Falling for Finn (Maplewood Falls #1)

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

OAKLEY

The mayor’s question catches me off guard because I’ve been mentally preparing to leave this whole time on Monday. Though it’d be a huge honor.

“I’d love to take the job, but I don’t have a place to stay, and my flight leaves on Monday,” I answer. The last thing I’d want to do is impose on Finn’s space because I’ve already done that enough over the past ten days. He doesn’t seem to mind, but I can’t assume he’d be okay with me prolonging my trip by another week.

Finn furrows his brow at me, but I’m not sure how to read him. My fate is in his hands.

“There’s room for you here if your schedule allows it,” Finn tells me, his signature boyish grin sweeping across his handsome face.

“Are you sure?” I ask with uncertainty, hoping he’s not being nice for the sake of it. Aspen will be leaving, so I could move back into the cottage if needed.

“I’ll cover the cost of changing your return flight. Oh, pardon my manners, I’m Edward Myers, and I’ve been leading Maplewood Falls for the past fifteen years. Willa spoke so highly of you, and I can’t get over how amazing the farm painting is. You’re truly talented. Of course, I’d give you full creative liberties to paint whatever you’d like. It will be hung in the entryway of the town hall for everyone to enjoy.”

I look between him and Finn, swallowing hard. “That sounds perfect. I’d be happy to paint it for you.”

Edward’s mouth turns up into a big smile, and he shakes both of our hands. “Thank you. Thank you so much. Here’s my card. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out. I’ll send you an official contract tonight if you can give me your email address.”

Oakley writes it down in a small pocket-size notebook he had tucked in his shirt.

“We’d like the imagery to be centered around the harvest festival. That’s the only requirement. Starts on Thursday.”

“I can’t wait to check it out. Appreciate the opportunity to do the town justice,” I tell him, not caring how much they’re paying. Spending more time with Finn is worth any dollar amount.

When he walks away, Finn grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles.

“When Aspen leaves, I’ll be happy to move my things back to the cottage if you?—”

“You’re staying with me, Sunshine,” he says with a sly grin. “The last thing I’m doing is moving all that shit again.”

I snort. “Don’t blame you. Now I’m glad I haven’t packed anything.”

We laugh as Finn leads me toward the wagon taking people on an orchard tour. When I turn my head, I notice Aspen watching us from the perimeter of the area. I give her a smile, but she turns her head and pretends she wasn’t watching us.

Finn helps me take the step up, and it feels like an eternity has passed since we took the first tour together. When he sits, I use his lap instead of taking a seat next to him. He wraps his strong arms around my waist, and I turn my body so I can easily chat with him. I like the way he holds me, but it doesn’t feel like it’s for show anymore.

“Aspen’s watching,” I whisper in his ear.

“I swear she’s stalking us.”

Once the wagon is full, the tractor takes us around the orchard. Finn points out the different trees, and I love listening to him talk about the farm. Some were cross-pollinated to make new species, and others came from the original harvest a hundred years ago.

Finn keeps me in place as the tractor takes a turn down another bumpy road. I can feel him growing hard under my ass, and it’s taking me back to the first time we did this. I slightly turn my body, creating a little more friction, and he digs his thumbs in my hips.

Turning my head, I whisper in his ear, “We should leave after this.”

“Not sure we’ll make it off this wagon if you keep making me hard.” He nibbles on my earlobe, and I squeeze my legs together.

After everyone’s picked a few apples, we get back on the wagon and make our way back. As we offload, I miss a step and fall into his arms, laughing. He catches me and spins me around.

“Sure am glad you were there,” I admit.

Finn sets me down and tucks loose strands behind my ear. “I’m glad you’re here and are staying longer.”

“Yeah? I thought you’d be sick of me,” I tease.

“You’re starting to grow on me.” Then he leans in and whispers, “Truthfully, I can’t get enough of you.”

We pass by kids bobbing for apples. There’s a timer and the one who gets the most wins a prize. I love how they have different activities for the little ones, most of whom carry at least one prized stuffed animal.

“I’ve never done that before,” I tell Finn as we watch.

“Do you know where it originates?” Finn asks.

