Ticket To Ride (Passing Through Series Book 2), page 21
Finn slammed home, driving into her and drawing a guttural scream from her.
Bracing himself above her, he got serious.
His face grew taut with need. His beautiful body flexed. Sweat glistened on his muscle as he powered them both forward.
Her climax came fast and hard, rushing over her and arching her off the bed.
Finn buried himself as deep as he could and stiffened as he came. He lowered himself on her and then rolled to the side.
Claire wanted to protest the loss of him, but she didn’t have the will to do much more than lie there and recover.
“Hey.” Finn rolled to his side beside her. “You doing okay?”
“Better than that.” She managed a smile for him. The etched lines of his face called to her, and she traced them with her forefinger. “I like this face.”
He kissed her nose softly. “I like this face too.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” She snuggled closer to his warmth.
Finn got out of bed. “Hold that thought.”
In the bathroom he got rid of the condom, and then he slid back into bed with her.
Hooking an arm around her waist, he hauled her back toward him and tucked her into him. “Tomorrow’s going to be another big day, we should get some sleep.”
She let the warmth of him surround her and ease her. “Finn?”
“Babe?”
“When you had your surgeries, was there anyone there for you?”
He tensed, and for a moment, Claire wished she hadn’t asked.
Then he relaxed and tightened his hold around her middle. “Are you feeling sorry for me?”
“Was there anyone there?”
He raised her hand and kissed it. “I had a lot of friends and army buddies walk me through it.”
Maura hadn’t even gone to his side when he had lain in a hospital bed after his surgeries. From those scars on his back, he had to have been in a world of pain.
She laced her fingers with his that lay on her stomach. “I would have been there.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dressed in bright yellow scrubs with little daisies on this morning, Nurse Bunny beelined for Claire the moment she arrived in the ward.
“Oh, hon! There you are.”
Claire reached for Finn’s hand. Please don’t let it be bad news.
Bunny’s face twisted into an adorable frown. “They’re driving him insane, and I don’t know what to do. I tried to get them to leave, but they’re not paying any attention.”
“But my father is all right?” Claire needed the reassurance before she took another step.
“Oh, yes, sweetie. He’s doing great. Doc is pleased with him.” Bunny rolled her eyes and then frowned again. Adorably, of course. “But he might kill one of them before they go.”
“Them?”
“Donna!” Peg’s voice rebounded off the corridor walls. “Please take your position bedside.”
Finn chuckled. “I’m going to the canteen.”
“No, you aren’t.” She grabbed his hand in a firm grip. “You’re going to go in there and turn that Irish charm on for all its worth. And you’re going to get them out of there.”
He tugged her back to him and landed her against his chest. “I want to hear more about my Irish charm.”
“Don’t make me regret saying that.” She grabbed his hand and forged forward.
They reached the waiting room and Claire froze.
The entire prayer chain had taken up residence. Three members were chatting over their knitting and watching Days of Our Lives on the waiting room television. In another corner, the young mothers had their heads together, she guessed swapping birth or child rearing horror stories. Even Hank Styles was there, in clean jeans and a pressed shirt with his hair slicked back and neat.
“Ah, Claire!” Impressive chest leading, Peg descended on her like a battle cruiser. “We’re glad you’re here. I would have thought you’d be here sooner, but never mind that. I’m organizing the meal roster for Horace. Do you know if he’s allergic to anything?”
“No.” She’d been sitting next to Horace when he was admitted. “He’s not allergic to anything, but he’s not a big fan of fish.”
“No fish. Got ya.” Peg whipped out her phone and tapped in a note. “Favorite dishes?”
“Um…he really eats most things. He’s not fussy.”
“Not fussy.” Peg tapped it in. “Now, any idea when he’ll be released.”
“They said three to four days.” She was starting to understand how people felt under government questioning. “But I’ll stay with him.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Peg could type into her phone faster than a teen on Snapchat. “We’ll make arrangements for the house to be cleaned.” She checked her phone. “Time’s up, Donna.” She peered past Claire. “Bonnie! No more than four minutes. We’re on a schedule.”
With an apologetic smile, Bonnie scuttled past them.
Claire threw Finn a look to get on with it.
“Peg.” He got in front of her. Brave man. “Did you change your hair?”
Peg looked confused. “No.”
“Stupid question.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and muscle flexed along his arms and shoulders. “It always looks great.”
“Oh.” Peg went pink and tapped her hair. “Why thank you, Finn.”
“I just say it as I see it.” His grin could have stripped the panties off a nun.
What a man whore. Claire raised her eyebrow at him.
Putting an arm around Peg’s shoulders he turned her away from the waiting room. “Actually, if you have a few minutes, I need to chat with you.” He smoldered down at her. Peg followed along like she’d lost the ability to reason. “And I know you’re the only one who can help me with this.”
Grateful as she was for his intervention, Claire had his number now. All that disingenuous hotness wasn’t quite as innocent as it seemed. And dammit! He’d used that exact smile and those burning bedroom eyes on her when she’d first arrived in Twin Elks.
