Page 111 of Even Beneath the Stars

And an even better outcome from sticking with Maggie's routines and boundaries and stuff with Finn?

He got invited on his first playdate.

Yeah. Some kid he's apparently been hanging out with at kindergarten invited him over a few days ago. I was so pumped I even gave the kid's parents a pass for naming their son "Lumen". Maggs let him stay up half an hour past his bedtime the day of the playdate so he could tell me all about it when I got home after rehearsing with the guys.

"So, you atepenguin cookies?"

Finn throws his head back, giggling like I just told the funniest joke. "Not cookies!Crackersthat wereshapedlike penguins!"

"Got it." I nod solemnly, taking a seat on the couch as he scrambles up beside me. "Big difference."

I raise an eyebrow at Maggie, who’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, smirking as she folds Finn’s sweater.

Finn nods, then suddenly gasps. "Oh! And guess what else?!" He climbs onto my lap, getting right up in my face, eyes wide as saucers. "Lumen’s house has anactual fort!In his bedroom. With, curtains. And pillows. Aaannnnd…" he pokes my bicep, inhales dramatically, "we played Spider-Man-Hotel-Apocalypse!"

I blink. "Spider-Man… what now?"

He places his hands on my shoulders and stands on my thighs, so I have to tilt my head back to look at him. "Spider-Man-Hotel-Apocalypse. It’s a game we invented. Lumen was Spider-Man. I was a firefighter, and we had to rescue everyone in the hotel from the bad guys and also from the end of the world."

My lips twitch. "Sounds intense… Bet the hotel Yelp reviews were a nightmare."

I glance at Maggie again. She’s shaking with silent laughter.

Finn pets my head. "Huh?"

I steady him with both hands on his hips. "Did the bad guys at least leave a mint on the pillow?"

"Nope… Theystolethe pillows!"

"Whaaat?"

"All of them."

Maggie shuffles closer. "And you wrapped a present, too?"

Finn scrunches up his face. "Huh? Wrapped a present? Ohhh,no.Not wrapped. Wemadea rap."

"… A rap?" I pull him down, so he's sitting again.

"Yeah. Lumen beatboxed and I rapped. Want to hear it?!"

Maggie presses her lips together, eyes twinkling. "I think we need to hearit."

Finn springs up onto the couch, clears his throat, and starts beatboxing—if a series of wet, spitty sounds could be considered beatboxing.

Then, with a dramatic inhale, he throws his hands in the air.

"WE GOT PENGUINS IN THE HOUSE! AND A HOTEL IS ON FIIIIIIIRE! WE GOT SPIDEY SAVING GUESTS—" He stops abruptly. "Oh wait, I forgot the next part."

Maggie and I exchange a look.

I rub my jaw. "Damn. And it was just getting good."

Finn bends at the knees, squeezing his crotch. "I know, right?!?"

"You need to pee, bud?"

He nods, hopping from one foot to the other. "Yeah."

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