by Lucy Gage
As we drove to Peyton’s Place in Williston, Fin explained how she’d come to purchase the inn from her parents.
By the time she’d finished her story, we were nearly at the inn, and I was even more in awe of her than I had been all those years ago. Not only had she salvaged her parents’ dream when her father’s health took a turn for the worse, but she’d also assumed ownership of the inn and expanded the reach with the help of her partner, the inn’s long-time chef, Anna.
“It’s your calling,” I noted.
“I wouldn’t have guessed, but yes. We’re thriving now. It took a couple of years to fix the mess my parents made of the finances—they’re great with ideas, but not so good with execution. The event hosting has been a huge boost, though, so we moved into the black a year ahead of schedule. Hopefully, Ness has a head for business. I can tell you that they don’t prepare you for reality at school. There’s only so much you can simulate. A lot of it is flying by the seat of your pants while still attempting to follow your business plan.”
We pulled into the parking area at Peyton’s Place, and my mouth formed an “o” in astonishment as I goggled at the beautiful white farmhouse with its wrap-around porch. The landscaping had been done by either a talented amateur or a skilled professional, with late-season flowers, lush greenery, and a stunning gazebo near the back.
“Wow. This place is beautiful.”
“Thanks. I can’t take credit for all of it. Mom and Dad started the process years ago. But I did work with Anna’s husband Luis on a landscape plan that would make us a spot worthy of gorgeous photos.”
“Is he a landscaper?”
“Landscape architect. He worked his way through undergrad at the inn. We’re all family here.”
“It’s amazing. I can’t wait to see the rest.” I grinned, and my heart did a happy dance that she returned it.
“I better head inside. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Moments after she turned off the ignition, my aunt and uncle’s Escalade rolled to a stop beside us. From the back, Gabe exited as I stepped from Fin’s Subaru.
“Holy shit, you made it!” Gabe shouted. He ran around the car and gave me a bear hug with his linebacker frame. “I wasn’t sure if you’d get cold feet.”
I laughed. “Isn’t that my line?” We moved apart, and I said, “Lookin’ good, brother.” And he was—the prospect of marriage wasn’t stressing him in the least, and he’d wisely cut his thick, chestnut hair a couple weeks ago.
“You, too. Was missing my bachelor weekend worth it?”
“It was. The project’s a ‘go.’ Formal announcement when I get back to Cali.” My aunt and uncle made their way to where we stood. “Aunt Ellie, Uncle Mick, it’s good to see you both.”
“We’re so happy to see you, Reid,” Aunt Ellie said as she embraced me. My uncle shook my hand. “Hard to believe Gabe is getting married, isn’t it? It seems like yesterday that you two were running around the yard in diapers.”
“Mom,” Gabe admonished.
“Let her have her nostalgia, son,” Uncle Mick chided. “You’re her only child.” He clapped Gabe on the back. “We’ll see you boys inside. The Crawfords should be here soon.”
When they were twenty feet away, I faced Gabe and stared him down. “What?” he asked.
Ryan had been in Destin, so he knew the score immediately after it had happened. But I’d spilled my guts to Gabe on the phone that night, and he’d rushed to the house from Miami so that he could console me. If anyone understood the way I’d pined for Fin all these years, it was my best friend. Hell, he’d seen me through more than one relationship failure since that ill-fated week.
“I’m sorry. You didn’t want to know details. Sadie had her heart set on the inn before I realized who owned it.”
“I’m not upset. I just wish I’d had more time to mentally prepare. You know that I like to have all my ducks in a row.”
Ryan walked up to us, snorted, and fake coughed— “Control freak.” —then coughed again.
“Shut up, asshole. You could have said something—either of you—before lunch today.
“Would it have made anything better?” Gabe wondered.
I sighed. “Probably not.”
“How was the drive?” Ryan asked.
“It was good. We talked most of the time. Thanks a lot, by the way. Nice of you to spring all of that on me.”
“Sometimes, you have to be shoved in the right direction, Reid,” Ryan said with a shrug.