“No idea.”

He steps close. “It started in Europe and was used to figure out if two people were meant to be lovers.”

I narrow my eyes. “You’re totally making this up.”

“I swear, I’m not. It’s how they determined their soulmates. They’d put several apples in a bucket, each one representing a potential partner. Women would bob for their crush’s apple. If she accomplished it on her first try, it meant they were soulmates and were destined to be together forever. If it took her two tries, it was known that they’d date for a while, but it wouldn’t work out. Three tries? Forget it.”

I chuckle. “Can you imagine building your entire relationship on crunching into an apple on the first try. That’s hilarious and seems ridiculously hard.”

“It is hard, and it’s a true story. At some point, they changed it to figure out who’d get married first. There also used to be an old superstition that if you slept with the first apple you bobbed under your pillow, that night, you’d see the love of your life in your dreams.”

This makes me snort. “That’s wild.”

“I know. Wanna try it?”

“Nah, I think I’m gonna pass on that one. But wait, that looks fun.” I point at the children a few tables down with fishing poles. Each has a rod with a magnet attached and is trying to catch apples in a field. Each fruit has a number written on the side of it.

“What’s the objective?” I ask.

“They let people fish for two minutes, and the person who racks up the most points wins a prize.”

“Cute.”

“You wanna play? Unless you’re scared of getting your ass kicked.”

I playfully gasp. “Never. You’re on.”

After the current participants finish and a little girl chooses a teddy bear, Finn and I step up.

“Thanks, Charlotte,” Finn says to the woman who explains the rules. She looks like his mother’s age and has a kind smile.

Charlotte counts down, starts the timer, then Finn and I get to work. Right off the bat, he snags three points. I’ve never wanted to win so badly at something, but I’ve never been the competitive type, hence the painting. When I glance over and see his pile stacked next to him, I know it’s a losing battle, but I don’t give up.

I didn’t realize how heavy apples are to pull in. I’d have better luck actually fishing.

The timer buzzes, and my three points look ridiculous compared to his fourteen.

“You’re well practiced.” I pout with a hand on my hip. “Probably were doing this in the womb.”

“Guess I’ll stick with apples, and you stick with painting.” He shoots me a wink, then leads me to the prize table. “Lady’s choice.”

There’s a stuffed apple with a heart embroidered on it, and I pick it up and squeeze it. “Thank you.”

“Anything for my girl.” He brushes his lips to mine. I melt into his kiss, and when he lightly slides his tongue against mine, a burst of heat rushes through me. I grab the hem of his shirt with my free hand, wanting to get lost in him.

“Okay, I gotta use the bathroom, then we can get outta here if you want,” I tell him when we break apart.

Finn walks with me to the inn, and I hand him my stuffed apple before going inside. I have to maneuver around a crowd of people talking, then wait ten minutes for a turn.

Once I’ve washed my hands, I walk back outside but stop in my tracks when I see Finn talking to Aspen. He looks less than pleased, as if she cornered him when she found him alone.

I wait in the distance and hate that I’m jealous when Aspen places her hand on Finn’s arm.

She looks like she’s pleading with him, but he keeps a straight face. It’s obvious that whatever she’s saying is important to her, but he’s brushing it off. After another minute passes, I make my way over.

Finn leans down and plants a kiss on my lips. “Thank God,” he murmurs so only I can hear.

“You ready?” I ask loudly.

“Yep. Are we finished here?” he barks at Aspen. I remember when he used to act that way toward me. That’s him building an unscalable wall around himself.

“Finn, please ,” she urges. “You can’t deny what we shared for five years. No one can change that.” As she emphasizes her words, she glances at me. Then she bravely takes a step and reaches out for him. He leans back, avoiding her touch.

His tone grows colder. “It’s over. It’s been over, Aspen. I’m in love with Oakley, so go back to your fiancé.”

My heart thuds at how easy that spewed from his mouth.

It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

I remind myself over and over.

“I can’t believe this.” She looks like she’s trying to cry, but nothing comes out. She wipes fake tears before storming away. I’m so confused about what the hell happened.

