“I did. I sent the letters to your mother’s house because I didn’t know how to reach you. I never heard back from you, so I assumed you didn’t care.”
“I never got them.” He dragged his hands through his hair. “After basic, my mom moved in with my sister in Colorado. I didn’t even know until I called months later. She never mentioned any letters.”
“They probably went to an undeliverable box or someone threw them out,” Lainey said. “I kept wondering why no one wrote back.”
Finn ran a hand down his face. “My mom loved you. She still asks about you every time I visit.”
“And I thought you’d left me behind.”
Finn’s shoulders dropped as if all the anger had gone out of him.
“I didn’t think you cared,” she said. “I thought what we had was special, but then…” She shrugged. “I thought I meant nothing to you.”
“You meant everything to me,” he said. “I just didn’t know how to make everything work.”
They both went quiet. Finn took her hand and led them to the couch. “You have no idea how much I wish I’d known. I’ve missed everything.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Lainey whispered.
Something in him broke.
How could he ever have thought that Lainey, the girl he loved when he was barely old enough to understand what love really meant, would keep something as important as this from him out of spite?
Lainey wasn’t a vindictive person, never had been.
This was on him.
He was the one who left. Walked away like a damn coward, thinking it was a noble sacrifice. Sure, he could excuse his actions by saying he thought it was for the best, that she’d move on, find someone better, achieve her dreams. He never took into consideration Lainey’s feelings, never asked what she wanted.
That was the immature boy speaking. Now as a man, what a clusterfuck he created. He left the woman he loved to fend for herself with a child. His child.
She was right. They could have made it work long-distance.
But he was here now. And he wasn’t going anywhere.
Lainey still cared. He could see it in her eyes, in her voice. How she let him touch her.
He knew he still loved her. And that boy … that boy was his responsibility. His second chance.
Maybe Lainey wanted nothing to do with him or didn’t want him in Luke’s life. Maybe she didn’t know if she trusted him to stay. And hell, he couldn’t blame her.
But he would make it up to his little family. For her. For Luke. For the family he should’ve fought for from the start.
And here she was, still looking at him like he hung the moon. Undeserving.
Still, he reached for her, cupping her face with both hands.
“I’ve never stopped thinking about you,” he said.
She leaned in, and then his mouth was on hers.
The kiss wasn’t soft. It wasn’t slow.
It was desperate. Everything unsaid crashed between them all at once.
She clutched his shirt, and Finn kissed her like she might disappear all over again.
When they finally broke apart, their foreheads touched. Breathing heavy. Hearts pounding. For a long moment, neither spoke.
