Chapter Seventeen

“I am so glad we did this!” Adie said as she stepped inside Sam’s with Aiden. It was a brave choice, back in the cafe he’d gotten that disastrous smoothie from. But with a limited knowledge of the area and an unwillingness to let one poor experience stop him from getting some damn good toast, Aiden had been the one to suggest here.

“So am I,” he replied. Even if Tam had a heavy hand to play in setting him up on this friend date, sitting in front of Adie and being reintroduced to her contagious smile made him hard-pressed to find any downsides to this. He didn’t feel like he had to hold his breath around Adie. She wasn’t here to grill him, just chat.

“I haven’t been here in a sinfully long time. Been way too busy with work.” Adie’s brows were drawn tight as she surveyed the options on the menu board.

“What do you do?” asked Aiden, curious.

“I’m a surgeon in town.” Aiden didn’t have a moment to act impressed, despite the fact that he very clearly was. Adie continued with an excited, “Ooh, new menu.”

“Finn took me here,” Aiden said, twiddling with the corner of the countertop. “Left an impression. Thanks for agreeing; it gave me an excuse to come back.”

“Like I’d say no to brunch with you.” Adie huffed with a fondness Aiden once thought was reserved for lifelong friends, nudging him lightly with her hip. Is this what Adie and Tam did? Envelop lost souls into their embrace, trap them with rock brownies? “I have to admit, I thought we scared you away.”

“Yeah?” Aiden kept his gaze on the menu, but when he ventured a glance he saw Adie was busy selecting the perfect brunch option.

“Tam always says we can be a little full-on. But it’s been so long since Finn has been interested in someone, how could we not intervene?” Adie pursed her lips. “Especially considering how stubborn Finn is.”

“Always been like that, huh?” Aiden made the active choice not to address the first part of Adie’s statement, the recent conversation he’d had with Finn fresh in his mind.

His new buddies-who-bone, chums-who-come, bros-that-blow. Finn Dugal Schultz.

Leaning forward as though she was about to divulge a terrible secret, Adie dropped her voice and said, “I thought he had a stick lodged up his ass since the day he was born. But apparently he used to be very different.”

“I don’t know if I can imagine Finn as not stubborn.”

“Right?” Adie sat back, sipping at her glass of water. “Tam went to school with Ryan. They go way back. Childhood best friends, super cute.”

That picture below deck on Finn’s boat came to mind. Two lanky teenage boys, cherub cheeks and squinting in the sun. Before Aiden could ask one of the hundreds of burning questions bubbling to the surface (What was Finn like then? Was he an annoying older brother, embarrassed to be around Ryan like Kat was? What happened to change all of that?) the server emerged from the kitchen.

“—and the turmeric smoothie.”

“No.” Aiden’s tone was sharp and louder than he intended, earning a wide-eyed look from Adie and an owlish blink from the server. “I mean. I—”

“I knew I recognized you,” the server burst out, pointing to Aiden with his notepad. “You were in with Finn. Looked a little green leaving, though.”

Aiden resisted the urge to slump beneath the table, but just barely. “Jack, right?”

“Got it in one.” Turning his attention back to Adie, he said, “Turmeric smoothie, yeah?”

Aiden couldn’t invite Adie out for a meal, then fail to warn her about that damn drink. What kind of person would he be if he sat back and let her face that inevitable horror?

So he did all that he could think to do: Aiden stomped on her foot.

Adie lurched, mouth ajar, and threw a cutting glare his way. Minutely, Aiden shook his head.

“Actually, I’ll have a hot chocolate. Cheers.”

As he exhaled loudly, Aiden’s shoulders slumped in relief—only to shoot back up when Adie’s chunky heel made impact with his shin.

“Now we’re even.”

“I was trying to do you a favor,” groaned Aiden, leaning down to rub the injured area. That was going to bruise. “That drink is almost nicer coming back up than it is going down, and I didn’t want to upset him.”

“It’s Jack. That man literally cannot get upset. You could run over his goldfish and he’d be unbothered.”

“Well I didn’t know that.” Aiden followed Adie to a vacant table, sitting down across from her. “That seems really impractical. Running over a goldfish. That’s a super small target.”

Adie rested her elbows against the table, colorful bracelets around her wrists jangling with the motion. “I felt bad saying a cat or a dog.”

“But you didn’t feel bad saying goldfish?”

