Ever Enough

I finished doing the dishes, dried my hands and walked down the hall. I’d planned on knocking on Em’s door to ask her if she wanted to sit and watch a movie with me tonight. She looked like she could use a night of mentally checking out and I figured I could offer to give her a foot rub. Those plans quickly changed when I stood outside her door and I heard a very distinct sound coming from the other side.

No way.

There was no way that I was hearing my Tiny Girl using a vibrator. But that was exactly what it sounded like. Just as I had decided I had to be wrong, I heard a small moan through the door. Holy f*cking shit!

I paced up and down the hall while I had several thoughts. First, my dick was rock hard and it felt like one touch and the f*cking thing would be shooting off. Second, I was certain if this sexual tension continued I’d be bald by the time I hit thirty—which was only next year! I couldn’t stop running my hands through my hair and yanking on it while I deciphered my next thought. Third, why the f*ck was she in there using a toy when she had me out here dying to touch her? The idea of her pleasuring herself pissed me off. I’m sure it would turn most men on—and there was no doubt I was—but I didn’t know if she was in there thinking about some Fabio little f*cker, her ex-husband or—if there was a god—me. The thought was maddening. I heard another moan come through the door, and it pushed me over the edge. I’d been considering knocking and asking her if she needed any help, and that moan was the deciding factor. I gave a sharp wrap on the door. There was a slight pause before Em answered. “Hold on, I’ll be out in a second.” Her voice sounded strained, and that just about did me in. F*ck waiting! If she was going to slowly kill me of blue balls, then I’d dish it right back. Granted, I realized she didn’t know I had heard her, but I wasn’t feeling very rational. I barged in and she sprang up fast, panting hard and looking a bit glassy eyed. There was no way I was going to be able to walk out of this room without touching her.

“Wha… what are you doing in here Finn?” Her hair was disheveled and still wet from her bath.

“What’s behind your back Tiny Girl?”

“Oh, it’s just my phone on vibrate. Harper keeps calling me.” Ah, so that was the game she was going to play. So be it. I stalked towards her.

“So why don’t you answer it?”

“I will after you leave.” Damn it woman, would you just let the sheet drop!

“Hmmm… I see.” I moved even closer. “Well, why don’t you hand it over here while you go get some clothes on and I’ll talk to Harper until you’re done.”

“Why are you being so nosey? If you’d just leave I could get dressed and call her back.” God she was persistent! I was going to have to push harder.

I held out my hand. “Give it to me Tiny Girl.”

“Give you what, my phone? If you would just get out I could call….” Damn it all to hell, this woman was stubborn! Since she wasn’t going to give, I might as well let her know I knew what she was doing.

“Emilyn, I know you have a vibrator behind your back, now give it to me.”

Her face went from slightly flushed to bright red. “What the f*ck are you talking about Finn? I don’t have a vibrator. Now would you give me some privacy please?”

Great, did she think I was stupid. My poor dick was going to pop out of my pants any minute now and possibly put an eye out if I didn’t take charge of this situation. I stepped in towards her. Her stomach poked out, touching my lower abdomen. She had to feel how turned on I was; the damn thing was pushing up against her hip. Unable to help myself, I reached up and grazed the soft warm skin of her shoulder, fingertips moving down her arm. The whole time I watched her face, and it was clear that what I was doing was affecting her. She hadn’t even realized that I was reaching behind her and taking a hold of her little toy. As soon as I got the chance I had every intention of throwing that thing in the trash. I held it up in front of her face and said, “You may get mad at me, and you may even hit me for this if you’d like, but don’t treat me like an idiot.” The pulse in her neck was beating rapidly. “If this was your phone, it would have stopped vibrating.” The look on her face was priceless. “If you need something to help you get off, I’d prefer it if you used me.”

I had totally expected a knee to the groin for my brazen words. Instead she shocked me by grabbing my shirt and yanking me down to her level, smashing her mouth against mine. Her tongue dove into my mouth and I pushed right back. She tasted amazing. I reached around her back, pulling her as tightly to me as she could possibly get. I needed this girl… now. I’d wanted her and missed her for so long, and my chance to have her had finally come. Except, I didn’t want to rush and I didn’t want this to be about me. Emilyn bit down on my lip, eliciting a deep groan. The only rational thought I had at the moment was taking this slow.

Pulling away, I took a step back from her. She looked confused. “Drop the covers Em, I want to see you.”

She stood there unmoving, and biting her lip. It was then I realized that she was nervous. “I can’t.”

“You can, and you will.”

She shook her head. “No Finn, you don’t understand. I can’t.”

I stepped back towards her and tilted her chin up so she’d meet my eyes. “Talk to me Tiny Girl, why can’t you?”

“It’s been a long time since we were… you know? I’m older now and I don’t look the same. Plus my stomach is getting big. I just don’t want you to see me this way.” She turned away from me and walked to the other side of the bed.

She needed reassurance from me that I wanted her just the way that she was. In fact I’ve never wanted her more than I do right now. “We’re both older Em. And your pregnant body is even more beautiful to me. If anything, your body has only become better with time.” I didn’t want this to stop and I wasn’t going to let her push me away. Walking around the bed I moved to stand behind her.

“What if you don’t like what you see?”

“Impossible.” Leaning down, my nose moved down the outside of her ear and she shivered. “Please, let me see you.” I whispered. Reaching up I took the cover and moved it around to the front of her, letting it drop. She was naked. “Turn around Em.”

