Chapter Nineteen

Aiden had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but none had ever quite amounted to the plummeting regret he experienced the moment Finn placed an oxygen tank on his back.

“I think I’ll tap out,” he said hurriedly, the weight of the tank pushing his heels into the golden sand.

“This was your idea,” Finn reminded him, slinging his own tank onto his back with practiced ease. Annoyingly, even with a pair of goggles smushed against his forehead and in a full-body scuba suit, Aiden still wanted to kiss him.

“And it was a bad one. I’ll be the first to admit that.” Searching for the zipper on the back of the suit, Aiden continued, “I’ll make it up to you. Whatever you want, on me.”

“What if”—Finn’s hand settled atop Aiden’s, squeezing softly—“what I want is for you to try this? At least once?”

“That would be a pretty shitty deal for you.”

Finn could read his mind; there was no other justification. Except, maybe, Finn wanted to kiss him—all scuba’d up—just as much. The gentle press to his lips attested to as much, even if Finn pulled away all too soon. Aiden trailed after his lips with half-closed eyes.

“Come on. One go.” Finn held up his forefinger, a not-so-subtle plea. “If you want to tap out after trying, then we can. No questions asked.”

With a puff of air, arms slumping by his sides, Aiden wondered when it had become close to impossible to say no to this man. And worst of all, what he would agree to just to taste him again.

“Run me through the signals again.”

Paying rapt attention to the motion of Finn’s hands, Aiden took special care to commit one specific gesture to mind—a thumbs-up that meant the opposite of okay, instead indicating the need to go back to the surface. After Finn got Aiden to repeat the hand motions several times over, they waded through the water—Aiden’s blood rushing past his ears, tuning out all other noise surrounding them. Which was sure as hell saying a lot, considering Aiden was sure he’d spotted a party boat not too far from shore.

The first time Aiden submerged his head underwater, true panic set in.

He couldn’t blow out his nose like he’d been instructed to, and his goggles filled with water. As salty water invaded his mouth, Aiden jerked his thumb toward the surface.

“Hey, hey.” It was Finn, reaching out to yank off Aiden’s goggles, hand brushing back Aiden’s curls. “You’re all right. Take a deep breath. That happens to everyone on their first try.”

“You could have warned me.” Aiden coughed, expelling the fraction of the ocean he’d just consumed. “Everyone?”

Finn’s expression wavered. “Maybe not everyone. Do you want to try again?”

Aiden knew he could say no. No questions asked, Finn had promised him that—and Aiden trusted his word. Not only his word; Aiden trusted Finn. He hadn’t let anything happen to him, hadn’t pushed him to keep going underwater, had his hand placed upon Aiden’s hip the entire time.

Finn had his back, and that realization didn’t hit as hard as Aiden might have expected it to. Of course Finn had his back. He’d had it since day one—since they were nothing more than a concerned stranger and a freaked-out drunk.

“I’m okay.” Aiden offered a tight-lipped, reassuring smile. “Let’s give it another go.”

They went down.

It was claustrophobic and terrifying, and popping his ears was an uncomfortable sensation Aiden wasn’t keen to experience again. But Finn never once left his side. Hand always close by, bright eyes behind chunky goggles keen and attentive on Aiden. He was overwhelmed in the best and worst of ways. His mind was a flurry of panicked and reassuring thoughts.

Aiden made a circle with his thumb and forefinger. I’m okay.

Finn returned the motion, and they swam deeper.

Once the feeling of being confined passed, it didn’t take long for Aiden to understand why Finn fell in love with this.

It was both bright and dark. Cold and warm.

The sea was full of contradictions and wonder.

The next time they broke the surface, Aiden’s heart raced for an entirely different reason.

“Did you see that fish?” Aiden asked excitedly, even though Finn was the one to show him said fish. “That was definitely Nemo. Had the little fin and all.”

“Finding Nemo, right?” Finn asked, hair flat against his forehead and the skin around his eyes crinkling adorably. “Never seen it.”

“It was so fucking cute, I—” Aiden stopped kicking for a moment, spluttering. “What do you mean you haven’t seen Finding Nemo?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“You have a child. There’s no excuse.” Clapping his hands together in quick thought, Aiden nodded firmly and said, “Tonight. That’s what we’re doing. You owe me, for making me almost drown.”

“I didn’t—” Finn paused. Aiden threw a cheeky look his way, secretly hoping that he’d still rise to the bait he dangled in front of Finn’s face. “Do you want to go back down? Our tanks have a bit left.”

“Duh.”

Finn didn’t take him out any farther than eighteen meters, a promise that he’d made onshore and one that he stuck by—signaling for Aiden to swim back to him when he got a little too adventurous and ventured farther by himself. And as much as Aiden may have been disappointed in the moment (there was a funky-looking fish he wanted a better view of), he appreciated it. Finn kept his promises and was attentive to Aiden for the entire dive.

