Page 112 of My Merry Mistake
“Oh, we know,” my mom says, “but weloveit. We’ll take good care of him here!”
“Thank the Lord. I was worried he was going to end up with KFC on the couch again.”
“That was college, Momma,” Finn says with a good-natured eyeroll.
“We’re happy to have him,” Mom says with a smile. “And we can’t wait to try the cake.”
“Have the Pepto-Bismol handy,” his mom says with a laugh, a not-so-subtle dig at Finn’s attempt at baking.
“Hey! I can hear you,” Finn says in mock-offense.
He moves to Eloise as Poppy reenters the room, then introduces them one at a time, explaining who they are, who they’re dating, and why they’re “so cool.”
When he looks at me, his expression changes. “And this is Raya.”
Finn doesn’t say my name very often. Usually, he just calls me “Hart,” like I’m one of the guys. It shouldn’t have any effect on me, but it does.
I smile into the phone camera as Finn moves into the space next to me, his nearness a reminder of the moment I’m desperately trying to forget. The momentwe almost kissed. Pretending it didn’t happen isn’t going to make it go away.
“Oh,” his mom says. “Thisis Raya?—”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Holbrook,” I say.
“You too,” she says. “My son was not kidding about how beautiful you are.”
“Momma!” Finn laughs, but he whips the phone away.
“Oh, was that a secret?” she asks loudly.
“I gotta go, Momma.” Finn’s cheeks are red, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him embarrassed. “Tell Pops I’ll call him after dinner.”
“Okay, Skip,” she says. “Live like?—”
“It matters,” he says, finishing her sentence. And then together, they say, “because it does.” He nods at her, like they’ve just made a silent pact. “I will.”
He clicks the phone off, and we all stare at him.
Mom smiles. “You’re close with your family.”
“I am,” he says. “They’re a lot, but they’re the best.”
“You must miss them.” Mom pulls a pan from the oven and sets it on a trivet on the counter.
“I do, especially on holidays.” He nods. “But I’m really thankful to be with you all.”
“Why’d she call you ‘Skip’?” Eloise asks.
“Eh. It’s a stupid nickname,” he says. “I don’t even know where it came from. You’d think they’d want to use all of our real names since there are so many of us.”
“So it’s a big family,” Mom says.
“Yeah,” he says. “I’ve got four brothers and two sisters.”
“Those poor sisters!” Eloise laughs. “Five brothers!”
Finn’s eyes flick to mine, and I hold his gaze, wondering if he’s thinking about Hunter, and realizing there’s pain behind that smile that he never shows. I never would’ve guessed Finn Holbrook had ever experienced grief.
He either hides it well or he’s made his peace with it. All at once, my own problems seem silly by comparison.
