Page 16 of A Hard Fit (Falling Hard #2)

Family Tree

Jackson’s face flickered with anger, then his condescending grin was back. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “There’s no problem here, Finn. Rory knows I wish they’d come back to the plant.”

“Finn,” Rory said. “It’s fine.” They shot a nervous glance at Lainey.

Lainey took an angry sip of her drink.

Finn’s stomach curdled. “I apologize for my language,” he said. “But—”

“It’s okay!” piped up a little voice. Heads snapped over to Minnie. “My dad says that word all the time.”

Finn resisted the urge to laugh. “But Rory said they are happy at Breakpoint. It doesn’t matter what they get paid.”

“Doesn’t matter?” Jackson’s look of derision narrowed every insecurity Finn had ever had into a single needle point stabbing him in the chest. “Of course it matters, Finn.”

Finn imagined punching his smug face, but the needle pinned him to the couch.

Rory cleared their throat. “Where are Dad and Bailey?” they asked Lainey.

Heat flared in Finn’s cheeks. How could Rory let Jackson get away with a statement like that?

“He’s got a ham on the smoker,” Lainey replied, getting up to make her way back to the bar. She added more champagne to her already not-very-orange mimosa. “I told him not to bother, but you know your father. Bailey is helping him, I believe. Either that or she’s finally talked Hadir into letting her cook the whole meal.”

Jackson was still staring at Finn, swirling the beer in his bottle. “And what does a designer do, Finn?”

This fucking— Finn shifted in his seat, deciding how to answer, aside from ‘They design, asshole,’ but Griffin started laughing.

“Jesus, Jackson! What crawled up your butt and died?”

“Griffin!” Lainey barked.

“What? I said ‘butt’!”

A surge of affection for Griffin eased the sharpness in Finn’s chest.

Minnie snickered without pausing her coloring. “Butt.”

Jackon widened his eyes. “I just asked Finn about his job, Griff. I think everyone needs to relax a little.”

Relax? Finn curled his fingers into a fist.

“Well, I think it’s time to eat,” Lainey announced, shooting to her feet moments after she had settled down. “This way, everyone.”

Rory took Finn’s hand, but wouldn’t make eye contact as they followed Lainey wobbling down the hall.

* * * *

“Is Jackson always like that?” Finn asked the second the truck door slammed behind him.

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? He took digs at me and you every chance he got.”

Rory waved a hand. “That’s just how Jackson is.”

“A dick is how he is?”

“He’s not a dick.”

“Rory… He said you were wasting your time at Breakpoint.”

“He’s got tunnel vision about the plant, is all. He gets a little obsessed. I mean, look, he’s got his tech guy texting him on Christmas Eve!”

Finn punched the ignition button. “You don’t have to do that with me, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Make excuses for his shitty behavior.”Finn had stopped making excuses for his family about twenty years ago.

“I’m not making excuses!”

Do you really believe how much you get paid doesn’t matter? Finn wanted to ask, but he was afraid of where that conversation would go. He rubbed his forehead, thoughts swimming. “Okay. Okay.” He put the truck into gear. “Maybe I just need to get to know him better.”

Rory nodded, relieved. “I’m sure that’s it.”

I’m sure.

* * * *

“So, tell me again…who are your mom’s brothers?” Rory and Finn were tucked onto the couch eating breakfast casserole Christmas morning. Finn was doing his best to memorize the Barrett family tree before becoming mired in its branches.

Rory drew a line in the air with their fork. “There’s Alfie, George, then my mom, then Philip—they’re the ones that just moved back here from France.”

“And which one is the one that said Ophy put on weight?”

“That was my dad’s brother, Frank.”

“God…” Finn rubbed his eyes. “I’ll never remember them all.”

“No one expects you to memorize all the names instantly! It’s like forty people—”

“ Forty ? Are you kidding me?”

Rory grimaced. “Close to it, anyway.”

Finn set his bowl of casserole down and shot Rory a pleading look. “I can’t do this. What if we stay home today and…and use your special present?”

Rory flushed. “As tempting as that sounds, I can’t skip my family Christmas… At least Jackson will be lost in the crowd?” Their smile faltered at the expression on Finn’s face. “Listen…” Rory put down their bowl and took Finn’s face in their hands. “You are smart and sweet and gorgeous and an extremely generous lover…”

That got a chuckle from Finn. “Let’s not bring that up today, though?”

Rory smiled and tucked one of Finn’s curls behind his ear. “Only if things are going really badly.”

* * * *

Davis took their coats again, then Finn was loose in the lion’s den. Three small boys came screeching through the foyer wielding toy space weapons, one of which nearly took Finn’s eye out.

