CHAPTER 17

FINN

I was that guy. I was that guy in the movies whose girlfriend storms out of a crowded restaurant. Except that’s where the scene ends in the movies. They don’t show the part where the guy pretends everyone is not staring at him. Or where he tries to play it casual like she’s coming right back. Because she’s not. Because she dumped your ass for some reason you don’t even understand.

I motioned for the waitress. I needed to get the hell out of here.

“Is there something I can get for you, Mr. Vandergriff?” Maybe I was paranoid, but she looked like she was trying to hide her pity.

“Just the check, please.” And hurry.

“It’s on the house today, Mr. Vandergriff. Try to enjoy the rest of your day.”

Nope, I wasn’t being paranoid.

I walked four blocks from the restaurant and sat down on a bench. I had no idea what just happened. Maggie was the only person who could tell me, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t answer her phone. At least I had her last name now. Knowing where she lived or worked would be more helpful, but we never made it that far.

I opened my contacts to complete her name when I realized there was one other person who might be able to shed some light on this. I pushed the button and prayed she answered.

“Hello?” she said after a few rings.

“Mrs. Vincent?” I was so glad I never deleted a contact from my phone. You never know when you’ll need it again.

“This is she.”

Here goes nothing. “Mrs. Vincent, this is Fi—Oliver Vandergriff. You know my parents, and we had lunch some years back. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”

I was aiming for respectful and formal, but it came across like an encyclopedia salesman.

“Of course I remember, Oliver! That was the day my daughter didn’t have the courtesy to show up. How have you been? How is your mother?”

Might as well cut to the chase. “My mother is great. Thank you for asking. It’s actually Maggie that I’m calling about.” I took a breath. Maggie was going to kill me, but there was no going back now. “She and I ran into each other in the city. I—I was wondering if you could get her address.”

I went from salesman to stalker.

She was silent for a while. “You want me to give you my daughter’s address?”

“Can I start over?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “Maggie and I met at Comic-Con in San Diego. That was the year you were with her. I didn’t know her last name, and then my phone got slimed. We saw each other at Comic-Con here, and I’m obsessed with her. Oh my God. Can I start over again?” I sucked at sounding less creepy.

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

I took another breath. “I’m sorry. None of this is coming out right. I’m in love with your daughter. And she loves me, too. She found out my last name and she ran off. She said something about needing to be her own person. Do you know what that means? I can’t lose her. I just found her again.”

I didn’t think that came across any better, but I waited for her to respond. I figured the best thing I could do for my cause was to stop talking.

Mrs. Vincent didn’t say anything for a while. My hands felt clammy. My whole future was riding on this desperate gamble. My breathing felt slow and loud. Was it always this loud? I needed to see Maggie now and make her understand how much I loved her.

She had been in my mind every single day since I was sixteen. As unfair as it was, every girl I met was measured against her. They all fell short. She was the flame to my match. I knew it the moment I saw her. Even if I never found Maggie again, I always focused on becoming a man who was worthy of her. I worked my ass off in college. Her memory inspired my company. I was convinced it would have only been a fraction as successful as it was if her passion hadn’t been the driving force. She made it better and she didn’t even know it.

Yes, my parents were wealthy. Yes, I would never struggle to make ends meet. But I wanted to be more for her. I didn’t know how to write a love song to end all love songs. So I made her some action figures to put a smile on her face wherever she was. And I tried to remember how she made me, a dumb teenage boy, feel a long time ago. That was a feeling I never wanted to lose again.

When Mrs. Vincent finally spoke, it was in a soft voice. “Maggie has always wanted to be so different. She thinks we’re trying to make a clone out of her, but all we want is for her to have stability and be happy. That’s all any parent wants. She has always been one of a kind. I probably pushed her too hard in the only direction I know. I’m sorry you’re suffering the fallout from that.”

That made a tiny bit more sense. Maggie was stubborn as hell.

