“Thanks a lot for agreeing to this, Nikki,” Harper said.

“No problem.  I’m just so happy for you and Finn,” Nikki said as she handed Harper the key to the store. 

After she drove away, Harper grabbed the bags out of the back seat of her car and entered the store, locking the door behind her.  She didn’t want Finn to come in before she’d finished setting up. 

Friday night had finally arrived, and she was filled with anticipation, wondering what Finn would think about her surprise.  Somehow, she’d managed to keep her secret all week long, and now the time had come to reveal it. 

The first time Finn had brought her to the shop, she’d noticed a small table and some chairs that the previous tenant must have left behind.  She pulled them out into the center of the back part of the shop and began setting the table with the things she’d brought: a tablecloth, candles, a chilled bottle of Champagne, and two glasses.  Next, she scrolled through the playlist on her phone until she came to the collection of songs that she’d saved.  She started the music playing and then inhaled deeply, willing herself to relax.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, and glancing down at her watch, she smiled.  He was early like always.  Smoothing her hands down the front of her red dress and tucking her hair behind her ears, she went to answer the door, stepping carefully in her high heels. 

The minute Finn saw her through the glass, his face lit up with surprise.  She opened the door and motioned him inside, and then he immediately pulled her into his arms. 

“What’s going on?  Where’s Nikki?  Why are you so dressed up?  Not that I mind, because, man, you look hot!”

Giggling, she took his hand and pulled him behind the partition and toward the back of the store.  When he saw the table and heard the music, he froze. 

“Harper?”

“Yes?” she said as she poured them each a glass of Champagne.

“What are we celebrating?”

Handing him a glass of bubbly, she said, “We’re celebrating you, us, and the future of O’Brien Brothers Landscaping.”  And then, eyeing him seductively, she took a long sip of Champagne.

Finn followed suit, and then taking her glass out of her hand, he set them both down on the table.  Slipping his hands around her waist, he pulled her forward until she came up against his hard chest. 

“You did all this for me?” he said, his voice gruff.

She nodded.  “This isn’t anything compared to what you’ve done for me.”

“Ah, sweetheart.”  And then he bent his head down and kissed her soft and slow.  Harper went up on her tiptoes and wound her arms around his neck to get closer, loving the way they fit together. 

When they pulled apart, they were both breathing hard, but Finn didn’t let go.  “Love you in that dress.”

Her heart was pounding wildly because there it was—the word that she longed to say to him.  “Thanks.  I bought it especially for tonight.”

“How long have you been planning this?”

“For a week or two,” she said. 

He started to dip his head down for another kiss, but she put a finger to his lips to stop him.  “Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“I have something to tell you, but I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Do you want to sit down?  Do you want another drink?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head vehemently.

“What is it, sweetheart?  Just tell me.”

He’d cupped her face in his hands, and as she gazed into his eyes, she saw everything she wanted and needed to see. 

“I love you,” she blurted out.  “I do.  I love you, Finn.  And I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you, but I was scared.  And the thing is, I’m not now.  Not anymore.  I want this.  I want you.  I love you.”

“Wow,” he said, his eyes dancing with amusement, joy, and love, and maybe a little bit of shock too.  But mostly love.

“Is that all you have to say?  After I spilled my heart out?  Just ‘wow’?”  She feigned annoyance, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

“Say it again.”

Eyeing him curiously, she repeated it.  “I love you.”

“One more time,” he said, cupping an ear with his hand as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Finn!”

“Sorry.  It’s just that I’ve waited a long time to hear you say it, and it sounds so good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said and lifted her up off the ground and kissed her again—longer and harder that time.  And after he’d kissed her lips, he buried his face in her neck and nibbled on her soft skin until she moaned with pleasure. 

“Finn?”

“Kinda busy here,” he mumbled against her neck. 

“How about if we finish this at home?”

“What’s wrong with right here?”

“Someone could come.”