She slowly turned to face me. Her long blonde hair had fallen over her breasts but the rest of her was bared to me. I swallowed audibly. I reached up and gently brushed her long silky hair back so I could see all of her. Her breasts were larger than I remembered; probably a result of the pregnancy. They were definitely more than a handful now, nice and round with sweet, pert, pink nipples. My eyes traveled further down to her rounded stomach. Even though she was carrying another man’s child—a man that I had grown to despise—this child was a life. A life that was half her, and because of that I automatically felt love for it and would do anything to protect it. Moving my eyes even further south was the space between her legs. Surprisingly she was neatly groomed. I’m not sure what I’d been expecting, but surely at this stage in her pregnancy she wouldn’t be able to see around her stomach to take care of things. Yet here she stood, with a neatly trimmed patch of hair.

Em started shifting from side to side, her unease of being nude in front of me evident. It probably didn’t help that I was still fully clothed and so the playing field wasn’t even, so to speak. I needed to get her in bed and touch her again. I tried to speak as smoothly as I could without my words coming out as a command. “Lie down please Tiny Girl. I need to touch you.”

There was apprehension in her steps but she did as I asked. Lying flat on her back, she looked everywhere but at me. How on earth could she be this nervous to be with me like this? We’d been together many times before now. There had to be another reason for her nerves, and while that was something I would certainly address, the need to be near her was too much for me to focus on anything else. I stood next to the bed and I reached up to remove my shirt. Still not meeting my eyes but finally looking in my direction, she watched my movements. Her eyelids were half-mast and her pupils dilated. She didn’t have to tell me she wanted me, I could see it.

I crawled onto the bed and bent down over the top of her, my face a breath away from her lips. As if she knew what I asked of her, she nodded her head slightly, giving me permission to continue on my course. Coming down the rest of the way, my mouth met with hers, in an ever so subtle brushing of lips. I moved my mouth with hers in a slow movement, opening my mouth and running my tongue along the fullness of her lower lip. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and touched mine in greeting. Our kiss became more intimate and deeper, but it wasn’t the desperate mouth crushing kiss that we’d previously shared. I wanted to take my time with her—savor her.

Releasing her lower lip, I traveled down her neck, placing kisses in tender spots that I knew would elicit a moan. I wasn’t wrong and my cock jerked in response. Working down to the top of her breast, I let my tongue snake out to taste her delicious skin. I latched on her to nipple and flicked it with my tongue before releasing it. When I blew a soft breath on it, Em arched her back and her hand came up and fisted in my hair. Finally I was getting more of a response from her. She just needed a gentle push.

I moved over to her side and pushed her shoulder away from me. She rolled until she was facing away from me, and I ran my lips all over the soft skin of her shoulder nipping my way up to her neck. Goosebumps broke out all over her arms. I brought my hand around to the front of her and placed it on her stomach. She flinched.

“Relax Em.” I soothed into her ear. “I’ve got you.”

Her tense muscles slowly melted away in my hands as I continued to kiss her neck. When my hand shifted down to her inner thigh she opened slightly inviting me in. My fingers came up to her warm center and I could feel that she was soaking wet.

“So wet for me Tiny Girl.”

“Please Finn.” She softly pleaded.

I ran my index finger over her * and she sighed. “Please what?”

Adding more pressure, I circled my finger around her.

“Please… touch me. More.” She turned her face toward her pillow.

Her wish was my command. I stopped my index finger circling and I moved it down to her entrance. I pushed inside of her and she gasped. I knew I hadn’t hurt her though. She was enjoying this too much. I used my thumb to put pressure back on her * while I thrust two fingers inside of her. Her ass was pushing back against my cock and it felt so good. I wanted nothing more than to rip my pants off and shove myself into her, but I decided that this was going to be about her. Her body was starting to shiver and I knew she was getting close. I curled my fingers up a bit every time I pulled them out, making sure I was hitting that sweet spot.

“Oh my god, Finn! Please!” She was begging me for the release she was so close to finding earlier in this room without me.

“Take what you want from me, baby.” Her legs started to close on their own accord and I kicked my leg over the top of hers to help keep them open.

Her insides started quivering and I could feel her tightening around my fingers.

“Let go Em. Come for me. I want to feel it.” I bit down on her earlobe, and it was enough to send her over the edge. She cried out, muffling her scream into her pillow while I continued to dive deep inside of her. I held her as tight to my body as I possibly could without hurting her, helping her ride out her orgasm. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She was so perfect, and what’s more, she didn’t even realize just how amazing she was.

As her body was coming down from its high, I slid my fingers out of her, causing her to shake again and sigh deeply. Em started to turn towards me leaning up to reach my lips. Her eyes were foggy, and I was happy that I was the one that had given her that look. Her small hand snaked around my neck as she pulled herself on top of me. Her naked breasts felt so good on my bare chest. It was quite the ‘thank you’ kiss she gave me. It wasn’t until I felt her other hand traveling down and getting a handful of my cock that I stopped kissing her back. She pulled her face away a bit looking questioningly at me.

“What’s the matter? Did I hurt you? Am I too heavy? I can move if I’m too heavy.”

Her adorable innocence stole my heart. “No, of course you’re not too heavy. You barely weigh one hundred pounds soaking wet! Don’t be ridiculous!” I reached down and removed her hand from my throbbing cock and laced my fingers with hers. “Tonight wasn’t about me. I wanted to make you feel good.”

“I don’t understand. You didn’t get to… umm… well, you know… finish.” Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and she looked down.

“Look at me Tiny Girl.” Immediately her eyes met mine, “I don’t need to finish.” The hell I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. “What you just let me do to you was more than I could have ever asked for. But I appreciate the concern.” I smiled at her.

“Finn, I know you have to be hurting. You’re aroused. Doesn’t it hurt if it isn’t taken care of?”

I let out a laugh. “Sometimes sure, but I’m fine though. Scouts honor.” I held up two fingers, the same two fingers that were inside her only minutes ago. Nice Finn… real nice!

