Falling for Finn (Maplewood Falls #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

OAKLEY

SIX MONTHS LATER

I’ve been bouncing in my seat for the past three hours, but I can’t help it.

I’m so damn excited to officially meet my niece and see my sister again. It’s been way too long. Although we FaceTime and text regularly, it’s not the same.

“Babe, you’re shaking the whole plane,” Finn teases as he puts his hand on my knee. “We’re about to land.”

“I should warn you, Auntie Oakley is about to activate. Don’t get in the way of me holding my niece.”

“You’re going to scare that poor child,” he teases.

My jaw drops, and I playfully elbow him. “You’re just mad I introduced you as Uncle Grumpy.”

He rolls his eyes.

We make it to baggage claim, and when I spot Everett, I bolt for him.

“Jesus Christ, you nearly toppled me over.” He wraps an arm around me.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Of course. You’ve grown since the last time I saw you.”

I smack his chest. “I’m not a child! You’re only a few years older than me, remember?”

“More like seven, but who’s counting?”

Finn catches up to me with our bags. “Don’t worry, I got ’em.”

I smirk, pulling Finn toward me. “Babe, officially meet my brother-in-law, Everett.”

“Nice to meet you, man.”

They shake hands.

Tiernan’s kept the baby on a strict eating and feeding schedule, which means she couldn’t come pick me up. But that’s okay because Everett and Finn can spend some time bonding while we drive to their beach house.

Once Everett parks, I dart out like I’m on fire and rush inside. Tiernan waits for me in the foyer and quickly wraps me in a tight hug.

“Oh my God!” I squeal. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“Shh, she’s sleeping,” she whispers.

“Oh, come on, let’s wake her up.”

“Oakley, no. You never wake a sleeping baby.”

I pout with my arms on my hips. “She wants to meet her aunt.”

“She will in an hour.”

I scoff. “Fine. I’ll introduce you to my boyfriend, I suppose.”

She laughs as Everett and Finn walk in with our luggage. “Oops, sorry. I forgot to grab my bag.”

Everett smirks as if he knows better than to say anything.

“Finn, meet my sister, Tiernan.”

Tiernan immediately gives him a hug. Finn looks at me over her head, and I snicker. “I told her you gave the best bear hugs and she wanted to see for herself.”

“I’m right here.” Everett playfully clears his throat.

“Aw, feeling left out? I gave you a hug earlier!” I exclaim, then open my arms. “Do you want another?”

Tiernan chuckles, releasing her hold on Finn. “It’s nice to see you in person. From the times we’ve talked and everything I’ve heard about you, it’s like I already know you.”

“Same,” Finn agrees.

The past six months have been wild. While finding my new normal living with Finn, I worked with Jessa a lot to build my social media presence. I started painting during live streams and let strangers on the internet ask questions about my techniques. On top of that, Jessa helped me make a professional-looking website where I can show off my pieces. There’s also a tab with my contact information so people can easily reach out to me. Everything she’s done has been a game changer for my career, and I don’t think I could’ve done it without her help. Instead of feeling this overwhelming stress about finding new clients, I now have a waiting list.

Between all of that, I’ve been keeping up with my sister and their surrogate since she was due a couple of months ago. I’ve never cried so hard in my life when they FaceTimed me and I saw my niece for the very first time.

“Are you hungry? I can make us something,” Tiernan offers.

“I’m giving it thirty minutes before I go in there and steal her,” I say. “But yes, I could eat.”

Everett pats my back. “Sit tight. I’ll go check and see if she’s still snoozing.”

I can hardly stand the wait and am ready to climb the stairs two at a time to see her. This baby will be glued to my arms for the next five days.

“Grilled cheese with pickles. Is that still your favorite?” Tiernan asks as she looks in the fridge.

“Yeah, when I was nine.” I laugh, and Finn makes a face. “Sounds delicious.”

Ten minutes later, Everett walks downstairs, and I nearly scream in excitement.

“She’s still sleepy,” he tells me.

My eyes well up as soon as he places her in my arms. “Oh my gosh,” I whisper, rubbing her soft cheek. “Bluebell Rayne, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Finn stands next to me with his hand on my shoulder. “She’s precious.”

“Did you know I named her?” I beam with pride as I tell Finn the whole story of how it came about.

“But we call her Belle for short,” Everett says.

“No, we don’t,” I argue. “She looks like a Bluebell.”

“She does,” Tiernan agrees. “But Belle is cute, too.”

“Sweet Bluebell, you better come to me with all your boy problems, okay? When your dad’s embarrassing you or won’t give you money, you call your auntie Oakley.”

Everett shoots me a glare at the mention of boyfriends, and I laugh. Then I glance over at Tiernan.

“So when are you having the next one?”

Five days pass by way too fast, and I’m in tears when we have to say goodbye. It won’t be easy for them to travel for a while, so I promised we’d visit again as soon as we can.

“Would joining the mile-high club put you in a better mood?” Finn whispers in my ear as we board the plane.

I burst out laughing, and the other passengers stare at me in annoyance.

“Don’t offer something you can’t deliver.”

He smacks my ass as I slide into our row of seats.

“Would this be a good time to have the future talk?” he asks once we’re in the sky.

“Seriously? You want to have this conversation right now?” I smirk.

It’s not like we haven’t discussed what we eventually want, but we’ve only been together for six months, so it’s not a subject I’ve rushed to bring up.

He shrugs unapologetically. “I’m not getting any younger, babe.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re thirty-five. Plenty of male actors have had kids in their fifties. Some in their sixties!”

Finn pops a brow. “I’m not an actor nor do I plan to hire nannies to raise my kids. But I might have to if we’re starting a family when I’m that old.”

Chuckling, I lean into him and wait for his mouth to meet me halfway. “You’re too easy.”

He presses his lips to mine. “I saw how you were with Bluebell and figured you’d have baby fever by the time we landed in Vermont. So figured I’d ask so I could prepare.”

“Prepare?”

“Yeah, like wearing loose boxers and buying baby stuff.”

“Wait. Are you having baby fever?” My mouth falls open.

The corner of his lips curve up. “I warned you that I was ready to settle down. But I’m waiting, don’t worry. I’m content with you in my bed every night… for now . Eventually, I want us to discuss other future things, too. Maybe build a bigger house so we have room for a nursery. And a place for you to paint without leaving. I know inspiration calls at all hours of the day.”

“Okay, fair enough. How about I tell you when I’m at that stage, and then you can decide when it’s time to… do all that stuff .” I wave my hand in the air.

“All that stuff, as in…marriage and babies?”

My heart flutters because it sounds sexy when he says it. “Yeah, you know, grown-up stuff.”

He chuckles, pulling me closer and kissing my forehead. “Oh, Sunshine. You sure do keep me young.”

I snicker, leaning into him. “That’s my job, Country Boy.”

Though I may not be ready to walk down the aisle tomorrow, I know without a doubt that Finn’s the man I’m going to marry, and I honestly can’t wait to have his babies.