Daring the Wild Sparks (25 page)

The most disturbing thing he said by far was if something ever happened to me, he wouldn’t be able to live without me. What?  He’s not only willing to kill my mother, but he’s willing to kill
himself
because of me? That’s absolutely unacceptable and the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth. Without a doubt, Finn could go on without me. He’d move on and find someone else, possibly someone who doesn’t nag him about marriage and a baby, or introducing her to his coworkers. He can do so much better than me.

What Simone said about Finn crying floats into my mind. He couldn’t have been, especially for me. He didn’t cry when I left him at the kite festival or when we fought at the club. Why would he cry any other time? He probably heaved a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to deal with my bullshit anymore.

I cuddle my face into the crook of his neck and breathe in my Sparks. Wherever he is, I’m home, just as he said that I’m his home. Kissing his neck, I find his left hand and wrap my fingers around it, listening to his breathing and closing my eyes.

How did I get so damned lucky to find such an incredible man to love me when I have nothing but grief to offer him in return?

CHAPTER 16

I awake to light flooding over me in an empty bed. Lifting my head, I see that the room is empty as well. Where is my boyfriend? I check the alarm clock on the nightstand and it’s 9:52. That’s early for Finn to be up if he doesn’t have to be. When he’s with me on his day off, he’s never out of bed before 11. Despite that, it is Easter morning, so maybe he wanted to see what the Easter Bunny brought him.

I reluctantly sit up, still feeling tired from staying up so late. Finn and I will make quite the pair today. Maybe we both should wear green and a metal trash can since I’ll be just as grouchy.

On my way into the hallway, I notice Simone’s door is closed. How late did
she
stay up? In the bathroom, I try to make myself look halfway decent, though I doubt anyone really cares what I look like, and Finn is used to seeing my morning mess by now. I do sweep my hair into a low, side ponytail to make some sort of effort.

As I descend the staircase, I hear the sound of low mumbling coming from the kitchen. One is definitely Finn’s. The other is quieter, but it has to be Julie’s. I walk slowly as not to interrupt them, not wanting to ruin any headway they may be making at mending their rift. When I reach the dining room, I pause by the table to give them more time.

“Finn, all I’m saying is you should tell her about them. Do you keep things from her?”

“…No. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? You want to spend the rest of your life with her, don’t you?”

“Yes, Mother. What’s that have to do with shit?”

“Watch your mouth, Finn Robert. You don’t keep things from your spouse.”

Spouse? Did my boyfriend marry someone else while I was asleep?

“I don’t care if you’re legally married or not, if you want to share the rest of your life with Hadley, she’s your spouse in every way that matters. You don’t keep anything from her. She’d be hurt if she knew you were hiding things from your past.”

“Mom, they’re hardly earth-shattering.”

“You love Hadley, right?”

“No. I brought her here because I wish she’d leave me alone.”

“Finn.”

He scoffs,
“Mom, it’s frickin’ obvious that I do, don’t you think?”

“She might not think so.”

“She knows I love her.”

“I hope so. You need to tell her every single day.”

“So,
you’re
giving me love advice now?”
Is he trying to pick a fight with her?

“Don’t do that. Jack and I will always love each other.”

“Just not enough. Just like you and Dad.”

“Finn, don’t be like that! I don’t want my failed marriages to stop you from having a successful one with Hadley.”

“Forget it. I’m not making
that
mistake.”

“So, you think she’s going to be okay for the rest of your lives not married to you?”

“Let us worry about it.”

“No, seriously. You’re not going to vow to her to love her for the rest of your life?”

“Look how it ended up the three times you did that!”
Shit. He is getting out of control.

“Damn it, Finn! Stop it! Don’t you dare lose that beautiful soul you are blessed to have in your life because of your stubbornness! Yes. You’re mad at me for divorcing your dad and now your stepdad, but don’t you think that I’ll be just as pissed off at you if you lose Hadley? She’s family, too, Finn. I’ll be losing a daughter if you screw up your relationship. So, don’t sit there and continue to judge my failure when it could easily happen to you because you were too pigheaded to make it right!”

Suddenly an arm goes around my shoulders and a whisper goes into my ear. “Spying are we?”