She giggled. “You were never a scout.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Eh, details.”

Smiling, she shook her head, her hair falling down around her shoulders. “So uh, is this umm…” She was struggling for words. “Is this going to be awkward now?”

My brows furrowed. “No, why would it be?”

Em sighed. “I don’t know. Isn’t it supposed to be when things like this happen?”

“Not unless we make it that way, and I don’t plan on doing that.”

“Hmm… alright.” She paused. “So what now?”

“Well, we could lay here and talk if you want.”

“I’d like that,” and she gave me the most dazzling smile.





Finn came back into my room with a glass of water. Earlier he’d noticed I was getting cold, so he got up and grabbed the blankets to cover me up. Sitting up holding the cover under my arms, I took a long drink of water, quenching my thirst.

“Mmm, thanks!” I set the cup down and scooted back down laying on my side, facing him.

“Welcome. So, when is your next appointment with Dr. Monroe? I can come pick you up from work and we can go together.”

“You don’t have to come with me Finn. They’re pretty boring anyway. They just take measurements, listen to the heartbeat, and then ask if I’m feeling okay before sending me on my merry way! Nothing you need to stop your day for.”

“I’m coming Em, no arguments. Just tell me when the appointment is.” His face was stern.

“Ok well if you insist. It’s tomorrow. Can you pick me up at noon?”

“Noon… got it!” He smirked at me like he’d just won a contest.

We were both silent for a short time, just looking at one another. He reached up and placed his palm on my cheek. I leaned into it.

“I’m going to be there for you and the baby Emilyn. I hope you know that.”

I opened and closed my mouth again, trying to think of how to phrase my next question without upsetting him. “I have to ask this question or else I’ll wonder.”

“Ask me anything.”

“Do you want to be there for us because you want to be, or because you feel responsible for what is going on in my life? Because if it is the latter, please don’t. I’ve already told you, it’s not your fault this happened.”

I watched his face carefully. He seemed to be trying to figure out how to answer. Hopefully it was a truthful one; but then again he hadn’t given me any reason to believe it would be anything but.

“I came here because I heard you were going through some things. The idea of being away from you when I could possibly help was something I couldn’t stomach. I came here because I want to be here with you. I asked you to move in with me because I want you to live here. I’m going to go to your appointments because I want to be there for you and this baby. Nothing I’m doing here is out of obligation.” He rolled over so he was leaning over the top of me. “I need you to listen to me when I say this. Are you hearing me?”

I nodded my head.

“Good. I’ll say this again and again until you believe it. I missed you Emilyn. I’m here to be with you. I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens. Even if whatever happened between us tonight never happens again, I’m still going to be there for you. Whatever we have right now, and I’m not defining it because I’m not even sure what it is, it’s worth building on. Any crazy notion you have about me being here out of obligation needs to be squashed.”

There was nothing but truth in both his eyes and his voice. His sincerity was heartfelt. But I had more questions and I could tell he was reading the emotions flying across my face.

“What else is going on up here in this pretty little head?” He tapped his finger on my forehead.

“Hmm, well maybe a few things.”

“Shoot! Let’s just get everything out in the open now. I don’t want you walking around our house wondering things when I’m right here, and you can ask me anything.”

“Even if it brings up painful memories?” I was trying to force down the lump that was forming in my throat.

“What’s going on Tiny Girl? You look like you’re about to cry.” He leaned in and lightly kissed me. “I want us to talk about this stuff, even if it’s what happened back in high school. I gave you my explanation but I figured you probably had more questions.”

“Okay, here goes….” I took a deep breath. This was going to hurt, but these questions had been swimming around in my head since the talk that ripped open old wounds.

“Would you have followed your Dad’s advice about letting me go if he hadn’t died in that crash?”

He cleared his throat. “Boy you’re really going for it aren’t you?”

I shook my head, “Never mind. That was insensitive of me to ask. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Em,” He laughed. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I was kidding around. To answer your question, I don’t know. I’ve asked myself that same question a hundred times. And every time I do, the one thing I keep coming back to is how much I regret taking the advice.”

“So why did you?”

“Another good one. At the time it just seemed right. I always looked up to my Dad as a smart, caring, gentle man. He was my mentor, he was my hero. The love that he and my Mom shared was legendary. I wanted what they had.”

The lump in my throat was too much to handle and tears sprang from my eyes, running down the side of my cheeks.

“So you let me go because you wanted to find someone else to love like your Dad loved your Mom?” Damn it, why did we start talking about this?

“No, you’re not understanding me Em. What I’m saying is, I thought it was best that I let you go live your life. I didn’t want us to have any regrets if we married right out of high school. I thought we would be stronger, better even, for seeing what was out there. I knew I wanted you for the rest of my life, but the idea of you thinking I’d trapped you, or us drifting apart as we grew older, killed me. It was never about finding someone else. You were my girl Emilyn.”

I was full on sobbing now. Trying to catch my breath, I decided it was best that I talked about what happened to me when he left. Maybe it would give me the closure I needed.

“Do you have any idea what I went through after you left?”

“I called around every once in a while to ask about you.” His face became pained.

“I couldn’t function Finley!” I pushed him off of me, and moved to put on a night shirt. I didn’t want to be naked in front of him right now—not when I was already feeling so exposed. When dressed, I turned around to face him. I leaned back on the dresser, and watched him lying on the bed, watching me in return. He looked like I had punched him in the stomach.

