Page 85 of Ravenous

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say,” Finn shot back, wishing he could split into two so he could simultaneously walk awayandguard his uncle’s room.

Ron gave him an infuriating smirk. “Even if it’s about your siblings?”

“What are you talking about?” Hospital or not, if this was some kind of game, then Finn was going to knock his lights out.

Reaching into his pocket, Ron handed Finn an envelope. Although he was reluctant to take it, curiosity won out and he unfolded the paperwork inside, which showed lab results.

“I took one of those big DNA tests last year.” Ron’s chest puffed with pride. “You have a brother and a sister. I thought you should know.”

The following pages held their information. Finn stared at it, the logical comprehension there but the emotional counterpart still in line behind Uncle Joe and Ollie. Of course, he’d have to thoroughly vet Ron’s claims, but if they were true…

“Wow, so there’s a bunch of us you walked out on. Maybe we should get together and nominate you for Father of the Year,” Finn said flatly.

Rage bloomed in those similar eyes, replacing Ron’s misguided pride, and Finn wondered if he’d be the one taking a punch when a soft voice broke through the tension.

“Is everything okay?” Ollie appeared to Finn’s left, coming from the waiting room. Finn instantly moved to the side, blocking him from Ron, not wanting that man’s filthy energy anywhere near his Sunshine.

“Yeah, we’re done.” Finn’s sharp tone left no argument as he glanced over his shoulder, meeting Ollie’s curious gaze. “Things go all right?”

“Mmhmm.” Giving Finn a quick nod, Ollie peered around him, obviously seeing the resemblance because his eyebrows almost met his hairline. “Who is that?”

“I’m his father,” Ron tried. “Who areyou?”

Finn could tell when Ollie put it together because he latched onto Finn’s hand and snorted, loudly. “No, you’re not. Finn’s father is inthere.” He jerked a thumb toward Joe’s room. “And I’m his boyfriend.”

Shock washed across Ron’s face, followed by revulsion as he honed in on the protective way Finn stood and how Ollie clung to him. Sneering, he crossed his arms. “Boyfriend?Joe never mentioned that you were a fag.”

It took way too long for Finn to register the slur. He knew that homophobes existed but being randomly accosted by one who claimed to be his father at the end of the longest day ever made Finn wonder if he’d heard the words correctly.

However, Ollie heard them loud and clear, and for someone in serious condition, he moved fast. Before Finn could blink, Ollie was in Ron’s personal space, and it didn’t matter that he was at least seven inches shorter and a third of Ron’s size because in that moment he fully embraced his nickname, squaring up with the force of a thousand suns.

“Excuse the fuck out of me? Did you just call my boyfriend afag?In the twenty-first century?” He pitched his voice so it carried and Finn’s eyes snapped to the end of the hallway, where several nurses leaned out of their station, looking toward them. “That’s hilarious coming from someone who decided that playing guitar in some shitty cover band was more important than raising his son. A kid who just lost his mom. You’re fucking pathetic. But you know what? You did him afavorbecause he was a hundred times better off with Joe than with you, a homophobic, washed-up loser who doesn’t know how to pull out-”

“How about you shut the fuck up and eat a sandwich?” Ron, who’d been shrinking away, decided to fight back with low-hanging fruit, and Finn saw red, curling his right hand into a fist, ready to uppercut the jerk into next week, but Ollie’s genuine laugh stopped him in his tracks.

“Really?Eat a fucking sandwich?” He dropped his voice, imitating Ron in the least flattering way. “That’s your comeback? That’s all you’ve got?” Ollie rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “At least I’m not a deadbeat.”

“Excuse me sirs, this is a hospital. Do I need to call security?” A wall of a man, clad in scrubs, ambled over to them.

“No, sorry about that. I was just taking out the trash.” Ollie stepped back toward Finn, who automatically wrapped arms around him. His emotions were jangled but love stood out in stark relief and he clung to it, grateful for this man, this tortured yet exquisite man, who stood up for Finn when he couldn’t and who was going to fight to stay by his side.

As Ron stared at them, the disgust in his gaze was palpable, even to the man watching them, who had clearly heard Ollie’s rant because he eyeballed Ron with a similar expression.

“Forget it,” Ron finally spat. “Waste of my time.” Turning on his heel, he strode away. After giving Finn and Ollie a once-over, the burly man decided to follow.

Turning in his hold, Ollie faced Finn. “Um, sorry about that, I probably overstepped but-”

“Are you kidding?” Gently placing his hands on either side of Ollie’s face, he kissed those chapped lips. “That was amazing, five stars, it’s going to live in my mind forever. Who’s the knight now?”

“Stahp.” Ollie blinked a few times as exhaustion seemed to catch up with him, and Finn gathered him close.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

“What about-”

“He’s stable. The nurses and the doctor have my number. I know this is a crucial time but I’d feel a lot better if you went into treatment.” The next few weeks were going to be the hardest of Finn’s life but it was all worth it because he’d give anything to help those he loved.

“Okay. Um. Yeah.” Ollie looked back at Joe’s room. “Let me pop in there and say goodbye, and then we can go to my place?” He let out a long breath. “I need to pack.”

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