“Anyway.” The matter was dropped, even if the visualization of the goldfish debacle lingered. “Tam said that Finn was the ultimate cool big brother. He’d drive them to school, sneak them both into all the R-rated movies, teach them how to slip back inside the house late at night without their parents noticing.”

Aiden couldn’t help but remember the one time he’d tried to see a less-than-age-appropriate movie, and Kat spotted him while out with her friends and ratted him out to their mam the moment they got home.

“Then their parents passed away, both within a month of each other. Their dad had a heart attack, and not long after their mum passed away from cancer.”

Aiden swallowed. Maybe he should have seen that coming. Something so tragic, so life changing that it would undoubtedly impact who you were as a person.

“Finn had just started uni; Ryan still had a couple of years left in school. Marlee was overseas for work. They didn’t have anyone else.” Adie spoke solemnly, her upbeat tone long gone. “Finn dropped out, took care of Ryan the best he could. Ryan didn’t deal well. He always loved a party, but back then it was wow. Intense. Even Tam couldn’t keep up. And Finn…”

“Acted like a parent?”

Adie smiled tightly. “Yeah. Messed up their relationship for a few years. Ryan moved away for a while after he graduated. Finn went back to uni, and I came on the scene. Ryan didn’t come back until Tam told him about Imogen getting pregnant.”

Bit by bit, Finn’s story started to thread itself together. Losing his parents, that close bond he once had with his brother—who’d physically removed himself from Finn’s life—then that need to leave, after everything in his life moved on. How could Aiden possibly wonder why he felt that urge to bolt?

And then Millie.

“It took them a while to patch things up,” Adie said, fingers drumming against the tabletop. “But I think that old boat of theirs helped. Fixing it up together, starting their new business once Millie was born.”

Aiden didn’t know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

“And then there was Millie, obviously. She’s such a sassy ray of sunshine that stuck those two boys back together.” Adie regarded Aiden cheekily, pausing only to thank Jack as he arrived with their drinks. “Ryan adores her. You really should see how he is, wrapped around that little finger.”

Aiden fell into a brief silence, clasping his hands beneath the table. “I think Ryan is coming back after I leave.”

“More reason to stay that bit longer,” Adie replied, as though the matter was as simple as that. As though extending his holiday was even an option, a decision made at the flick of a switch.

“Is that what happened with you?” asked Aiden before he could stop himself. “With Tam?”

Mouth pressed together, foam from her hot chocolate bubbled across her upper lift. Uncaring about her new accessory, Adie tilted her head from side to side. “Sort of. I’m an old romantic at heart, and it really was love at first sight.”

“Anytime I think of how you two met, I think of a movie scene. Your engine busted. Tam rising from behind the smoke.”

Aiden creeping into the Airbnb. Finn on his back fixing the sink.

“For our anniversary, I’m trying to convince her to reenact it for me on camera,” said Adie, growing more excited as she spoke. “Make something that Dylan can laugh at when we’re old and decomposed.”

“I don’t think that’s how aging works, but okay.” Aiden rubbed the side of his cheek, chuckling softly. While it might be the most over-the-top, dramatic thing that he’d ever heard—he loved it. “Didn’t Finn go to film school? Surely he’d help you out.”

“Did he?” Adie hummed, pondering. “Think you could sweet talk him into it?”

Holding up his hands, Aiden shook his head. “Not me. But I’m sure Millie would.”

“That’s evil.” With a glint in her eye, Adie extended her hand, pleased by his level of cunning. “I love it. You’re in?”

“When’s your anniversary?”

“Thursday, before you leave. Stop stressing.”

Aiden accepted the handshake, feeling every bit like he just signed away his soul. Dropping her firm grasp, narrowly missing knocking her hot chocolate off the table, Adie rested her chin atop her hand. “I strayed from your original question. My reason for staying.”

Aiden’s anticipation only grew when Jack returned to the table with their food.

And by the time each plate was set before them, Aiden really regretted ordering the fruit salad side, considering Jack had to turn back to the kitchen to grab it, stretching out that silence further.

Finally, Adie took a break and said, “It was the se—”

“If you’re going to say sex, please end that thought right now.”

Mouth ajar, Adie pushed herself back from the table. Aiden started to panic that maybe mentioning sex with her wife was some off-limits thing with Adie, quickly trying to scrounge together something to say to smooth everything over.

“The sex sure helped.”

“Oh my god,” Aiden replied, voice rippling with a breathless laugh.