“I’m not telling you this to hurt you, but I need you to understand what it did to me. After that night, when you left me in that parking lot, life was no longer the same for me. You were ‘the one’ Finn. I loved you with my whole heart and I wanted nothing more than to just be with you. Even if we had stayed together until this very day, marriage was never the ultimate goal. I knew that then as much as I know it now. I had to be carried out of that parking lot. I barely remember the days that followed. I just remember the ache. I was a lifeless shell, a girl who couldn’t even get herself dressed every day.” I was hurting him. Finn was a strong man, but even strong men cry and I could see tears glistening in his eyes. “Nobody could snap me out of the state I was in. My Dad eventually gave me the option of working for him.”

“I knew you were having a hard time, but I didn’t know it was like that for you.”

“Every single part of me was broken. Any semblance of my heart was shattered, and I truly felt that nothing would ever make me whole again. I couldn’t even give my own husband my whole heart because it was with you!” I was shouting at him while the tears soaked my face.

He jumped off the bed and came at me so quickly I barely registered the movement. He pulled me into his arms. “Shhh… please calm down. You need to catch your breath for the baby.” He tucked my head in to his chest and whispered in my ear. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so f*cking sorry! I had no idea that was how you felt. I should have never left. I’m sorry. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

He pulled back cradling my head in his hands. With conviction in his eyes and his voice he said, “I swear I’m never leaving you again Em. Never! You are mine. Do you understand me? Mine! And if I have to spend the rest of my life finding every single piece of your broken heart, I will. I will put you back together again Em. I’ll do it because I’m still so in love with you. I will fix you, and I’ll fix this.”

He supported my weight until he decided to pick me up and carry me over to the bed. He sat down and cradled me on his lap. He brushed my hair back from my tear stained face. He loved me. Finley still loved me, and the truth was I still loved him. I’d never stopped. But I couldn’t tell him that I loved him. Not right now. Not after this talk. It wouldn’t feel right while all these old feelings were still coursing through me. He was sorry.

“I’m sorry I’ve fallen apart on you. This was so not how I saw this night happening.” I smiled a stiff smile up at him.

He kissed the tip of my nose. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine. We needed to talk about it, and I meant what I said Tiny Girl. I’m not going anywhere.”

I nodded my head under his chin. The only way for him to prove he wouldn’t leave again was to give him time, and I was more than willing to give that. But I was worried he would see that I wasn’t the same person anymore. He didn’t run away screaming after seeing me naked so that was a plus, but my heart wasn’t the same anymore. I was scared that I’d always wonder if he’d change his mind about me. That one day he’d look at me and say “I can’t do it, she’s too damaged.” I let out a large sigh, and told myself time… just give it time.





“Wake up Tiny Girl.” I felt something nuzzling the underside of my ear. I was warm and cozy and I’d just had the best night’s sleep in a very long time. Still half asleep I moaned. It had been the best dream ever and I refused to wake up. I was dreaming that Finn had stayed in bed with me after an amazing night of foreplay and heartfelt conversation. Scooting in closer to my warm spot, I drifted deeper into my happy haze.

“Em, are you going to sleep the day away?” There was that voice again. It was speaking so softly that I wanted to roll around and wrap myself up in it. I felt a small tickle on the side of my neck. “My sweet girl…” I opened one eye and looked around the room. Where was I? Turning my head a bit, I opened the other eye. Oh that’s right, I was in my room.

“There’s those bright blue eyes.” I suddenly shifted to face where the noise was coming from. Finn was lying beside me, his arms wrapped around my center, and a hand on my stomach. Holy cow I hadn’t been dreaming! He really did sleep with me last night. While I lay there sifting through the memories of last night, I realized he was talking to me and I hadn’t been paying attention.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m not totally awake yet. What did you say?”

He chuckled. “I said, did you sleep well?”

Covering my mouth, I stifled a yawn, “I slept well. I could probably sleep the whole day away.” I closed my eyes and started to drift again.

“Em…” Finn said again against the shell of my ear. “Tiny Girl, we have your appointment soon. You need to wake up.” The soft air that was swirling around my ear was giving me goose bumps and doing things to me that made me want a repeat of the night before. I re-opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Holy shit I’d slept until eleven!

I flew up out of bed quickly. Well, as quickly as a five-month pregnant woman can move. “Son of a bitch, I’m going to be late!” I grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom to get dressed. I vaguely heard Finn laughing as he shuffled towards the door. Not wanting him to see me naked again—and definitely not in the bright morning light—I threw on my pants and shirt just before the bathroom door opened.

He was standing there in the doorway, a pair of boxer briefs sitting low on his hips. I couldn’t help but stop and admire the godly man before me, taking in everything from his long lean legs, to that perfect V that led up to his tightly packed abs; his broad chest, to his gorgeous face. I sighed loudly. Even his hair was a perfect sexy mess that I wanted to run my fingers through. Despite his Adonis-like body, it was his eyes that stood out the most. With the sunlight shining through the bathroom window, his eyes were a crystal-clear blue that hypnotized me. I was getting the full effect of them as he stared right at me like he wanted to devour me. Holy shit I wanted him… like right then!

He took a step towards me, and I stood as still as a statue. Gulping hard, he came forwards until he was directly in front of me. Finn brought his hand up and brushed it across my cheek. He slid his large, yet graceful, hand behind my neck and bent down to place a soft kiss on my lips. Pulling back slightly, he said “I didn’t get a chance to say good morning before you went all frantic on me.”

I just stared. I couldn’t respond, and I don’t think I wanted too. Well I did, but it was in the form of sexual favors. His look had me frozen in place. His eyes searched my face, as concern replaced the light-hearted morning kiss he’d just given me.

“Em, you okay?”

“Huh?” My eyes roamed his thick dark lashes, before moving down to his full lips. Hello horny preggo here! Why were we even talking? In fact, why was he even wearing clothes? Clothes shouldn’t be allowed on him.

