The way he asks is so sad that I have to really fight not to burst into tears. Fin was right last night when he told me how much his dad loves this place, and it makes me so glad that we came to the decision we have.
“No, Dad. A few things are going to change, though, and I need to know you’re going to be okay with that.”
“Go on,” he says sceptically.
“Connie and I have actually been together for quite a while and…she’s pregnant, Dad.”
We both watch to see what his reaction is going to be. Fin was concerned that talk of pregnancy and babies might be a trigger for him. He doesn’t do anything for long seconds, but soon enough, a huge smile splits his face.
“Congratulations.”
“And if it’s okay with you, Connie and the baby are going to live here, with us.”
“That’s wonderful. Will be nice to have a woman about the place again.”
Fin goes to say something else, but as I look at Fred, I physically see the lights go out. Fin stutters. He obviously sees it too.
No one says anything. Fred just pushes his breakfast to the side and leaves the room.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fin asks me, looking worried. “I haven’t seen him as good as he was last night and just then for ages. It’s not easy, Con, plus you’re going to have a newborn to look after.”
“I’m not expecting it to be easy, Fin. But it’s the right thing to do. Allow him to be in his own home for as long as possible. Plus, we’ll get a regular carer in when we feel it’s necessary, like we talked about last night. Everything will be okay, I promise.” I smile at him to try to reassure him that I really believe it, because I do. If we are together, then I have no doubt that everything will be fine.
Once we’ve finished breakfast and made sure Fred is okay for a few hours, we head over to my parents’ house. Thankfully, they are still both in.
Mum is in the kitchen and the look on her face is priceless when we walk in hand in hand.
“Oh, wow. Have you two sorted everything out?” She has a huge smile on her face as she says it. She never told me, but I know she's always been rooting for us.
“Is Dad about? We need to talk to you both.”
“I’ll go get him.”
Well, Mum cried, while Dad just looked mortified as Fin explained about his dad’s dementia and everything he’s been dealing with.
When he’s finished talking, Mum gets up and gives him a huge hug, although I’m not sure if it’s for her or Fin’s benefit.
“I feel like I’ve failed your mother, letting this happen,” she mutters on a shaky breath. My mum and May were best friends for years. I can imagine she really feels like she’s let May down.
“Don’t be silly. We both hid it from everyone. You had no way of knowing.”
“FUCK,” my dad shouts, before storming out of the kitchen and then the house.
“Shit, I should go and talk to him,” Fin says as he begins to get up.
“No, leave him for a bit to calm down. He’s just upset like I am that we missed this and haven’t helped. Whatever you need, Fin, we’ll be there. Please just ask.”
“Well there is something. We need to ask Dad, really, but seeing as he’s disappeared…”
“Go on,” my mum prompts.
“Well I’m going to move in with Fin, but the house, it’s a little…uh…”
“It’s a shithole,” he helpfully chips in.
“I was looking for a nicer word, but yeah, that just about sums it up. We’re gonna speak to Ruben too, of course, but I was hoping there could be a little time freed up somewhere with the men to help us get it sorted. It won’t take too much.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I’ll do anything I can, too. Cleaning, painting, cooking - that sort of thing.”
“Thank you so much,” Fin says so sincerely that it brings a tear to my eye. I knew my family wouldn’t let him down.
I’d text Emma to say we were coming and that we would bring dinner for the four of us. Once we know they’ll both be back from work, we head over, feeling a little apprehensive as to how this is going to play out. Emma will obviously be fine - she’ll be happy for us and do anything she can, I’m sure of it. It’s Ruben I’m worried about. What if he decides he can’t accept us together? I’m not really sure why he wouldn’t. I know he’s always hated the idea of his friends making a play for me, but this is way more than just a quick shag now, so I’m hopeful he’ll be able to see past it.
It’s awkward. Like, seriously awkward. The last two times Fin and Ruben breathed the same air, Ruben was beating the shit out of Fin, and then Fin was running away from me at the hospital. To say things are tense between them would be an understatement.
“Here’s dinner. Could you keep it warm? Ruben and I need to talk first,” Fin says, once we’ve been welcomed in. Emma locks eyes with me and a concerned look passes between us.
“Behave,” she warns, “I don’t want any more blood in my house, please.”
“I can’t promise anything,” Ruben practically growls as he stares at Fin.
Oh, here we fucking go!
We both watch as they leave the kitchen and then the house with beers in their hands. I panic until I see them both take seats at the table outside.
“Well, this could be interesting,” Emma says as she gets me a drink.
We watch them through the windows at all times, just in case, but it’s not necessary. Ruben’s horror about what Fin is saying is clear. I know how that feels. Every time I think about it, I can’t believe how well Fin hid it all. If I didn’t love him so damn much, I’d hate him for keeping it from us for so long. We could have made his life so much easier, but no - the stubborn fucker decided to try to take it all on himself.
We both let out a huge sigh of relief when we watch Ruben stick his hand out to Fin. Both of us are smiling like loons when Fin pulls him forward and into a man hug.
“I guess they’re all made up, then,” Emma says with a laugh.
