“Speaking of checking on things,” Elowyn’s voice took on the teasing tone that meant trouble, “when do we get to meet this girlfriend that showed up on your Instagram? You’ve been too quiet about her.”
The table went silent—curious eyes turning my direction. Even the kids stopped eating to listen.
“Her name’s Alex,” I said carefully, aware that every word mightbe dissected later. “She owns an animation studio in Salt Lake.”
“Animation?” Belle’s eyes lit up. “Like movies?”
“More like video games and commercial work. But they’ve done some film projects.”
“How long have you been dating?” This from Móraí, who never bothered with subtlety.
“Few months,” the lie came smoothly enough, though my chest twisted saying it.
“She must be special,” Mom observed, “for you to mention her to Lou.”
My ears grew hot.
“She is,” I nodded, then found myself adding, “Alex is... incredible. Smart, successful, funny. Builds things instead of just talking about them.”
The words felt true even as I said them. Too true. Alex was all those things—and she’d made it clear our arrangement was just that. An arrangement.
“Will she be coming to the wedding?” Belle asked hopefully.
“She’s in the wedding. Alex is Enzo’s sister and his maid of honor.”
“Oh!” Belle’s eyes went wide. “So we’ll definitely get to meet her.”
Her certainty made my chest hurt.
“This sounds promising, Finn,” Elowyn smiled with her characteristic directness. “I’m happy for you.”
Before I could figure out how to respond, Dom jumped in with perfect timing.
“Speaking of the wedding,” he grinned, “Enzo’s driving me crazy with seating charts. Apparently, there’s some complex algorithm for who can sit near who without starting family drama.”
The attention shifted away from my love life and toward the safer territory of Dom and Enzo’s wedding planning. I caught Dom’s eye across the table and offered a small nod of thanks for the rescue.
As the conversation moved to venue logistics and cateringdecisions, I felt the telltale warning signs of exhaustion starting to settle behind my eyes. Too much travel, too many voices, too many questions about things I wasn’t sure how to answer anymore.
I pushed food around my plate, participating when directly addressed but letting the family chatter wash over me. Belle was explaining some three-tier plan for the ceremony decorations while Lucas argued about whether horses should be involved somehow. Normal family chaos that would have driven me crazy years ago but now just felt—safe.
My phone buzzed against my leg. Finally, Alex had sent another message.
Lou:Heard you boys made it in safely. Hope you’re settling in well. Penny wants to know if Uncle Finn brought her anything from California.
Not Alex. I typed back a quick response about having something for Penny, then put the phone away without checking for any other messages.
“You okay, son?” Dad’s voice was quiet, meant just for me.
“Just tired,” I managed a smile. “Long travel day.”
“Well,” Mom stood to clear plates, “we don’t need to solve all the world’s problems tonight. You kids probably want to catch up and get some rest.”
“I can help with cleanup,” I offered, but she waved me off.
“Lucas and Jack are on dish duty. Part of their allowance negotiations,” she shot the kids a look that suggested this was a well-established agreement. “You go relax.”
I stood, my left hip catching slightly from sitting too long, first on the plane and then at the table. “Think I’ll get some air first.”