When we’re alone, I turn to him. “Did she seriously try to get you back with me standing right next to you?” The nerve of this chick.

He leads me away from the crowd, and I can see his heart rate is elevated. “She told me she made a mistake and wanted me to give us another chance.”

My face scrunches. “She’s engaged .”

“I know. She said she realized how much she still loved me. Even asked if I’d meet her later tonight outside the bakery.”

“For what?”

He waggles his brows. “What do you think?”

I cover my mouth, shocked that she was going to cheat on Austin. What kind of person does that? A piece of shit, that’s who. I hardly know her fiancé, but he seemed nice enough and obviously deserves way better.

“I told her the only reason she wants me is because I’ve moved on. She saw how happy we were and couldn’t stand it. She kept pleading with me, and eventually, I told her she needed to stop begging like a dog because I wasn’t giving in to her manipulation.”

“I can’t imagine she liked that comparison.”

He shrugs. “It went over her head. She went on and on about how we’re soulmates, and I’m the love of her life.”

I hate that I wonder if she’s right.

“Finn. If you’re feeling any doubt that?—”

“Hell no. I’m not .” His voice softens. “Nothing she says or does will ever let me unsee who she is on the inside. She’s an ugly, jealous person who wants to use me as a pawn in her game. Only I’m not playing this time. She threw a fit, begging me to take her back, all with her fiancé a hundred yards away talking to my aunt. I won’t allow Aspen to bamboozle her way back into my life after she hurt me the way she did. If you’d asked me a few months ago if I’d have taken her back, I probably would’ve said yes. But now? There’s no way.”

“Why the change of heart?”

He smiles. “You helped me see I didn’t deserve the way she treated me and that I deserved better.”

“I did?”

“Yeah.” He lets out a shaky breath. “You made me realize there’s more to a relationship than being a human doormat. It’s supposed to be fun and full of passion, and well, I never had any of that with her. I was going through the motions of having a girlfriend, but it always felt like something was missing. You made me realize a lot. I can safely say I was never in love with her, but rather, in love with the idea of being with someone. I made up this scenario in my head of having a family and raising our kids on the farm, and she never imagined that with me. Bottom line: Aspen and I aren’t compatible and never were.”

My heart slams against my chest, and I’m so proud of him for knowing his worth.

“You deserve true happiness and to be with someone who loves you for you. She obviously has no respect for relationships, and I’m glad you’re not spending the rest of your life with a selfish twat.”

He pulls me into a hug and inhales the scent of my shampoo. We stay like this for a moment before breaking apart. “If she hadn’t broken up with me, we’d still be together. I would’ve never left her and would’ve kept trying to repair something that wasn’t fixable. I owe you my life, Oakley.”

His genuine tone has my heart breaking.

I wish I were that person to give him everything he deserves.

He takes my hand, and as we walk past the apple-tossing game, we hear high-pitched shouting. Finn and I turn right as Aspen stomps over to her fiancé, screaming at the top of her lungs. Most are watching the scene as she throws her hands up in the air and acts like a psycho. She’s so angry and needs to take it out on someone.

“Poor guy. That could’ve been you.”

“Happy to have dodged a bullet.” He shakes his head. “Wanna get out of here?”

“Absolutely,” I tell him, and we quickly make our way to the truck. The excitement of staying an extra week is overwhelming, but I’m excited about it.

“I need to change my flight before I forget.”

When he pulls out of the parking lot, I call the airline and reschedule.

“Alright, it’s official. You have a roommate for another week.”

He grins. “Good, I’m glad you’re not going anywhere yet.”

“Weren’t ready for me to leave?” I arch a brow.

“Honestly? No.”

My stomach flutters with butterflies at his words.

He turns onto one of the gravel roads that leads to another part of the orchard, one I haven’t visited yet.

When he parks, we get out of the truck.

“Where are we?” I look at the trees planted in a line and take in the fresh autumn air.

“You’ll see.” Finn grabs a large blanket from behind the seat and then leads me through the trees. Sunlight streams through the branches, and he reaches out and grabs my hand.

Leaves crunch as we walk, and when we come to a clearing, he fans out the blanket. Once he sits and pats the empty spot next to him, I kneel beside him.