“I can practically hear your thoughts Tiny Girl.” His voice deepened. “And if you’re thinking what your face is telling me, I’m more than happy to help you out with that.” He gave me a cocky smile. Leaning in to whisper in my ear, he brushed his chest against my covered breasts, “But it’s going to have to wait until later, because we need to get going.”

He turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving me to watch his fine ass moving away. I wanted to whimper. Not to mention I was slightly embarrassed that I wanted to push him down and f*ck him on the tiled floor. I scrubbed my hand down my face and finished getting ready.

About fifteen minutes later I went out into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. Today was my ultrasound and I’d heard that juice helped to make the baby move around a bit more. Finn followed in behind me. He smelled amazing. He was freshly shaven and the aftershave invaded my senses. I was going to have to get control of myself if I planned on learning to be with Finn objectively. I couldn’t keep mentally undressing him, and giving in to my every hormonal whim. How was doing that ever going to teach me to trust that he was sincere about not leaving me again? If I kept throwing myself at him, it was possible I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between him actually wanting to be with me, and him wanting just that part of me.

Snapping back to reality, I picked up my cell phone and called Harper. She answered on the second ring.

“Hello Ms. Large and In Charge!”

“Ha ha! Not funny.” I was smiling anyway.

She giggled. “What’s going on hon?”

“My parents are cooking dinner tonight and they’ve invited us over and want Finn and Ky to come to.” I glanced over at Finn, who had been playing with his cell phone but had stopped to look at me.

“I’d love to come to dinner, but are you sure it’s a good idea to bring the asshat?”

“I’m sure Ky will be fine around my parents.”

“Are we talking about the same guy Em? The guy has no filter.”

I laughed. “Umm…hello, pot, I’ll introduce you to kettle later.”

“Bitch, shut up.” I could hear her smile.

“Awwww… that hurts. Is that any way to talk to your baby Momma?” Harper was full on laughing now. Finn smirked at the one sided conversation he was hearing. Looking down at his phone, his grin melted away.

“Okay enough small talk, I have to email out some information to a new client. What time do you want me to be there? And you’re not expecting me to bring Kyler, are you?”

“You don’t have to but it would be nice if you could bring him with you. Maybe put the fear of god in him so he doesn’t embarrass himself too much.” I was hopeful but it likely wouldn’t happen. The good news was, my parents were not only used to Harper’s mouth, they knew how Kyler was too. “Dinner starts at six.”

She groaned. “Okay, but can you call him and let him know? I don’t want to call him myself in case he starts accusing me of wanting him.”

“Don’t you?”

“You’re pushing your limits preggo. I’m not afraid to slap you around a bit.”

“Just stating the facts.”

“Uh huh,” she said. “I’ll be there, just call him for me and let him know he better be ready or I’ll leave his ass to walk.”

We said our goodbyes and I was left wondering when Harper would realize that she might actually have feelings for Ky. He genuinely was a good guy and frankly, a great match for my feisty best friend. They dished shit back and forth on equal grounds. I resolved to talk to Harper about it. She was certainly stubborn enough to ignore any feelings she might have for him.

I grabbed my slip on shoes that were under the table and put them on, and looked up to see Finn still messing around with his phone. His brows were down and his mouth was in a straight line. Whatever he was doing, he was serious about it.

“Hey, you ready to go?” I said to him.

He didn’t hear me. What on earth? I walked over to him, putting my hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly and put his phone down to where I couldn’t see the screen.

“Did you hear me?”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” His face was etched with something I couldn’t put my finger on, but it made something in my stomach flip.

“I asked if you were ready to go?” I repeated myself.

“Oh… yeah sure. I’m sorry.” He got up and grabbed his car keys. He led me out of the house with his hand on the small of my back.

When we got in the car, I looked over at him.

“Everything okay Finn?”

He didn’t answer right away which made me feel uneasy. “Everything is fine. I’m sorry for not answering you in there. Just some shit in California that needed my attention.”

He gave me a tight smile. I wanted to believe him, but my gut was telling me there was more to the story. Not wanting to talk about it, I decided to drop it and we drove to the doctor’s office.





After sitting in the waiting room for twenty minutes, I was called back to the exam room. I’d been in here with Harper, but having Finn here felt funny. Not funny in a bad way, just… different. I sat down on the table and the paper crinkled beneath me. Finn was walking around the small room, taking inventory of everything there was to see. He stopped in front of all the posters, picked up the lids on a couple of jars sitting on the counter, and even opened a few drawers. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said he was nervous.

“Everything to your liking?” I teased.

His eyes were still searching the room. “Very funny Em. I just want to see what they have in here.”

“It’s a pretty standard room Finn, you can sit down and relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“You could have fooled me. You’re pacing around, checking everything out like it’s some foreign environment.” He looked over at me, and I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes.

“I hate this place. Needles give me the heebie jeebies.” He actually shivered, which made me laugh.

“You don’t have to be in here with me you know. I am a big girl.”

He turned to face me, and his eyes held a solid promise. “I will be in here with you for every appointment Em. I’ve already told you, you’re not doing this alone anymore.”

“But I’ve never been alone. Harper can always still come with me.”

“No.”

His no was obviously the end of discussion. Which was actually good because Dr Monroe came in, rolling in with him a computer-looking thing with a large screen and keyboard.

“Hello Emilyn. Have you been feeling okay?” He looked over at Finn, who was now standing over the top of me in a protective manner.

“I’ve been feeling great, thanks for asking. This is Finley Morgan by the way. He will be with me for the rest of my appointments.”

Dr. Monroe reached out and offered his hand. Finn took it and they shook hands.

“Nice to meet you Finley. I’m glad Emilyn has another friend to come with her.”

