Page 18 of For Your Love

“Why?”

“Because Patrick O’Connor was his friend.”

He held up his hands and said with a sigh, “I get it, Colleen.”

“No, you don’t,” she said, anger rising through her body. “Let me explain a few things to you that you might not know about my family.”

Finn rubbed the back of his neck.

“Since the day they married, my parents have struggled with money. My mom’s parents gave them the down payment for this house. But they had two kids less than a year apart and then my mom couldn’t work because of postpartum depression. Even though my dad took out a slew of loans and a second mortgage, he couldn’t keep up and had to quit school. If it had been up to me, he would have taken your offer, but he didn’t. We argued about it, but he wouldn’t budge. That money would have made a huge difference to my family after my dad had his stroke. Sean got his scholarship to CUNY and Ryan and Aidan left LA, but I stayed. It was my choice to drop out of the Ph.D. program to help my mom because she had to go back to work, and they couldn’t afford to hire an aide.”

She paused, questioning whether she should share the deepest part of her anger. She was never going to see Finn again, so she might as well get this off her chest. “I love my family, but I wanted a different life than my parents had. Struggling to make ends meet was not the future I planned for myself.” Her eyes locked with his. “And if you think I’m a shallow person—or some kind of gold digger—for trying to have a better life, then fuck you.” Colleen ran her hands through her hair and let out a full breath. “That’s it. That’s all I have to say.”

“I’m sorry,” Finn whispered, never taking his eyes from hers.

She didn’t have the energy to argue with him anymore. “Okay. Apology accepted.” Colleen was getting to her feet when Finn grabbed her wrist.

“Let go,” she said, wrenching her arm free. “It’s time for you to leave. You have a life to get back to in New York, and I have mine here in LA. So, thanks for coming. Goodnight.”

“Where’s your boyfriend?” he demanded.

She turned back to him in surprise. There was no way she would let him know how embarrassed she was that he abandoned her. In the most casual tone she could muster, she said, “He had a business dinner he had to go to. I don’t need him by my side every minute.”

With a slight shake of his head, Finn inched closer. “I get that you hate me, but I’ve known you for a long time. You finally found your rich prince. If you say you don’t need him with you during a difficult time, I’ll accept it. But I don’t think you’re being honest with me, or yourself.”

Colleen glared at him, drawing in a steady breath. “Leave, Finn.”

“Not yet. I have one more question for you.”

“What is it?” she asked, with impatience.

Finn’s intense blue eyes fixed on her. The warmth of his body was so close she could almost touch him, and his familiar, clean scent soothed her. After all these years, her body still responded to him. His breath was warm, and his lips tantalizingly close to the shell of her ear. “Why be a princess when you were born to be a queen?” he asked in a rough whisper.

Colleen pulled away speechless, her eyes searching his. His question seeped deep down and awakened a flicker of recognition.

Finn held her gaze, waiting for her reply. When she didn’t respond, he dropped his head with a nod, and walked away. He gave her one last look over his shoulder.

She kept her eye on him until he left the patio, never looking back. So that was it. Finn was a closed chapter of her past and now she had to get on with her life in the present. It felt good to be honest with him, but it didn’t leave her with any sense of satisfaction.

Colleen blew out a huge breath and made her way back to the house. A familiar high-pitched laugh came from a group of neighbors gathered near the patio door. She froze in place, unable to move forward. Her skin crawled every time he laughed. It couldn’t be him. He didn’t live here anymore.

“Hello, Colleen,” he said, raising his glass to her. He was older, with thinning hair and a sizable beer belly.

“Mr. Pike.” Colleen’s heart pounded as she looked around for any of her brothers, but they must have all gone inside.

He took a gulp of his drink, looking her over.

Cold panic rushed through her. She had to get as far away from him as possible. “I’ve…um…I’ve got to get back inside.”

“Stay and have a drink with us,” he said, gesturing to the neighbors.

“No,” she snapped, scooting past him quickly, rushing into the house, and slamming the door behind her.

CHAPTER 6

FINN

By the time Finn arrived at his Tribeca loft, the clouds outside were dark and ominous; there would likely be a storm soon. He hated flying, and he’d white-knuckled it during the landing while they bounced through the clouds to the ground. At least he’d managed to get his mom to her cottage before the storm arrived.

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