Really, it was only right that Aiden awarded him with a salty kiss the moment they stepped back onto dry land.

“That was incredible,” Aiden said, soaking wet and sinking farther into the sand with each passing moment. “Thank you.”

“Next time I recommend something, you should take me at face value,” replied Finn with a self-satisfied hum. “I know my shit.”

“Bold words for someone who hasn’t seen Finding Nemo,” said Aiden, flippers hanging from his wrist.

“I feel like you’re building this up way more than it needs to be.”

Back at Finn’s house, with a tub of ice cream, Aiden was confident that he was going to eat his words. With Finn enraptured by the animated figures on-screen, Aiden was left to ravage the cookies and cream. Legs draped over Finn’s lap, he was in the perfect position to watch the other man more than the actual movie.

No harm there, Aiden thought as Finn snorted at the seagull’s appearance. Finn was far more entertaining.

“If I cry, this is your fucking fault,” Finn said, the first thing he’d uttered since the start of the movie.

Aiden studied Finn’s face carefully for any sign of unshed tears. “You’re gonna cry?”

“All Nemo wants to do is get home,” Finn mumbled, resting his cheek against his fist—and why was there something about that that struck a chord with Aiden?

He wasn’t a fish, nor was his dad in any way looking for him. Aiden had no idea where that man was, and it had been a long time since he’d cared. But he was a long way from where he’d come from, even if he really didn’t miss it one bit.

Aiden swallowed that part down with another spoonful of ice cream.

Credits coming to a roll, Aiden glanced at Finn and caught him rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. It felt like he was witnessing something private. But Finn didn’t shy away, and Aiden pulled him even closer.

Not regarding the crying, Aiden asked, “What did you think?”

“I think I’m gonna call Millie.”

Biting his tongue, Aiden nodded and kept his thoughts to himself, patting him on the back as he departed. “Tell her I said hi.”

Aiden bided his time by humming along to the credit song, bobbing his head from side to side. He wasn’t quite halfway through when Finn reemerged—Finn lifting Aiden’s legs to flop back down beneath them.

“All okay?”

Lazily lolling his head to the side, Finn gave him a tired look. “She told me to eat some chocolate and get over it, it’s only a movie, and she’ll see me on Friday.”

“Ouch.” Aiden attempted to sound sympathetic, but that fell as flat as his pancakes, an unhelpful snigger bubbling past his lips. “That’s very…”

“Harsh?”

“Wise,” Aiden tried, “for an eight-year-old.”

“Gets it from her mum,” Finn said with a slow nod. “Takes no shit, doesn’t bullshit.”

“That reminds me.” As it came to mind, Aiden figured he might as well bring it up. A sworn handshake between Adie and him meant he had to at least bring the topic up to Finn, especially when the earliest he’d see Millie was at the end of the week. “I was supposed to ask her to get you to do something.”

Instantly, Finn seemed suspicious of where he was going with this.

“Adie and Tam’s anniversary is coming up…”

“Ah. I know exactly where you’re going with this.”

“You do?” Aiden said slowly. If Finn knew, then was Adie’s romantic gesture common knowledge? Did that mean Tam knew?

“You were going to suggest we babysit,” replied Finn, hands clasped atop Aiden’s legs. “I’m going to say yes, anyway. I don’t see why they couldn’t text me like normal.”

“Yeah, no.” Pulling a face, Aiden dropped his palm atop those calloused hands and squeezed. “This needs less dad brain and more creative brain.”

Less suspicious and more curious, Finn leaned in closer as Aiden told him about the very loose plan he wasn’t fully sure was a real idea or just a passing fancy Adie had, but here he was. Doing his part, dammit.

Settling back against the couch, the first words from Finn’s mouth were, “That sounds bloody awful.”

“I think that’s the point,” Aiden defended. “Something fun for them to look back on with Dylan when he’s older. C’mon, where’s your romantic side?”

“According to Millie’s mum, lodged far up my arse,” Finn said without any shame. “I hope she’s not expecting anything fancy. I have the one DSLR camera to work with.”

“I really don’t think she’s going to be fussy, as long as you get it. So are you in?”

“You’re not going to get Tam to agree.” Aiden didn’t take that as a no on Finn’s end. And while Aiden wasn’t sure how he could help, he wanted to do something.

“We don’t necessarily have to.”

Narrowing his eyes, Finn ran his gaze over Aiden’s face as though his plan would be there, clear as day. “You’re a conniving bugger, aren’t you?”

“I have my moments.” Aiden nudged Finn lightly with his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he did so. Totally not to butter him up. “Yes or no?”

For the second time that day, Finn extended his hand for Aiden to shake. Aiden gripped it and shook, content that he had another person on the team. He made a mental note to call Adie before the night was over.

“Try not to get us both in shit, yeah?” he said, pulling Aiden into his lap.

“I hope you can run fast.”