by Roxie Rivera
Remembering Finn's promise, I glanced to the left, the only space in the CVICU cubicle that wasn't packed with machines and life-saving equipment. He watched me over the rim of his coffee cup. His searing gaze burned me, but I welcomed the heat. I'm alive. I'm alive, and he's here.
Taking in the man I loved so much, I realized he really hadn't left my side since the surgery. He had stubble and lines of exhaustion marring his handsome face. His clothes were different, but I had a feeling he was making quick work of changing and eating so he could be near me.
Setting aside his cup, Finn pushed out of his chair and joined me. He eased his hip onto the bed. His mindful gaze took in the positions of the IV tubes and chest drains snaking out from under the sheet that covered me. He gingerly lifted my hand, sliding his bigger, rougher palm underneath mine. I found the strength to entwine our fingers.
Finn leaned down and kissed my forehead. His warm lips lingered there. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," I croaked. "Beat up."
Finn's gaze dropped to the open front of my hospital gown. A long line of bandages sporting pinkish spots of blood and fluid covered the stitches and surgical glue that had been used to close my chest. Peering at my face again, he had suspiciously shiny eyes. "You are the strongest person I have ever met."
I didn't know about that. I thought of some of the men he must have known while in the Marines. Surely a number of them had been through so much worse than me and survived.
Finn's head dipped toward mine. Our foreheads touched. He inhaled a ragged breath. His fingers tightened around mine. "You make so proud to be your man."
My man? I liked the sound of that. Lifting a trembling hand, I trailed my fingers down his jaw and smiled. "Mine."
Finn's mouth curved with happiness. "Yours." He kissed me with so much love. "Always."
Epilogue
Ten Months Later
"Finn?" I bumped the door to the penthouse closed with my hip and carried my shopping bags across the living area.
"I'm in the studio."
Of course you are, I thought with a smile. We had started working on a co-authored graphic novel while I had been recovering from my heart surgery. Collaborating on such a multi-layered story hadn't been easy. A few times, I had been tempted to stab him with a colored pencil, but we had muscled through the problems and learned to compromise. In many ways, the shared fictional universe we had created strengthened our relationship.
"Did you have fun with your mother?" His loud voice carried through the penthouse as I stopped for a bottle of water in the kitchen.
"That woman death marched me around the Galleria," I grumbled back. "If Ally hadn't been with us, I would have left Mama at Sak's. How many dang evening gowns does one woman need, you know?"
Finn's chortle echoed in the house. "Says the woman who asked me to move my clothing to the guest room closet because she needed a place to put her fall collection?"
"That's different!"
"You're right, sugar. It's totally different."
I heard the teasing in his voice and smiled.
"Did you find a dress for Jack and Abby's wedding?"
"Yes. It's in alterations. I'll pick it up next week." I unscrewed the cap on the water bottle. "Did Kelly talk to you about Mattie?"
"Yeah. He and Bee are going to take him to Disneyland while Jack and Abby are on their honeymoon. I told them we might like to tag along. I've never been to Disneyland," he admitted.
"What? Oh my God! We are so going with them. You. Me. The Matterhorn? It's a date!" Finn's laughter filled me with a giddy sort of warmth. Even all these months later, the passion I felt for him had yet to fade. "Did you and Daddy have a good game?"
Ever since the surgery, Finn had been welcomed into my family with open arms. On Sundays, he came to Mass and lunch and then played a round of golf with my father. Sometimes my brothers tagged along if they were free. Oddly enough, Finn and Dom had become pretty good friends. He had the closest bond with Tres, though. Their shared experiences in the Corps had ensured that.
"He whipped my ass like he always does."
I sipped the water. That didn't surprise me at all.
"Hey, beautiful, can you come help me with something?"
"Sure." I left my shopping bags and the water in the kitchen and made my way to the studio space we now shared. When I entered the room, I instantly noticed that Finn had tidied up our space. He wasn't wearing his usual drawing clothes either. He had slipped into the sky blue button-down and khaki chinos I had bought him a few weeks ago. "Are we going out for dinner?"
"I thought you would want to after…" Finn's low, rumbling voice trailed off as he shifted nervously.
"After what?"
Finn crossed the distance between us and grasped my hand. He led me over to the magnetic strips we used to piece together the pages for our books. At first, I didn't notice anything different, but then I did a double-take. The drawings hung on the wall weren't the finals for our book. They were new art I had never seen.
Still holding his hand, I moved closer—and gasped. "This is—it's us!"
Finn enveloped me from behind and rested his chin atop my head. "It's the story of us."
