Lainey nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I … wasn’t expecting that.”
She was still in his arms. “Me neither,” he said.
When she finally looked up at Finn, his jaw was tight. But this wasn’t safe. She knew what came next. How easy it would be to fall into old patterns. Late nights. Shared beds. Whispered nothings in the dark.
But she also knew what happened when the spell broke.
When someone left.
And yet, she was still in his arms, his warmth surrounding her. When she looked at him, really looked, she didn’t see the boy who left.
She saw the man who came back.
Who kissed her like she was cherished.
“Finn. What are we doing?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Finally, he said quietly, “That’s the thing, Lainey. I don’t know. But I know I’m not done with you, with us.”
Lainey didn’t know what to say to that.
Not done with her? Them?
Before she could respond, someone bumped her shoulder.
“Girl,” Autumn’s voice cut through the moment. “You didn’t tell me how hot it was going to get in here.”
Lainey turned, Finn’s arms still around her waist. Autumn stood beside her, her cheeks flushed from dancing. Dex, a few steps behind, grinning like he’d won the lottery.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Autumn added quickly as she glanced between the two of them. “Were you guys…?”
Finn stepped back. “No, it’s fine.”
Autumn’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “Okay then. The band promised to play ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’”
Lainey laughed. “That song is trouble.”
“Exactly,” Autumn said. “The fun kind. The kind that when you hear it, you can’t stay in your seat and not dance.”
She looped her arm through Lainey’s.
Lainey glanced at Finn, who hadn’t moved.
“Go ahead,” he said softly. “We’ll talk later.”
Autumn tugged her toward the other women. But her mind was on Finn, how comfortable she had been in his arms, the truth in his eyes when he said he wasn’t done.
And the worst part?
Neither was she.
Finn watched Lainey walk away.His arms ached with her absence.
He wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet.
But she didn’t look back. Autumn and the women were laughing. But he knew she felt it. Whatever that was between them.