I turned to Gabe to protest, and he threw up his hands. “I happen to agree with him, but the plan for lunch was all Ry and Stef. I didn’t know about it until he called on the way here,” Gabe assured me. “Let’s check in. I need a drink before I deal with Sadie’s mother this weekend.”
“I thought you liked her mom?” I asked as we walked toward the inn’s front door.
“Before the wedding, I loved her. The closer it gets, the more unbearable she becomes.”
“Has Sadie been like that, too?”
“Nah. Sadie’s mellow, but her mom is a Bridezilla. We’re paying the bill, though, so I don’t have to do what she says. It’s still a pain in my ass.”
Clapping him on the shoulder, I said, “Only one drink, then. I don’t want your future wife to hate me because you were drunk at the rehearsal and hungover at the wedding.”
Ryan laughed. “Yeah, you don’t want her on your bad side.” Gabe winked.
“Let’s go, you three,” Aunt Ellie reprimanded. “We only have so much time to ourselves.”
Fin checked the Watson clan into Peyton’s Place. While Gabe and his parents went over some details for the rehearsal dinner, and Ryan wandered off with Stef—who supplied the alcohol and would be acting as a bartender during the event—the inn’s owner gave me the tour.
With each room we entered, I marveled at the attention to detail that offered high-end touches where they counted and kept everything else down-to-earth. Everywhere you looked, Fin’s father’s artwork hung on the walls, and even a tech geek like me could see that the pieces influenced the style in each room.
She led me to a door at the end of a hallway off the kitchen and dining area. “This is me,” she said, inclining her head toward the oak door that looked more like an exterior fixture than an interior one.
“How do people contact you late at night?” Immediately, embarrassment flooded my face with heat. “Ah, I mean…”
She offered me another one of those fabulous laughs, and I almost didn’t mind my mortification. “It’s okay, Reid. That was a valid question. They can knock, call my line, or ring the bell as a last resort.” Her finger pointed to a doorbell.
“It’s almost like a separate apartment.”
“That’s exactly what it is. Want to see it?”
In my chest, my heart thrummed, and in response, I did the only thing I could, I nodded.
Her place reflected the Fin I’d fallen in love with over that week of March six years before. Overstuffed, comfortable couches dominated the space. A small neat, galley kitchen sported all a cook could need, and though there was ample square footage for a dining table without larger living room pieces, it appeared that Fin used the bar for eating when she was in here. Off the main living area, four doors interrupted the walls, and between them, bookcases stood with a vast library covering the shelves top to bottom.
“That one is my office,” she said, pointing a room a few feet away. “I use it for the business, but I also write in there.”
“You haven’t given up your dream, then?”
“I have more than one dream now.” I nodded my understanding. “Bathroom, closet—” she pointed at two doors opposite where we stood “—and this is my bedroom.”
With those final breathless words, my heart raced. “Just yours?” I dared to ask, taking a step closer to her with each syllable. Whether the erratic rhythm was terror, excitement, or a pending heart attack, I couldn’t be sure.
“Just mine.”
At that point, I’d landed mere inches from her. Fin’s hand reached for me and tentatively touched the fabric of my Oxford. Her eyes didn’t meet mine but followed the path her fingers made along my buttons. I cleared my throat.
“Fin—”
“Just kiss me, Reid. Please.” She looked at me, and in her eyes, I saw the lust I was feeling.
“Are you sure—”
“You talk too much,” she said with a chuckle. And then she cupped my cheek before she fused her lips with mine.
The memories I’d recalled in the pub slammed into me, hard, and I couldn’t help my eager response. With one hand in her hair and the other pressing her pelvis to my now-aching crotch, I’m sure I’d have seemed too aggressive if she wasn’t pushing her breasts into my chest and kissing me with ages of bottled passion.
That’s what it was for me, at least.
I pulled away for some air. “God, Fin.” When I nuzzled her nose, she returned the gesture.
“I think I’ve been waiting six years for that,” she murmured.
“Really?” I couldn’t hide my shock.
