“I don’t know what I did with the key!” she wailed.
Ryan’s shout of laughter echoed loudly around the yard in the quiet, early hours of the morning.
The late morning sun swirled lazily through the window when Fin rolled over and blinked her eyes open. Ryan was beside her, lying on his stomach with his face pressed into the pillow. He looked so beautiful, but even in sleep he appeared exhausted.
“I’ll love you longer than the stars that live in the sky.”
The words had broken her heart and somehow put it back together again all at the same time. Ryan loved her. He was here. With her. That was all she needed. A smile started to creep over her face until the painful reminder that Jake was gone slammed into her. It happened every morning, yet this time when her eyes burned, she reached for Ryan instead. She trailed her fingers lightly over his scarred, tanned back.
His reaction was instant. With eyes wild and intense, Ryan rolled over and grabbed hold of her throat, his fingers squeezing with aggressive strength.
“Ryan,” she wheezed, clawing at his hand.
He blinked.
“Hurts,” she choked out.
His eyes widened with horror, and he snatched his hand away. “Fin. Oh God.”
Fin drew deep breaths into her burning lungs and rubbed a shaky hand over her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have—”
“No.” Ryan rolled over and hovered above her, moving her hand out of the way. He frowned and touched the skin of her neck gently. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Leaning in, Ryan peppered soft kisses where it hurt. “Baby …” His eyes searched her face. “I shouldn’t be here,” he mumbled. Pushing quickly off the bed, he got to his feet.
“No!” she shouted hoarsely and he froze. “You live here now. You don’t get to run away. You have to stay.” Her bottom lip trembled. “You stay and you talk to me.”
Ryan rubbed a hand over his eyes and sank down on the edge of the bed. Leaning over, he rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor.
“Did you sleep?”
He breathed out heavily. “Not so much.”
“Are you—”
“Fin.” Ryan turned sideways on the bed to face her and reached out, scraping his palm slowly down her bare chest. Cupping her breast, he looked at her from beneath thick, dark lashes. “How am I supposed to sleep with you lying naked next to me?” he growled playfully.
Fin’s heart thumped when she looked into his eyes and saw the pain he was trying to mask so carefully.
“Ryan,” she whispered and placed a hand on his thigh.
She held her words inside because she was scared. What if love wasn’t enough for them? Would it heal the deep lacerations life had placed on his heart, or would he always be so completely broken that he would never fully be hers?
Her phone rang and Ryan reached over to pick it up from her bedside table. He looked at the display before handing it over. “It’s your mum.”
Fin took the phone from his hand and answered the call.
“Finlay, honey.” She cleared her throat. “How did your night go last night?”
“That’s a long story.”
“Oh … Well, you can tell me about it tonight. Are you still coming for dinner?”
“Yes, of course I’ll be there.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows in question at her.
“In fact,” she said, looking at him, “you’ll need to set another place at the table.”
Ryan shook his head swiftly. “Fin,” he mouthed. “No.”
“Oh?”
“Ryan’s coming too,” she told her mother.
She heard him curse softly, and she rolled over in the bed, giving him her back.
“He hasn’t been around,” Julie said, her voice a mere whisper. “It’s almost like we’ve lost two sons.”
Fin swallowed the lump in her throat when her mother choked on a sob.
“Mum,” she whispered.
“I’m okay.” Julie cleared her throat. “I’m okay,” she repeated, but Fin knew she wasn’t.
“How’s Dad?” Fin asked in an effort to distract her.
“Your father’s fine.”
“Mum—”
“So, we’ll see you tonight,” Julie said over the top of her. “And … thanks Fin, for getting Ryan to come.”
After finishing the phone call, Fin hung up the phone and set it quietly and carefully back on her bedside table.
“I’m not going, Fin.”
The warning tone in his voice was clear, yet Fin was silent. Staring down at her hands, she picked at a torn fingernail from her efforts at searching for the house key last night.
“They want to see you,” she said eventually.
“I’m not going through this now.” Ryan stood and walked towards the door.
“Ryan?” she called out.
He paused without turning around.
“You …” Fin paused, suddenly hesitant, and licked her lips. “You’re still moving in aren’t you?”
Turning, Ryan grinned crookedly, but it didn’t wipe the sadness from his eyes. “Of course. Everything I’ve ever said to you has been the truth, Fin. Don’t ever doubt me.”