Page 142 of Finn Rhodes Forever

My forehead creased.Absolutely.

Would we be in the same spot then, with me waiting for her to catch up?

How’s it going with Cora?

I smiled and turned to take a selfie with her so we could send it to Liv.

My pulse stopped. Cora was gone.

“Cora,” I yelled, shoving the toys off me as I jumped to my feet. “Cora!” My voice boomed around the park, and people glanced over in concern. My heart raced, beating against my chest, blood rushing in my ears. My gaze whipped around the park as I searched for her.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How could I have been so fucking stupid?

Where could she be? I heard a dog barking and turned. A quiet street bordered the park, and a row of cars were parked along the curb.

The road. My heart lodged in my throat and I took off at a sprint.

“Cora!” I yelled as I passed a parked van, scanning for her.

On the other side of the street, I spotted her as she tripped on the sidewalk. My stomach unwound. She was safe.

“Thank fuck,” I muttered, running toward her while she started wailing. “Hey, hey, hey,” I said as I picked her up, trying to calm her down. “It’s okay.”

In my arms, Cora screamed and writhed, flailing her arms.

“Ellen,” she sobbed, pointing over my shoulder, and I turned.

Jen Morgan stood there with her chocolate Lab, Evelyn.

Understanding came over me. Ellen.Evelyn.

I met Jen’s gaze and my stomach lurched again.

“Everything okay?” she asked as she approached. Her tone was dry and wary, like she knew it wasn’t.

“Yep,” I said tightly as Cora thrashed. I set her down on the sidewalk so she could pet the dog.

Jen watched, and my stomach plummeted even more. “She could have been hurt, Finn.”

My ears felt hot, and my pulse was still racing hard. The way Jen stared at me made me hate myself.

“I know.” I raked a hand through my hair. “I didn’t mean to—” I cut myself off. There was no excuse for what had happened. “I know.”

It didn’t help that she was what Olivia would look like in twenty years.

Behind her on the sidewalk, a few people gathered, watching. Someone who worked at Veena’s bakery, Liya who managed Hannah’s bookstore, and a guy I recognized from high school. They shot wary looks over at me, and it was clear they had seen Cora run across the street by herself.

My stomach knotted again and again. Right. Yeah. This was who I was. Finn, the fuck up. The reckless, thrill-seeking devil who couldn’t stay in one place for too long.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape it. I couldn’t shake it off. Here I was, trying to change but fighting a losing battle. It hadn’t worked. My eyes closed as I thought about what could have happened. Cora could have been hit by a car or a cyclist. She could have been seriously hurt, or worse. I imagined Wyatt and Hannah’s expressions, and my stomach turned with nausea.

I had really fucked this one up.

This was a sign. I should have stayed away the first time I learned this lesson. It was only a matter of time before Liv figured out the truth for herself.

“Finn?”

My head snapped up to meet Jen’s mistrusting eyes. “What?”

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