CHAPTER TWELVE
Paige texted me as we were walking back to the apartment. Saw detectives. Everything okay?
I looked around, realizing not for the first time how open the Commons was. How there were places for people to hide, places for people to watch.
“Charlotte,” Finn said, taking my hand. “Come on.”
I picked up the pace to keep up with him. Shane followed behind us, eyes roaming the trees and path just like mine had.
“It was Paige. She wanted to know if everything was okay.” I glanced up at him. “I thought maybe I could invite her and Leslie up tonight. For—for company or—”
“You sure you’re up for that?”
“Better than letting myself sit and think about what’s going to happen,” I said.
Finn’s jaw clenched but he nodded. We’d told Detective Winters that Mark was here and they planned on talking with him. Both Finn and I knew nothing would come from it. He wasn’t going to give anything away. Maybe Tracy would even vouch for him, say he’d been a model citizen. Either way, he hadn’t done anything wrong yet—at least nothing that could be proven.
I think that bothered Finn more than anything. That there was nothing he could do. He hadn’t even been able to get a swing in when we’d been at the restaurant.
When we piled in the elevator, Curtis said, “We’ll be stationed in the apartment down the hall from yours from now on.”
I blinked. “How? I thought someone lived in there.”
“It was just a matter of moving them to another tower.”
Finn touched my back. “With incentive. No big deal.”
“But…” I felt guilty that everyone was still having to rearrange their lives for me.
Curtis didn’t wait for me to finish. “Safer this way. We’ll be closer when you need us, and we can change shifts faster. It’s better.”
I nodded weakly. Better. Better was Mark being gone. But he’d signed the lease for the restaurant. On the surface, he belonged here as much as anyone else. Who knew how much we’d see of him and there was nothing we could do.
We reached our floor, and I glanced down the hallway to the only other apartment on this level. The one that now belonged to the security team.
“Sit tight,” Curtis said before we walked into the apartment. “Let the detectives do their job. And don’t go anywhere alone.”
Finn steered me inside.
“You should call Jake, too,” I started. I turned to Finn, but my words were cut off by his abrupt hug. “Finn?”
He kicked the door closed but didn’t let go. With his face buried in my hair, he murmured, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Finn—”
“I wanted to kill him. I wanted to bash his face in the moment he spoke to you. Charlotte—”
“Hold on.” I strained against grip. “Relax.”
His laugh came out choked. “You’re telling me to relax.”
“Because there’s nothing we can do.”
“Like hell there isn’t.” He released me, taking my hand and dragging me to the bedroom.
“Finn, wait. Finn!”
He didn’t stop until we ended up in the closet. When he reached for the box on the shelf above his jackets, I backed up.
“What are you doing?”
He set the box on the bed and took my hands, staring in my eyes. “You need to be able to protect yourself. If that fucker gets anywhere near you, if he tries to hurt you, don’t hesitate to stop him.”
“Finn. Wait. Please.”
He must have heard the note of fear in my voice because he stopped talking. I knew what he had in the box, and I wasn’t afraid of it. However, I was afraid there might be a time that I’d have to use it.
The thought of Mark anywhere near me or our apartment made my stomach churn. I pressed my hand to my belly. “Please stop for a minute.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “I can’t—I couldn’t do anything. He just stood there with that smug smile on his face knowing we couldn’t touch him.”
“He had this planned all along, Finn. That’s how Mark is. The best thing we can do is let him think he’s getting away with this.”
“No. No, that’s not the best thing. The best thing to do is to get his ass out of here. I don’t want him anywhere near you. He’s got Tracy fooled and who knows what he’ll do next? If he’s free to walk around here wherever the hell he feels like, he could try to come for you. But if—”
“Finn.” I touched his cheek. “Take a breath.”
He lifted his eyebrows, clearly doubtful of my method of coping.
“I’m serious,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. “We’re in this together, right? Take a breath and let’s figure this out rationally.”
After a moment, he squeezed me tight, so tight I could barely breathe. “God, you’re…I don’t know. You’re dealing with this better than me.”
I gave a small laugh. “I wasn’t dealing when I threw up this morning. But I’m trying.”
He eased back to study my face. “You still look a little pale. Are you sure you want company tonight?”
“Leslie has wedding books,” I said with a shrug.
He took my face between his hands and kissed me. “I love that even with all this shit going on, you still want to plan our future.”
“We’ve got to do something to keep us going. And I still want Jenna and my mom to be here this weekend. I want them to know what’s going on and I want them to get used to the idea of us being together. It’s important to me.”
He nodded. “Of course. I’ll talk to Curtis again and make sure we’re all set, but it shouldn’t be a problem. We might just have to stay in a little more than expected.”
“They’ll be here and you’ll be here. That’s good enough for me.”
He glanced at the box on the bed. “I still think…”
Blowing out a breath, I took his hand. “You’re right. I need to know.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the box.
“It’s different from the one you had at the cabin,” I said.
“Yes. A revolver. This is easy for you to use. Five shots—”
“I don’t even know how to load it or—or anything.”
