by Reina Torres
“See?” He pointed at the small collection of cars that had come up while they were talking. A little hybrid electric car was tucked in beside Finley’s car. “We’re gonna be famous!”
Nora Kincaid was leaning out of her car window, her phone held up in her hands, recording the moment.
Roman looked down at Finley, his brow slightly furrowed in concern. “Are you okay with that?”
"If I have you." She smiled up at him, her hand smoothing up and down his back, enjoying the feel of his corded muscles. “I’m just fine with it.” And she was, standing there with Matt and Roman, Finley finally felt a part of a family. It didn’t matter what Nora’s scathing comments on Facebook would be. It didn’t even matter what Kathleen would have to say to her. Finley was determined to make both of the Brady men as happy as she could, and she knew she’d be happy just being there with them. She had been running scared, not just from Kathleen, terrified of what she’d try to do and how much she would end up hurting Matt in the process, but from the thought that she would lose them both in the struggle.
She was done being a coward. She wouldn't let anyone else get in the way of her happiness. As Finley bent down and lifted Matt up into her arms, helped by Roman’s strong presence beside her, she knew that they could do anything together.
After all, they’d already had a lot of experience playing with fire.
Epilogue
Matt had been pacing the floor ever since his father had managed to get him dressed. The suit was beginning to get a little tight, but Matt had insisted that he dress up just like his dad. Sitting down on the couch, their babysitter, Brooke, watched the little boy pace back and forth in front of the window, looking down the street for some sign of a little yellow car.
Roman adjusted his bowtie in the hall mirror. “Same emergency numbers, same everything. Everything okay?”
Looking up from her textbook she nodded. “Matt’s an angel. No worries!”
A gasp of joy from the window spoke volumes. Finley had arrived.
“Yes!” Matt jumped in the air and ran out of the room toward the kitchen. “Open the door, dad!” Brooke followed Matt into the other room while Roman went to follow his son’s orders.
Opening the door, he stood unmoving as he watched Finley step up onto the curb and make her way down the path to his front door. She was… stunning. Dressed in some kind of fabric that held the cool twilight glow of light that surrounded her, Finley’s pale complexion had never looked so lovely. He recognized the basic style of her dress, rather than her usual tunics and pants that were a reminder of her time in India, she had chosen something with a Chinese flare. A long sheath dress with a short stand-up collar and slits that ran up both sides of her skirt, to just above her knee, gave him a tempting view of her long legs.
“Hey,” she stepped up onto the porch with a smile, “I'm not late, am I?”
He raised a hand and caressed the side of her face with a gentle sweep of his thumb. “You're perfect.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she grinned.
He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on her lips.
“We've been waiting,” Matt nearly tumbled into Finley, but he was caught on both sides by the couple, accustomed to his customary barreling gait, “like forever!”
Finley leaned down and met Matt’s gaze, giving Roman a view of her backside, lovingly cradled by her dress. He swallowed his instinctual reaction and focused on the scene before him.
“Dad said we could pin you together!” Matt held a little cardboard box in his hands and pulled back the lid. “Since we both love you.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, “it's beautiful.”
Roman saw the look on her face, but her gaze wasn't on the corsage, it was settled on Matt.
Kneeling down beside his son, Roman lifted out the flowers and removed the long pearl-tipped pin. They placed the milky white sprigs of mignonette and dark green ivy leaves against the wine dark silk of her dress and pinned the corsage. When they were finished, Finley gathered the little boy in her arms for a hug, being careful when Matt reminded her ‘not to crush the flowers.’ She pressed a kiss to his rounded cheek and received one in return.
When she let him go, he sagged in relief. “Thank goodness!” Matt gave Brooke a look. “Now I can get out of this suit.” He rushed off without a backward glance.
“Looks like that's our cue to leave.” Roman took her keys and set them on the tray by the door, offering her his arm. “Are you ready?”
Finley looked up at him with a broad smile. “I think I am.”
#
Finley clutched Roman’s arm as they returned to the main room of the Winter Garden Gala. She still felt his hands on her hips, his lips on her neck, and there were parts of her that were still trembling from the few minutes they'd taken to get lost in a long dark hallway. They passed by a wide bank of floor to ceiling mirrors and she cringed. She leaned closer against his side and sighed. “You said I looked fine.”
He touched his fingers to her chin, turning her face so he could see her eyes. “I said you looked ‘amazing’ and I meant it. You could wear a sack-”
“Oh, like that's reassuring.”
