by Zoe Ann Wood
They’d demolished the picnic and migrated to the couch, where they’d put on a movie but ended up talking instead of watching it. There was also kissing, which was fantastic.
He wanted to ask her to stay the night but knew he shouldn’t push her. This development was too new, too fragile, and he didn’t want to do anything to mess it up.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Iris said quietly. She glanced up at him, her gray eyes serious. “If you need anything…”
Finn lifted one shoulder. “It’s okay. She’s one tough lady. It hasn’t been easy for my dad, but they’re both holding together for now.” He didn’t know what would happen after, how his dad would rebuild his life. But it felt wrong to think about that while his mom was still here.
“When are you flying back?” she asked.
There was a hitch in her voice, a slight hesitation that Finn couldn’t interpret.
“Tomorrow.” He sighed and tightened his arms around her. “I didn’t want to spoil the evening by talking about this, but my flight leaves at ten.”
“From Lausanne?”
“No, Geneva. I’ll need to leave early.”
“Oh.”
Her shoulders went tense, and Finn wished he could bring back the lazy comfort they’d enjoyed just moments ago.
“Come with me,” he said on an impulse.
She turned in his arms so they sat face to face. “How? My flight isn’t until the twenty-eighth.”
Finn shrugged. “I can book another ticket. It’s no problem.”
Her eyebrows drew down in a frown. “Finn, we need to talk about this. If we’re going to date, you can’t…”
He took her hand between his palms, and she trailed off, looking skeptical.
“I know what you’re going to say,” he told her.
“Are you a mind reader now?” A smile tugged at her lips, but she still held herself away from him.
“You’re going to tell me that I can’t keep throwing my money at you. That you’re going to pay for yourself, and that we need to establish some ground rules about money if we’re going to give this a shot.”
Iris blinked. “Well, that’s remarkably close to what I was going to say.”
Finn grinned and pressed his advantage. “But see, I’m always going to have more money than you.” Her frown deepened, and he hurried to add, “And that’s irrelevant. I don’t care about the money. Do you?” He put a hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. “Would you like me any less if I wasn’t a billionaire?”
She shook her head, emphatic. “No, of course not.”
“I’m not going to force you to take my money. I won’t try to buy your favor by giving you extravagant gifts. But if I can make your life easier by buying a plane ticket for you, I’d like you to know that it doesn’t come with a price. There’s no fine print, no caveats.”
The truth was, he’d give up his entire fortune to see his mom healthy. To have another year with her. Money eased the way, he’d learned, but there were instances in life where all men were equally helpless. Love and death worked in their mysterious ways.
Iris stared at him, chewing on her lip. He could sense the struggle inside her.
“If you come with me, you’ll get to spend Christmas with your family,” he said.
Iris scowled. “I don’t want to spend Christmas with my family.”
“I meant your grandpa and your sister. And your friend. Sam, right?”
Iris flushed. “Ah.”
Finn remained silent but raised his eyebrows. Now it was all on her—she’d either take him up on his offer or not. Trust me. With all he had, he willed her to take the leap.
“Okay,” she whispered finally. “Um. Thank you.”
Finn grinned, unable to contain his excitement. He pulled her closer and lowered his mouth to hers in a quick, hard kiss. “Fantastic.”
She ducked her head and buried her face in his shoulder. “I feel like an idiot. Having you practically beg me to let you give me a plane ticket.”
“Oh, that wasn’t me begging,” he joked. “If I begged, you wouldn’t have been able to resist me.”
She gazed at him, her eyes fathomless in the half-light. “Then I’m in deep trouble. You’re already irresistible.”
Finn groaned and pressed his forehead to hers. “You need to leave now. Escape to your room, or I won’t let you go, and we’ll miss our flight in the morning.”
She disentangled herself from him and stood. “Hmm. I’ll hold you to that promise another time.”
Finn got up from the couch and followed her to the door. “I’ll walk you.”
“It’s just down the corridor.” Iris laughed.
He grinned. “I know. I’m hoping for a goodnight kiss.”
They said their goodbyes at her door, and he barely resisted fulfilling his earlier idea. He returned to his room and stared at the remains of their picnic. He hoped there’d be many more in the future, in the backyard of their house, maybe.
That brought him up short. Their house. It was a big assumption, of course, but there was a dream: Iris in a sundress, standing in their backyard with her bare feet in the grass, smiling up at him. Rationally, Finn knew he should take things slow, let their relationship grow as it was supposed to, but there was a part of him that wanted to have everything now, at once. Why wait? Life was too short to wait.
He blew out a breath and rubbed his face with his palms. Keep it together. If he’d learned anything from their past breakup, it was that Iris hated having decisions made for her. So he shelved the idea of house-hunting on the internet and packed his suitcase instead. His parents were waiting for his return. Maybe he could take Iris to visit in a couple of weeks if things went well. His mother would be so happy to see her.
Then he sat on the couch and composed the first email to his team of lawyers. He was selling his company to Lena. There was no uncertainty in him about this business decision. It was the right thing to do. He’d be able to spend time with his parents and give this new relationship with Iris a real fighting chance. He would need to rent a house or an apartment somewhere near his parents when he returned—he couldn’t keep living with them indefinitely—but that wouldn’t take long.