“Someone will come, and that’s you,” he growled, his head buried in her cleavage. 

Just when she was considering throwing caution to the wind right there in the store, he scooped her up in his arms and started to walk away.

“What are you doing?” she said, laughing.

“Taking you home.”

“Home?”

“My house, your house, doesn’t matter.  Just want to be with you.”

“What about all the stuff?” she asked, pointing to the table and the Champagne glasses that were still half full.

“We’ll come back for it later.  This is my place now, so nobody will care.”  And with that, he grabbed her phone and her purse and carried her out the door.  After quickly locking up, they got into her car and drove to Finn’s house, since it was the closest to the shop. 

They’d barely made it through the front door before he picked her up again and carried her down the hall to his bedroom. 

Neither of them was concerned about foreplay as they hurriedly whipped off their clothes and tumbled onto the bed together.  Having told Finn she loved him seemed to have served as foreplay enough, and they clawed at each other in their quest to get closer.

She’d expected them to remain in fast-and-furious mode until the end, but she was wrong.  Once Finn was buried deep inside her, he stilled and gazed down at her with reverence. 

“Still can’t believe it,” he said.

She didn’t have to ask what he meant.  “Believe it because it’s true.  I love you, Finn O’Brien.”  He looked like he was about to say something else, but she wriggled beneath him and said, “Can we talk more after?  Please.”

Smiling, he started to move, slowly gliding in and out as if to prolong the pleasure, studying her reactions and making adjustments based on her moans and sighs.  When she finally reached her breaking point, her body bucked up, and her head tipped back as he gripped her hips and took them both to paradise and back.

Afterwards, they lay sated, bodies entwined like a pretzel, and talked. 

“So, what do you think people will say when they find out about us?” Harper ventured.

“What people?  The most important people already know.”

“Well, like Blake’s friends, some of whom are your friends too.”

They were holding hands, and Finn gave hers a squeeze.  “If they’re my friends, then they’ll understand.  We haven’t done anything wrong, Harper.”

She nodded even though she wasn’t completely convinced.  Blake’s family seemed to be coming around to the idea of them being together, but she wasn’t certain that other people who’d known Blake would agree.  And they still hadn’t told her parents or his. 

“I was thinking that maybe we could have a party at the store, kind of a pre-opening celebration.  We could invite our family and friends, and that way, they could see us together, see how we fit,” Finn said.

“That’s a good idea.  Could I invite a few of my friends from the bookstore too?”

“Of course.  Whoever you want.”

She glanced up at him.  “How come you always know how to make me feel better?”

“It’s a gift.”

“I feel so lucky.”

“So do I.”  And with that, he pulled her on top of him and peppered her face with kisses.  They didn’t talk much after that, preferring to show each other without words how lucky they felt.  But after their second round of lovemaking, when Finn had fallen asleep, Harper lay there, looking up at the ceiling, and counted her blessings. 

When she’d spoken about luck, she hadn’t just been referring to the present.  She’d been lucky in love twice now.  First, with the man she’d married and now with his best friend.  Two strong, charismatic men with generous hearts and kind souls.  They were different in many ways, yet in the ways that mattered, they were very much the same. 

She knew that she could count on Finn to be there for her just as he had been these past two years—steadfast and true.  What she hadn’t counted on was falling head-over-heels in love with him.  Glancing over at his sleeping form, she smiled and snuggled a little closer. 

While she had no idea what the future held for them, she felt secure in his love, and that was enough for now. 

 

A few weeks later, Harper was back at A New Chapter for another romance book club meeting.  She’d recently taken up reading romance novels again ever since she’d confessed her love to Finn.  At this meeting, instead of sitting silently in the back row like she had the first time, she found herself contributing to the lively discussion about the book they’d just read. 

Kelly had posed the question: “Do you think you could love someone after discovering that they’d fathered a child with another woman?”

Harper had raised her hand.  “Love isn’t always straightforward, and life is messy.  But I think that if you really love someone, you can overcome just about any obstacle.”

