“Surprise, huh?” He hands a clean plate to Theo. “Should I be scared?”
“I promise you’ll like it. No spiders involved.”
He shoots me a playful glare. “Okay. I’m in.”
I let go of Finn’s arm and find Tessa at the table sliding the Catan game board pieces into place. “Who’s playing?” I ask.
“Fable, me, you, Finn, and maybe Theo, if Fable lets him.” Tessa grins conspiratorially. My poor little sister’s been hiding in her room, avoiding the man since Eva went home after dinner.
My dad yawns from the couch where he’s sitting with Avery and Eloise on either side of him while Mom reads the girls a book. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, watching the two of them live out their grandparent dreams. They’ve doted on the girls all day, catering to their every need and want. My mom even let them blow out the candles on her birthday cake.
“Think Finn wants to play?” Tessa asks, setting the bags of pieces around the table.
“He definitely does,” I tell her, peeking over my shoulder to make sure he can’t hear me. “But he’s really good. So we need a plan.”
***
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Finn says, eyebrows puckered as he scans the game board. “One, two, three different people could’ve blocked you from getting the points for the longest road and didn’t. It’s almost like they wanted you to win.” He studies me suspiciously.
“I kicked your ass, Spock,” I brag, taking a victory lap of high fives around the table. “You’re just jealous.”
His eyes narrow as I drop back into my spot, and Tessa and Fable snicker. Did I ask everyone to secretly gang up on Finn with me? Absolutely. Was it worth it? One hundred percent.
I shrug, grinning at his pinched expression. He’s so cute when he’s worked up over a board game. “I’ve dethroned the king of Catan.”
He shakes his head. “Does it still feel like a victory if you had to steal it?”
“Heck yeah. That look of grumpy confusion on your face makes it all worth it.”
Finn reaches for my waist, but I manage to escape my chair just in time. I sneak to the living room to check on the girls andfind them sleeping on either side of my dad, his snores so loud between them that I don’t know how they can stay asleep through it.
After walking back to the table, I lean over Finn’s shoulder. “Want to help me get the girls upstairs? Then we can go to your surprise.”
I guess he forgives me for the Catan win because he says, “Sounds good.”
We trudge up the stairs to my childhood bedroom, each of us carrying a sleeping child. The walls are still bright yellow from the time I read that yellow rooms make people happy and convinced my dad to help me repaint it. I had painted it poppy red the year before, so he wasn’t pleased with the sharp turn in an entirely different direction, but he worked on it for two straight days anyway.
The dim fairy lights hanging from the ceiling greet us as we deposit the girls onto the air mattress my mom set up for them. Finn gets the bed I slept in as a teenager, complete with sunflower sheets.
When Eloise is tucked into her spot, I stand to find Finn scanning my wall of books.
“No judging my book choices,” I tell him.
His eyes snap to mine. “Twilight?” he questions, brows almost to his hairline.
“Of course I haveTwilight,” I whisper-yell, crossing my arms.
“Team Edward or Jacob?”
Never in my life would I have guessed that Dr. Finn Ashford knew even an ounce of information aboutTwilight. “Team Edward, but I have a very special place in my heart for Jacob.”
“You think sneaking into a girl’s room to watch her sleep is okay?”
“Maybe I do, given the right circumstances. Like, is he a sexy vampire? Then, yes. Does he sparkle? Then, yes.” I turn on my heel and walk out the door.
“I didn’t take you for a girl who likes stalkers,” he says, following close behind me and pinching my hip lightly.
“I didn’t take you for a guy who knew anything aboutTwilight, but I guess we all have our secrets.”
