I suck in a deep breath as my eyes ping between each star in the cluster.
Finn moves his finger in an arch. “The butterfly shape is hard to see—”
“I can see it,” I interrupt. My eyes burn, threatening to spill tears. “It’s magnificent.”
He breathes a sigh of relief and sets his free hand over mine on his chest. “Every time we went outside at night, she’d ask me to look for it. And often it wasn’t visible, but when it was, she made a wish on it. Sometimes I go to the planetarium and send the view to the Butterfly Cluster, and I sit there talking to her. Ipretend she’s listening to me ramble, and occasionally I laugh at the absurdity of it.”
Finn shifts, and I turn onto my side with my head on my elbow. He does the same, facing me until we’re a mirror image of each other. Only our outlines are visible in the dim light from outside, but I can feel his gaze warm and steady on me.
“But what if it’s not absurd at all?” he says. “I painted you here months ago. The same stars Clara wished on every chance she got.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear as a tear drips from my eye and seeps into my arm. “Millie, she pointed me right to you.”
My chest aches and my lips quiver from trying to hold back my sobs.
“I wish you could see how much you’ve done for us,” he whispers. “I’ve laid all the shattered pieces of myself in front of you over the last few months. All the broken fragments I’ve been trying to glue back together on my own. The grief and the pain and all my flaws and insecurities.” He cups my face in his palm. “But you weren’t afraid of it. In fact, you’ve been helping me put it all back together in little ways since I met you.”
I scoot closer to him until my cheek rests on his biceps and my nose brushes his soft cotton shirt. His scent fills my lungs as I breathe in to say, “You’ve done the same for me. You and the girls have healed my soul in countless ways.”
Finn squeezes his arms around me, surrounding me in his warmth and safety. “That’s because we love you.”
My heart stutters on its next beat. “You do?”
He nudges me onto my back, and our gazes collide as he leans over me. My eyes have adjusted to the lack of light enough that I can see the sparkle in his navy blues. He’s outlined by the glowing stars behind him, but his eyes shine brighter. I smooth my handsup his arms and let the hair tickle my palms as he shivers under my touch.
“Of course I love you.” He bends and touches his lips to mine. “Could you not tell when I bought you an entire shelf of books?” A kiss to my jaw. “Or by the way I’m obsessed with basking in every one of your smiles?” Another kiss to the hollow of my throat. “Or could you not tell by how you draw endless smiles out of me?” His lips come back to mine. “Or how I let you beat me at Catan that one time?”
My vision goes blurry as tears gather in my eyes.
His palm settles over my chest, right above my heart. “I don’t need the sun when you’re here,stella mia. You’re the brightest star in my universe, and I’ve been orbiting around you since you poured coffee all over me. I could spend the rest of my life watching you shine.”
His words slide over me like a second skin before they settle into my soul, completely warping my view of the future and replacing it with a movie montage of years to come. An image of Finn and me flashes by, our hands clasped as we walk down the aisle between rows of family and friends. Jubilant smiles cover our faces, with two flower girls following behind us. Then the picture glitches to a bedroom—to tired eyes and messy hair as we lean together over a baby with navy blue eyes. The next image is Avery and Eloise trying to push a stroller through the park together while Finn wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses my head.
A tear slips down my temple as I whisper, “I didn’t pour coffee all over you.”
Finn runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “You did. You also broke my nose and my car.”
“But you still love me,” I say through a watery laugh.
A smile tugs at his mouth as he removes his glasses, setting them next to the blanket. “They’re some of my favorite things about you.”
My heart bursts right through my chest. Maybe she wasn’t a wanton floozy all this time. Maybe she just knew how impeccable it would feel for Finn to hold her in his palm. How safe it would be there, exactly where she was meant to land.
My voice comes out hoarse as I whisper, “I love you too.” Then he glides his lips over the corner of mine, and I seal our mouths together in a kiss that could blind the universe.
Chapter 45
Finn
A groan rolls from my chest as our tongues collide, dancing in a sensual rhythm. Millie wiggles her hips beneath me. Her soft whimpers fill the room as I leave a trail of kisses on her neck and suck at her sweet skin.
Pulling back, I study her glistening eyes and already swollen lips. It feels impossible to memorize every part of this moment, but I want to try. I’ll absorb every little detail through my hands, eyes, ears, and mouth, until they’re branded into my memory forever.
Millie watches me as my gaze roams over her body, my Catan shirt loose over her torso and tight black leggings covering her hips and thighs. Soft cotton brushes against my skin as I settle my hands on the hem of her shirt, and she sits up to help me remove it.
Her skin is blazing beneath my palms as I slide them around her waist and over her ribs, pulling the shirt up as I go. A quiet gasp seeps from her lips when my thumbs graze her nipples. The hard peaks beg for my focus, but I continue my path up until she’s completely uncovered, creamy skin and full, round tits on display.
The room falls into a stark silence as she waits for my next move. Fuck, she looks like a dream come true right now. Every fantasy I’ve ever had wrapped up in a beautiful woman who cares about me and makes me smile andlovesme.
“Why did I wait so long to tell you you’re everything to me?” I ask, shaking my head.
