Maysen Jar Box Set

by Devney Perry

  There was a Boston fern in the dining room on a pedestal, its soft green leaves draping nearly to the floor next to one leg of the oval mahogany table. A hoya in a large sage-green ceramic pot was in one corner of the living room. A weeping fig in another.

  The kitchen had a tray of succulents. There was an African violet on a coffee table, its velvety leaves begging to be touched. It reminded me of the one he’d brought me once as a random gift. I had placed it on the ledge of our bedroom window until it died.

  There used to be plants all over my house. Finn’s clients had often gifted him houseplants when a job was complete. He’d left them behind when he moved out. And slowly, heartbreakingly, they’d all died. Even the violet.

  Finn had been the one to care for them. I’d neglected them, often forgetting to water one until the soil was cracked and the leaves crispy. Each time I’d thrown one into the garbage can, I’d been heartbroken.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “You have a beautiful home. Really. It’s lovely. I can see why the kids like it.”

  In a lot of ways, it reminded me of my house. He’d created a home similar to the one we’d shared, whether he’d meant to or not.

  Finn tugged me farther into the room. “What would you like to drink?”

  “I’m not picky.”

  “I’ve got a growler with the latest amber from Bozeman Brewing.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  His grip tightened for a second, then he let my hand go so he could head into the kitchen.

  As the refrigerator door opened, I made my way over to the fireplace mantel to inspect the framed pictures. Max’s school picture was in one. Kali’s was in another, smiling brightly in her volleyball uniform. There was a selfie of the three of them crouched together on a gravel hiking trail.

  I stepped down to the other end of the fireplace, expecting more pictures of the kids. I blinked twice as my own face smiled back at me.

  One frame held a family picture of the four of us. It was from years ago when Poppy had been working to finish Jamie’s birthday list. She’d organized a paint fight, one of Jamie’s items. We’d all met in a park to throw paint-filled water balloons at one another. Jimmy and Randall had been there, and she’d even invited Cole.

  It hadn’t been long after our divorce, and that paint fight was the first time Finn had stopped being so cold and callous toward me. In the photo, a four-year-old Kali was covered in pink paint. Max was only two and his cheeks were streaked with yellow. Finn and I were covered in a kaleidoscope of colors.

  We’d been happy that day. Not long after the paint fight, Finn had come over to eat dinner with us. We’d sat down and talked after the kids had been put to bed. We’d promised each other we’d do better, that we’d get along, for them.

  He’d also told me that night that he wanted to date.

  That was the day a piece of me had shut down. The day the boundaries had fallen into place. I hadn’t come into his house after he’d bought it. I’d avoided Alcott completely. Even when we’d been having sex, I’d refused to let myself have feelings for Finn. I’d reminded myself that it was only sex.

  I’d held up those guards for years.

  They all came crashing down when I stared at the last picture.

  It was of Finn and me at my college graduation. I was wearing a black cap and gown. His parents had come to celebrate with Poppy and me, and Rayna had asked Finn and me to pose for a picture. But instead of taking a pose, Finn had wrapped his arms around my waist, trapped me against his chest and tickled my ribs until I’d laughed so hard I cried.

  Rayna had scolded him for nearly ruining my mascara. The photo she’d taken in that moment had become my favorite. It was us.

  I’d framed it for Finn’s office when we’d started Alcott. While Finn had been in the hospital and I’d gone to Alcott, I’d wondered where that photo had gone.

  It had been on his mantel the whole time.

  “Here you go.” He came into the living room and set two frosty mugs on the coffee table.

  I pointed to our picture. “How long have you had this here?”

  “A while.”

  “Define a while.”

  He gave me a small smile. “Since I moved in.”

  “The whole time?” I whispered.

  “The whole time.”

  “But . . .” My words died as my mind raced. He’d had this photo of us, just us, on his mantel for years. He’d kept it there when he could have put it in a drawer and hidden it away. He could have thrown it out. But he hadn’t. He’d left it out on display for the kids to see. For his parents and Poppy and Cole. For any visitor who’d come here. He’d left it on display, along with a family picture, for his girlfriends to see any time they came to his place. “Why?”

  He sighed. “At first, I was trying to make this place a home for the kids. I thought having pictures of you and all four of us would make them feel like this was their home too.”

  “That was six years ago. They’re plenty well-adjusted now.”

  “I know. But I couldn’t take it down. Every time I tried, my hand didn’t have the strength to lift it off the mantel. I needed to see your face every day. I needed you here. In my house.”

  Tears flooded my eyes. “We were divorced. You were dating other women.”

  He stepped closer, his hands skimming up my cheeks, his fingers disappearing into my hair. “And you stayed on this pedestal the whole time. Now you know why I’ve been dumped consistently over the last six years.”

  I laughed, dropping my gaze. Finn wasn’t the type of man who’d take pleasure in hurting those other women. Still. “You deserved to be dumped.”

  “Yeah. I was the worst boyfriend ever.” His grin fell. “And husband.”

  “No.” I pressed closer, my breasts brushing against his chest. “Not the worst. We just failed a test, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t learned.”