“What are we doing here?”

“Enjoying the quiet.”

I chuckle. “It is eerily quiet out here.”

Lying back, I watch the clouds pass by, and Finn does the same.

“When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike out here,” he breaks the silence.

“Alone?” I look at him and his gaze is already on mine.

Our mouths are inches apart, and I can smell the spicy scent of his bodywash drifting through the air.

“Yeah. But sometimes Sebastian and Jessa would come too. We were inseparable as kids. Growing up on the farm meant there was always an adventure.”

“I can imagine. You’re lucky to have had this.”

We stare at each other for a moment, but then he leans in and cups my cheek before his mouth collides with mine.

He kisses me passionately, slow and sensual, a tenderness I’m not used to from him.

I fist his shirt as his free hand slides up mine. My nipples are hard, and when he pinches one with his fingers, a jolt of electricity shoots through me.

We’re breathless as we greedily devour each other’s mouths. I straighten up and push Finn down on his back and straddle him. He’s so hard, it creates friction between my legs as I rock against him.

Not waiting, I unzip his jeans, and his cock springs out of his boxers. I pull them down below his ass, ready to take what we both need. However, I want a taste of him first. I pump him a few times, loving how his hips buck with each stroke. His deep moans echo through the trees when I take him in my warm mouth.

“Fuck, Oakley,” Finn growls, and I love how much control I have over him at this moment. He’s putty in my hands as I suck and lick his balls, then trace the large vein that leads up to his crown.

“I need you so fucking bad.”

I take off my boots but then hesitate as I grab the button of my jeans.

“It’s only us out here. We’re alone,” he promises, and I appreciate that he knew what I was worried about.

I swallow hard, pushing down my jeans and panties, then step out of them. A chill sweeps down my body at how cold it is. Finn strokes himself a few times before I impale myself on his length. I unbutton my flannel, giving him full access to my breasts as I ride him.

We grind against each other in a quick rhythm, but when I look into his brown eyes, there’s electricity between us that’s different than before. Our movements grow slow, lips and tongues tenderly tasting each other. Soft pants escape me as Finn cups my ass, adding more friction as our hips meet.

“You’re so goddamn sexy.” He pulls one of my nipples into his mouth. “I could devour you for the rest of my life.”

Our bodies move so perfectly together.

“ Yesyesyes . Right there…” I moan, my head falling back as the buildup threatens to push me over the edge.

“Come all over my cock, Sunshine,” Finn demands, digging his fingers into me harder.

“Mm…I’m so close.”

Finn buries his face in my neck and sucks.

“I have a confession to make,” he whispers in my ear.

Oh God, I’m about to topple over.

“I’m not pretending with you.”

Those five words are all it takes to have me crying out.

“I have a confession of my own,” I say once I catch my breath. “I stayed for you.”

“Fuck. I hoped you would,” he mutters as my pussy squeezes him again.

“I know it doesn’t change our arrangement, but at least it gives us more time.”

“I’ll take whatever I can get with you, Oakley.”

I increase my pace until he fills me with his warmth. We stay connected, and I lie on his chest with his arms wrapped around me. The sounds of leaves rustle around us as I listen to his steady heartbeat.

Ten minutes pass, and we both shiver, although my entire body feels like it’s on fire.

“Guess I can mark fucking in an apple orchard off my bucket list.” I smirk as I button my flannel.

“That was on your bucket list?” he asks as he zips his jeans.

“Nope, but it should’ve been.”

Finn laughs, slapping my ass with his big palm. “Ready?”

“Not yet.” I sit on the blanket and admire the incredible view.

“Okay, okay. I won’t rush you this time,” he says, joining me.

He sits behind me with his legs on either side of mine, wrapping me in his arms to keep me warm. I rest my head back on his chest and think about what’s happening between us. It was unexpected but not entirely surprising. Things have been escalating, but I didn’t anticipate him admitting that.

I swallow hard as he kisses my neck, enjoying the warmth of his lips. Though I know I’m risking a broken heart, it might be inevitable.

But it also might be worth it for this extra time together.