Finn

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Cillian and I still ended up being late to the celebration after he stole another kiss on the way out. Luckily, no one noticed as we slipped into the room and took our seats at the dining table. The party was already in full swing, with pack members sitting and standing in every corner of the room. Many of them already had plates full of food, and had broken out the alcohol. The room looked even better than I had imagined with the candles lighting up the room and casting an orange glow on the faces of those eating around them.

I watched the members of the pack in awe as they laughed and mingled among each other. Everyone was wearing white and looked ethereal with their bright smiles and glowing outfits. Rory and Nolan were practically floating when they came to join us at the able. They were both grinning ear to ear, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

"Finley, the room looks amazing!" Rory exclaimed when she saw me. She pulled away from Nolan to pull me out of my seat and wrap me in a hug. I laughed when she picked me up and twirled me around. When she put me back down, she took a step back to look me over and give her approval of my outfit.

The white dress she'd given me was shorter than one I'd usually pick, but it had a pretty skirt with tiers of a sheer fabric on top. It had long balloon sleeves that cuffed at my wrists, and a plunging neckline that I had been resistant to at first. Rory had insisted it would look amazing on me, and once I put it on, I couldn't disagree.

The wrap dress hugged my waist perfectly, and the skirt fanned out around my thighs and danced around when I moved. I felt comfortable in it despite the amount of skin showing, and was actually excited to wear it around Cillian. I had even borrowed some of Rory's eye makeup and curled my hair for the night.

He had been in a fantastic mood the past week, despite the incoming fight. We were getting along great, even if we didn't get to see each other much. And when we were around each other, I wasn't blind to the way his hands were always on me or he was constantly trying to kiss me.

"Damn," She sucked in a breath, smirking at me as she took in my outfit. I felt my face heat up under her gaze, and I instinctively moved my long hair in front of my shoulders. It easily covered up the low neckline, making me feel less on display. Rory rolled her eyes at the gesture, but continued smirking at me, "you look hot, Finley. Like really hot. There's no need to try and hide the truth."

"She's not wrong." Cillian agreed with a small chuckle. He stood up from his chair and moved to stand next to Rory, his eyes darkening as he looked me over.

"I'll go grab you some food." He told me with a smile, his hands moving to cup my face as he leaned down to me. I smiled into the kiss, his touch instantly calming any anxiety I was feeling.

When Cillian pulled away, he moved his hands from my cheeks and down to my shoulders. With one subtle movement he pushed the hair off my shoulders so it cascaded down my back, leaving my chest exposed. His fingertips brushed lightly down the skin on my back, sending a shiver down my spine. It was a completely innocent gesture on the outside, but the smirk on his face as he headed for the kitchen told me he knew exactly what he was doing.

Rory noticed the exchange, and raised an eyebrow at me after he'd left. My face was probably bright red, but I just shrugged at her and turned to talk to Nolan before she could question me further. We chatted about training progress for a bit, which made Rory wander away to find food for them. Eventually, our conversation shifted to plans for the nursery.

Amidst all of the preparation for the winter solstice, Rory and I had begun decorating the nursery. She wasn't due until June, so we still had a long time before the baby would be here. But decorating and planning gave us something to do, and kept us from worrying. It made us feel hopeful and excited about the new life coming our way.