I jump and put my hand on my chest. I turn to Ricky and smack his stomach. Screwy police officer. “What are you going to do, arrest me?” I whisper.

“No, but I’ll give Wilder my cuffs so
he
can punish you.” That might be fun.

“Shut up.”

Ricky’s hooked arm drags me to the living room and over to the couch. He slides his arm off me and pushes down on my shoulder, forcing me to sit before taking a seat in the chair diagonally from me as his eyes glide over my shirt. “Nice teddies,” he says with a brash chuckle.

Dubious that the “former” manwhore is teasing, I ask “Why, officer, are you checking out your BFF’s girl?”

He laughs and raises a smug eyebrow. “Right. Don’t get your hopes up because I’m 100 percent positive he’s not into sharing.” Thank God. Eww. Wait… Why does he know that tidbit?

He clasps his hands over his knees and leans forward. “So, did my
BFF
talk to you last night?”

Still speculating about his last comment, I fold my arms over my stomach in a lame endeavor to cover up; cursing the fact I didn’t change my clothes. “Yes.”

“Did he say anything about you not wanting to marry him anymore?”

“No.”

“He didn’t?” Ricky’s eyes widen slightly as if my answer surprises him. “Did you guys settle things last night, though? Are you two going to be okay?”

“Yes. We’re fine.”

“Good. I don’t like seeing you fighting. It’s kind of like Santa and the Mrs. arguing.”

“What the hell?” I spit out a laugh.

“You two are so…
cute
.” He frowns at his own remark. “Shit. I can’t believe that word just rolled off my tongue. Damn chick flicks or hanging out with your boyfriend. One of them ruined my life.”

Julie cheerfully walks into the living room, wearing a pretty smile to go with her pink sweatshirt sprinkled with colorful Easter eggs. “Good morning! Happy Easter!” I’m guessing her talk with Finn didn’t veer off course as much as I feared it would.

“Happy Easter,” Ricky and I respond in a chorus. How can Finn argue with her when she’s wearing that shirt in the first place?

She eagerly waves towards the kitchen. “Come get your pancakes.”

Ricky jumps up. “You don’t have to tell me twice!” I hear he used to be that raring to go for sex with strangers in dive bars, or so Ricky’s wingman told me. Maybe I am really Finn’s best friend since he does tell me things like that.

Almost
everything.

Then again, maybe not.

Not moving to get up from the couch, Julie sits down in the chair Ricky just vacated. She quietly asks, “Are you okay?”

Looking up from my daydreaming, I nod. “Are you? How’s Finn?”

She smiles. “He’s okay enough for now. He said he’d go with us to Henlopen since you want to go. He’s not ecstatic about it, but it’ll be good for you to spend some time together before you have to go back to work. I know you’re both so busy.”

“He’s the one who’s busy. I’m going to hardly see him.”

She pats my knee. “It’ll be okay, sweetie. You’ll be living together, so you’ll see him more than you used to.”

“True.”

Julie stands. “Come on.”

I follow her into the kitchen and Sparks looks up from his breakfast. He instantly smiles as his eyes float over my pajamas.

He’s wearing his glasses.

Hot. Damn.

It is outrageous how sexy he is wearing them. He never has them on in public, but he also doesn’t like to wear them around me either. That’s a blunder on his part because I’d want to jump his bones even more than usual. They make him look brainy to go with his outgoing personality, which is super-hot.

I walk over and stand behind him, putting my arms around his neck and my cheek against the side of his head. I peer down to his delicious-looking pancakes that look nothing like my sorry attempts. “I see you’re cheating on me again.”

He nods his head, bobbing mine with it. “I am, Becks. Sorry. I promise to only have eyes for your pancakes after we get home.”

I scoff, “Save it, Wilder. I already told you at Bethany’s that I just won’t make them for you anymore. You’ll have to find someone else to give you pancakes from now on.”

He puts a hand up on my arm, tipping his head back, and I move my head so I can see his face, the light reflecting from his glasses. “Aw, baby. Don’t say that!” he fake-pouts. “I love the way your pancakes taste. They melt in my mouth. They’re pure heaven.” My gaze falls to his mouth when he suggestively licks his lips.