“Do you know how stupid I felt that day, Reid?” she asked as she leaned away.
“I wish you’d have let me explain then.” God, how I regretted that I hadn’t told her the truth from the beginning. But I’d hated the idea of reliving the humiliation of catching Kelsey and Barrett in more passionate throes than I’d ever had with my only sexual partner up to that point.
“Stef told me. Later, I mean. He explained it. I wished you’d called me. I could have apologized for how I left.” She stepped from my arms and wrapped hers around her, clasping her elbows. “Though, I had to get a new phone when I dropped mine in the toilet at the airport. Not that a call would have changed my stance. I wasn’t mature enough then to see that you weren’t lying on purpose.”
“You wouldn’t have given me another chance?”
“I don’t know, Reid. At the time, I didn’t think so.”
“And now?” I swallowed, needing to hear her answer but afraid at the same time.
“Before today? I would have been unsure.” She walked back toward me. “After that kiss, I’m entertaining the idea.”
“Are you? So, does that mean…”
Her fingers curled around my belt, and she tugged me closer. Our hips bumped, and I groaned. My dick was still stiff and ready. Fin inhaled, and her breasts heaved toward me. My palm caressed the left one, and as the thumb grazed her hardened nipple, she gasped. “It means…”
The phone at her hip beeped, and a voice said, “Crawfords are here, boss. Shall I check them in?”
Fin leaned her head against my chest then chuckled. “Duty calls.” She pressed a button and said, “I’ll be there in a minute. You can help them get started.”
“Got it,” said the disembodied voice.
Looking up, she said, “Go. Get ready, calm yourself down, whatever you need to do.”
“And? Later? Do we get more of what was just happening here?”
“We’ll see. I’ll think about it.”
“You’re killing me, Fin,” I groaned.
As she moved away, she said, “I think you’ll survive.” She laughed.
I captured her hand and dragged her back into my arms. “Promise me you’ll do more than think about it.”
Her hand reached between us and stroked. When I opened my mouth, Fin’s tongue swept inside for one more dance. She pulled away abruptly, her lips swollen, lust swimming in her eyes that reflected my own.
Backing toward the door, she said, “I will definitely do more than think. I usually lock up for the night at eleven. If someone wanted to see me after that, they could knock three times.” With that, she opened the door for me and pointed to a nearby staircase. “Those lead to the hall with your room.”
She disappeared the way we had come, and I slowly walked up the curving flight into the hallway where my room was located. Inside the suite, I leaned against the door, hornier than I had been in six years. There was no way I could see my family in this state.
Locking the door, I wandered into the bathroom. In the shower, I took care of business with images of Fin on my mind. Though I’d done that many times in the past, her sexy moans and plump lips appeared fresh in my memory.
Thank fucking God. Now that we’d acknowledged a renewed sexual attraction, maybe I could convince her to give the rest of it another shot.
We had about an hour before Sadie’s family arrived. Though I’d known Sadie since undergrad, I’d never met the Crawfords. They embodied the elitist attitude I’d hated when I saw it on campus at Williams, and I didn’t envy Gabe.
Nonetheless, after the rehearsal, we sat amiably on the inn’s patio under a pergola at a long, sumptuous table, covered with a family-style dinner and eclectic place settings. The floral arrangements clearly came from the surrounding gardens, and Fin had said they locally sourced as much of their food as possible, most it from her parents’ farm and Stef’s business partner Jerry’s brewery.
Just as the servers brought drinks, a voice I loathed to hear said, “I’m here! The party can start, now!”
Kelsey. Shit.
My eyes widened in terror. No. She could not be here. Not now. I knew Kelsey would show up for the wedding—after all, Gabe had met Sadie when, on a visit to Williams, my ex had begged him to be her roommate’s date for an on-campus event. The couple had fallen hard and fast, and they’d been together ever since.
