by Claire Raye
I wake the next morning to the light filtering in through the crack in the curtain. It’s late, but Finn is still asleep. Obviously we both needed the rest.
I roll over and snuggle against his warm sleepy body and he slides his arms around me.
I’ve taken today off and so has Finn. We both need time to recover from what happened last night. And a part of me wonders if I’ll ever be able to set foot in the offices of Bolton and Fisher again. The memories that I hold are unpleasant and the idea of having to walk through that parking garage again makes my stomach turn. But I guess people have dealt with worse things and moved on with their lives.
As if Finn can read my mind he says, “Have you ever thought about starting your own business?” His voice is husky with sleep and for a second, I wonder if he’s talking in his sleep.
“You awake?” I ask, tilting my head to look up at him.
“Yeah, I’m awake,” he responds, a smirk on his face and he shifts so his hard length presses against me. “Why?”
“The question was weird and I thought you might be talking in your sleep, but I can feel you’re definitely not asleep.”
He laughs a little, and says, “So have you?”
“Maybe a little, but I live with my brother and I don’t think he’d appreciate me quitting my job to pursue a pipedream.”
I think about when I lived with Ryan in Boston after I graduated and how he eventually had to kick me to the curb when I couldn’t find a job. I don’t think my ego could take that a second time. I definitely know I couldn’t go crawling back to the bar with my tail between my legs, and begging my parents to let me live with them again. It’s all so insanely embarrassing.
“It’s not a pipedream, Sarah,” Finn says sternly. “You’re good at it.”
“Being good at something doesn’t mean you can turn it into a career.”
Finn shifts again, but this time, he props himself up on his elbow, and looking down at me, he tucks my hair behind my ear.
“I’m going to be totally honest with you…” He stops and takes a deep breath. “I don’t want you going back to work there. But that’s not the only reason I brought it up. I really think you’re talented and I truly believe you can make a career out of doing what you love.”
“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with?”
“Because I watched you kick a guy’s ass yesterday and I wasn’t sure how’d you’d handle me telling you to quit your job.”
I laugh out loud and swat at Finn’s bare chest, finding his worries and his need to have me close adorable.
“I’ll make you a deal. You start your own business with the few clients you have…the pub, Kelsey’s inn, the few places you secured off Kelsey and see how it goes. In the downtime you can tend bar at the pub, but I don’t think you’ll need to.”
I contemplate Finn’s idea. I do sorta miss working at the bar. The tips were good and Erin and Ryan aren’t charging me much in rent. I could probably make it work with what I bring in doing marketing gigs and bartending a few nights a week.
“Okay,” I say, my heart racing at the idea of making a leap like this. “On one condition, when Ryan kicks me out, you better let me live with you.”
Finn’s laugh is hardy and he grabs me around the waist and pulls me on top of him. His large hand wraps around the back of my neck and he guides my mouth to his, kissing me hard and I feel him smile against my mouth.
“I’d do anything for you, Sarah.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Finn
“You would?” she asks, pulling back a little, her warm body still lying on top of mine.
I stare up at her, at this amazing, beautiful woman who is everything I never realized I even wanted. I’d never thought a long-term, committed relationship was something I needed, much less wanted in life. I could never see myself settling down with one person because I could never seem to find that one person who captivated me the way Sarah does.
But fuck me if she doesn’t do all those things and more. And after everything that happened last night, after all the things we went through and all the ways I could have so easily lost what it’s taken me a lifetime to find, I don’t want to risk losing it ever again.
“Actually,” I say, tucking her hair behind her ear, “why don’t you move in with me right now?”
“What!?” she half shouts. “No, Finn, I was only joking, seriously.”
I smile up at her. “Yeah, but I’m not,” I say, knowing this is the most serious I’ve ever been. “This is what I want,” I tell her, smoothing my hands up her back. “To wake up beside you every morning and to come home and fall asleep beside you every night. I want that life together, Sarah and I want it with you.”
She bites her bottom lip, her eyes shining with what looks like tears. I lean up and press a kiss to her lips, pull her down with me as my head falls back to the pillow, our mouths still joined.
“Are you really sure?” she whispers, forehead against mine.
I smile. “One hundred percent positive,” I tell her. “I love what we have together,” I say. “And…” I pause, suddenly nervous as I realize what I’m about to admit out loud, words I’ve never spoken before to anyone. “I love you, too.”
“Finn,” she whimpers, mouth against mine, the whispered, “I love you too,” murmured between kisses.
I deepen the kiss, rolling her beneath me now as my hands trace a slow path up the side of her body, over her hips, her waist and finally her ribcage until they reach her arms. Lifting them above her head, I slide my hands into hers so our fingers are locked together as I slowly push inside her.
“Finn,” she repeats, locking her legs around my hips.
I slowly start to move, rocking against her as we continue to kiss, our bodies moving together now. Everything about this moment feels perfect and right and something I never want to let go of.
