Authors: Rachel Higginson
“My lands,” his Grandma gasped.
Fin ignored her and led me to the dining room that was set up immaculately. The room was small, fitting only a long table, the chairs that went around it and a China hutch at the far end. Real China was set in each place and real silver silverware.
“This is gorgeous,” I gasped. My parents had a full set of China that was promised to me in their will, but they never used it. It just sat untouched, even when they catered events at their house.
“Grandma believes that Sunday lunch is an art form,” Fin explained.
“At your house, it is,” I agreed.
He smiled down at me, pleased I liked the table so well. His grandma started bringing in food just then so I wiggled out of Fin’s hand to see if I could help.
“Can I help you bring the food in?” I asked politely.
“That would be wonderful,” she agreed. “We’re still waiting on Tyler, but he knows better than to be late for lunch.”
I shot Fin a glance and mouthed “Tyler?” He winked at me.
Grandma continued, “Finley go get your brother. You’re going to have to pull him away from his video games, but tell him you brought a girl for him, that will cheer him up.” She grinned at me and I was completely charmed by her.
Fin mouthed, “Are you Ok” to me and I rolled my eyes.
Compared to my family, his was a peaceful walk through the park.
By the time Grandma and I had the food spread out on the table, Ty had in fact arrived and Fin pushed Declan to the head of the table where his wheelchair could fit comfortably. Fin and Tyler took the seats closest to Declan, leaving Grandma and I to sit at the other end.
Declan stared at me for a while and I couldn’t help but stare back. He looked like a younger version of Fin, with tussled hair and a strong jaw, only his rested slightly askew. His eyes were the same dark, rich brown and were just as sharp as Fin’s and his grandma’s. His head rested against a neck brace that hung around his shoulders and his hands clutched at the controls to his automatic wheelchair.
“Fin, introduce me to your girlfriend,” Declan demanded through mumbled words.
“She’s not my girlfriend yet, Dec, I have to convince her first,” Fin grinned at his brother. “Got any tips?”
“Have you kissed her?” he asked innocently. I smiled because he was so adorable and so much like Fin.
“Of course, brother. Look at her,” Fin turned to me and smiled. In this setting, he was the man of the house and he looked and acted like it. He sat up straight and commanded attention. Even next to Ty, who I assumed incorrectly would dwarf him; Fin played this role very well.
“Good point,” Declan admitted and then suggested. “Have you sent her to Ty? Ty always straightens you out.”
Fin opened his mouth to say something but I interjected, “He did send me to Ty. And Ty
did
straighten me out. Or tried to at least.”
“That’s right, Dec, I told her what a good man your brother was, don’t you worry.” Ty agreed gruffly.
“And she still doesn’t want to be your girlfriend?” Declan asked Fin seeming genuinely confused by this. Fin shrugged apparently not so sure anymore and Declan took the opportunity to jump in and announce, “Good, then she can be mine.”
Ty, Fin and I burst into laughter while Grandma chastised him from across the table. After that Fin said grace per Grandma’s request and then the food was passed around. We fell into comfortable conversation, laughing and joking.
I easily fell in love with Declan, faster and harder than I ever had with Fin. He was so sweet and charming, I couldn’t help myself. And all the while I interacted with Fin’s family he sat back with an arm across my chair just watching me, like I was the most precious thing he’d ever held. And I fell for him all over again when he patiently helped feed his brother, leaving Declan with both his dignity and pride. Fin humbled me in a way no other person had before, leaving my heart a big mushy puddle of love.
I enjoyed watching how everyone interacted and even how they included Ty and forced him to relax. Ty told me that he was meant to do something for this family but over lunch I could easily see how much they were doing for him too.
“Now, Tyler,” Grandma cut in very sternly. “When are you going to bring over a girl? If Fin can find a good one, I know you can.”
“Hey!” Fin objected.
“Turns out they’re not so easy to find, Grandma,” Tyler ignored Fin completely. “And besides, has your grandson told you how he went about getting this one? He forced her to work for him and held her hostage by a huge debt of money.”
Fin paled next to me, I watched the color drain out of his face from the corner of my eye. If I wasn’t so amused by it I would have probably gone to his rescue. Maybe….
“Finley Davis Hunter is that true?” his grandma gasped while Declan laughed.
“By the way,” Ty cut back in. “You should have come to me first, son. I’ve been trying to help this family for the last three years and not one of you has let me so far. I’m giving you this money. If you want to pay me back you can, but I won’t argue about it. You’re going to take the money.”
Tears immediately pricked at my eyes and not at all because that meant I was free from the debt. Fin already made me feel like the debt was forgiven. These tears were for Declan, because no matter what happened between Fin and me I was never going to be able to come up with that kind of money.
“What’s this money for?” Grandma demanded, setting her knife and fork down.
“Declan’s facility, Grandma,” Fin explained. “Thanks for the offer Ty, but I don’t need it.”
“What do you mean you don’t need it?” I snapped, whirling around to face him.
