powder.

“Morning,” I said, feeling a little awkward as I grabbed a coffee and sat on the stool.

“How was your night?” Finn asked.

I flushed, even though I knew he wasn’t talking about sex on the balcony. “We were there late. They didn’t want the party to end.”

“Gia should have a hard-and-fast rule about that.”

“Oh, they’ll pay a premium for it. The venue doesn’t like it either. But there’s only so much we can do. Gia wants them to have a good experience,” Ireland said, taking a large bite of a donut.

“I don’t like you working late.” What he said sounded very much like a boyfriend who was concerned for his girlfriend. Would Ireland guess there was something going on with us?

“It’s very safe. Gia makes sure there’s security at night and that they walk us to our cars,” Ireland said.

Maybe Ireland was used to him sounding overprotective and didn’t think his concern was unusual.

“That’s good,” Finn said, but his jaw was tight.

“Here, eat a donut.” Ireland pushed the bag of donuts in my direction.

I didn’t usually indulge in sugar this early, but after the late night I had, and Finn taking up all the space in my kitchen, I needed it.

I grabbed a sugar donut and took a large bite. I inhaled the powdered sugar and immediately started coughing. I couldn’t seem to stop. Finn pounded on my back and then rubbed it as I slowly recovered.

Ireland handed me a glass of water, and I slowly sipped it. My face felt red with embarrassment and the exertion of my coughing fit.

“You okay?” Finn asked, his palm still resting on the middle of my back.

I slowly nodded. “I think so.”

This time, I ate more slowly, taking small bites and drinking water in between. Finn dropped his hand but stood close as if he wasn’t sure I was okay.

My heart flip-flopped in my chest because Finn cared about me. He never failed to do something that made me feel that way. He was so much more than he gave himself credit for.

When I was finished eating, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I heard Ireland and Paisley talking softly in the kitchen. When I rinsed out my mouth, Finn stood in the doorway.

“You ready to go?” I asked him, desperate to get out of this tiny space. His daughter was in the next room, and our track record in these kinds of places wasn’t great.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I raised my hands and then dropped them. “I’m fine. It was just a little sugar.”

Finn moved close to me, his hand resting on my shoulder. If anyone walked in, they might mistake the gesture as innocent. But my knees were shaking, and my heart coursed through my body at his touch. “I just wanted to check.”

“You’re a good guy.” He needed to know that, even if he never absorbed those words.

“Daddy! Daddy,” we heard as Paisley’s footsteps sounded in the hallway.

“We’re being summoned,” Finn said, the corner of one lip twitching.

We needed to watch ourselves around Paisley. I didn’t want her to think anything was going on. Today, I was her sitter and a friend. Nothing more.

I dipped out from under his arm and slipped past him. I felt his gaze on my back as I took Paisley’s hand and walked with her toward the kitchen.

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