“God, I hope so. Fin has enough on his plate. He needs his friends with him, not against him.”
“Agreed,” Emma says. I filled her in on everything while the boys were talking in the garden.
“To Bob,” Fin says, with his beer raised in the air, once we eventually sit down to a lukewarm curry a little later on after the boys reappeared, and once I got over my tears when Ruben announced his approval of mine and Fin’s relationship. Not that I needed it, but it’s nice to know he accepts us a couple. I’m not stupid enough to think that he didn’t threaten Fin’s life when they were in the garden if he ever hurts me again. I can tell that big brother protective face Ruben pulls from a mile away.
“Who the fuck is Bob?” Ruben asks, with his beer half raised to Emma’s glass.
“My bump,” I say with a laugh. “Fin named it Bob.”
I let my tears fall as I laugh with my family. My brother, my best friend, my Fin, and our Bob. And in that moment, I’m surer than ever that I can keep the promise I made to Fin yesterday.
Everything will be okay.
Fin
Ruben looked a little sceptical to start with when I began explaining about my hidden life. I can understand why; I’ve managed to keep it all hidden for years, and it does all sound a little unbelievable. Like Connie, Ruben thought he knew me. We’ve been best friends for years, but I’ve been keeping this huge part of my life from him. I expected him to be a little pissed off, if I’m honest.
I hate that having to explain all of this helps him to forgive me for how I’ve treated Connie. Nothing I’m dealing with is an excuse for behaving like a dick to her. But I’m grateful that Ruben does let it go and gives us his blessing.
Ruben promises to help. So does Emma, but he demands that we head over to my house after we’ve eaten our curry. I do my best to put him off, but as soon as Connie announces that she thinks it’s a good idea because she is craving a Magnum for pudding, I don’t really get to argue. I owe Connie
so much, she can have whatever she wants, and if that means I have to swallow my pride and get this over with, then that’s what I’ll have to do.
“There’s a lot to do here, mate,” Ruben says after I’ve shown him the disaster that is my house, with its peeling wallpaper, dodgy electrics and rotting windows.
“I know. I need to work out what’s priority and what I can afford to do first.”
“Dad and I will do whatever we can to get the best deals and free labour, but it’s still gonna be costly.”
I nod sadly as we head downstairs to join the girls in the kitchen. Dad is still in the living room watching TV. He paid us hardly any attention when we arrived, just gave us all a glace, then continued staring at whatever he was watching. I hated the look that Ruben gave me when he saw that; it was exactly the look I wanted to avoid getting. I don’t want his pity; I just need his help.
Ruben and Emma left not long after because Connie was starting to droop. After making Dad a Horlicks, I swung her up into my arms and carried her to my bed. Our bed, I guess, as she’s moving in with me. Just thinking about it gets me a little excited.
The thought of having her here with me every day is more than I ever thought I would get. I do worry that she’s putting too much on herself. The baby is going to be more than enough to look after, let alone taking on my dad during the day while I’m at work as well. I argued with her decision, because her coffee shop is her life, but she was adamant that as soon as she can find a full time manager that she is taking a step back, and will seriously reduce her hours so she can help with both the house refurbishment and with Dad. I don’t know what I did in a previous life to deserve her; I must have been Mother Teresa or something.
Connie starts removing her clothes the minute I shut my bedroom door. I take a few steps back so I can lean against the door and watch. She pulls her oversized t-shirt over her head and slides her legging down her legs. She looks over at me when she’s standing in just her white underwear. It’s nothing especially sexy, just a white cotton bra and knickers, but she looks fucking stunning. She’s always had sexy curves that I love to grab on to, but even in the early stages of her pregnancy they have already filled out further. My eyes lock on her full tits that are barely contained by her bra, and just thinking of feeling their weight in my palms has my already hard cock twitching.
“Fuck, you’re sexy,” I say, pushing off the door and heading over to her. I immediately set about doing what I just imagined, and reach behind her to undo her bra. As soon as the cups fall away from her skin, I replace them with my hands. “Fuck, yes,” I mutter, before leaning forward to suck one of her nipples into her mouth.
“Oh fuck,” she moans loudly. “They’re so sensitive. Oh God.”
I can’t help smiling as I up my suction while pinching the other one with my fingers, putting everything into trying to make her come from this alone.
I give her a gentle shove backwards. The backs of her knees hit the bed, making her sit down, and I gently lower her down until she’s laid out beneath me. I pick up where I left off, but with the other nipple, once she’s comfortable.
“Fin, oh my God, shit, fuck. So close…so close…”
She must decide that she can’t take it anymore, because I feel her arm skim the side of my face as she moves it and shoves her hand inside her knickers, making me groan.
“Fuck, baby, yeah, make yourself come.” I do one hard, long suck of her nipple, and that combined with her own fingers pushes her over the edge, and she screams my name.
“Shit, was I loud?” she asks when she comes back to earth.
“Yeah, but you know I love it when you’re loud,” I reply with a shit eating grin on my face. She’s the sexiest thing on the planet, and that only gets better when she’s screaming my name in ecstasy.
“But your dad,” she says, looking a little embarrassed, which doesn’t happen often.