Finn grinned as he pressed send. He’d have to travel to Palo Alto after the holidays to make sure the entire process unraveled smoothly, and it would be weeks or even months before the company changed hands entirely, but Lena would take care of his people. She was driven and smart, but above all, she was a fair boss.
So this was what freedom felt like. A pressure lifted off his chest. He hadn’t felt that carefree in a decade—not since Iris had left him. He was a better version of himself when she was near, and he wasn’t leaving anything to chance this time around. He would fight for the woman he still loved.
It was a profound realization, but it felt so right. He glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight, and they would have an early start. Pursing his lips, he decided it was too late to wake her up and tell her about his feelings. She’d likely growl at him and slam the door in his face. No, the confession would have to wait until the next day.
At six in the morning, Iris waited for him at her door, her suitcase packed and ready. She yawned and waved a paper bag that was stamped with the hotel’s logo.
“I called room service. We have coffee, croissants, and whole wheat sandwiches with brie and ham.”
Finn caught her in a hug, avoiding the paper bag. “I love you.”
Iris froze in his arms. Finn squeezed his eyes shut and hid his embarrassment by holding on to her and burying his face in her sweet-smelling hair.
Then he sighed and let go, wary of her reaction.
Iris gazed at him with wide eyes, her pink lips parted. “Are you sure?” she squeaked.
Finn burst out laughing, and she shushed him.
“Shut up, you’ll wake all the guests!” She nudged him with her elbow. “And it’s not funny.”
“Yes, it is.”
> He held her close and brought his lips down on hers. She tasted of mint and Iris, and he wished he didn’t have to let her go. She melted into the kiss, her free hand tangling in his hair.
He lifted his head and touched his nose to hers. “Of course I’m sure.”
“Oh.”
There were lighter, silvery flecks in her gray eyes.
“You don’t need to say anything,” he reminded her gently. “I didn’t tell you to make you uncomfortable.”
She huffed out a laugh. “But I want to. It’s just…” Iris shook her head and looked away from him. “I’ve been telling myself for so long that I was ridiculous for still hoping…”
Finn’s entire body tensed. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t think I ever stopped loving you.” Iris shrugged. “Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
There were no words to express everything going through his head then. He pulled her into his embrace, and she clung on to him, clutching fistfuls of his jacket, as though she was afraid he’d disappear.
In the end, it was only the thought of missing their plane that got him to release her. A fresh white blanket had covered Lausanne during the night, and the roads were slippery, even though plows rumbled up and down the highway. Snow drifted down in thick, heavy flakes that stuck to the windshield and lowered visibility.
“Swiss weather is no joke,” Iris muttered as she gazed through the window at the beautiful landscape passing by.
They drove along Lake Geneva, and their journey, which should have taken them under an hour, nearly doubled in time because of the poor weather conditions. Finn couldn’t delve deeper into the conversation they’d started in the hotel hallway because he had to keep all his attention on the road. The last thing they needed was a car crash or getting stalled in the swiftly accumulating snow. He only had one clean shirt left, and he rather thought he’d need it after their flight—he had no wish of getting drenched in sludge again.
They arrived at the airport with minutes to spare and raced through check-in. He passed his small suitcase to Iris and hauled her heavier one to the counter. The Geneva Airport wasn’t large compared to some of Europe’s other traffic hubs, but Iris was flushed and breathing hard by the time they arrived at their gate.
The flight to London was short but bumpy, and the small plane seemed to strain against the inclement weather. Iris held on to his hand with an iron grip, but Finn wasn’t about to complain.
“We’re lucky the airport was still operating,” he murmured as they touched down at Heathrow. “I was afraid for a moment that they’d close down the runway because of all the snow.”
Iris scowled at him. “Don’t even joke about that. Imagine spending Christmas in an airport terminal.”
London greeted them with gray, overcast skies and a bustling airport filled to the brim with nervous people who wanted nothing more than to reach their loved ones for the holidays. Speakers crackled with announcements, the air smelled of burned coffee and cleaning supplies, and passengers barged past them with their shoulders hunched.
Finn held Iris close as they waited in the first class lounge, and kept up a steady supply of hot chocolate and pastries. It was the least he could do for dragging her through the craziness that was pre-holiday travel.
She slept for most of their trans-Atlantic flight. Wrapped up in a blanket on the seat next to him, she dozed soon after takeoff, and Finn intercepted the kind air hostess who brought them lunch. With the time difference, he hoped to take her to dinner once they arrived in Boston. Somewhere not too fussy with good food and a cozy ambiance.
Once he rented a house, he’d be able to make her dinner at home—he’d learned to cook for himself because eating out lost its charm after a while. He wasn’t the world’s greatest chef but he’d do his best for her.
Feeling drowsy, he reached out and found Iris’ hand under her cover. He didn’t want to spend another day away from her. There would be work to do, sure, and meetings he would have to take on the West Coast, but he’d do his best to stay with her.
Iris’ fingers closed around his, and she sighed in her sleep. At last, Finn relaxed as well and let fatigue claim him.