But after a failed attempt at matchmaking me and my ex during my cousin’s Sonoma winery engagement party last fall, I’d begged Sadie to never do it again. And I knew for a fact that Gabe had insisted on a small wedding party of two on each side so that Sadie could use that as an excuse when she didn’t include Kelsey in her bridal party—Sadie had two biological sisters, and Gabe had Ryan and me.
Why the hell was she crashing the pre-wedding festivities? I thought for sure that I had at least another twenty-four hours before I needed to dodge the minefield that was my former girlfriend. In those precious moments, I’d hoped to woo Fin. That seemed doomed now.
“Kels!” Sadie cried. Despite her brave face, I sensed panic in her voice and expression. She embraced her former roommate. “I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow.”
“You knew I couldn’t stay away when I’d be so close by.”
“I thought you were flying back tonight?” Gabe asked as he hugged Kelsey.
She shooed that idea. “I couldn’t stay away. My bestie is getting married! I had to be a part of as much as I could!”
Ryan cleared his throat. “You do realize this is a catered activity, right? You weren’t included in the headcount.”
“Nonsense! I’m sure they can make room for one more. Well, one-plus,” she said, smoothing her billowy dress over her belly to reveal a swell. “Don’t you think so, Reid? So good to see you. How long has it been?” She stepped toward me, and I backed away.
“Not long enough. You can’t invite yourself, Kelsey.”
From behind me, I heard, “It’s no trouble.” Fin approached Sadie and touched her arm. “You know Anna. She made extra. We want the bride to be happy. If you and Gabe need us to make room, we will.” I didn’t miss her pointed look at Kelsey—Fin wanted her to know that this was up to the important people, and her old nemesis did not make the cut.
Of course, I knew Sadie would cave. She’d never been able to say no to Kelsey. Ever. Which was how she’d found her passion—history—and met Gabe, so I suppose she was hesitant to go against the grain. I’d learned from Gabe that Sadie hadn’t been desperate for a companion that night she met my cousin. Her roommate had forced her to dump her previous date so that I would go instead of using my cousin’s visit as an excuse to skip.
Typical Kelsey. And once again, she was orchestrating the situation to be what she wanted.
“If it’s not a problem,” Sadie said.
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“Nonsense, darling,” Mrs. Crawford declared as she wrapped her arms around Kelsey. “We always make room for family. You can sit beside me.” Sadie’s mother ran her hand over Kelsey’s belly. “We’ll catch up.”
Inwardly, I sighed in relief. My seat was at the opposite end of the table, nearer my family members.
“I’d love that, Mama C,” Kelsey said, but I’d known her long enough to catch the slightly-pursed lips which indicated she was not pleased.
As Gabe walked back to his seat, he muttered, “This is the kind of shit that has been driving me fucking nuts. I’m not sure one drink will be enough. How long until we head to Stef’s place?”
I suppressed a laugh, and Ryan said, “Too damn long.”
Dinner progressed as planned after that. I did my best to ignore Kelsey’s loud mouth and penchant for monopolizing the conversation. At one point, my father leaned toward me, and in a throwback to the years when we were closer, he clinked his glass of Scotch to my beer, then said, “You dodged a bullet there, kid.” I smiled, and he winked.
Near the end of the gathering, I excused myself for a bathroom break. On my way back to the patio, I ran into Kelsey. She rubbed her belly and approached me.
“Would you like to feel your son kick, Reid?”
Stunned, I gawked at her and saw her eyes dart over my shoulder before they engaged with mine again. I glanced where she’d been looking, and I saw Fin walking away.
“Are you kidding me?” I whisper shouted. “We both know that the last time either of us saw the other was in the fall. Even if we’d slept together then—and you know we didn’t, because you were puking your guts out all night long—you’d have long given birth before now.”
“Don’t you remember that night in February when I saw you at the art show in San Francisco?”
I furrowed my brow. “Cade’s photography exhibit?”
“That night, remember? You had a little too much to drink, so maybe you’ve forgotten.”
“Cut the bullshit, Kelsey. I know for a fact that I wasn’t drinking that night because I had a sinus infection and was on antibiotics. And I spent the entire night with Ness.”