Peg didn’t stand a chance.
As she entered his room, Horace threw her a desperate look.
“Hi Bonnie.” Claire smiled at her. “How are you?”
“Fine.” Bonnie’s frost toward her still hadn’t melted.
“It’s really nice of you to come and see my dad.” She moved to Horace’s bedside and took his hand. “Would you mind, though, if I had him to myself for a couple of minutes?” She shrugged and did her best to look penitent. “I always feel like we haven’t had enough time together. I know it’s my fault, but…”
Horace nearly ruined her performance with his gaping.
“I understand.” Bonnie leaped to her feet. “The bond between a daughter and her father is a very special thing.”
“I knew you’d understand.”
Bonnie leaned over Horace and enunciated painstakingly. “Take care, Mr. Winters, and get better soon. Your daughter, Claire, is here to see you, so I’ll just pop along.”
“Thanks, Bonnie.” Claire smiled her out of the room. Then she turned to Horace and dropped all pretense. “You look exhausted.”
Horace grunted but took her hand. “There are a lot of them.”
“Finn’s dealing with them.”
Frowning, Horace cocked his head. “What can Finn—”
“Prayer chain, we’re leaving,” Peg called. “Ten minutes to the bus and no stopping in the cafeteria. We have snacks on the bus. I’m looking at you Hank Styles.”
Claire took the seat Bonnie had vacated and pulled it up to the bed. “I brought us something.” She dug in her bag and found Good Night Moon. “Would you like me to read it to you?”
Blinking rapidly, Horace looked down. “That’s a children’s story.”
“I think of it more as our story.” Claire said.
Dad cleared his throat. “You could read a bit.”
Finn leaned against the doorjamb and watched them. He crossed his arms and jerked his head at her for her to continue.
“In the great green room…”
By the time she reached the end of the story, Horace had fallen asleep.
She put the book on his bedside table, filled his water cup and rearranged the flowers and fruit baskets the prayer chain had brought. They were good people, just a bit overwhelming at times.
“Hey.” Finn caught her arm. “Stop fussing for a minute.”
“He used to read me that when I was a little girl.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “It’s one of a handful of memories I have of us.”
Finn pulled her into a hug. “I figured it was something like that.”
“He used to read my bedtime story when I lived with him.”
“Did he?” Finn’s beautiful deep voice had a way of soothing her rough edges.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his neck. “Finn?”
“Babe?”
“So much of what my mom told me isn’t turning out to be true.” She couldn’t look at anyone as she said that. Even saying it aloud felt like a betrayal to her mother. “He isn’t anything like she said he was.”
“Maybe because the man she experienced as her husband is not the same man as your father. There’s only space for two people in a marriage.” His heart beat steadily against her ear. “My mom used to tell Sean about her marriage to my dad. It’s never good for the kid when those boundaries get crossed. Kids should never have to choose between their parents.”
“Did you have to?”
He chuckled. “My mother made that choice for all of us. She and Sean were a unit, and that left Dad and me.”
“You never talk about him much.”
Finn shrugged. “He was a good guy. A bit absent, but a good father when he was around. He taught me to play hockey, and he encouraged me to enlist. I think he always wanted to himself, but it never happened for him.”
“Did he die?”
“Yeah.” Finn hugged her tighter to him. “But it was fifteen years ago now. Before even Poppy and Sean’s marriage.”
She glanced back at her father, now deeply asleep. “Why don’t we go and get some breakfast and let him sleep?”
“Sounds good.” He kissed her lightly. “You okay?”
Not the easiest question to answer. “Mostly.”
“Let’s start there then and see if we can improve it.”
*
After lunch Poppy and Ben arrived. Poppy immediately gave her a huge hug. “You look tired.”
“I am.” There was something about hospitals that drained a person even though she’d not been doing much other than hanging around while Horace slept and spending time with him when he was awake.
Poppy waggled her eyebrows. “Has that bad, bad Finn been keeping you up at night?”
“Poppy.” Ben rolled his eyes but looked pained and amused at the same time. Then he winked at Claire. “Has he?”
A playful Ben always took her by surprise. He was normally so contained and serious, but there was more of Dot in him than immediately obvious.
“Listen, why don’t you say goodbye to Horace for the day? We’ll stay with him until they kick us out. Go back to the house and relax. You can come and see him again tomorrow.”
Finn put an arm around her waist. “Sounds like a good idea. We can watch the kids until you come back. Why don’t you make that return tomorrow? Take over our hotel room.” He handed Ben his truck keys. “Do you think you can drive my truck back?”
“Sounds good to me.” Ben pocketed the keys. “Now take Claire home and don’t do anything to scar my kids for life.”
“So, no strip poker?” Claire widened her eyes innocently.
Ben chuckled. “Not with Ryan at least, he cheats.”
As they were driving away, it occurred to Claire. “I don’t mind leaving Poppy with Horace.”
“Eh?” Finn glanced at her and back at the road.