“Sarah,” I murmur, letting go of one of her hands as I now move mine between us, finding her clit and gently starting to rub.
She groans beneath me, her head pushing back into the pillow as her body arches into mine. I lower my mouth to her breast, suck on her nipple as I continue to rub her clit and slide slowly in and out of her.
“Oh god,” she moans. “God, I’m gonna come.”
I gently bite down on her breast, my fingers pushing harder on her clit as I feel her clench around me, her body wound tight as she clings to me, her fingers digging into my back. I push deeper inside of her, pushing both of us closer until finally she cries out and we both come together.
Afterward, I collapse on top of her, my face buried against her neck, my breathing coming hard and fast.
“So, if I move in with you,” she eventually says, still breathless, “does that mean we get do that every morning and every night then?” I hear her ask.
I chuckle. “Most definitely, babe,” I reply. “Most definitely.”
Later that day, we check out of the inn and head over to the station. Neither of us is working but that doesn’t get us out of having to give our statements to Detective Greenwood. As shitty as it is though, I know both of us just want all of this to be over and done with.
And while we still have Sarah’s job and all of its drama to finalize, at least this will soon be one less thing to worry about.
When I walk into the station, even though I feel everyone turn and look at us, I still feel surprisingly calm and relaxed, knowing there’s no chance of Carla fucking things up anymore.
It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, not just because of the fear that she could do something to Sarah, but also the damage she could have done to my career. The thought that she could have so easily ruined everything I have worked so hard for.
And it’s only now that everything is finally over that it hits me just how serious all of this was. Still is really, given Carla’s mental state when she was finally taken in last night.
And despite e
verything, I do feel extremely bad for her, maybe even a little bit guilty about it all too. Although I can’t pretend to understand what she’s going through, I can still feel sympathetic to it all, can accept that however unintentional, I did have a part to play in it too.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to live with it all the stuff she is going through. To think that something we did as teenagers could have such far reaching ramifications. Or such long-lasting effects.
All I can do now is hope that Carla gets the help she needs. And that one day she can forgive me for all of this.
Detective Greenwood greets us both, a smile on his face now and a distinctly relaxed air about him. He explains how we will need to be interviewed separately and while I wait for Sarah to be done, I head into my office to get a few things squared away.
“Sir?”
I glance up and see Sam standing in my doorway. “Yeah, Sam, what can I do for you?”
He glances at the floor, a nervous look about him as he hovers in my doorway. “I ah,” he starts. “I ah, I just wanted to say that I’m glad this has all worked out.”
I smile, even though he isn’t looking at me. “Thanks,” I tell him. “And I appreciate everything you did,” I add, knowing it can’t have been easy for him to handle this, given I’m his boss. “I know it can’t have been easy for you.”
He shakes his head, finally looking up at me. “I never believed all the things she said,” he explains. “I hope you know that.”
I nod. “It’s okay, Sam,” I tell him. “I know you had a job to do and I respect that. I’m glad you were able to do it, given the circumstances.”
“Everything’s going to be alright, isn’t it?” he asks.
I nod as I catch sight of Sarah coming out of the interview room behind him. “Yeah, everything’s going to be fine.”
After she’s done, I head back to the interview room while Sarah waits in my office. This time around, speaking with Detective Greenwood, I’m much more at ease, knowing that now at least, he finally believes me.
He tells me that Carla has been taken for a psych assessment, but given everything they witnessed, not to mention the statement from Sarah and now me, it’s a sure bet that she’s going to end up being sent to a facility rather than jail.
It’s what I want for her too, never having wished for her to be ruined by all of this, even though it’s hard to believe that hasn’t already happened.
“So the investigation into me, the ah, the allegations she made. All of that will be dropped?” I ask as we finish up the interview.
Detective Greenwood nods. “Yes,” he says. “Dropped, your record will be clean and it’ll be business as usual for you,” he adds.
I smile, reaching out to shake his hand. “Thank you,” I tell him. “I appreciate it.”
He smiles back at me now and it actually feels genuine. “I know this can’t have been easy for you, Finn,” he says. “But I appreciate you letting me do my job.”
It’s late by the time we are done and after heading back to my house to drop off our things, we then head over to Pop’s house for our weekly family dinner.
“I like this,” Sarah says as we pull into the drive.
“What?” I ask, turning to look at her.
She gestures toward the house. “Spending time with your family.”
I smile as I reach over and take her hand in mine. “Think I might get to meet your family sometime?” I ask, lifting her hand to my mouth. “The rest of them I mean.”
Sarah stares back at me, a small smile on her face. Eventually she nods. “Yeah,” she says. “I’d like that. And the good thing for you, they aren’t all shitheads like my brother,” she adds.
I burst out laughing as we get out of the car. “He’s not that bad,” I say, grinning across at her.
Her smile widens. “I’ll remind you of this next time he does something to piss you off.”
