Page 27 of Off-Limits Love
A laugh bubbled out of her despite the heaviness she carried from Finn’s last visit. But thanks to London’s keen eye on the napkin goal list and Hudson’s words, she did feel a bit lighter, mood wise.
“Here you go,” London said, breaking the moment by delivering their drinks. “The chicken and cheese panini is in the works, and I’ll bring it out as soon as it’s ready. Also, your sister told me to tell you she’s with her boss and her friends, and Hudson’s not allowed to come over and—these are her words—mack on them.”
There’s a sister too? Mak immediately searched the crowd of ladies at the other tables.
“Isla is the one by the window holding the baby,” Elias said, lips quirking at her blatant interest. “Ponytail and pink shirt. She’s the youngest and last of us.”
Sure enough, Isla fit what Mak had discovered was the Blackwell family gene pool. Dark hair, though not as dark as her brothers. Lean body type. She didn’t look as tall as her brothers, but she carried herself—from what Mak could tell since she cradled a toddler in her arms—with a confidence Mak could only wish she’d had at her age.
Maybe if she’d been more self-confident, she wouldn’t have fallen for Brad’s stupid pickup lines and love bombing and seen them for what they were before it was too late.
Her attention shifted back to the men in front of her, and she studied them just as curiously as they did her. Both men exuded confidence. Not the arrogant, cocky kind like her ex but real confidence. The kind that came from being comfortable with themselves.
Whereas Finn?
Her heart shattered when she remembered his expression after dealing with Brad. How…broken and sad and resigned he’d seemed.
“So?”
Hudson’s patience was obviously wearing thin.
“I’m afraid the visit didn’t go well,” she said, inhaling a steadying breath and using her cup as a distraction to give her hands something to do.
“What happened?” Elias asked. “Did he get nervous and stutter?”
“He gets embarrassed and grumpy when he does that, but don’t take it personally.”
She glanced up at Hudson and found the younger man’s gaze full of hopeful concern. He might be overly flirtatious at times, but it was obvious he loved his brother. They both did.
Maybe Elias and Hudson could help her understand Finn better? “It’s not that. At least not in the way you probably think. My…ex was there when Finn arrived and— Apparently he and Finn have a history. They went to school together.”
Elias suddenly shifted forward in the seat, his large hands wrapping around his coffee mug like he wanted to strangle it. “Who’s your ex?”
There was no mistaking the low growl in his voice or the thread of anger in it. “Um…Brad Jensen.” She hated the feeling knotting her stomach at the look on Finn’s twin’s face. “I take it you know him?”
“Yeah, we know him. Brad and his buddies made Finn’s life a living hell in school.” Elias settled back in his seat and lifted a hand to his face and jaw, rubbing hard. “Guess some things never change. What happened?”
Mak got distracted when Emi got up and twirled around with a magic wand she’d found, bopping it along a stack of books until she picked out a new one and pulled it from the pile. Book chosen, she settled down in a bean bag chair and opened the pages.
“I’m guessing the same type of thing he did in high school,” she told them softly. “Brad showed himself, things got tense, and Finn spoke up and told Brad to leave—and he stuttered—which riled Brad up even more. He…mocked Finn and made fun of him.”
“And you? What did you do?”
Those questions came from Hudson, and the weighted words held a wealth of potential judgement. “I told Brad to stop and to leave, and when he wouldn’t, Finn managed to get Brad in his car. I thanked Finn for stepping in and apologized for Brad’s behavior, but Finn acted like he didn’t hear a word of it. He just took Dash and left.”
She stared down at the cup in front of her and ran her fingertips along the rim, the prickle of tears forcing her to blink several times to alleviate the pressure. She could still see the pain on Finn’s face, the way he’d avoided her gaze as though he was unworthy of it. “I hate what Brad did, how he acted—what he said. I wish I could do something, but cupcakes definitely won’t fix what happened. It was all just…really bad.”
And tonight she’d have to deal with Brad in person again. If he showed up for his Wednesday evening date with Emi.
“You could bake me a birthday cake and bring it to my party,” Hudson said.
“Hud, not the time,” Elias said with a shake of his head and a disgruntled glare toward his brother.
“No, I mean she could bring it as an excuse to talk to Finn. That, and I really do want you to make my birthday cake,” he added, giving Mak one of his handsome smiles, though it wasn’t as bright as before. “I meant what I said to London. Your cakes are the best. I’ll pay you for it. It’s just gotta be big though because there’s a lot of us. And German chocolate.”
Makayla huffed a broken laugh and glanced at Elias to find him smiling wryly and shaking his head along with her. “Well, if you’re serious, I’d be happy to bake your birthday cake, Hudson.”
“Awesome,” Hudson said, rubbing his hands together. “It’ll be the best cake ever.”