“Couldn’t give a fuck,” I say, before leaning back over her and taking her mouth, showing her what I want to do to other parts of her body.
This is it for us now. No more hiding, no more fucking about. She is mine. Well, she always has been in my head, but now it’s official. I want to spend the night showing her what she means to me, how much I love her. How much I appreciate her and how fucking glad I am that she has given me yet another chance. This time, I’m going to prove to her that I can be a man that she deserves. I want to make her proud to be standing by my side.
After dropping Connie at the coffee shop the next morning, I return home to find Dad sat at the dining table, which is unusual.
“Is everything okay?” I ask as I walk in to join him.
“Yes, son, everything’s fine.” I breathe a sigh of relief like I do every time I come home to find him here mentally. “I need to show you something.”
I pull out a chair and sit down next to him as he slides some paperwork over. I look at it curiously, because I have no idea what to expect.
“What’s this?” I ask, confused, after a couple of minutes. This can’t be right.
“It’s yours, all of it. Has been for years.”
I just stare at him like he’s suddenly sprouted another head. “You’re going to need to explain.”
“I had everything put into your name when my health started deteriorating.”
“But…how? You’d have needed my signature. I would have known,” I say, starting to question how much he really is with it right now.
“I might be losing my marbles, Fin, but I’m not stupid. I got you to sign it when you were late for work one morning, told you some crap about it being for a trust fund you had that we needed access too.”
I continue to just stare at him, so he continues.
“I was listening to what you were saying with your friends last night, and you’re going to need money to do all the work this place needs. Well, this house is in your name, so take some money out of it. Make a nice home for your girl and your baby.” When he’s finished, he gets up and walks off, leaving me shocked and staring at the peeling wallpaper.
Well, fuck me.
My life really is turning a massive corner.
Chapter Nine
Connie
It’s been four months since we all found out the truth about Fin’s secret life, and just as I said, my family rallied around and things are really looking up. The house is now almost finished and ready for our new arrival in a little over eight weeks’ time. Every room has been cleaned, painted and had new soft furnishings added. I can’t thank Lilly enough for everything she has done. Her vision has helped us restore the house back to its former glory with a few modern twists thrown in here and there. It’s cost a small fortune, but as it turned out that this place was Fin’s and had been for a while, he was able to take some money out of it to do all the work. He’s organised for a new valuation to happen in the new year; he’s hoping the work will have paid itself off.
Fred’s been doing really well. Fin is convinced that it’s because of me and Bob, but I don’t know. He thinks that having a woman around the house and something to look forward to has given him something to focus on.
“There you are,” Emma says from behind me. She squeezes in next to me and puts her arm around my shoulders. “It’s stunning, Con. What if you’re wrong, though? What if Bob’s not a boy?”
I glance around the room that is opposite our bedroom. It’s painted a very soft pastel blue with light oak and white nursery furniture all set up, ready for its occupant to arrive.
“It’s a boy,” I say confidently, like I do any time anyone questions me. We didn’t find out the sex at the twenty-week scan. The little bugger was in an awkward position and the sonographer said that she wasn’t confident enough with what she could see to make an accurate assessment. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s a boy. One hundred per cent.
“Okay. Anyway, are you ready to go?”
I can’t believe it, but tomorrow is a day I never thought I’d see. My big brother’s w
edding day. After saying they were going to have a long engagement because they hadn’t really known each other that long, we were all amazed to hear that they’d set a date. Apparently, Emma couldn’t help herself once she started researching and planning. So, the twenty-eighth of December it was. It was Emma’s choice, because Christmas used to be her and Hannah’s favourite time of the year, and she needed a reason to love it again.
Us girls are all headed to the hotel where the reception is going to be held for a hen day at the spa and an overnight stay. The boys are going to my parents’ house. God only knows what they are doing, though. They won’t tell us.
“Yeah, I just need to grab my bag.”
“I don’t think so. You head down and I’ll grab it.”
I flash Emma a look of annoyance but do as I’m told. If I don’t, she’ll tell Fin, and then I’ll be in serious trouble.
He’s been on edge with me ever since he found out about Bob. He’s so worried that history is going to repeat itself and something is going to go wrong. He has dragged me to the doctor’s and the maternity ward way too many times to count over the past few months. I’m pretty sure our midwife is sick to death of us already, and can’t wait for me to give birth.
I can’t say he’s totally overdramatic, though, because his concern a couple of weeks ago was warranted. I wasn’t feeling right, I was queasy and I was getting some pain. I tried to hide it from him, thinking it was just pregnancy aches, and I’d probably done too much helping around the house when he wasn’t watching me. But a trip to the maternity ward later and it turned out I was showing signs of premature labour. I was kept in overnight for monitoring, but let home the next day under strict instructions to take it very easy for the next few weeks.
So now Fin is even more on edge that he was before. He’s fussing around me constantly, making sure I’m okay, getting me anything I may want or need. I love him dearly, and I know he’s trying to make life better for me, but he is doing my fucking head in! I know I’ve got to take it easy, but I’m not the invalid he makes me out to be. This baby cannot come soon enough.
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