“Here, here,” Mrs. Simmons said, doing a mini fist pump.

After the meeting, Harper lingered among the bookshelves until most of the participants had gone home.  When it was just her, Emma, Kelly, and Mrs. Simmons left, she posed the question she’d been wanting to ask.

“I’d like to invite the three of you to a party,” she began.

“I love parties!” exclaimed Mrs. Simmons.

“You don’t even know what kind of party it is,” Kelly said, laughing.

“Doesn’t matter.  If there’s lots of people and food, I’m in!”

After their laughter died down, Harper said, “Well, this party will have plenty of both.  It’s a celebration for my boyfriend and his brothers.  They’re opening a landscaping design store in Brandon, and I’d love it if you three would stop by.”

The first time she’d used the word “boyfriend,” it had sounded strange to her, but now she was getting used to it (even though the word didn’t seem strong enough to describe how she felt about Finn). 

“I think I can speak for both of us when I say we’d love to come,” Emma said, gesturing to herself and Kelly.

After Harper gave them all the details, she left the store feeling strengthened by the love and support of her new friends—which is why she came crashing down a short while later, after she’d received a disturbing phone call from one of her older friends. 

She and Finn had made a list of all the people they wanted to invite to their party, and then they’d split it between them.  Harper had sent emails to a few of the couples that she and Blake had been friends with, and two of them had responded with enthusiastic yeses.  So, when she answered the call from their friend Carrie, she wasn’t prepared for her response.

“Hey, Carrie,” Harper said.  She’d been sitting on the couch, sorting through the day’s mail, when the call came. 

“Hi.  I got your evite, but I need to ask you something.”

“Sure,” Harper replied, assuming Carrie was going to ask if she could help in some way.

“Are you and Finn…together?”

Carrie was the first person who’d asked her that since Nina, and Harper hadn’t been expecting it.  She’d figured that everyone would find out at the party and she wouldn’t be confronted directly.

“Yes,” Harper replied.  And after a long silence ensued, she added, “We were planning on telling people at the party.”

“I’m sorry, Harper, but Dave and I won’t be coming,” Carrie said abruptly.

“Oh.  That’s ok.  I understand if you’re busy.”

“It’s not that.”

Harper had been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but then reality came crashing down.

“I can’t in good conscience come to the party knowing that you and Finn are a couple.  And honestly, I don’t know how you could do this.  He was Blake’s best friend.”

Harper was stunned.  So far, they’d received nothing but positive responses from the people they’d invited, and now she’d come up against something she’d feared all along.  But instead of cowering under Carrie’s scathing words, she sat up straighter on the couch and steeled herself. 

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Carrie.  But if you know Finn and me at all, you’d understand that this wasn’t something either of us entered into lightly.  We both loved Blake, and we always will.”

“If you loved him, you would never be able to do this to him.  I don’t think Blake would have approved of you having the hots for his best friend.”

Gripping the phone tightly, Harper closed her eyes and searched for something to say.  But it turned out she didn’t have to. 

“Goodbye, Harper,” Carrie said and disconnected.

Harper was still sitting there holding the phone when she heard the key in her front door, followed by Finn’s voice. 

“Hi, honey.  I’m home,” he called teasingly. 

They’d recently exchanged housekeys, and even though they hadn’t talked about getting together that evening, she wasn’t surprised at all that he was there.  Instead of getting up to greet him, she called, “In the living room.”

“Hey.  How was book club?” he asked as he sauntered into the room.  But when he saw her expression, he instantly sat down and drew her into his arms.  “What is it?  What’s wrong?”

Daisy, as if sensing that her master was now in good hands, hopped off the couch and trotted away. 

“I just got off the phone with Carrie,” Harper said.

“And?”

“And she and Dave won’t be coming to the party.”

“So, she’s the first one to decline.  No big deal.”

“It’s why she declined that I’m upset about.”  After Harper relayed the conversation, she sat back and sighed.  “I told you this might happen.”