"You drew this?"
"I did."
Reaching up to hold onto his muscular arms, I let my gaze travel from my page to page. My belly fluttered with excitement. He had started with that evening we had met at the arts center. His style of art had a heavy Japanese influence and his punchy dialog always impressed me. He had chosen to draw fifteen moments from our nearly year-long courtship. Some of them made me laugh, but a few made me tear up. I dabbed at my cheek and caught the tears dripping down my face.
"There's one more page, but I need your help finishing it." Finn unwound his arms and led me over to the drafting table we had installed for him. Taped to the center of the white board was a page with four panels. In the first, I was staring at the drawing in front of me—just as I was now in real life.
In the second panel, Finn was reaching into his pocket. I read the caption in the bubble over his head. Don't screw this up. It has to be perfect for her.
My heart flip-flopped in my chest. In the back of my mind, I hoped my pacemaker wasn't about to zap me.
My gaze slid to the third panel. In the drawing, Finn stood behind me and held out a box. On shaky legs, I slowly turned to face him and found the love of my life gazing down at me with utter adoration. His fingers trembled as he opened the ring box and presented me with the most breathtaking Art Deco style engagement ring I had ever seen. The Asscher cut diamond glinted and winked at me.
"Hadley?"
"Yes, Finn?" I breathlessly waited for him to ask me.
"Will you marry me? Will you let me take care of you?"
"Forever?" I asked, my voice quavering with emotion.
"And ever," he added, taking the ring from the box and reaching for my hand. He slid it onto my finger so reverently and then lifted my hand to his lips. Eyes closed, he pressed his lips to my skin.
Holding his hand, I turned back to the drawing on his desk. The final panel showed me gazing up at him. There was a dialog bubble over my head, but it was empty. Picking up a black marker with a steady hand, I printed my answer in the bubble.
YES!
Author's Note
Thank you so much for reading Finn and Hadley's story. I hope you've enjoyed the Fighting Connollys series. It's a bit different from my Her Russian Protector and Debt Collection series. The Connolly brothers are good guys, through and through, and real heroes. I think that's why their ladies swoon for them!
About the Author
I am a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. When I’m not chasing after my wild preschooler, I like to write super sexy romances and scorching hot erotica. I live in Texas with a husband who could easily snag a job as an extra on the History Channel’s new Viking series and a sweet but rowdy four-year-old.
I also have another dirty-book writing alter ego, Lolita
Lopez, who writes deliciously steamy scifi and paranormal erotic romance tales for Ellora’s Cave, Forever Yours/Grand Central, Mischief/Harper Collins UK, Siren Publishing and Cleis Press.
You can find me online at www.roxierivera.com.
Backlist
Her Russian Protector Series
Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1)
Dimitri (Her Russian Protector #2)
Yuri (Her Russian Protector #3)
A Very Russian Christmas (Her Russian Protector #3.5)
Nikolai (Her Russian Protector #4)
Sergei (Her Russian Protector #5)
Sergei, Volume 2 (Her Russian Protector #5.5)—Coming May 2014
Nikolai, Volume 2 (Her Russian Protector #6)—Coming May 2014
Kostya (Her Russian Protector #7)—Coming Summer 2014
Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8)—Coming Fall 2014
Danila (Her Russian Protector #9)—Coming Fall 2014
The Fighting Connollys Series
In Kelly's Corner (Fighting Connollys #1)
In Jack's Arms (Fighting Connollys #2)
In Finn's Heart (Fighting Connollys #3)
Debt Collection
Collateral (Debt Collection #1)
Past Due (Debt Collection #2)—Coming Late Summer 2014
Paid in Full (Debt Collection #3)—Coming Winter 2014
Her SEAL Protector
Close Quarters
Seduced By…
Seduced by the Loan Shark
Seduced by the Loan Shark 2—Coming Soon!
Seduced by the Congressman
Seduced by the Congressman 2
Erotica
Chance's Bad, Bad Girl
Halftime With Craig
Tease
Eddie's Cuffs 1
Eddie's Cuffs 2
Eddie's Cuffs 3
Disturbing the Peace
Quid Pro Quo
Search and Seizure
Copyright © 2014 by Roxie Rivera
Cover Art by Melody Simmons/Ebook Indie Covers
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Roxie Rivera/Night Works Books
3515-B Longmire Drive, #103
College Station, TX 77845
www.roxierivera.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
In Finn's Heart (Fighting Connollys #3)/ Roxie Rivera. -- 1st ed.
ISBN 978-1-63042-018-5