“So beautiful,” he groans as he carries me through it, and my body dissolves back into the sheets.
***
Oaks Folks
Mom:Sorry to interrupt your date last night, Millie. Hope you had a great time!
Tess:DATE? Was it with that tattooed Tinder guy you sent me a screenshot of?
Dad:When are you bringing him home to meet us?
Mom:I invited him for my birthday while I was talking to Millie.
Mom:He’s quite handsome.
Fabes:Is he the one with the tiny hands in that pizza picture you sent?
Dad:Is he the one who was sick? Did he get you sick?
Millie:I don’t know if you know this, Mom, but it IS possible to text one person individually instead of announcing everything to the whole family.??
Millie:Finn was the one who was sick, and he did not infect me, Dad.
Tess:But does he have tiny hands?
Millie:His hands are perfect.
Tess:Like, perfect size to cover just your nipple or the whole boob?
Mom:Tessa Oaks. That is inappropriate.
Millie:Tess, see above message about texting individually. And they are normal six-foot-something man hands.
Fabes:Mmm. That’s the size I like.
Dad:How do I remove myself from this text chain?
The sound of Finn’s low murmur pulls my attention from my phone. The man who had his fingers inside me this morning is acting completely casual, humming aMoanasong as he drives us to work.
Luckily, I managed to sneak out of his house before the girls woke up. I rushed home and got ready, then picked him up to drive to work together.
It all feels very... domestic. Surprisingly normal.
Maybe that’s why I ask, “Do you want to come home with me tomorrow?”
His humming pauses. “I’d love to, if you’re comfortable with it.”
The thought of Finn and the girls in Fern River makes a wide grin play over my face. They could spend time in my childhood home, run wild on the farm, and meet my family. Play in the treehouse my dad built, meet my favorite horse, and dance through the flowers I helped plant last spring.
I think I want that more than my brain will let me admit.
“The girls will need swimsuits and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. And we have goats. Sometimes goats can chew on clothes or shoelaces, you know? I’ll give my mom a few ideas of foods the girls like. I don’t want them to be hungry the whole time. Oh, and I don’t know what the sleeping arrangements will be, but I’ll let you guys have my old room. There’s a full-size bed in there, and we can blow up an air mattress for the girls. I’ll crash in Fable’s room.” I suck in a deep breath to calm my rambling.
His grin is amused. Tender. “You seem nervous to bring me home.”
“I think so. Maybe.”
Finn rests his hand on my thigh, and his thumb makes a slow circle. “It’ll be perfect. I want to meet your people so they can be my people too.”