“That’s Leo and Troy, my cousin Steffie’s kids, and my cousin Xavier,” Rory explained as the boys charged up the stairs.

Finn nodded and filed that away. Leo, Troy, Steffie, Xavier. Got it.

A harried woman with pink ends to her long blonde hair appeared in the foyer, watching the boys disappear at the top of the stairs. “ Leo !” she bellowed. “ What did I just tell you ?”

“Sorry, Mom!” came the faint reply.

The woman groaned, then saw Rory. “Hey, Rory. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you,” Rory replied, returning her hug. “Finn, this is my cousin, Steffie. Steffie, this is my partner, Finn.”

She hugged Finn too. “Welcome to the family! My wife, Mikala, is somewhere around here, and I’m sure she could commiserate with you about joining this shit show.” A crash from above startled them all. “ Leo !” she hollered again. “I swear to God !” She sighed. “See you two in a bit.” Steffie stormed up the stairs, muttering under her breath.

“Well, okay!” Rory said. “Look at that, you’ve already met four people!”

Finn gave them a wry look as they made their way into the house. There was a snack buffet set out in the living room where most of the adults appeared to have gathered. Finn waved at Griffin, who was on the couch talking to a few others Finn didn’t know yet. Rory’s dad was grazing at the table…and he was wearing a dark-green cable-knit sweater almost identical to Finn’s.

“Merry Christmas!” Jonathan said when he saw them. He came over carrying a small plate of charcuterie. “Great sweater.” He winked at Finn.

Rory hugged him, then Finn shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. Love yours, too.”

“Help yourself to a drink,” Jonathan said, pointing his plate at the bar. “There’s eggnog and mulled cider in the kitchen, too. Make sure you have some. You know how your mother gets if no one drinks the cider.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Rory took Finn’s hand and smiled up at him. “Ready?”

Rory’s smile still made his heart flutter. Finn nodded. He could do this. For Rory.

* * * *

Two hours later, Finn’s head was spinning. He’d had two glasses of eggnog and one cider, four plates of baking and snacks, met at least twenty people and already forgotten half of their names.

“I need to use the washroom,” he told Rory, desperate for a few moments to himself.

Rory could tell. “There’s one way down at the far end, by the laundry room. It’ll be quieter down there.”

Finn left Rory with their Aunt Miriam and a grateful peck on the cheek.

The chatter and bursts of laughter faded behind him as he found his way down the long hall and into the silent reaches of the far wing. Then he heard a low voice from the laundry room. Peeking around the corner, Jackson’s frame came into view.

“I don’t care what Jonathan told you,” Jackson said, hushed but angry. “ I’m fucking telling you it’s not good enough. This better be handled by tomorrow or don’t bother coming to work tomorrow.” Jackson hung up his phone with a huff. Finn should have ducked past the door into the washroom before Jackson could see him, but he wasn’t fast enough.

Jackson raised his eyebrows but didn’t seem all that surprised to find Finn watching him. “Secretaries, am I right?” He stuffed his phone in his pocket with a smirk and stepped closer, the smell of beer wafting off him. “So. Finn. I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

Finn blinked. Not what he was expecting. “Oh?”

“Yeah, it was rude of me to talk about money. I know, Amy’s always giving me shit about it.”

“Well, thanks.”

Jackon leaned against the doorway and tilted his head. “Doesn’t change anything, though, does it?”

A stone dropped in Finn’s stomach. “What do you mean?”

A reptilian smile crept over Jackson’s face. “It doesn't change the fact that Rory comes from money, and you don’t.” His gaze flicked to Finn’s sweater, the beautiful gift from Luka. “My dad’s sweater probably cost a grand. But it’s cute that you tried.”

With his heart thudding, Finn’s tongue turned to dust while Jackson watched him with glittering eyes. Suddenly, Finn was seven again, going to school in the snow in old running shoes with holes in the bottom and nothing but crackers in his lunch kit. He turned and made a break for the bathroom, face burning with humiliation. He slammed the door behind him and gripped the sides of the counter, trying to take deep breaths to quell the rising nausea. Did I just…run away from that man? Jesus, Finn.

A quiet knock at the door a minute later interrupted his panic. “Finn? Finn, are you okay? It’s Griffin.”

“I’m fine,” Finn rasped.

“You sure?”

Finn studied his reflection. Get it together, Owens. It’s fucking Christmas in Rory’s house. “One minute.” He splashed water on his face, patted it dry with one of the thick rolled up hand towels and opened the door for Griffin.

