“Fine.” I let my eyes drift closed, already knowing exactly what she’s going to tell me to do. Lena believes in the power of visualizing and manifesting much more than I do, but I humor her occasionally.
“Take a deep breath,” she whispers. “And then you’re going to picture your future. Don’t think too hard about it—just let whatever comes up flow naturally through your thoughts. Don’t fight it either. I know how you are.” She pokes my knee, but I keep my eyes shut.
“Okay,” I mutter, almost nervous to see what future my subconscious is dreaming up.
“Go ahead. See what comes to mind,” she encourages.
I take a deep breath and let the sounds of the cantina become static in my ears as I try to concentrate on summoning an image of what I want in the future.
Immediately, my mind betrays me by giving me a picture of Finn and me in bed.
My shoulders tense, and I almost open my eyes to end it, but Lena soothes her hands over mine and whispers, “Keep going. Let it happen.”
Swallowing the urge to argue with her, I recenter my thoughts. It feels like I’m trying to focus a pair of binoculars on a distant view, and when the image finally clears, I can’t breathe.
Finn and I are under a navy duvet, waking up slowly to the morning sunlight trickling through white curtains. My head rests on his bare chest, my leg slung over his and his arms wrapped around me. It’s the safest place in the universe—our own little bubble away from the chaos of the outside world.
A quiet “good morning” whispers against my hair, and a kiss brushes my forehead. It’s a kiss of reverence and love, like we’ve done this a million times, but it’s still as special as the first. I look up into his eyes, the same deep blue of our duvet, and rub my hand over his short beard, feeling it tickle against my palm. He hums and pulls me closer.
The door bursts open, and Avery and Eloise jump right on top of us, giggling as Pepper hops in after them. The girls beg for pancakes, and Finn convinces them to go downstairs and wait for us in the kitchen. He drags me out of bed and kisses my lips and cheeks and neck, hands roaming all over me for a stolen moment before a busy day.
A soft hum echoes on each side of me, breaking me out of the visualization.
The fantasy I didn’t know I desired.
The perfect dream I’m heartsick over leaving.
Lena smiles and sighs. “I think you have your answer.”
***
That night, as I’m brushing my teeth, my phone chimes with a text. I rinse out my mouth and grab it from the end of my bed, excitement tingling through my fingers when I see Finn’s name on the screen.
Finn:I can’t stop eating these snickerdoodles. They’re addictive.
Millie:I stuck some dough in your freezer.??That’s my favorite way to eat it.
Finn:My favorite way involves your fingers, so I’ll have to wait until you’re here.
Chapter 19
Finn
Millie’s face as I stuck her finger in my mouth has been replaying in my mind constantly for days. The memory of her plush lips popping open on a gasp has me stifling a groan as I lower myself into my desk chair. I wave my computer mouse to wake the monitor and spend the next few minutes responding to emails.
While reading a particularly long message from a museum guest who’s grumpy about not being able to rent out the planetarium for a movie showing, something tickles my hand. When I glance down, I squeak loudly—and very masculinely, of course—and whip the unsuspecting spider off my desk.
Once my heartbeat returns to a normal rate, I compose an email.
TO: Millie Oaks
FROM: Finn Ashford
SUBJECT: Afraid For My Life
Millie,
A frightening, albeit small, spider has taken up residence near my desk. I thought you might be able to identify the specimen and inform me of the future safety of my office. IfI must evacuate, it’ll take a while to move everything into a secure location.