Pineapple. He needed some pineapple.

Pleased with setting him off-balance, Adie jabbed her fork into a strawberry and wagged it at Aiden. “If you’re not going to interrupt”—Adie raised a brow, silently challenging—“I was going to say that it was the sense of home I got here.” With a breath, Adie popped the strawberry into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I know it sounds weird. But the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt this whoosh. And everything that happened after that just told me ‘yep, this is where I should be.’”

Aiden pulled the crust off his toast, nibbling at the corner as something restricted in his chest and made it feel impossible to swallow. Somehow, Aiden knew exactly what she was talking about.

“And when I met you, something told me you felt the same thing.”

Faintly grimacing, Aiden found that his crust was the most interesting thing in the world.

“It’s hard not to feel like you wanna belong here,” he said, vaguely gesturing toward the window. Toward the vibrant landscape, the stretch of unblemished blue ocean from behind the fringe of trees. “This place is beautiful.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Adie gave Aiden’s hand a squeeze. “If it’s a holiday, it’s a holiday. If it’s something more…” She shrugged, removing her hand. “You should follow your gut. It wound me up with a hot wife and an amazing little guy.”

Aiden opened his mouth—to say what, exactly? That his gut was not in the equation? That he had to listen to common sense, not the part of his brain that thought a holiday was far more important than paying bills. Adie interjected, absolving him of all responsibility of replying.

“An amazing little guy that swallowed a marble the other day. I’m still proud of him, but wow kids really make you question what’s going on in that head of theirs.”

Aiden couldn’t swallow a pill without a liter of water. How did this kid manage a whole marble? “Is Dylan okay?”

“Oh yeah.” Adie waved, nonplussed. “He has regular bowel movements. Came right out.”

“Thank you. Really. Thanks for that bit of information.”

“That’s what you get for asking a mum out for brunch.” Adie delved back into her strawberries. “Keep that in mind for next time.”

“Next time, I won’t suggest food.”

“Ew. No. I need to be wined and dined. Even by you, Aiden.”

Knuckles rapping lightly against Finn’s door, Aiden considered if this was really the best course of action. He could just send Finn a text, take the coward’s route out. A simple “hey, want to rewatch that movie that we were both way too tired to finish and now my back is suffering from your couch?” would do it.

Aiden didn’t have to be here, making a nuisance of himself.

He knew that Finn was busy today, and he had been the happy recipient of a fleeting kiss that morning before Finn rushed out the door. They hadn’t discussed plans that evening. What if Finn was already relaxing in bed? Aiden gave himself until the (slow) count of ten before turning on his heel and back toward Ryan’s.

Once he got to nine, the door swung open and Finn’s tired smile greeted him.

“I was just gonna call you,” he said, taking a step back to welcome him inside. Aiden’s insides absolutely didn’t turn to goo. “Good time with Adie?”

“Really good.” Poorly suppressing a hiccup, Aiden made his way inside. “I may have had a little too much wine.”

“I can see that.” Finn gestured toward Aiden’s face. “Your cheeks. They’re a little flushed.”

“Shit.” Rubbing his face as though that wouldn’t make them even more red, Aiden grumbled beneath his breath. “Could be sunburn.”

“Could be,” Finn said, shutting the door behind them. “It looks cute.”

“Don’t give me an incentive to get sunburn intentionally.”

“I’ve seen the amount of sunscreen you packed,” he said knowingly. “There’s no chance of that happening.”

Aiden subconsciously rubbed at the sunburn at the back of his neck. A place that, just the other night, Finn had gently rubbed lotion on. Aiden’s skin tingled at the thought.

“As glad as I am that you came around,” Finn was saying, scratching the edge of his jaw. “I’ve had a hell of a day, and I’m buggered. I hope you weren’t—”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he brushed off.

Aiden thought about what he’d learned today about this man. How he’d put his entire life aside to take care of his brother in the best way he knew how, the loss that he’d experienced, stepping up to the mark when his daughter needed him. The literal and metaphorical dad of the group, and a man that clearly needed some damn rest.

“What do you say to watching YouTube videos in bed?”

“Yes, please.”

Ten minutes later, cuddled close together and watching funny animal videos, Aiden figured that he’d made the right choice. After all, what better way to relax than with Finn’s head on his chest? Hearing that low, raspy laughter?

Aiden pressed a smiling kiss to the crown of Finn’s head. There was no place that he’d rather be.