“Hey.” Griffin’s face was a picture of concern. He slipped in and closed the door behind him. “Jackson came out of the hall like the old cat that ate the fucking canary. What did he say to you?”

“Nothing.” Finn tossed the towel into the waiting basket.

Griffin threw his hands out. “Fuck Jackson, all right? That guy is a dick.”

Finn huffed a ghost of a laugh. “That’s what I tried to tell Rory, but they disagreed.”

Griffin snorted, leaning against the sink. “Rory is too fucking nice for their own good. Jackson used to put my underwear in the freezer and fart in my face. ‘Dick’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Come on, what did he say to you?”

Finn shrugged a shoulder. “That I’m not good enough for Rory, basically.” He waved at his shirt. “My sweater is cheap.”

“God.” Griffin shook his head. “Look, Finn. Am I a spoiled brat? Yes. But I admit it. Jackon is a spoiled brat who thinks his shit don’t stink. You can’t let him get to you.”

“He’s kind of right, though. Rory is…amazing. And I’m just me.”

“Yeah, Rory’s all right. But so are you.” Griffin grinned and tousled Finn’s hair. “Now let’s go back to the party. Rory will be wondering where you are.”

Right on cue, Rory appeared as soon as they emerged from the bathroom.

“Finn! There you are.” They slid an arm around Finn and tucked themselves up against his side. “Everything okay?”

Griffin waited for Finn to answer.

“Yup. Fine. I just ate too much.” Finn smiled and patted his stomach.

“Oh, I hear you. Did you have any of Miriam’s peanut-butter balls? To die for.”

“Nah, those are all for me.” Griffin slapped Finn on the shoulder and headed down the hall toward the noise.

“You’re sure you’re fine?” Rory said, pausing to look up at Finn with their deep, dark eyes.

Finn kissed their nose. “Completely. Let’s go wrestle some peanut-butter balls away from Griffin.”

* * * *

Finn avoided Jackson like the plague the rest of the afternoon, and he was relieved to find that Lainey had seated Jackson at the opposite end of the dinner table from him and Rory. They were sitting across from Steffie and Mikala, happily child-free, with Leo and Troy at the kids’ table in the kitchen. Finn was next to Rory’s cousin Dimitri, who was lovely with his French accent and musical laugh.

But Finn knew he was in a funk. Rory shot him at least three concerned glances before the turkey was even served, so he did his best to shake it off and get to know the people around him.

“So,” Finn said to Dimitri, “you grew up in France?”

“ Oui ,” he replied with a dazzling smile. Dimitri actually reminded him a lot of Luka. “I decided to come with my parents when they moved back to Oakport. We all missed our family.”

“Do you miss France, though?” Finn asked, reaching for his wine glass.

“Some things, peut-être. But Oakport is a beautiful city and I am happy to be here with mes chiens .”

“Oh, that’s right, Rory mentioned you have four dogs?”

“That is correct.” Dimitri laughed. “It is too many, je sais . But I love them. Do you have any pets, Finn?”

“No, none for me. There would be animal hair stuck in all my paintings.”

“Oh, you are an artist?”

Dimitri asked Finn lots of questions, and the conversation flowed easily in between bites of the best Christmas dinner Finn had ever eaten. Rory was smiling, giving Finn’s knee a squeeze under the table every now and then.

It was so pleasant that Finn managed to forget what Jackson said…almost.

* * * *

This time when Finn closed the truck door behind him, he didn’t say a word.

“You did so good, babe,” Rory said, leaning over the seat to kiss Finn’s shoulder. “They all loved you so much.”

Jackson’s words came roaring back. “It’s cute that you tried.”

“Yeah,” Finn replied, attempting to smile.

“I told you they would,” Rory continued. “Casper even told me how awesome you were.”

“Casper?” Finn frowned. “Which one was Casper?”

“You know, my cousin Casper? Andre’s son? In the purple sweater?”

Finn’s eyes widened. “That was Casper? Noooo.”

“What?”

“I called him Cam all night.”

“Oh. Um, Cam was the one in the green polo.”

“Oh my God. Oh my God, Rory! I called him Cam like five times! Why didn’t he correct me?”

Rory tried not to laugh. “He probably didn’t want to make you feel bad.”

Finn thunked his head on the steering wheel. “Well, now I feel ten times worse.”

“Hey, if that’s your biggest mistake, you did great.” Rory rubbed his back.

Finn groaned. “Can we go back in there and tell them all what a generous lover I am?”

Rory leaned closer to murmur in Finn’s ear. “How about we go home and you show me?”