Page 45 of Stirring Up Love
Children who were wanted, their rights to home implicit. While his case was always pending, always up for review. And the determination? Unwanted.
And away he would go.
“So you have no family?” Her question was direct, and he appreciated that. But the answer wasn’t so simple. His biological family existed in name only, but Bella and his coworkers were family. Darius and his mom Tori were family. But that’s not what Simone was asking.
“None like yours.”
She nodded like she understood, and maybe she did.My mother passed away. My father abandoned me ...
“I’m sorry, too, Finn.” Her apology was quiet but clear. The on-ramp was coming up fast, and she clicked on her turn signal. “Really sorry for things I said to belittle you. Sorry you had to endure a terrible childhood.” She met his eyes for a fleeting second of clarity. “But I am not about to be anyone’s regret.”
He’d gone and ruined his chances. Again.
CHAPTER 17
SIMONE
Taillights began to blur into the horizon under an endless darkness. Three hours of night driving had put them on the outskirts of Phoenix. Simone rubbed her eyes, then smothered a yawn, straightening her spine against the ache in her low back.
So far Operation: Discover Finn’s Weakness had amounted to Tell Finn Your Deepest Secrets So He Can Use Them as Emotional Blackmail, with a side of Best Kiss of Your Life, and a chaser of Abject Humiliation.
Which is to say, hitchhiking with a serial killer would’ve made for a better evening.
And the cherry on top of the cocktail of misery was that Finn hadn’t been all wrong in his judgment of her. She didn’t dwell on her father’s absence and focused on her good memories of Momma, but did she take Gran and Pops for granted? Yeah.
Even though she knew they could’ve made a different choice, could’ve searched for other relatives to take them in, she never stopped to think where that might have left her.
A ward of the state.
Raised by strangers.
With her mom and dad being only children and her maternal grandparents gone soon after her birth, her future had been tenuous at best. Having relatives didn’t equate to having a family.
Even at her loneliest in the early days of college, she’d never once doubted she had a place to call home. A soft spot to land.
Worrying about her rank in the Hawksburg pecking order suddenly seemed a lot more petty. And not the kind of petty she took pride in. The low-down, cringey kind.
“Hey.” Finn’s words broke the hours-long silence, and she looked over to find him holding out his giant cup of Coke. They’d stopped for fast food because collecting on her winnings by choosing a quirky roadside restaurant no longer held appeal. They weren’t buddies. This wasn’t a joyride.
After a wordless second, she took the soda and slurped gratefully. His lips had already been on hers, so what could a little more saliva swapping hurt? That’s what her brain said, but her body clenched at the memory of the kiss.
She took another giant gulp.
Finn sucked.
She blinked at the time on the clock. Thirty hours to go.
This trip sucked.
The deadline to sign the paperwork counted down like an action-movie scene where the hero was torn between snipping the blue or red wire to defuse a bomb.
The deal sucked.
Bleary eyes on the road, she tried to set the drink into the cup holder, but it tipped forward, close to spilling. Finn righted it. Silently.
Two hours and counting of no words between them, and the awkwardness hadn’t abated. How could it? They’d kissed, then gotten into another giant fight.
Around Finn, her emotions were a constant maelstrom, and her head couldn’t seem to get aligned with her heart. New territory for her.She was always in the driver’s seat when it came to her feelings. But here she was, starting to like the guy who had his eye on taking over half ownership of her restaurant. The guy whom she was supposed to be finding a way to boot out of a $200,000 deal.
