Page 89 of Heir of Fire
This time Allister let out a loud chuckle. “Oh God, you’ll never retire.”
Finn shrugged, handing the papers back. “If it means giving my princess whatever she wants, I’ll do what I have to.”
“Whipped man, everyone is whipped.” Dante shook his head.
Finn couldn’t even fight him on that. Not one bit.
FORTY
GIANNA
Gianna wipedthe sweat from her brow, taking in deep breaths of air. Practice was over for the day, and she had never been more thankful for it. They were only two weeks out from the show at this point and every practice was grueling and time-consuming.
Everything in her life was beyond amazing. She nailed the dance, she had Finn, she had her best friends, she had her brother, and she had her cousins. This was the life she had always dreamed of. The life that she had manifested for herself before she would go to bed. Back when she was more naive about the world and what she was allowed to expect from it. Now, however, she was allowed to expect it all, and she could get it all.
But there was always a price.
The price came in the form of her mother’s visit being tomorrow. As in tomorrow morning, her and Allister would be leaving to go back home to deal with the whole mess. The thought nauseated her beyond belief, and it was also why she pushed herself for the past week in rehearsal like a madman. She wasn’t prepared to see her mother, nor was she ever.
Something about this visit felt more terrible. Maybe it had to do with the fact that finally Gianna had fought the demons thathad been running rampant in her life for so long and now she deserved her break. Or maybe it was because she knew what it was like to be loved and knew her mother would never return it.
Either way, she was dreading tomorrow.
That was why Finn was picking her up from practice and taking her out for the night. The last thing she needed was to stay bundled up in the house and watch the minutes tick by on the clock until the sun came up.
Gianna made her way into the locker room, changing out of the leotard and leggings into a matching pink sweatsuit set. Her fashion decisions had taken a backseat for the past week, but she still managed to keep the pink no matter what.
She undid the bun, shaking out her hair and feeling the tension in her scalp from where it sat. Finn would have watched her rehearsal like he had been doing at home, but since he signed everything with Valerio, his days kept him busy with actually going into the office to learn the business side of things. When he first brought it all up to her, she was shocked that they would be partnering up. Now, she loved it. He had the support and community he needed and that was what mattered the most to her.
She left her hair down, quickly packing everything up into her bag and checking her phone. As soon as she lifted it, Finn’s contact popped up.
Finn <3
I’m outside whenever you’re ready. I have a little surprise for you, princess.
An immediate smile drifted onto her face. She made her way out of the building and sure enough he stood there, looking handsome as ever in his leather jacket and black jeans, leaning against his bike. Finn met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a much-needed kiss.
“I missed you,” he muttered.
“I missed you too,” she said, giving him one more peck. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing FiFi.”
“I thought we could both use a ride.” He grabbed her bag, guiding her towards the bike.
“So, where’s my surprise?”
“My, my. What happened to manners?” He lifted his eyebrow, placing the bag under the seat.
“They went to hell. Now, give me the surprise,” she said, holding her hands out in front of her. “You can’t promise a surprise and then not give me anything. That would be a cruel and unusual punishment.”
Finn shook his head, a small smile on his face. “Forgive me for ever using that word.”
She didn’t know what she was expecting him to pull out, but when he grabbed the helmet out of the silky bag, she was stunned. He handed it to her, letting her see all the details on it fully. Whereas Finn’s signature one that she usually wore was black, this one was white with light pink hearts on either side by the ears. On the back of it, in pink cursive lettering, it spelt out ‘princess’ giving her the official title on the bike. Of course it had the safety features that were important too, like the visor for her eyes and padding, but she paid attention to the details that made her heart jump out of her chest.
“So, do you like it?” he asked hesitantly. “If you don’t, we can get it customized more.”
“I love it,” she said immediately. “This is perfect.”
The grin on his face had to have matched hers. “Good. I’m glad you love it. I figured you needed one for yourself since the other one didn’t fit right and we’ll be riding on FiFi a lot. And who knows, maybe you’ll get your own bike one day.”