“How do I get her back, Mrs. Vincent? I love her. I can’t live without her.” Fuck my man card. “I want to marry her.”

I heard a gasp on the other end and then more silence. “I’m going to do something I never thought I would do. I’m going to give you her work address, but if I find out you are not one hundred percent on the up and up, I’m calling your mother. Do you understand?”

Mrs. Vincent didn’t play games. “Yes, ma’am.”

MAGGIE

I knew it was pointless to go back to work, but I was afraid I would break down if I had nothing to do. Sitting at home would only lead to crying. Crying wouldn’t solve anything. Soul mates probably weren’t that hard to replace anyway. I would just find another one.

But I didn’t want another one. I wanted the boy and now man I had dreamed about half my life. I wanted Finn. He was so close to perfect. He only had that one glaring flaw that was a deal breaker for me. I couldn’t become like the people I loathed growing up. Life wasn’t fair.

I thought about calling Cici, but she always sided with my parents, even if she never actually said it. I could tell. She would tell me I was overreacting and that I needed to follow my heart. She would make a lot of probably valid points, which would just irritate me. I would call her later.

After an hour of fixating on the thing I tried not to fixate on, I decided it was best to go home. I was shutting down my computer when I heard commotion in the hallway. I opened my office door to see Finn being wrestled to the ground by two security guards. He flopped on the floor under the weight of the guards.

“Finn?” Everything about the last three days had been weird. And weird for me was a high bar. Even I recognized that.

He looked up and stopped fighting. “Maggie! Tell them you know me!”

Prairie dog heads started popping up from the cubicles. A strange feeling crept over me. Was it embarrassment? Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one bit.

How dare he? How dare he show up at my office and cause a scene? It was my job to cause the scenes around here. Exactly who did he think he was?

I hated him.

I hated everything about him.

More than anything, I hated how much I wanted him.

“He’s with me. You can let him go.” I cringed saying those words because Finn wasn’t with me anymore. I’d made sure of that.

The larger of the two had their knee wedged against Finn’s spine. “Are you sure, Ms. Vincent? We can make him leave.”

Seeing Finn helpless like that was painful. Worse yet, I felt like it might be a bit my fault. “I’m sure. Please be careful with him; he’s got a monkey heart.”

They helped him to his feet. Loud popping noises could be heard when he stretched his back. I grimaced because that could be my fault, too.

I could feel all the eyes on us. I didn’t need an audience for this. “Get back to work, everyone! There’s nothing to see here!” That was a blatant lie.

Pushing my door the rest of the way open, I gestured for Finn to enter. “Want to talk?”

He walked past me into my office. “That was the plan before Cagney and Lacey tag-teamed me.”

I grimaced again. “I’m really sorry about that. They’re the most aggressive female security guards I’ve ever seen. I heard even the Central Park Rangers won’t let them on their squad.”

He stretched some more. “My spine agrees.”

I was still trying to make sense of everything that happened that day. I picked the easiest place to start. “How did you find out where I work?”

He looked everywhere in the room but at me. “Uh, can I pass on that question? I don’t want to answer that one right now.”

I was afraid to ask why that was a hard question. “We can come back to that one.”

“Thank you.” He exhaled and closed his eyes.

“Do you want to sit down?” I pointed to the two chairs in front of my desk.

He took the chair closest to the wall, and I slid in the one next to him. I waited for him to talk.

“I’m just trying to understand what happened, Maggie. Things were so great, and then you found out I had money and that was it for you? It’s usually the other way around. Help me out here.” He looked lost. And I was making him look that way.

I didn’t know how to explain it. “It’s not the money. It’s all the terms and conditions that come with it. I don’t want those restrictions. I’ve seen the life I would be expected to lead, and it’s not for me. I don’t fit in that world.” I grabbed the closest thing on my desk to give my hands something to do. Of course I had to pick up the Funby Groot action figure. Life was stupid.