Thirteen
Iris
Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 22
If she never saw another plane in her life, she would die happy. An unexpected rainstorm swept through Boston at their landing, shaking the plane like a tin can while passengers gasped and clutched their armrests.
Iris grabbed Finn’s hand instead and noticed with some mortification that her nails left half-moon indentations in his skin.
She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He chuckled. “My hand is yours to maul anytime.”
And that was why she loved him. Why she’d always loved him. He knew just how to make her smile, and spending time with him was so easy. In the past two days, she’d shed the stiff protective layers she’d built around her heart. It was so natural to slide right back into a relationship with him.
Apart from him mentioning that Lena and Peter had traveled on to Dubai for another business meeting the previous evening, Finn hadn’t said much about his plans for selling the company. They’d kept the conversation light, making up ridiculous stories about their fellow passengers—Iris insisted the old man in the third row was actually Santa in disguise. His beard was impressive, and he had a kind smile that had the air hostesses doting on him.
They had a delicious but quick dinner at a restaurant near the airport, and as far as dates went, it was perfect. But now that they neared her house in another rented car, she wondered what their future might be like. Staring out the window of the heavy Maserati SUV, she kept back all the questions that threatened to pop out of her mouth: What happens next? Are you leaving soon? When can I see you again?
Finn was quiet, too. Judging by how his eyes narrowed at every passing pair of headlights, she thought he must be as tired as her—they’d had a long day of travel and they were just minutes from home. Finn had insisted on driving her from the airport, even though she could easily have taken an Uber.
She gave him directions, guiding him through the gloomy, rainy streets. It wasn’t fully dark yet, but clouds hung low in the sky.
Iris pointed at her house, the compact two-bedroom family home she’d been renting for the past two years. “That’s me.”
Finn parked in the street. The front garden was small, with a barely there driveway leading to a garage. It looked particularly miserable in wintertime, she thought, and wished Finn could see it in the summer. She’d planted flowers in every available spot so her bees had plenty to choose from.
Silence stretched between them, tense but not entirely uncomfortable. Finn switched off the engine, and they sat in the dark, just watching each other. Finn’s mouth turned up at the corners, and Iris couldn’t hold back an answering smile.
“Want to come in for a cup of tea?” she asked.
She hadn’t meant to invite him in—she desperately needed a shower, and she remembered that she’d left a pile of unfolded laundry on the couch, but he was here, and she wanted him to see her home.
She’d been thinking of buying the house and was reasonably sure the owner would let her. It was perfect for her. But now, with Finn and their new relationship…she had no idea what to expect.
Still, she was glad when Finn nodded and helped her get her suitcase to the door. He crowded next to her under the overhang while she searched for her keys in her purse, then followed her into the hallway. Suddenly, the space seemed much smaller than usual: Finn’s tall presence filled the room.
He grinned down at her and swiped his fingers through his rain-dampened hair. Then he pushed her against the front door, stepping up close, and kissed her, his hands warm on her waist. Iris forgot all about her fatigue and returned the kiss; she wished every homecoming was this good.
They were both breathing hard by the time Finn released
her. Iris refused to let go and kissed him again but bumped into the coat rack in her hurry.
With a laugh, she unwound her arms from Finn’s shoulders. “Sorry.”
“Mm.” Finn leaned down and buried his face in her neck, pressing a tickling kiss to her skin. “Never apologize for more kissing.”
They left their wet jackets and shoes at the door, and Iris put on water for tea. Then she showed him her home, proud of how well it suited her. This was her sanctuary, her happy place, and she wished he would stay with her and make himself at home. She wanted to share this space with him, even though she knew it was too soon.
“It’s perfect,” he remarked quietly. “It’s exactly how I imagined your home would be.”
“Really?” Iris glanced at him curiously. “How so?”
He shrugged and pointed at the real Christmas tree she’d put up the week before her departure. “You got decorations and a tree even though you thought you wouldn’t be home for the holidays. In the past years, I never bothered with mine.” He turned around the living room, taking in the framed photos on the wall. “This is a home. My apartment in Palo Alto is probably twice the size of this house, but it’s just a place for me to sleep and keep my things, you know?”
Iris poured water over the loose-leaf peppermint tea and placed the top on the teapot. “Why didn’t you make it your home?” she asked.
Finn was silent for a long moment. “I don’t know. I think I always thought of it as temporary.”
Iris went to him, and they stood together in front of her big bay windows, looking out into the dark garden.
Finn squinted through the glass. “Are those…?”
“Yep, beehives,” Iris confirmed. She prepared herself for his response. People either thought she was crazy for keeping bees—“But what if one of your guests is allergic?”—or they thought her beekeeping efforts were ‘cute.’ She dealt with the first by showing them the EpiPen she kept in her first-aid box, but the second was more difficult to stomach. There was nothing cute in beekeeping; in fact, Iris believed everyone with a garden should be keeping bees and doing their best to preserve them. Her neighbors had complained at first but had changed their opinion once she’d gifted them honey that the bees had made collecting pollen from their flowers. Everyone liked honey, didn’t they?