Finn visibly bristled at the word ‘friend’, but that one didn’t need to be explained. In fact I wasn’t sure I could explain it even if I wanted to. I had no idea what Finn and I were right now. I don’t think we could exactly be called boyfriend and girlfriend. We seemed a bit more than such a cliché classification. Except, were we really? That was something I’d have to think about another time because I was about to see my baby on the ultrasound screen.

“Alright, let’s get started. I need you to lie back and lift your shirt. I’m going to put some of this jelly on your stomach again. It’s going to feel a bit cold again, I apologize for that.”

Finn stood up by my head while I did what Dr. Monroe asked.

Dr. Monroe squirted some blue gel on me and then ran the wand over my rounded stomach. He began moving it around in slow motion and an image appeared on the screen. I immediately recognized the fluttering as my baby’s heart.

“So here is the baby’s spine right here,” he pointed at a long boney looking image. He tapped the keyboard a couple of times, taking some measurements. “Here’s a little foot kicking around, which I’m sure you can feel fairly well by now.”

I smiled bigger than I already was and nodded my head.

“Right here is where the placenta is, and the cord coming out of it to your baby. It looks like everything is flowing properly.” More tapping on the keyboard. “Do you see the profile? What a perfect little face,” he practically cooed at the screen.

The baby really was perfect. I watched in awe as the image of my child moved around the screen. I’d never seen something more perfect. It was then that I remembered that Finn was standing by me. I was so consumed that I’d forgotten he was in the room too. Looking up at him he was watching the monitor and his eyes looked a bit glassy. Was he tearing up?

Not sure if I was making the right move, I reached up and laced my fingers through his hand that was resting by my head. He looked down at me then. He gave me one of the most loving and glorious smiles I’d ever seen. And if I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I’d seen love in them. Whether it was love for me, or for my child, I didn’t know. But at that very moment, Finn and I connected in a deeper way than we ever had before. He was here for me and my child. The look on his face was a look I’d expect to see on a father seeing his baby for the first time. This obviously wasn’t Finn’s child but looking at him now, you would never know the difference.

After some more tapping on the keyboard, Dr Monroe asked, “Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”

Looking away from Finn, I turned back to the doctor. I had thought about this for the past few months. Just as I opened my mouth to respond, Finn piped up.

“Yes. We definitely want to know!” He wasn’t even looking at me.

Dr. Monroe looked down at me and waited for confirmation.

“No, actually I don’t want to know.”

“What? Em…” Finn stopped talking when I turned my head back in his direction.

“I don’t want to know Finn. Not knowing what you’re having can be one of the great mysteries in life, and it’s just something that I’d rather be surprised about.”

He searched my face, trying to understand. “But what about planning and decorating the baby’s room? If we know, we can add pink or blue to go with the new yellow walls.”

I shrugged my shoulder, the paper beneath me creasing. “I’m fine with neutral colors.”

His brow furrowed, eventually looking away from me to the doctor. “I guess we don’t want to know.”

Dr Monroe gave me a kind smile. When he was done wiping the gel off my stomach, he went over to turn the lights on. I pulled my shirt back over my rounded tummy and Finn put a hand behind me to help me sit up. Dr. Monroe came over to the opposite side of the bed from Finn. Placing a handing on my shoulder he leaned in slightly.

“I love a good surprise! Here,” and he handed me a photo he had taken of the baby’s profile. “Just stop on the way out at the desk to schedule your next appointment and I’ll see you in another four weeks.” And with that he walked out of the door.

Left in the room with just Finn, it was silent. For some reason I couldn’t look at him. I expected him to be angry with me for not wanting to know the sex of the baby, but I also wanted to stand my ground. This was my child, and I hated to make it sound like I was being territorial but Finn wasn’t the father. If he wanted to be in our lives, I was more than okay with that, but as far as I was concerned I was the parent and I made the decisions, and this was something I didn’t want to know.

“Hey.” He was trying to get my attention. “Are you upset?”

I finally met his eye. “No, I’m fine. Are… are you upset with me?”

He was confused. “Why would I be upset?”

“Because, you wanted to find out and I didn’t.”

He shook his head, “Tiny Girl, if you didn’t want to know, then that was your choice. It would have been fun going out and buying pink or blue things, but I’ll just take this as a challenge. Bring on the neutral!” He smiled a sweet smile at me. I gave him a grin in return.

“Thanks… you know… for being here with me for this.”

He leaned in and touched his forehead to mine. “Always Em, always!”





I’d never been a big baby person, but holy shit that was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen. There was an actual human being growing inside Emilyn. Standing there looking at that screen, it was hard to wrap my mind around the whole thing. I’d be forever grateful that she let me be in there with her. What’s more, Em had always been one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever laid eyes on, but after that experience I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone more beautiful than her. She was an incredible woman.

The rest of the day passed quickly and before long we were back in the car on our way to her parent’s house. She was quietly humming to herself from the passenger seat. I felt myself growing anxious about seeing her parents again after so long. Especially knowing that they’d witnessed first-hand what I’d put her through. I didn’t know if they would be angry with me? Had they held a grudge? We were around the corner when Em looked at me and gave me a dazzling smile that lit up her whole face.

“My Mom is making ribs and potato salad, I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

She looked at me as if she expected more of an answer.

“Oh my gosh!” She was smiling now. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She was staring at me. I was white knuckling the steering wheel.

“What?”

“Holy shit!” Okay, now she was flat out laughing.

“Really Emilyn, you shouldn’t curse. It’s bad for the baby.” I said, keeping my eyes on the road.

That made her laugh even more. She was doubled over holding on to her stomach and wiping tears from her eyes.

“You’re scared to see my parents again, aren’t you?”

I didn’t find this very amusing. “No, why would I be?”