“I mean I was so angry and jealous of Poppy when I first came here, and now, I’m happy to leave her with my father. It doesn’t even bother me that he will be glad to have her there.”
Finn kissed her hand. “Poppy’s awesome. I told you—”
She poked him. “If you say you told me so, I will make you sorry.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ryan launched himself at her as she crossed the kitchen threshold. “Claire. Hello, Claire. We’ve having mac and cheese for dinner. Dot promised.”
“I love mac and cheese.” Her skinny jeans weren’t going to make it. “And I’m sure Dot makes it really well.”
“She does.” Brinn bopped up to her, ponytail bouncing. “She puts bacon in it and three kinds of cheese.”
“Three kinds?” That was impressive.
Ciara sidled up beside her and took her hand. There was something about that warm, small hand in hers that brought out her protective streak.
“How’s Horace?” Ciara whispered.
“Grumpy.” Claire smiled to reassure her.
“Horace is not really grumpy,” Brinn said. “He uses it to hide his smile.”
Were all kids so smart? Probably not, just these four geniuses. “So true.”
“Hello.” Dot greeted her with her hands held out. “You must be exhausted.”
Finn tried to walk with Brinn attached to one leg and Ciara the other. “She is. It was nice of Ben and Poppy to stay with him.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to look after the children tonight?” Dot frowned. “If I’d known in advance, I could have canceled my plans and taken this lot with me.”
“No, that’s fine,” Claire said, and it really was. “Finn and I would be happy to watch them.” She was learning to enjoy the sense of family the children brought with them. “And you made dinner already, so the hard part is over.”
Dot snorted and rolled her eyes. “Call me if you live to eat those words.”
“Will do.” Finn upended Brinn and made her shriek. “Or I could toss them all out the window.”
Claire didn’t like him holding Brinn upside down. “Be careful with her.”
“She’s fine.” Grinning at Brinn, Finn gave her a little shake.
Brinn giggled. “I like it.”
“See.”
“Just don’t do that after she’s eaten.” Dot gathered up her things, and after kissing each child, she left.
Ryan took a seat at the kitchen table. “I’m hungry. Can we eat?”
At four thirty in the afternoon? She could pretend it was the early bird special somewhere. “Sure.”
“Ryan, get some place mats.” Finn put Brinn down and steadied her until she regained her balance. “Brinn, you’re on knives and forks. Ciara, get some glasses. And you”—he snatched up Sean—“are going in your chair.”
“Finn!” Sean patted his cheeks. “Hello, Finn.”
“Hi, big man.” Finn nuzzled Sean before putting him in his highchair. “Are you hungry?”
Sean nodded and slapped the tray of his highchair.
The familial resemblance between Finn and his nephews and nieces was strong enough for him to be mistaken for their father. He also clearly adored them and was comfortable dealing with them.
Looking up, he caught her watching him and winked. “You have hungry menfolk here.”
“Then they should feed themselves.” Brinn tossed her head. “Shouldn’t they, Claire?”
“Absolutely!” Claire high-fived her, put on oven mitts, and fetched the mac and cheese from the oven. She put it on the table far away from small fingers. “The dish is hot. Don’t touch it.”
Ryan immediately reached for it.
“Dude!” Finn caught his hand. “Did you hear what Claire said?”
He got busy serving the children, while Claire fetched the children some milk and beer for her and Finn. She hadn’t drank this much beer since college.
Finn snagged her around the waist and drew her in for a quick kiss. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Oooh.” Brinn made kissing noises while Ciara giggled behind her hand.
Ryan made gagging sounds. “Ew.”
“One day you’re going to find some girl you want to do the same thing to.” Finn gave him a gentle push.”
“Or boy.” Brinn raised her eyebrows at Finn. “Ryan might want to kiss boys and not girls.”
Ryan dug into his meal. “I don’t want to kiss anyone.”
“What are you?” Finn stalked Brinn around the table. “The political correctness police?”
“Uh-huh.” Brinn grinned at him. “Ciara and I will let you know our pronouns.”
“You’re so smart.” Finn kissed the top of her head.
Brinn pointed with her fork. “Ciara too.”
“Ciara too.” Finn kissed Ciara as well.
When they’d left the hospital, Claire would have sworn all she wanted was a hot bath, a book and bed. She had to be up early to go back to the hospital. Sitting in the midst of a family dinner, however, her weariness melted away. Sure, the children were energetic and took managing, but they also fed her spirit in a way she’d never experienced before.
As an only child, she’d never had noisy happy dinners. She had been accepted into his family circle as if she belonged there. Her heart gave a strong twinge. The realization body slammed her. She wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to belong there. Quick on the heels of that came the thought she could have it for herself. She could build her own noisy, funny, energetic family.
Her gaze strayed to Finn. How much like Poppy’s children would Finn’s look?
He was simultaneously feeding himself and making sure at least some food got into Sean’s mouth.
More importantly, why was she thinking of Finn and children and her own newly discovered desire for a family?
After dinner, Finn took the children for bath time.
