“Didn’t you need to get that?” She clearly didn’t get a look at the name—much to my relief.
“Nah. It was just a telemarketer.” I hated lying to her but I wasn’t going to let Val ruin my night with Em and her family, especially when everything was going so well. Her parents hadn’t even brought up the time I left. They were just interested in talking to me about my music and how it felt to own a house at home. I thought I’d dealt with the Val issue when she was texting me this morning, but I obviously hadn’t been clear enough. She’d wanted to know where I’d been and why I wasn’t in LA. I explained to her that I had moved back home and that I was trying to fix things with Em. She needed to know that things with her had never been serious for me. So I had no idea why the hell she was still bothering me.
“Are you about ready to head home? I’m tired and I have to work early in the morning.” She said, accepting my lie too easily.
“If you’re ready to go, then let’s get you in the car.”
“Finn, would you mind stepping in to the living room so we can talk for a second?” Em’s Dad quietly asked me.
I nodded, feeling my heart thundering in my chest. Shit, here we go. He was going to tell me that I was the world’s biggest douchebag, and to stay away from his daughter. Em was talking to her mom, but glanced over at me before I walked out of the room with her dad. She didn’t seem worried at all.
He stopped short just inside the living room, turning to look at me.
“Thank you for taking care of my daughter Finn. She looks happier than I’ve seen her in years.”
This was definitely not what I had expected from him. Shocked, I tentatively said, “You’re welcome?” Richard heard the question in my voice and grinned.
“I figured you’d be a bit uncomfortable around Tessa and me, but don’t. Let me lay it all out there so you know where we stand.” This was good I thought to myself. “We knew you had to have had your reasons for leaving all of those years ago. We didn’t like what it did to our daughter, but we respected your choices. Tessa and I always thought you were a good kid Finn, and we still do. I should have never pushed her to be with West like I did. For the past ten years we’ve had to sit back and watch the light in her eyes fade...” He stopped and looked down, then glanced back up at me. He seemed to be collecting himself. “Today is the first day I’ve seen my daughter truly happy in almost a decade, and it’s all because of you son.”
The emotion in the room was nearly choking me. Richard had tears in his eyes, and I was not far off either. “Wow, Richard I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything son. Just know that you are always welcome in our home, and Tessa and I are thankful that you are in our lives.”
Shit… I coughed and then took a deep breath to push back the lump in my throat and clear the tears in my eyes. “Thanks. That means a lot. And I want you and Tessa to know that I never stopped loving Em. Even now with the pregnancy, I still love her. I’m never leaving her. She’s my whole life.”
My response was enough for Richard, because he reached out and gave me a tight hug that meant he appreciated what I said. “Better get back in there, and take my baby girl home. She needs to rest and keep my growing grandchild healthy.” He smiled at me.
Richard was a good man who loved his daughter. I was relieved that we’d cleared the air and he knew where I stood with Em. When we walked back in the dining room I saw my Tiny Girl’s beautiful smile, and she warmed every inch of my body. It was time to get her out of here so I could take her home and hold her close to me.
We said our goodbyes by the front door. I hugged her Mom again, and her Dad shook my hand and brought me in for a hug. They told us to come back soon and Em promised her Mom she’d call her the following week. Harper and Ky left together and I was curious as to whether he would try and stay the night at her place. Despite their constant bickering, the looks they’d given each other throughout dinner indicated that something might have been going on. I’d be asking him about that tomorrow while we worked on new music. Helping my Tiny Girl into the car, I felt a sense of relief that this hurdle was over. Her parents accepted me back into their lives, no questions asked. I was exhausted and ready to get myself and Em in bed. All I could think about on the drive home was wrapping my body around her tiny frame and holding her close. This day had been more than I ever could have asked for.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to waking up in Finn’s arms. I was still coming to terms with the fact that he was even here in my life and we were living together. I’d gone back and replayed how we’d got here in the first place, and was still shocked. Everything happened so fast, and frankly as scared as I may have been to be with him again, I didn’t regret a moment of it. My parents welcomed Finn back with open arms, which was the easy part for me. They loved me, and if I was willing to accept Finn back in my life, they would too. My parents were the best. However, the hard part would be letting Finn back into my heart. I never pictured my life where it was today. I’d picked up a new ability to accept change and to live my life however the cards fell. Not the easiest of tasks, but definitely a new quality that I had welcomed with grace.
Almost a week had passed since we’d been to see my parents, and Finn and I had become closer than ever. During the week I also received a phone call from my lawyer to say that the judge had granted my divorce from West. I found it funny that marriage, which took eight years to build, could dissolve and be dismissed in a matter of months. West hadn’t spoken to me since I announced the pregnancy. He didn’t seem to care about our child or want to know how I was doing and I have to admit, it hurt. Nobody could devote that much time to someone and then just get up and walk away without having some sort of residual feelings. I didn’t love West, and I didn’t think I ever really had. But he had been my husband, and we’d shared a life together. We had been friends, which is more than likely why I felt sadness when I thought about him not caring about me or our child. The papers that were signed and filed included the additional money he said he’d pay me for the baby; despite me telling him that I didn’t want it. When I had hung up with my lawyer, I decided that I was going to head to the bank and open up a separate account for the money to be deposited into for the time being. I would look at setting it up so that my son or daughter could have the money when he or she turned eighteen. I had no need for the money.
I’d given myself twenty-four hours to let the idea of being a divorced woman sink in, and therefore the following day, I woke up in the best mood. The weight of the divorce had been taken off of my shoulders and I felt light and airy. As I lay there in bed with Finn wrapped around me, I smiled at my new situation. I was no longer in limbo. I had more of an idea where I wanted my life to go. And the best bit? Finn was in every part of it. Some may have looked at my situation as sad, but from where I was lying—with a hot man wrapped around me—I couldn’t see it that way any longer. The unease I’d been feeling had gone. All this time I’d thought it might have been Finn, and the feeling that he was hiding something from me, but I now believed it had been the not knowing if I was going up or down, left or right.
Finn had a protective arm around my stomach and his heavy even breaths warmed my hair. Even in his sleep, he was hard. I pushed back into him and he groaned. I tried not to giggle. Squirming a little more I wiggled my butt. He let go of my stomach and placed his hand firmly on my hips.
His deep gravely voice spoke in my ear. “Don’t start something you can’t finish Tiny Girl.”