True Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Chapter 7

Finn wasn't prepared for the sight of the woman he loved. Eight years of longing gone in the blink of an eye. She was standing before him.

When Lance had invited him to his son's birthday party, Finn had accepted out of boredom. He couldn't hang out with Campbell and his family for another night. They were amazing and always made him feel like more than just a guest in their home. But Finn knew that Campbell's reprieve stateside was limited and the man needed to spend time with his wife, Lily. Alone.

Part of him required a break from the front row seat to the couple's obvious adoration for each other. They had been high school sweethearts torn apart when Lily's family had moved away. Somehow, years later they found each other again and picked up as if they had never spent a moment apart. They married within a year. Finn had the pain of seeing Campbell without Lily and the pleasure of him with her. He preferred the latter and wished them nothing but the joy they so richly deserved.

But sometimes it cut a little to close to the bone. Their story had the happy ending Finn wasn't allowed to have. His split from Emily hadn't been forced by family obligations. There was no chance for reconciliation. Emily had simply decided he wasn't good enough for her. She left in the middle of the night, like a coward, leaving a measly one-page Dear John note that didn't explain anything.

So, to combat boredom, when the lawyer had asked him out the blue to come to his house, Finn found the opportunity for birthday cake a good idea. It was usually hard for Finn to connect with new people, but he instantly liked Lance and the feeling felt mutual.

The last thing Finn expected on this sunny afternoon in the suburbs was to run into Emily Montgomery.

He stared at her, drinking in every aspect. How had his memories been so insufficient? The sun glinted off her hair, the red highlight shinning in the light. Memories of twirling a strand of her locks around his finger flooded his brain. Her sweetheart face was flush with colour, perhaps from the effort of holding the squirming toddler in her arms. The pictures on the internet were pale in comparison to the living specimen. Then he found her eyes. Those soft grey irises sucked him in and he was drowning in her.

Someone was speaking but Finn couldn't understand the language. Emily opened her mouth and the picture before him came to life.

"Finn and I have met before Lance."

"Oh, at the office?"

"No. We knew each other a long time ago. Before law school."

Finn was vaguely aware of Lance looking between the two of them. Unable to tear his eyes away from Emily, he confirmed her story, then blurted out, "Why are you here?" It came out harsh and felt a pang of guilt as Emily took a tentative step back from him. He wanted to reach out and make her stay but his body felt frozen.

Lance put an arm around Emily's shoulder and answered for her. "Well we can't have Ben's birthday without Emily, now can we?"

Finn's mouth went dry. Were they together? His eyes darted between a smiling Lance and a calm, cool Emily, the child settling in her arms. They were the picture of a perfect family. None of his investigations ever mentioned Emily marrying. He searched often enough, dreading the day he might see her smiling in an engagement photo or worse, a white gown.

Looking at the child in Emily's arms, Finn felt his blood pounding through his veins and he resisted the urge to rub his chest. He never thought to search for birth announcements. Emily didn't have to be married to have a child. A child with Lance.

The train running through his head made it hard to concentrate. He barely heard Lance's next statement.

"Ben just loves his aunt, doesn't he?" He took the child out of Emily's arms and kissed him on the forehead. The boy squealed with delight and grabbed at his father's nose.