“It’s really basic. It’s not loaded now. Test the weight.” He stood, holding the gun out for me.
Swallowing, I took it in my hands, the weight of it unfamiliar and awkward.
“That’s right,” Finn said. “Get a feel for it. If you’re shooting at something close, it’s going to be hard for you to miss.”
“You have more faith in me than I do.”
“Then I’ll take you to the shooting range. You can test it out. That way you’ll know what to expect.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Like he was sure I was going to need to fire this gun. And that scared the shit out of me.
Finn took it from my hands, stopping a moment to brush his thumb down my cheek. “I think it’ll make you feel better.”
“It will.” I had to nod, to convince myself he was right. I knew he was right. And that he understood where I was coming from, that I couldn’t run away but had to take control of this made me feel better. “You’ll show me.”
“Of course.”
“Tomorrow?”
He set the gun back in the box and moved it to the end table beside the bed. “Tomorrow. At lunch. Or we could work from home, tie up loose ends, and go after that before your sister and your mom get here.”
“Okay.”
He looked surprised that I agreed so quickly. He started to say something else, but then shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. Really. Let’s figure out dinner, spend some time with friends.”
I let the comment go and pulled out my phone. He was right. The best thing we could do right now was keep living our lives.
Leslie and Paige and I sat at the dining table, magazines and pictures spread out before us. I also had my laptop open, and with the company and the laughter, my nerves vanished some. Once the wine was out, they were almost gone completely.
Dustin was outside the door, and we’d know if anyone was trying to get up here. For now, that was the best we could do.
Leslie and Paige both carefully avoided the topic of Mark, staying cheerful with outrageous wedding ideas.
“A carriage,” Leslie said with a nod. “And white horses. Now that would be my over-the-top dream wedding.”
“Would you release the doves and all that?” Paige asked.
Laughing, Leslie nodded. “Sure. The bigger the better. It’s not everyday you get to plan a wedding.”
“Actually, it sort of is if you’re my mom.” Paige sipped her wine. “I mean, she’s working on her fifth marriage. I’m pretty sure she thinks it’s something you’re supposed to do every five years or so.”
Leslie’s eyes widened. “Fifth marriage? I’m pretty sure Greg is the one for me.” She grinned. “Okay, I’m absolutely sure—it took long enough for us to get engaged. I had plenty of time. I can’t imagine marrying someone else in five years.”
“Me either,” I said, my lips curving when Finn shot me a smile from the kitchen where he and Jake were drinking beers and sorting through bags they’d had delivered for dinner.
“I wouldn’t let you,” he called.
I lifted my glass to him in a toast.
“What about you?” Paige asked me. “What’s your dream wedding?”
I noticed Finn listening again and shot him a smirk. “Maybe Maui?”
“She’s a liar, don’t believe anything she says!”
Laughing, I shrugged. “Seriously…I don’t know. Something small. Intimate.” I’d been planning the big wedding with Mark. It’s what he wanted. Now, all I wanted was to be with Finn and celebrate with my family and close friends. It was more about the commitment and less about the frills.
“But you still have to have the dress,” Leslie said. She slid over a magazine and pointed. “This is the one I want.”
I touched the page, my finger tracing the curve of the train. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yep. That’s where my money’s going. The fabulous dress. The rest is…just accessories.”
Finn walked up behind me and touched my shoulder. “Dinner,” he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “You up for that?”
“Sure.”
We cleared the table and spread the containers in the middle, going for family style and dishing up what we liked. The whole thing, the food, the company, the drinks, the laughter—all of it helped more than I could have ever hoped.
The only thing missing was my family and their blessing.
My sister hadn’t been happy about Finn and his decisions when we’d been together in college. I hoped now, after all these years, she could see past those mistakes and realize we were grown up and we’d learned from our mistakes. I also hoped she could see how much I loved Finn. How perfect he was for me.
Once dinner was finished and we’d exhausted ourselves with talk of toile and venues and vows, Leslie and Paige left, promising they’d see me soon.
Jake helped clean up our boxes and plates, catching me for a minute alone in the kitchen. “Maybe I should stay here a while.”
I smiled at him. “What? Like, in our apartment?”
He shrugged. “Okay, that was kind of rude inviting myself to stay. Maybe you and Finn could come to my place a bit. Or we could spend some time at Mom’s. She’d love that.”
“My sister and my mom are coming tomorrow. Jake, what are you talking about?”
Jake eyed Finn as he paced with his phone to his ear in front of the bank of windows. Then he caught my hand in his and stared at me earnestly. “I’m worried about you. We’d all feel better if you weren’t…” He dropped his chin and mumbled, “Here. In Oasis.”
“Did Finn ask you to say this?”
“No—or not just him. Paige is worried, and Mom won’t stop calling Finn.” He gestured. “That’s who he’s talking to right now. You’re going to be my sister-in-law. I have to do something.”
Moved by the sweetness of his words, I squeezed his hand. “Jake, that’s nice of you. And you’re going to be the best brother-in-law ever. But I can’t leave. I have my job here—”
“Which is almost finished. You could delegate. There are people who can do this.”