  His free hand banded around my back, pulling me forward until I was flush against his torso. “Let’s try again, Molly. Please. I know we won’t fail a second time. I won’t let us.”

  “On one condition.”

  He held his breath. “What?”

  “Kiss me.”

  His lips came down on mine so fast, I gasped. Finn’s tongue dove inside, twirling against my own as his lips consumed mine.

  I let out a moan, which was met by one of his. We were a mess of wet lips and grappling fingers and shuffling feet as we made our way down the hallway.

  Finn walked me backward, his arm never once leaving my back. His hand was firmly tangled in my hair, holding my head at whichever angle suited his tongue best.

  Patience had disappeared the second his lips touched mine. As I tugged at his shirt, we crashed into the wall, my hip ricocheting hard enough to tangle up my feet. Finn held tight, steadying me. But instead of continuing our walk, he pressed me against the wall.

  One of his hands moved to my breast. The other moved from my hair down to my ass. He squeezed both, the bite of his fingertips sending a rush of pleasure to my center.

  I was throbbing, aching for more. I met his darkened and hungry gaze then circled my hips forward, wanting to feel his erection beneath his jeans. It felt like years since we’d been together, not months. And tonight was more than sex.

  This was the turning point.

  Finn was claiming me. We both knew that after this, we’d never go back. We were all in, taking this journey together. Taking another chance on one another.

  There would be people who’d call us reckless for getting together when we’d already tried once, crashed and epically burned. I didn’t care what people thought. No one knew about Finn and me. No one except us.

  Finn pulled me away from the wall, his hand on my ass holding tight. The hand on my breast lifted so he could snake it around my back, then he rushed down the hall. At the doorway to his bedroom, we stumbled again, his shoulder smashing into the doorframe.

  We were like a pinball
, bouncing off every surface until we finally found the bed. We broke apart and I hopped onto the mattress, still bouncing as I ripped my shirt over my head. Finn kicked off his shoes and toed off his socks. He undid just enough buttons on his shirt to reach behind his head and pull it away.

  By the time he was unzipping his jeans, I was naked but for my thong. The moment his eyes landed on the scrap of fabric, he let out a long curse that filled the room. “Fuck.”

  “I’d love to.” I smirked. “Lose the pants.”

  His devilish grin made me shiver. The pulsing in my core was like a bass drum as he unzipped his jeans and ripped them down his legs along with his boxer briefs. His cock sprang free, thick and hard and weeping for attention.

  I licked my lips as he settled between my legs. As he leaned down, my nipples skimmed against his hard chest, making me desperate.

  Finn kissed at my neck, moving his way down my collarbone to the valley between my breasts. Then he dipped lower, his tongue snaking its way across the curve of my belly.

  “Finn.” His name was a whisper as he sank to his knees and stroked his tongue through my folds. I was so primed, so needy, I arched off the bed when he placed a soft kiss on my clit. My fingers dove into his hair, the rusty locks smooth and silky between my fingers.

  He stroked and lapped, bringing me close to an orgasm in seconds. Then, when my legs were shaking and my heart racing, he pulled away. My head flew up off the mattress, my eyes wide. Finn’s cocky grin was waiting as he wiped his bottom lip.

  One of his hands slid down his flat stomach, bringing my gaze along with it. He fisted his shaft and stroked twice.

  “God, I never thought I’d get to see this.”

  “What?” I whispered.

  “You. Naked on my bed. More beautiful than the day we met.”

  My heart. I held a hand over my bare chest to keep it from flying away.

  Finn came to me, his eyes locked on mine as he lowered his weight onto me. He dragged the tip of his cock through my center once and thrust forward, stealing my breath as he brought us together.

  I was lost in the feel of him inside me as he began to move. Just like we had for years, he made me tremble. He brought us to the edge in a way that made me forget everything but Finn.

  We came together in a rush, the build so strong and consuming I opened my mouth in a silent scream. Finn’s entire body quaked as he poured into me, the aftershocks leaving us both a loose-limbed heap on the bed.

  When we’d regained our breaths and the white spots had cleared from my vision, I smiled against his stubbled cheek. “I like your bed.”

  “Good.” He chuckled. “Because you’re sleeping in it tonight.”

  With a quick kiss on the neck, he pushed off the bed and went into the attached bathroom, flipping on a light. The sound of running water echoed into the bedroom and I smiled. He knew I liked to clean myself, and he was making sure the water would be warm when I went into the bathroom.

  I pushed off the bed and wandered around the room, my legs jelly and my steps unsure. My eyes darted into the dark closet as I passed the opening. Was that where he’d kept the letters he’d sent me? The question came out of nowhere, but I wanted to know.

  “Did you keep the letters in this closet?” I asked Finn.

  He nodded. “Yeah. In a box in the top. Why?”

  “Just curious.” I stepped into the bathroom, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the bright lights bouncing off the white stone tile on the floors and the spacious shower. The marble counter had two bowl sinks resting on top. Finn was at one. The water ran for me in the other and a washcloth had been laid out along with a new toothbrush.