Dinner with Beck, Kelsey and Pop is a night filled with laughter and easy conversation, the mood definitely lighter now all of the drama is finally over. We fill them in on how Sarah is quitting her job, setting up her own business and moving in with me. How she might tend bar a few nights while she’s setting up her business, but that she hasn’t told Erin or Ryan yet.
Beck and Kelsey share a secret smile when we tell them this and when I ask what that was for, Beck only smiles and says, “Nothing.”
Afterward, we go back to my place and while Sarah still hasn’t officially moved in, what with a lot of her stuff still being over at Erin and Ryan’s, we still use the opportunity to celebrate.
Later, after she’s fallen asleep, I lie awake, staring up at the ceiling as I once again find myself unable to sleep.
This time though, it’s for very different reasons, a lot of which have to do with the woman lying beside me. I can’t help but smile at how much my life has changed these past few months. How much better it is and how much more at peace I feel.
Shaking my head at how sentimental I’ve suddenly become, I roll over and pull Sarah into my arms. She sighs in her sleep, settling herself against me, our warm bodies pressed together.
And for the first time in a really long time, I find myself exhaling a long deep breath before I close my eyes and fall asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sarah
I take in a deep breath before I open the door to Erin and Ryan’s house because I’m about to walk in and tell Ryan I’m quitting my job. But that isn’t what’s causing me the most anxiety. I’m also about to drop the bomb on him that I’m moving in with Finn.
He’s going to tell me it’s too soon, and if we’re being honest here, it is too soon. We’ve only been officially together for a few months; three months if we’re being exact.
I’ve never felt this way about anyone; that whole heart-fluttering, stomach flip-flopping, want to be near him always thing.
It’s what people look for, search for all their lives and I found it in Finn. There’s no reason to question how I feel about him. It’s the response from Ryan and his overprotective ass that I worry about.
Finn asked if I wanted him to come with me, but I don’t need to give Ryan a reason to hate Finn all over again.
Erin’s at work and when I walk in Ryan is unloading the dishwasher, some music playing quietly.
“Hey, Ry,” I call, even though my line of sight from the front door to the kitchen is pretty good.
“Sarah,” he says, setting a glass down on the counter, “Shit, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
I just saw him the other day when everything went down with Andrew, but I haven’t had a chance to catch up with him since dealing with Carla.
He pulls me into a hug and I squeeze him hard, knowing there could’ve been a chance that I wouldn’t be standing here right now.
“Can we agree that you’re done luring crazy people into situations where you put your damn life at risk?”
“Absolutely,” I sigh, sagging against him. “That’s actually why I’m here.” I pull back and walk into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. “I’m quitting my job.” I pause waiting for Ryan to say something, to remind me how long it took me to get this job. I wait for him to remember how long I spent living with him in Boston and how this situation could possibly mirror that.
But he says nothing and I continue. “I’m going to try and start my own marketing company. I guess not so much a company because it will just be me. But I’ve picked up a few clients through Kelsey and I’m hoping some more will come from word of mouth.”
I’m talking so fast, just trying to get everything out before Ryan lays into me, but he’s just sitting across from me, waiting.
“I’m going to work at the bar and try to pick up new clients…”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Ryan cuts in, a confused look on his face.
“Because I live here?” I say, questioningly, shrugging my shoulders.
�
�You do?” Ryan laughs. “You haven’t been here in weeks. Hell, I think it’s been months by now.”
“And I’m moving in with Finn.” It comes out in a rush and Ryan laughs harder.
“Were you afraid to tell me?”
I nod meekly and he’s laughing again, but this time, it’s a deep belly laugh and I’m starting to get pissed at him.
“Stop laughing at me!”
“I’m laughing because you can corner a gun-toting rapist in a stairwell and kick his ass, but you can’t tell me about the adult decisions you’ve made?”
It’s not funny, Ryan!” I say, kicking him under the table.
“You’re Finn’s problem now. I should send him a text thanking him for taking you off my hands.”
“Oh my god, Ryan! I haven’t been that bad!”
“I know, Sarah. I’m just giving you shit. To be honest, I wasn’t really keen on you going back to work there anyway and I’m surprised Finn was.”
At times Ryan’s overprotectiveness can be stifling, but there are times that I’m glad I have him. I know he means well.
“Finn wasn’t. It was his idea that I quit and start my own business. He doesn’t seem to be as concerned about the money as I am.”
“Because he knows you’re talented. We all do.”
“Thanks, Ry.”
I head back to Finn’s house and despite it only being noon, his SUV is in the driveway and after everything we’ve been through, I panic.
There should be no good reason why he’s home.
I blow through the front door and Finn is sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper and his laptop in front of him.
“Why are you home?” I ask, the fear in my voice cutting though creating a shakiness to my tone.
He turns around smiling at me and I begin to settle down. He wouldn’t be responding to me like this if there were problems.