Fin chuckled, and then explained, “It became clear very early on that you were not going to be able to come up with the money, Ellie. Besides, it was only seven thousand dollars. I knew it wouldn’t take much for me to come up with that, so I made some small changes.” He shrugged casually like I hadn’t been
obsessed
with this amount of money for the last six weeks. “I was able to save the majority of it pretty easily.”
“What changes did you make?” I gritted out.
“I cut back on my expenses, upped my cut on the games and stopped dating random girls.” Fin grinned at me.
I was gaping at him, mouth unhinged, eyes bugged out, hands shaking. “What?” I squeaked. “I’ve been sick over this money!”
“I told you not to worry about it,” he reminded me sternly as if I should have listened to him.
“Yes, I know you told me that. But I did it anyway!” I argued helplessly. “I
did
worry. And I even saved money. Plus all that time I spent with you! I can’t believe this!”
“You don’t regret the time you spent with me, do you?” Fin teased. He didn’t even feel bad about this, not even a little bit.
“Yes, I do. Some of the time I do regret.” But then I broke into a smile and ruined the whole thing. “But what about the money I saved?”
“How much did you save?” he asked carefully.
“Like,” I cleared my throat, embarrassed to admit this next part. “Like fifty dollars.”
Ty and Fin broke out into laughter. Even Declan smiled at me.
“Ellie you exist on Ramen Noodles and pay for gas in loose change. I never really had high expectations for you to pay me back. Besides, I have been meaning to take a bigger take of the winnings anyway.”
I sat back in my chair speechless.
“So you don’t need any help?” Ty asked gruffly.
“Thanks man, but no I don’t.”
“This means Declan can go now? We can afford the facility?” Grandma asked with so much hope in her voice I almost started to cry again.
“Yep, Dec, it’s for sure now, you can go,” Fin said proudly.
To which Ty grunted.
Men.
After dinner I helped clear the table and do the dishes. Grandma promised that Ty and Fin often offered to help but she didn’t trust them near the China. And while I dried every dish carefully, very, very carefully, she explained what an honor it was to be able to help in the kitchen. I was apparently the first person she had let in there in over thirty six years, since Fin’s mom which she professed was a terrible mistake.
And in the end I did feel privileged. Especially when she took my forearm in her little grasp and started crying all over again because of how happy she was Fin found a girl for him, a girl he like enough to bring home and meet her.
He interrupted our waterworks and asked me to go sit out back with him.
Grandma patted my arm and said, “Go on then, when a good man like that asks you to sit with him you just say yes.”
“Ok, yes,” I smiled down at her and then followed Fin out back.
The backyard was just as charming as the front of the house with big flower beds and a charming patio swing that was shaded underneath a huge maple tree. We sat swinging for a little while in silence just enjoying the warm spring afternoon and each other.
“You should have told me about your back up plan,” I scolded, only barely holding on to my resentment over the whole thing.
“I should have. But I was a little bit afraid. You were so upset over the idea of me just forgiving the debt, I didn’t think the fact that I didn’t need the money would make much of a difference. It was never a big deal for me. Even in the beginning. I’ve had losers walk away from their debt before and I’ve taken the loss, but you were by far the biggest amount. I just didn’t know how to tell you and still keep you.” Fin took a breath and admitted, “I’ve known for a while that the debt wasn’t yours.”
“What?” I gasped not exactly expecting him to lead with that. “You made me go through all of that and you didn’t think I ever lost all that money?”
“No, at first, there wasn’t really another explanation. I thought you were just scared of your own consequences. But as soon as I got to know you I realized you wouldn’t have tried to flake out on losing, and you never would have got involved unless you could have paid in the first place. But by then I liked having you around and I didn’t know how to get out of the mess I’d made. It seemed I was always falling for you, since that first time in your apartment when you thought I was a drug dealer. And I just kept falling, harder, faster…. forever, until finally I was in love with you and there was nothing else I could do about it.”
I officially stopped breathing. Turning my head so I could meet his gaze, I asked, “You’re in love with me?”
“Since you made me your Burgerwich,” he said seriously. “I was never going to make you pay that money, I just didn’t want you to stop coming over. I didn’t want to have to work any harder for you; I just wanted you to be mine. And then I didn’t know how to tell you that, how to make you forget about it. You threw all that moral high ground at me and I realized what a huge mistake I’d make. I was an idiot. Will you forgive me?”
“Yes,” I nodded quickly. And I did, for everything.
Fin broke out into a blinding smile that lit up his whole face. “And will you let me help you fall in love with me too?”
I sucked in a breath at his question. He was the vulnerable Fin again, the one that opened himself up so carefully and asked for the simplest things…. a better place for the brother he lived, a nice life for his grandma, the love of a girl that was already way past loving him.
“You don’t have to,” I shrugged, loving that instead of giving up his eyes became steely with determination. “I’m way past loving you; I’m onto the next thing, like really, really loving you or something.”