She nearly growled her words at him, but she still rose up onto her toes and pressed a kiss against his mouth that stopped them both in their tracks. “Besides,” she mumbled against his lips, “you'll say anything to make me happy.”
“Hey,” his voice deepened as he leaned closer, pressing their bodies together from knees to chest, “it's the truth. There’s no one here or anywhere else that is more beautiful than you are.”
He felt her knees go a little weak, and he stole another kiss.
“Keep it up,” her voice fairly hummed through her body, “and we can turn right back around and spend the rest of the evening steaming up the windows of your SUV.”
He felt himself start to cave and shook his head.
“It would be a lot more comfortable than my Rabbit.”
Roman’s hand closed over hers, shaking slightly. “A golf cart has more room than-” he lifted his hand to her lips to stop her next offer. “I want to show you off, Fin.” He stepped slightly back, changing the position of his hands until he drew her up against him in a perfect dance hold. “And maybe show off some of my dancing skills while we're at it.”
She slowly followed his movements, swaying to the music in his arms. “Pretty impressive. But I already knew you had good rhythm.”
He couldn't escape the flood of heat that rolled through his body or the way the tailored fit of his pants were suddenly a little too tight for comfort, but he wouldn't have changed the moment for the world. Having Finley in his arms, wearing his flowers, he was completely happy.
#
The song ended and Finley stepped closer, touching his arm for a little bit of balance. Over the last few months, she’d become a daily part of his life. When she wasn't having dinner with them at his house, he and Matt had been visiting with her. And once so nervous about her first Mighty Mites meeting, she was now a regular attendee, helping Matt and the other boys just like the rest of the mothers.
And that's just what she had become. Since Kathleen’s appearance after the fire, his ex-wife had spent even less time with Matt, preferring to occupy herself with traveling from one family friend to another. But Matt had weathered it well, enjoying Finley’s presence as much as Roman did.
The next song began, and he started to ask her to dance.
“I was hoping to see you two.” Sara’s smile was as bright as the lights from the dance show, and Trey practically glowed along with his wife as he stood beside her with his hand on her hip. Always the picture of health, Sara’s normally curvy body was even rounder with the swell of their child beneath the flowing length of her dress.
“We wouldn't miss it for the world.” Finley leaned forward and managed a kiss on Sara’s cheek. “The show was lovely.”
“It was a huge help having Heather home. She allowed me to take it e
asy this year.” She held up her hand to her husband. “Don't think I can't feel your eyes rolling behind my head.”
Trey’s innocent expression was lost on all of them.
“But, like Cinderella my dancing shoes have a time limit.” She gave Finley a little conspiratory look. “Mind if I borrow Roman for a dance?”
"Sure." With a grin, Finley took Trey’s outstretched hand.
"Don't worry," he told her, "I know what I'm doing."
Roman watched as Trey easily pulled Finley into the dance.
“You look like a man in love.”
Roman looked down at the petite woman in his arms and smiled even more. “Guilty as charged.”
She sighed, a long happy sound. “Thank goodness,” she winked at him, “every time you come anywhere near me, Trey’s hackles go up.”
“Oh?” Roman gently turned her in a gentle arc on the floor and made sure to catch Trey’s eye as he dipped her just the slightest bit.
“The two of you are horrible!” She gave him a swat on the arm. “But seriously, how are things for you?”
“I have everything I’ve ever wanted,” he told her with his heart in his voice. “I have my family and a ring in a drawer at home-” Sara gasped, and he shushed her with a smile. “Matt and I are planning a special day at the Picnics and Petals Spring Festival, if we can manage to keep the secret that long.”
“Well if you need any help, I- oh.” Sara stopped.
“Sara, is there something wrong?”
“Oh, my- whoa.” Startled, she looked up at him with a wince. “My water just broke.”
“Trey!”
Roman’s voice silenced the band and got Trey’s attention. Her anxious husband was there in a moment. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sara breathed through a wince, “but we need to get to the hospital.”
Trey froze. “The baby?”
“The King of Obvious, ladies and gentlemen," Sara sighed.
“Hey, you've done this before,” Trey grumbled, “this is my first time.”
“Then let's go, Daddy, before we have the baby here in the ballroom.” Sara beamed at her husband as he began to move.
But they were all shocked when Trey stopped a few feet away to look back at him. “Hey, Roman?”
He wrapped his arm around Finley and tucked her up against his side to enjoy the familiar warmth of her body. “Yeah?”
Trey looked down at his feet before giving him a broad grin. “Sorry about your shoes.”
And then they were gone, leaving Roman and Finley laughing on the dance floor in each other's arms.
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Reina Torres Official Website
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