“Jake,” I said firmly. “I did this before with Mark. I…let him control my life. And then I ran away.”
He crossed his arms, looking petulant like Finn, but the steel was still in his eyes. “I’m not suggesting you run away.”
“I know.” I sighed, following Finn with my eyes for a moment before turning back to Jake. “But I have to stand up to him at some point. If I keep running away, or letting him interrupt my life, then I have no life. I want to marry Finn, I want to be a part of your family, and I can’t do that if I’m always worried about Mark.”
“We take care of our own. You could stay at Mom’s for a while. You could stay with me. I’m in between projects. It is living your life,” he insisted.
I smiled at him, and then caught him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around me, chin resting on my head.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he murmured.
“I know,” I said again. “And I love you for it. I’m going to be careful. But I need to show Mark that he’s not in charge of my life anymore.”
“He never was.”
I swallowed and nodded. “You’re right.”
“I’d feel better if you let me stay tonight. And maybe consider getting away next week.”
“Yes, stay the night. We’ve got enough room. I’ll think about the rest.”
“You do that.”
Finn finished his call and joined us in the kitchen. “Mom says hi.”
“What else did she say?” I asked.
His jaw shifted. “That we should come stay with her for a while. That might be a good idea, Charlotte.”
With a sigh, I said, “Jake and I already talked about this. He’s going to stay in our guest room tonight. But I’m tired, so…no more talking, okay?”
Finn and Jake shared a look over the top of my head. I said goodnight and gave them a moment to talk while I walked to my bedroom.
A text from my sister came in. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!
It made nerves shoot through my stomach. As much as I was looking forward to seeing her, I was terrified of how she’d take the news of me and Finn.
I didn’t want to be estranged from my family forever, and this was bound to be a sore spot.
Without energy for much more, I pulled on an oversized T-shirt, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. The sheets were cool and comfortable, trying to lull me into sleep before Finn even came to the room.
When I heard his footsteps, I smiled but couldn’t open my eyes.
“No work tomorrow,” Finn said. “I think it’ll do you some good.”
“I’m too tired to argue with you, but you do realize how silly that sounds? If everything in life was good for us, how would we become the people we are?”
I felt the bed shift with his weight, and his warm hand on my cheek. “You’re philosophical when you’re tired.”
“Realistic,” I mumbled. “But still, too tired to argue.”
“I’ll call in and check with Leslie and Tucker, make sure we’re not missing anything important.”
His weight moved away, and I heard him walk to the closet.
“You just want us to stay here because of Mark,” I mumbled.
It made sense. It was easier for Curtis and his team if we didn’t go anywhere else. There was less of a chance Mark would show up unexpectedly.
When Finn didn’t answer, I opened one eye. He stood with his hand propped on the door frame, his chin dropped so he was staring at his feet.
“Come to bed,” I said, reaching out for him.
He removed his shirt and his pants, flipping the light switch and getting under the covers with me in only his boxers.
I closed my eyes again and felt his arms wrap around me. “Yes, I want you to stay here because it’s safer. And you had a rough day. I have things I want to say to you, to talk about, and they’ll be better off if you’re relaxed here. At home. Without worrying when you’re going to run into Mark.”
“We can talk now,” I mumbled, but my words were slow.
“Later.”
I sighed instead of answering.
“Go to sleep,” Finn said.
“But…”
“But nothing. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“But,” I tried again, forcing the words to form in my mouth. “I figured it out.”
His finger stroked my cheek. “What did you figure out?”
“Where I want to have the wedding.”
When he shifted but didn’t say anything, I frowned. “That’s not good?”
“No, that’s great. I’m surprised. Where?”
“The cabin,” I said.
He didn’t answer again, and my eyelids fluttered. I tried to find his face in the dark. “Are you mad?”
His voice sounded just by my ear, lips brushing my cheek and making me shiver. “No, I’m not mad. That’s where my parents got married.”
I nodded, already regretting saying anything. “I know. I thought…I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a sore spot. And your mom—”
“No, Charlotte. She’d love that. I’d love that. And if my dad were here, he’d love that too. He’d love you.”
I smiled and then felt his lips on mine.
“Close your eyes,” Finn murmured.
I did as he said, feeling him move over the top of me. He shifted the covers, hand grazing my hip, body pressing against mine. And I realized he was naked.
“You have no idea how happy you just made me,” he whispered, hooking a finger in my panties to pull them down my legs.
My whole body was liquid, floating at the edge of sleep. I could barely open my mouth to tell Finn how little energy I had, but he was already on top of me again, with his lips on mine.
“Lie there,” he said, voice deep. “Let me take you. Just be open.”
And I was. I spread for him, loving the weight of his body on mine. Moaning softly when he entered me, slow and smooth, filling me up and capturing my body, my heart, and my soul with everything he was.
“Charlotte,” he said, voice full of something like awe, “we’re meant for each other.”
He pumped his hips against mine, driving me to a slow climax until the world, still clouded in a haze of sleepiness, exploded around me and we fell together like ashes.