Finn laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I can’t believe I got dumped for being too successful. That’s a new one.” He angled his chair more toward mine. “Maggie, I can’t change how I was raised and I won’t deny it. I did the same thing every other person has to do—I had to take my experiences and incorporate them into who I wanted to be. There’s more to me than just where I was born. Having a charmed past shouldn’t define you any more than a difficult one.”

He made sense and that scared me. I didn’t want to be rational. As immature as it was, part of me didn’t want to admit my mother had been right. I would never hear the end of that. I liked being able to pick and choose what privileges I enjoyed and not think about how hypocritical that was. I didn’t like anyone bringing logic into my managed chaos and upsetting the balance.

“Finn, I can’t do this right now.” I jumped up, grabbing the purse I had already moved to the top of my desk. I ran to the elevators, so thankful a door was already open. I forced my way into the already full compartment. Just before the doors fully closed, an arm popped inside and stopped them.

The doors opened back up, and Finn pushed his way inside. “Hi. Excuse me. Sorry. Thank you.”

A general wave of irritation passed through the crowd. The doors closed at last and the car started to move.

Finn leaned around the woman separating us. “Did you know we’re going up?”

I hadn’t paid attention to the sensation yet, but we were definitely moving in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. Must have been the theme for the day. “Dammit!”

Finn squeezed around the two people to his left, much to their annoyance. I watched as he pulled the emergency stop button. The car jolted to a halt. Everyone only stayed upright because we were packed in like sardines.

Curse words ricocheted like bullets around the compartment.

“Sorry, guys! I just need to clear something up and then you’ll all be on your way!” Finn yelled above the din.

“I’m on my way to kicking your fucking ass!” someone screamed from the back.

As many things as I had on my bucket list, being in a confined riot was not on it.

I wanted to run away, and he was really fouling up my exit. “Finn, please push the button before someone gets hurt,” I pleaded.

“No. I’m not giving up that easy.” He forced his way back to his original spot. The two people who kept getting jostled jostled back, looking like they wanted blood.

“Maggie, I’m not any of those people who disappointed you. And you’re nothing like any of them. You wouldn’t even know how to be. That’s why I love you so much.”

I wanted to believe what he was saying. I really did. But it seemed impossible. “I’m scared, Finn. You scare me. I promised myself I would never give up my life to be part of that lifestyle. It’s the one thing I have always been sure of. You don’t even know me, Finn. I’m not sure I even know myself right now.”

He reached around the front of the woman separating us and took my right hand, stroking my knuckles. “I know you, Maggie Vincent. I know you love your parents so much that you are equally afraid of becoming like them as you are of disappointing them. I know you’re not afraid to get wet in the rain. I know you don’t do anything halfway. And I know you make this little noise when I brush your hair behind your ear.”

He reached his other hand around the back of the woman and brushed my hair behind my ear. To my surprise, I did make a tiny noise.

“Oh my fucking God, if you don’t push that button right fucking now, I’m going to tear your arms off and beat you to death with them!” A red-faced older woman with a fresh perm puffed out her chest.

“Give me a goddamned minute to talk to the woman I love!” he screamed back at her. His eyes widened and he turned back to her with his free hand raised. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to yell at you. This will only take another second.”

He turned back to me and squeezed my hand tighter. “Why do you think all my action figures have removable hair, Maggie?”

I gasped so hard a strand of the woman’s hair between us got sucked into my mouth. The removable hair was the best part of those toys. Pure genius.

“It’s because of you and your hair fan clubs. I wanted you to be able to add to your collection. I wanted you to know I saw you. It was always you, Maggie. You inspire me.”

As much as I had fought the tears, they flowed freely down my face.

“Can we go now?” a stocky man shouted.

Finn closed his eyes and took a breath. “No one gets off this elevator until I say so!” He brushed my hair behind my ear again, although it hadn’t moved. “I need to know if you love me and want to be with me. I need to know how you feel. Not your family. Not your perception of how you think your life will be. Just you.”