“How about you tell me!” I watched her take deep breaths, and it looked like she was trying to make an honest attempt to stop laughing.

“I really don’t know why you’re laughing, but if you keep it up you’ll be paying for it later.”

That shut her up really quick. Now I was the one chuckling.

“So in all seriousness, are you worried about seeing them again? You look like you’re about to take a chunk out of the steering wheel Finn.”

She was right. I loosened my grip and decided to out my pansy ass.

“Yes, okay? I’m nervous to see them again. I loved your parents, but they were the ones that were here with you after… well you know. I’d understand if they didn’t ever want to see me again. Hell, I wouldn’t want to see me again either. If I could, I’d kick my own ass for what I did to you!”

Rolling her eyes she said, “Finn, enough! They’re fine with it. I’ve seen them both since you’ve come back and they obviously know that I’m living with you now. Really, truly, it’s all going to be fine. They know that we’ve talked quite a bit about everything that happened, and as long as I’m fine and moving on then so are they, okay?”

I wasn’t so certain, but I’d accept her answer for now. Who knew what Richard and Tessa would do or say to me when Em wasn’t in the room. Either way, I’d man up and deal with whatever they wanted to dish out to me because I deserved it. We pulled up to her parents’ driveway. Harper and Kyler weren’t there yet, which sucked because they would have acted as a great buffer for any potential awkwardness. Parking the car I turned to face her.

“What?” She cocked her head to the side.

“That laughing fit? Totally unacceptable. You should be worried.”

And with that I got out of the car, closing the door while she yelled my name. I walked around to her side and helped her out.

When she got out we made our way to the front door.

“What do you mean I should be worried?” She was chewing on her bottom lip. Holy shit that was turning me on. Simmer down boy. Let’s not give her Dad more ammo to fire at me.

“We’ll talk about it later.” I kissed the tip of her nose, and used my thumb to pull her lip out of her teeth.

We made our way inside and Em called out to her parents.

We found them standing in the kitchen talking. Emilyn’s Mom came and greeted her with a hug, and then her Dad did the same, kissing her cheek, when they pulled away and saw me still standing in the doorway.

“Finley Morgan, how are you honey?” Tessa came over to me with open arms. This was so not the greeting I had expected. She gave me a tight hug and pulled back to give me a once over. “Oh my word, have you gotten bigger since the last time I saw you? In fact, I think you’re even cuter now too.”

“Mom!”

I chuckled. “It’s fine Em. Thanks for the compliment.” She was still holding on to my arms. “Yes Tessa, I hit another growth spurt just after high school. I didn’t realize boys kept growing for another few years. Pretty certain I’m done now though.”

Looking down at Tessa it was like seeing what Em would look like in twenty years. She was a very beautiful woman. Richard cleared his throat.

“Finn, it’s nice to see you son. I hear you’ve been doing well.” He reached his hand out for me to shake.

I gladly took it, and let the warmth of his greeting wash over me. I hadn’t heard him call me son in ages. Now that I was hearing it again, I realized that I’d actually missed it. Just like Kyler’s Dad, Richard was a man that I looked up to and respected. After my Father died, he had stepped in and made me feel like I was a part of this family and started calling me ‘son’. Not wanting to get emotional, I greeted Richard with a hello.

“Nice to see you too Richard. Business has been doing well.”

“I’ve heard some of your songs on the radio. I’ve got to say, it’s kind of neat that I know that you wrote them.” Richard complimented me.

“Oh yes, and I’ve even caught him singing along to them in the car.” Tessa said grinning at her husband.

“Can it Tessa. The boy doesn’t need to know all of my secrets.” They smiled at each other in a loving way.

Em laughed and looked up at me with her radiant smile. The conversation between the three of them continued until the doorbell rang.

Emilyn went to answer it, while I stayed in the kitchen and offered to help Tessa with setting the table. She handed me some plates and I made my way in to the dining room table. I walked back into the kitchen to be greeted by a very annoyed looking Harper swiftly followed by Kyler—a shit eating grin plastered all over his face. Tessa clapped her hands excitedly.

“Oh my, it’s my lucky day! Another handsome boy to sit at my table. Kyler honey, how are you?” She gave him the same hug she gave me.

“Hi Mrs. Tucker, how are you?” Kyler actually lifted her off the ground.

Emilyn covered her face with embarrassment.

Harper walked over to kiss Richard on the cheek.

“Hey Dad, dinner smells good.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear, but what she said was loud enough for all of us to hear. “You going to let that asshat manhandle your wife like that?”

He chuckled. “Eh, let her have some attention from a younger man. Does her good sometimes.”

Harper grinned at him and he gave her a look of a loving father.

Ky walked over to the stove and picked at the ribs, before licking his fingers. “Mmm… this tastes amazing Mrs. T.”

“Ky man, would you get your fingers out of the food?” I shook my head at him.

“What?” he said innocently. Harper rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t you kids go sit down and Richard and I will bring the food through in just a second.” Tessa said.

We walked into the dining room. I pulled the chair out for Em and took the seat next to her while Kyler and Harper went to the other side. Ky sat down leaving Harper still standing.

She grabbed her chair and pulled it out for herself. “Rude.” She said under her breath, flopping down in her seat. Ky didn’t even notice.

“Hey, Shorty?” Ky leaned across the table toward Em.

“What?” She said.

The look on his face said he was about to say something genius. “Did you ever realize what other meaning your Dad’s name has?”

She looked at him confused. Oh shit, he was so not going there. Okay, he actually was.

“What’s another name for Richard?”

“Jesus.” Harper said.

“What are you getting at Ky.” Em still wasn’t catching on.

“Dick. Dick is short for Richard. So did you know that your Dad’s name is also Dick Tucker?” His shoulders started shaking from laughing so hard.