Not yielding to his attempts at seduction through flattery and sexy tongue maneuvers, I say, “Nope. You aren’t worthy to eat my pancakes. I’ll make them for someone else.” I slide my arms off his shoulders and step away, but he quickly spins his stool around and grabs my arm, yanking me to him so that I’m standing between his legs, akin to me standing between them at the club in front of those bitches. His back is to his mother and Ricky. Sparks’ arms go around my waist and I put my hands on his thighs, scratching my fingers against his dark gray sweatpants, being careful I don’t go too high to incite an Easter breakfast erection for him to display.

Smiling, he says, “No way. I’ll
always
eat your pancakes. No one enjoys eating them more than I do.”

Ricky holds his fork mid-air and asks, “Wait. Are you actually talking about pancakes or what?” He looks at us in confusion and then scowls. “If you’re talking about sex, will you wait until I’m done so I don’t puke all over
my
pancakes?”

Without taking his eyes off me, Finn stretches his arm behind him to flip Ricky off. I giggle at Ricky’s sour expression.

“Alright, Finn,” Julie cautions, obliging Finn to look back at Ricky and laugh.

Simone walks into the room as Ricky adds, “No more sex talk in the kitchen, Wilder.”

Returning to me, Finn shrugs. “Okay. How about I just
have
sex with her in the kitchen instead, right here on the counter? I promise we won’t talk.”

“Come on, man!” Ricky complains, dropping his fork.

“Yuck!” Simone yelps.

“Finn Robert!” Julie scolds from the stove.

“Oops,” he says with a huge grin and without a trace of remorse.

“Hadley, sweetie, here are your pancakes. You can sit down here by me if my vulgar son is bothering you.”

Finn tightens his hands on my back. “Nope. She’s not leaving me. She loves my vulgarity. Everybody does,” he tacks on with a cocky tone, raising an audacious eyebrow, challenging me to argue with him. I purse my lips, trying not to laugh.

Simone complains grumpily, “Ugh. Please, Wilderness, go get laid before we leave. I don’t want to run into you guys doing it on a hiking trail.”

“Simone Rachelle!”

“Busted, crybaby,” Finn teases his sister as he grips my shirt and pulls me in for a maple-flavored kiss.

“My breakfast is trashed,” Ricky gripes.

Simone scoffs, “Agreed, Officer Tesco.”

Julie asks, “Ricky, are you coming with us to Henlopen?”

“Henlo what?”

“Henlopen State Park. It’s about an hour away from here.”

Ricky gives Finn and me a sickened look before he says to Julie, “As much as I’d love to have these two arrested for indecent exposure, I can’t. I have to work tomorrow, so I’m taking the rental and heading back to Richmond in a couple hours. Thank you anyway for the invitation and thank you for having me here. I know I’ve been in the way.”

“Ricky, I should be thanking
you
. You’ve been so great. I’m sorry the weekend was more than you bargained for.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. I just hope I was of some help.”

Julie squeezes his arm. “You were. Thank you so much.”

Finn looks over his shoulder and announces, “FYI, as much as you like saying
my
name, Ricky even loves his name more than I do.” He nods his head to Ricky. “Isn’t that right, Richmond Charles?”

Ricky frowns at my chortling boyfriend. Such fifth-graders.

“I love it!” Simone giggles.

Getting up and walking around the bar, Ricky shoves Finn on the
shoulder. “Not exactly,
Finnigan
Robert.”

Ricky walks back to his seat and takes his plate to the sink. Finn tugs on my shirt again, causing me to lean forward, in which he whispers, “I love these pajamas, but I’d like them better on the floor.”

I giggle and flick my eyes to everyone else eating at the long bar. Ricky and Julie are talking about how Ricky got his name and Simone is checking her phone.

I whisper in his ear, “Wear your glasses today. You are smoking hot, Sparks.”

He looks at me doubtfully and quietly asks, “Really?”

Biting my lip, I slowly nod and he bends to my ear. “Eat and then come upstairs.”

I whisper back, “Why?”

His lips brush my ear when he replies, “We never officially broke in my bed yet.”

“Stop whispering over there!” Simone whines.