There was no argument to be made. Finn was it for me. He always had been. They broke the mold when they made him, and I had been foolish to think we couldn’t create our own path.

I pushed around the unwilling participant between us and latched onto Finn. I traced the lines of his face with my fingertips. I wanted to remember this moment forever. “I love you so much, Oliver Finn Vandergriff.” I couldn’t tell who kissed whom first, which made it even better. This kiss was slow because we had all the time in the world now.

FINN

Two hard thumps on my shoulder interrupted the best kiss of my life. Somebody had better be dying.

“Can we go now?” The older woman with bad curly hair had pushed her way up front. She had lasagna for lunch. I could tell by the hot breath seeping through her almost barred teeth.

“Almost! Just one more thing.” Jesus Christ, these people were impatient.

I couldn’t wait a second longer for Maggie. Which, I guessed, made me impatient. I put my hands on either side of Maggie’s face. She was stunning in the halogen lights. “I want to marry you, Maggie Vincent.”

“For fuck’s sake,” someone in the corner mumbled.

Maggie put her hand over her mouth. She looked like she might cry again.

This wasn’t going anything like how I practiced it on the way over. “Wait. This is wrong. I need to get down on one knee.” I turned to the people behind me and motioned for them to squeeze together. “Can you guys scoot back a little? I need some room.”

Another round of groans passed through the compartment. “Get off the damn elevator, and you can have all the room you need!” a tall man who looked like a Muppet screamed.

These people had no manners. “I’m in the middle of a damned proposal! Have some respect!” I slid my left leg back, kicking someone in the shin. I hoped it was the curly-haired banshee. “Maggie, you turned my world upside down the moment I met you. And my world was better for it. I don’t know what this thing is that we have. But I can’t live without it. I need you in my life. I need your spontaneity. I need your fearlessness. I need your passion. I need you to be my partner in crime. Sometimes in the literal sense. Will you marry me?”

She jumped up and down, which set off another flurry of hollering from our elevator audience.

“Yes!” Maggie wailed. “Of course! Oh my God, we’re getting married!” Maggie joined in with the shrieking of the others, although her expression was different.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” I was such an idiot. “I’ll get you a real ring later. This was all I had on me.” I fished the Green Lantern ring out of my pocket after standing.

“It’s perfect! I don’t want another ring.” Maggie snatched it from my fingers and put it on one of her own.

“Well, that settles it.” I pulled my fiancée to my chest. “We have a wedding to plan.”

She bounced on the balls of her feet. “We should do it today. I don’t want to wait another second to marry you.” She turned in my arms to face half the elevator. “You’re all invited!”

“If you two fucknuts don’t let us out of this elevator right the fuck now, I’m going to break my foot off in your ass!” A hawkish-looking woman with a tight bun scrunched her weathered face at us.

“So rude. I rescind your invitation!” Maggie yelled.

“Just get off the damn elevator!” One of the more vocal men from the back grew redder by the second. This could safely be added to my list of near-death experiences.

“Oh, right! Sorry!” I pulled the red button back out of the panel and the elevator resumed its ascent. I wrapped my arms around Maggie again. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. I was getting married. Today. To Maggie.

I wondered if I was supposed to be scared, because I didn’t feel scared at all. I was too excited to feel anything else. I’d never had any problem knowing what I wanted and going after it. I started my first business by the time I was twenty. I got my bachelor’s degree in two and a half years. I had my skydiving and pilot’s license, although I never used them at the same time. I was ready to see the next chapter in my life and knock it out of the park.

One by one, our fellow travelers left the elevator. Some of them bumped into us as they walked out, but they all glared at us like they were hoping looks could kill. The last person finally left, but he made sure to tell me what I could do to myself before the doors closed.

“No, you go eat a bag of dicks, sir!” Maggie yelled at the closed doors. “You hold a dozen or so people against their will and they have to get rude about it. That’s what’s wrong with this country.”