My father hums a happy note as he sips more of the drink. A noise he usually saves for only the most perfectly brewed cup of tea.
Mama takes up the explanation. “A few years ago, some men came to fish on the lake. They usednets.” She grits out the word as if it were a curse, and to my family, it is. “The police were called, and they were escorted from town.” Her fingers shake as she sorts through puzzle pieces. “But they left the nets in the water.”
Anger rises in a slow tide through my body.How dare they!
“Finn dived for an entire week, searching every last one out.” My mother grants her attention to the human at my side, fixing her eyes on him. “We never properly thanked you for that.”
“They were dangerous,” my mate mutters, his fingers fisting in the back of my dress.
Both my parents nod, almost in unison.
Mama takes that moment to remember there’s a pair of not-in-the-know humans in the room. She offers Finn’s grandparents a tight smile. “I used to swim every day when I was a young woman. In the ocean near my home. When I was pregnant with Isla, I would still swim. One evening, I was caught up in a discarded fishing net. I almost drowned.”
Mrs. Hammond gasps, and her husband wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders.
My mother nods. “I might have died if Patrick had not cut me free.”
“You are a good man,” my father says to Finn. “A protector of the lake and everyone living here. We would be happy to have you as part of our family.”
The proclamation shoves through me, as if The Finned One speaks in my father’s voice.
“Fine!” I announce loudly to the room, breaking the emotionally heavy moment I’m not sure how to handle. “You approve of the man I love. Fantastic. I will just shred all my well-planned arguments I had for convincing you that we’re perfect together.”
“You had written arguments?” Finn asks as he relaxes his grip to slip an arm around my waist.
His easy touching elicits only positive responses from my body, as if my skin recognized him merely as an extension of myself.
“Not yet. I was drafting them in my head. I planned to type them up tonight after this went badly. But now, everything isgoing perfectly smoothly, and I didn’t plan for that. What do I do now?”
Finn cups my cheek with his hand, guiding my eyes to his. “Start typing up plans for our future.”
EPILOGUE
ISLA
“Did you get enough to eat?”My love’s voice pulls my attention away from the window.
My mind takes a moment to focus on the words he said. “Yes. Plenty. The water is distracting me.”
Finn sets the plate full of foodstuff down and adjust the bag on his shoulder before wrapping me in his arms. Any other night, his embrace would be all I needed. But it’s been a month since I wore my second skin, and my body longs to sink into my other form.
“Of course,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my neck. “Let’s walk down. Looks like Moira and Calder are already on their way.”
He’s right. I spy the two siblings stepping off the back porch of the MacNamara house, making a straight shot for the lake.
“You coming?” Owen sidles up to the two of us, his arms clutching his selkie pelt.
He grins easily, like he always does, but I get the sense he’s more relaxed now that the truth is out about the night ofmy accident. The man actually apologized tome, not realizing I’d interpreted the event as a fated mates’ catalyst. Turned out, Owen had known about Finn’s crush, and he’d figured if I was interested in the human, I’d want to reveal my true nature on my own terms.
Because Owen is a good man who cares deeply, I found it easy to forgive the misunderstanding.
“So, you’re sticking with the wholedick out for the world to see, huh?” Finn deadpans at his best friend, indicating Owen’s naked form.
“You’re mated into a clan of selkies. Better get used to some nudity.” Owen claps Finn on the shoulder before strolling into the dark night, the pale globes of his ass cheeks the only moon on display.
Finn hooks an arm around my waist. “Are you wearing that robe for me?” he asks.
I glance down at the thick terry-cloth covering. “Yes.” He frowns, so I explain further, “You have to spend the rest of the night without me. I thought you would appreciate my attempt to desexualize myself, so you don’t suffer too much lustful longing while I’m gone.”