  Finn finished brushing his teeth then dropped a kiss to my bare shoulder as he left the room. It didn’t take me long to join him in the bedroom, crawling under the corner of the sheets he’d turned down. The moment I was horizontal, Finn rolled on top of me, pinning me down for a slow, lazy kiss.

  “I had fun tonight,” he said after tucking me into his side.

  “Me too.” I rested on the pillow, but an odd, familiar feeling hit me. It was . . . I shot upright. “Is this my pillow?”

  He chuckled as I fluffed it and skimmed my hands over the case. “Maybe.”

  “It is. You stole my pillow.”

  He laughed harder. “So? You kept mine.”

  “I thought you’d left it behind.”

  “Only because I needed to make a clean getaway with yours. I didn’t want them both to go missing.”

  I closed my eyes and wrapped an arm around his waist. “We wasted so many years.”

  “Then we’ll make this year and all those to come count double.”

  I nuzzled closer, taking a deep inhale of Finn’s earthy and clean scent.

  “I love you.” Finn kissed my hair. “In case that wasn’t perfectly clear. I love you, my darling Molly. For the rest of my days.”

  “I love you too.” And no matter what happened, I’d tell him every day. It didn’t take long for my body to relax. I was on the verge of sleep when another question popped into my mind. “Finn?”

  “Hmm.” He was already half asleep.

  “Where did you keep those letters when we were married?”

  “In a box in the closet,” he answered.

  “Did you take it with you when you moved into the loft at Alcott?”

  He shifted to look down at me. “No. Why?”

  “Well, the last letter was written right before the divorce. Did you put it in the same box?”

  “Yeah. I came home to see the kids. Put them to bed. Wrote it before you got home.”

  Those were the limbo nights before he’d found this house. He’d come to my house in the evenings to see the kids. I’d leave for a few hours to help Poppy as she set up the restaurant. I’d get home, the kids would be asleep, and Finn would leave for the loft at Alcott.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m trying to—” The timeline of our divorce ran through my mind as I tried to recall exactly when he’d left and when that box should have been taken. “You packed up the week after the divorce.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “So . . . are you sure the letters went with you? Or could they have been taken from my house instead?”

  - LETTER -

  Darling Molly,

  You’re asleep in my bed. If I get my way, this will be the only time you wake up in this house. If I get my way, we’ll sit down and tell the kids I’m coming home tonight. If I get my way, I’ll never spend another night without you in my arms.

  We’re going to make mistakes. But I promise, if you let me get my way, from here on out my letters will be yours.

  You should really let me get my way.

  Yours,

  Finn

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Finn

  “I don’t want to get out,” Kali said from the backseat of Molly’s Jeep. Her eyes were aimed out the window, locked on the yard at Alcott. Locked on the spot where I’d been nearly crushed under a skid steer. “Do I have to?”

  “No.” I reached back and put my hand on her knee. “You can stay in the car.”

  “Can I stay too?” Max asked. He was staring at his lap, refusing to look up.

  “Yeah, son. You can stay. We won’t be long.”

  Molly and I shared a glance as she turned off the ignition. We got out and, hand in hand, walked into Alcott.

  Once we were inside the office, I glanced over my shoulder. “They’ll never like coming here again.”

  “It’s just hard right now. It will pass.”

  I didn’t agree. It had been months since the accident, and the few times I’d brought the kids here, they’d both refused to set foot on Alcott soil. They wouldn’t even come into the office.

  It was another reason the decision I’d made last week was the right one.

  “Come on.” I pulled Molly down the hallway toward my office.

  She followed, her gaze roaming over the quiet and empty office
that had belonged to Bridget.

  It had been over two weeks since Bridget quit. The first week had been chaos. I’d rushed around constantly putting out fires but then things had settled. I found a groove and got through it. I delegated more. I hadn’t missed listening to whatever drama Bridget created. I hadn’t even noticed until she was gone how much drama she caused.

  It was refreshing to work hard during the day so I could leave each night on time. Whatever got missed, well, it was there the next morning.

  The never-ending tasks didn’t rank as important as they had once.

  Molly and I had been inseparable this past week—as inseparable as two adults with two children and two full-time jobs could be. But whenever possible, ever since the morning after our movie date, we’d been together. I’d left my latest letter next to the coffee pot. She’d opened it, read it once and burst out laughing.

  Then she’d let me have my way.

  That night, we’d sat the kids down and explained we were dating. And by dating I meant I’d be living in their house and sleeping in their mom’s bed indefinitely.

  Molly and I had both thought it would be a big deal. That they’d have questions, maybe some concerns. Max’s exact words were, “Cool. Will you go play catch with me?” Kali smiled, gave me a high five then went to her room to draw.

  That was it. Then I went to my place to pack up some stuff while Molly cooked dinner. On the way, I called a property management company and started the process of renting out my house.

  In seven days, my personal belongings had all been moved home. The kids’ beds had been donated to charity. And today, a guy who’d just relocated to Bozeman was renting my former house with the remaining furniture.