“She’s one person, Harper.  It doesn’t matter.”

“But even if other people don’t say it, they might be thinking the same thing.”

“So what.  We don’t owe anybody an explanation,” he said, his voice rising with frustration. 

She wanted to be as strong and secure as he was, but it wasn’t as easy for her.  She still experienced moments of guilt, especially when she was directly confronted like she had been with Blake’s family and now Carrie. 

Averting her eyes, she said, “Sometimes, I wish that we could just move away and start over where nobody knows us.  Just you, me, and the dogs.”

Cupping her face in his hands, he forced her to look up at him.  “We can’t hide from the world, Harper.  Besides, this is where our family and friends live.  I don’t think you’d be happy somewhere else.”

Sighing, she cracked a tiny smile.  “Do you always have to be so sensible?  It’s really kind of annoying!”

He threw back his head and laughed, and then he pulled her onto his lap.  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned against him and took comfort in his embrace.  “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“This.  Us.  If you haven’t already noticed, sometimes, I can be a real pain in the…”

“Yeah.  I’ve noticed,” he teased, grinning up at her.  “And admitting it is the hardest part!”

“In my defense, I told you that I would have moments like this.”

Brushing her hair off her shoulder, he said, “I know, and I’ll be here when you do.  In fact, I want to be there for all kinds of moments with you, not just the good ones.”

“You already have been.”

“And yet I’m still here.  See?  There’s nothing you can do to scare me away.”

“Hmmm.  I bet I can think of something.”

“Try me.”

“What if I told you that I like to take pictures of you when you’re asleep?”

Finn’s eyes went wide, but then his mouth spread into a wide grin.  “You mean, like nude photos?”

“Not exactly.”

“Can I see them?”

“Why?”

“I’m just curious. Besides, I think I have a right to see them.  Don’t you?”

Nodding, she slid off his lap and went to retrieve her camera from the office.  When she returned, she sat beside him and turned on the display.  She’d taken several more photos of Finn since that first time, and now she felt anxious and embarrassed as he flipped through them, studying each one quietly until he came to the end.  She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to tell him.  Maybe it was because they’d become so close and she didn’t want there to be any secrets between them.  Or maybe it was because she wanted to challenge him.  To see if he really meant what he’d said about her not being able to scare him away. 

“Well?” she finally said.

“These are really good,” he said, sounding surprised.  “I mean, not because of the subject, but because of the way you took them.”

Harper hadn’t realized just how nervous she was until she let out a loud sigh.  “Really?  You don’t mind?”  The pictures were tasteful (in her opinion), showing just enough skin to be provocative.  In most of them, she’d draped a sheet over his lower half, and oftentimes, he slept on his stomach, so all that showed was his bare back.   

He shook his head vehemently.  “Mind?  Hell no!  I’m flattered, but I’m also curious.  What made you do it?”

“I guess I just wanted to capture the moment.  And you always look so peaceful, especially after…well, you know.”

“After we make love,” Finn said, finishing her thought.

She shut off the display and set the camera aside before she pushed him back onto the couch and straddled him. 

“Whoa!” he said, clearly enjoying her assertiveness.

Balancing on his hips, she began to unbutton her top. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes tracking her every move.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“But what about Daisy?”

Harper had flung off her top and was reaching around to unclasp her bra.  She hesitated for a second, but then she heard Daisy gnawing on a bone in the kitchen.  “I’ll risk it,” she said.

Once she was topless, Finn’s hands immediately covered her breasts, kneading them softly and then tugging on her taut nipples.  Moaning, she rubbed against him, feeling his erection nudge against her center.

“God, I love you,” Finn said as her hands went to the button of his jeans.

“I love you too,” she said, leaning down to kiss his lips.

And in another first, they made love right there on the couch, oblivious to the fact that Daisy had peeked in on them and then gone back to the kitchen to finish chewing her bone!