Being male I couldn’t help myself… I may have laughed silently as well.

“Ow!” Ky yelled from across the table. He was rubbing the back of his head where Harper had slapped him.

“Now that’s funny!” She laughed.

We were all laughing at Ky as Em’s parents came into the room. Dinner went fairly smoothly after that. Harper got a few more digs in at Ky, and Em shared her news about the ultrasound. The girls all gushed and asked questions. Richard sat back beaming at his daughter, clearly happy and excited to be a grandpa.

“Oh my god, my baby is giving me a grandbaby.” Tears filled Tessa's eyes. “Richard, our baby is having a baby.”

“Baby’s having babies.” Harper teased while laughing.

“Better catch up woman! I’m no baby. I’m the same age as you and you’re not getting any younger.” Em poked at her.

Harper rolled her eyes, but looked over at Ky. He was devouring his ribs, effectively ignoring the conversation. Harper’s look wasn’t lost on me though. Em caught it as well.

The rest of the dinner went well. Kyler wised up and kept any smart ass comments to himself, Harper joked with Em’s Dad, Tessa couldn’t keep her hands off Em’s belly, and my stomach was puffed out and stuffed.

As we were all getting up from the table to start clearing our plates, my cell phone started ringing. The Black Eyed Peas were singing ‘My Humps’. What the f*ck? Looking over at Ky, I could see he was almost on the floor laughing. Emilyn’s parents stopped what they were doing and looked at me questioningly. Yeah… a song about my lovely lady lumps wasn’t embarrassing me at all!

Pulling my phone out of my pocket I asked Ky, “How in the hell did you get a hold of my phone again?”

“Oh wise one, I will never tell you of my secrets. I’m stealth… like a ninja.” And with that, he continued to laugh.

Jesus Christ I was going to have to put a password on my phone. Looking down at the screen I saw Val’s name. Shit! I cleared the called and hoped Em hadn’t seen who it was calling me. She looked over as I put my phone back in my pocket.

“Didn’t you need to get that?” She clearly didn’t get a look at the name—much to my relief.

“Nah. It was just a telemarketer.” I hated lying to her but I wasn’t going to let Val ruin my night with Em and her family, especially when everything was going so well. Her parents hadn’t even brought up the time I left. They were just interested in talking to me about my music and how it felt to own a house at home. I thought I’d dealt with the Val issue when she was texting me this morning, but I obviously hadn’t been clear enough. She’d wanted to know where I’d been and why I wasn’t in LA. I explained to her that I had moved back home and that I was trying to fix things with Em. She needed to know that things with her had never been serious for me. So I had no idea why the hell she was still bothering me.

“Are you about ready to head home? I’m tired and I have to work early in the morning.” She said, accepting my lie too easily.

“If you’re ready to go, then let’s get you in the car.”

“Finn, would you mind stepping in to the living room so we can talk for a second?” Em’s Dad quietly asked me.

I nodded, feeling my heart thundering in my chest. Shit, here we go. He was going to tell me that I was the world’s biggest douchebag, and to stay away from his daughter. Em was talking to her mom, but glanced over at me before I walked out of the room with her dad. She didn’t seem worried at all.

He stopped short just inside the living room, turning to look at me.

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter Finn. She looks happier than I’ve seen her in years.”

This was definitely not what I had expected from him. Shocked, I tentatively said, “You’re welcome?” Richard heard the question in my voice and grinned.

“I figured you’d be a bit uncomfortable around Tessa and me, but don’t. Let me lay it all out there so you know where we stand.” This was good I thought to myself. “We knew you had to have had your reasons for leaving all of those years ago. We didn’t like what it did to our daughter, but we respected your choices. Tessa and I always thought you were a good kid Finn, and we still do. I should have never pushed her to be with West like I did. For the past ten years we’ve had to sit back and watch the light in her eyes fade...” He stopped and looked down, then glanced back up at me. He seemed to be collecting himself. “Today is the first day I’ve seen my daughter truly happy in almost a decade, and it’s all because of you son.”

The emotion in the room was nearly choking me. Richard had tears in his eyes, and I was not far off either. “Wow, Richard I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything son. Just know that you are always welcome in our home, and Tessa and I are thankful that you are in our lives.”

Shit… I coughed and then took a deep breath to push back the lump in my throat and clear the tears in my eyes. “Thanks. That means a lot. And I want you and Tessa to know that I never stopped loving Em. Even now with the pregnancy, I still love her. I’m never leaving her. She’s my whole life.”

My response was enough for Richard, because he reached out and gave me a tight hug that meant he appreciated what I said. “Better get back in there, and take my baby girl home. She needs to rest and keep my growing grandchild healthy.” He smiled at me.

Richard was a good man who loved his daughter. I was relieved that we’d cleared the air and he knew where I stood with Em. When we walked back in the dining room I saw my Tiny Girl’s beautiful smile, and she warmed every inch of my body. It was time to get her out of here so I could take her home and hold her close to me.

We said our goodbyes by the front door. I hugged her Mom again, and her Dad shook my hand and brought me in for a hug. They told us to come back soon and Em promised her Mom she’d call her the following week. Harper and Ky left together and I was curious as to whether he would try and stay the night at her place. Despite their constant bickering, the looks they’d given each other throughout dinner indicated that something might have been going on. I’d be asking him about that tomorrow while we worked on new music. Helping my Tiny Girl into the car, I felt a sense of relief that this hurdle was over. Her parents accepted me back into their lives, no questions asked. I was exhausted and ready to get myself and Em in bed. All I could think about on the drive home was wrapping my body around her tiny frame and holding her close. This day had been more than I ever could have asked for.