As the evening calmed down and their guests departed, the couple fed their son and put him to bed. They made their way toward the living room to sit in front of the fire as Finn poured them each a glass of champagne. He lifted a bit of her dress, rolling it in between his fingers.
“This feels strangely like déjà vu,” he said happily, sinking onto the couch next to her.
“The same, and yet incredibly different,” she said with a smile. “You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted, Finn.”
He looked at her in the firelight, his dark eyes radiating nothing but love for her. “I believe they call that a fairy tale.”
She leaned into his kiss, her heart thudding into her chest. When he pulled away, he smiled, his teeth grazing her lip. “And they lived happily ever after.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
PRESENT DAY
FIVE YEARS LATER
Blythe led Asher in through the front door, her heart pounding with confusion and anxiety.
“Beckett, wanna eat breakfast in your room, little man?” Finn asked, hurrying ahead of them into the kitchen. Blythe heard him leading their son upstairs toward his room through the back staircase.
“I’m sorry,” she said plainly, “did you say your son? Why on earth would you think he’s your son?”
“My parents told me you had a kid nine months after the wedding—or lack thereof—” He shrugged. His arms were bigger than before, he was in better shape, but prison had not been kind to him. He looked terrible, as if all the life had been sucked out of him. “I put two and two together.”
“Well, you did it wrong,” Finn said, his voice echoing down the stairs as he approached them. “Let’s go in here so he doesn’t have to hear this.” They followed him into the living room, but no one sat.
“How do you know? He could be mine. I want to see him.”
“Asher,” Blythe said softly, still trying to decide her feelings, “he’s not your son. We had the tests run when he was born.”
“But he could’ve been and you never told me?”
“We waited until he was born because we hoped there was nothing to tell,” Blythe told him. “And there wasn’t.”
“How did you find out where we lived, anyway?” Finn asked.
“Mom,” he said. “I found the address in some of her mail. Where you sent her a card or something.”
“We didn’t realize you were out of jail,” Blythe said. Or we would’ve changed the name on the card.
“I was released six months ago. Good behavior and half my sentence.” He ran a hand through his greasy hair. “Look, I wanted to say…” He sighed. “I’m really happy for you two. Honestly, I am. It’s taken me a long time to get to that point. I’m clean. No more drinking, no drugs, no stealing. Totally sober. I know that probably doesn’t matter to you—”
“It does,” Finn said, “it really does.” He stepped forward, placing a hand on Asher’s shoulder. “We never wanted it to go like this for you.”
“I know,” Asher said. “I just…I was stupid. Getting caught was probably the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. Now that I’m out, I’m going to get myself together. I’m going to make right everything and everyone I ever wronged. Coming here was step one.”
“You didn’t have to—”
“I know,” Asher said. “But I wanted to. I hurt you, Blythe. I really hurt you. I couldn’t see how badly at the time, but I see it now. I had five years to think about it. And you, Finn. God, what I let you go down for…it kills me. I never wanted it to go down that way. I didn’t know, but that doesn’t make me entirely innocent. I knew something was wrong when you disappeared.”
“We’re cool, Ash,” Finn told him.
Asher scoffed. “I guess it all worked out for the best anyway, huh?”
Finn put an arm around Blythe. “You’re the only reason we met. We have no one else to thank but you. You gave me the best part of my life,” he pointed to the floor above them, “the two best parts.”
Asher smiled. “I’ll always think of you as my brother.”
“You never stopped being mine.”
Asher cleared his throat. “Right. Well, I guess I should be getting back home.” He turned around but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “It was really good to see you two.”
“You know,” Blythe said, as he walked back toward the entranceway, “you could always stay.”
Asher spun back around, his eyes hopeful. “Here?”
“Not here, here, but here in Darlington. We have a motel that my best friend AnnaBeth is running. It’s nothing like New York, but it’s nice.”
“If you’re truly serious about a fresh start,” Finn added, “Darlington is the best place to do it.”
Asher nodded. “I might take you up on that. But first, I need to get a bite to eat.”
“Norma’s,” Finn and Blythe both suggested at once before giggling at each other.
“You won’t find any better food here,” Blythe told him.
He waved the keys in his hand. “Maybe I’ll see you guys around.”
“Maybe you will,” Finn said, shutting the door behind him. He glanced at his wife. “Not how I thought my Thursday would go,” he joked.
She shook her head in agreement. “Not by a long shot.”
“You okay?” he asked, staring at her strangely.
“Of course, why?”
“I just didn’t know if you were doubting your choice. I mean, the competition is pretty steep.” He jutted a thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the door.
“I never doubted it for a second,” she assured him. It was the truth. The choice to love Finn had never been hers, it was ingrained in her DNA from the moment she met him. Love at first sight and all that jazz. She wasn’t sure if she believed in that, but Finn made her believe in everything: love at first sight, fairy tales, true love, and, of course, happily ever afters.
He pulled her into a kiss again, making her heart sing like it had every day since that first kiss.
“And they still lived happily ever after,” he whispered in her ear as they heard tiny footsteps descending the stairs.
“Yes,” she agreed, placing her head on his chest and closing her eyes with one hand resting on the ever-growing bump beneath her shirt. “Yes, they did.”
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Acknowledgments
As always, this book wouldn’t have been possible without the influence of so many people. I owe all of you so much gratitude, but I suppose a few paragraphs forever in print will have to do.
To my sweet husband, Michael, and our daughter, C.B., I don’t know what I’d do without you both. You make everyday better and I love you so much.
To the rest of my crazy, beautiful family. Thank you for teaching me the beauty of dreams and for always pushing me to do better.
To my editor, Sarah West, for being such a rockstar. Thank you for taking the mess that I hand you and seeing a way to make it better.
To my beta readers, Emerald and Brittany, thank you for seeing the story I was trying to tell through the fog of that first draft. This book is better for being in your hands.
To my Twisted Readers, Street Team, and Review Team, thank you for always believing in me. I know I say that in every book acknowledgement, but I really, truly mean it. Your support means so much more to me than you will ever know. No one has better fans than I do.
And lastl
y, but most importantly, to you. Thank you for purchasing a copy of this book and supporting art. Thank you for helping me live my dream every single day. Whether this is your first Kiersten Modglin book or you’ve stuck with me for a while, please know I am genuinely grateful for any amount of precious time and money you’ve spent with me in my fictional worlds. I hope you enjoyed this story and that you’ll continue to follow my work. If you will, please don’t forget to leave a review…it would make my day a whole lot, you guessed it, better.
About the Author
Kiersten Modglin is a suspense author who enjoys dabbling in all the sub-genres. A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes super-fan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book. More than anything, she loves reading & creating life-changing stories.
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Also by Kiersten Modglin
STANDALONE NOVELS
Becoming Mrs. Abbott
The List
The Missing Piece
Playing Jenna
The Beginning After
The Good Neighbors
THE MESSES SERIES
The Cleaner (The Messes, #1)
The Healer (The Messes, #2)
The Liar (The Messes, #3)
The Prisoner (The Messes, #4)
NOVELLAS
The Long Route: A Lover’s Landing Novella
The Stranger in the Woods: A Crimson Falls Novella
The Better Choice Page 18