Page 20

Finn

As I reached home after my appointment, I was surprised to see Levi's car parked outside my home. What was he doing here? We didn't have plans tonight, did we?

Puzzled and eager to see him, I hurried up the stairs, and into the house.

"I'm home!" I called as I removed my shoes and made my way to the living room, where Dad, Papa, and Levi spilled out of the kitchen, their eyes latching onto me.

"You're home!" Dad exclaimed, while Papa's eyes roamed over me, and Levi crossed the room to throw his arms around me in a tight hug.

I hugged him back, then pulled back to take a look at his face. "Are you okay?"

"Just got a little worried when I couldn't get a hold of you.

It's nothing. I'm glad you're okay," he murmured, and I blinked.

I hadn't checked my phone after my appointment, and I pulled it out now, then winced at the number of notifications.

Calls from Levi and Dad, texts from Levi, Papa, and Ames.

"Shit, sorry. Sorry, Dad, Papa. I had my phone on silent, and I forgot to switch it back," I said, and Dad waved me off while Levi gave my hand a squeeze.

"It's okay, kiddo. Dinner's almost done. Why don't you go clean up and then join us?"

"Sure." I glanced at Levi, and he gave me a smile before stepping back.

I hurried to the downstairs bathroom and quickly washed my face and hands, then went to the kitchen, where the table was already set and the scent of spices was thick in the air.

We chatted as we ate, and thankfully, no one asked me where I'd gone.

I was going to tell Levi, mostly because he knew more than anyone about the crap I was still dealing with, and I felt like he should know I was working on it.

I also maybe wanted him to be proud of me for it.

It was a selfish reason, but it was a reason nonetheless, and Dr. Griffin thought it was a good idea when I told them.

After dinner, Levi asked me if I'd come back to his place for the weekend, and I said yes.

Since he'd asked me in the living room, I was sure my parents had heard him too.

It wasn't like I needed their permission, but I had a feeling they would've said yes even if I did.

They liked Levi, and I was glad for it. I had a feeling I would've struggled a lot if they didn't .

"Come help me pack a bag," I said, mostly because I wanted to talk to him privately before leaving, and the silencing ward in my room would help with that.

"Sure thing."

We went up to my room with Greta chasing after us, followed closely by Neya.

I made them both wait outside, mostly because Neya was a sneak and would probably tell Dad what she'd heard, even if he didn't ask her for it.

Maybe she thought she was helping him be a good dad, or maybe she just liked causing trouble.

Closing the door behind me and making sure the lock clicked into place, I turned to Levi, who quickly wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close, as if the hug we'd shared before hadn't been enough. I felt the same, and found myself hugging him back just as tightly.

"Sorry I scared you earlier," I said, my voice soft despite the ward keeping anyone from hearing us.

"I'm okay. I just got worried for a sec," he assured me, but the way he didn't seem to want to let go of me said otherwise.

"I went to see Dr. Griffin," I said, and he glanced up at me, brows furrowed. "My therapist," I clarified, and the confusion cleared.

"Oh," he murmured, then reached up to cup my cheek, tilting my head lower so he could press a kiss on my lips. "I hope you had a good session. "

I hummed as I leaned forward to kiss him again, lingering for a few more seconds before pulling back to speak. "I'm going to be seeing them every other Friday for now."

"Okay. What do you need from me after? Would you like to talk about it? Or just cuddle? Make out? Have some ice cream?"

I chuckled, my heart warming up at how considerate he was, how caring. He'd always been like that, but now that we weren't constantly under threat, it was so much clearer.

"How about all of it?" I joked, and he nodded quickly, as if he thought I was being serious. "For tonight, how about we just go to yours and make out in bed for a while?"

Levi smiled, then kissed my jaw. "Sounds good to me."

I pulled out a small duffel from under my bed, then opened my closet, remembering a second too late that Levi would see my hidey-hole.

"That's a cozy-looking spot," Levi murmured, and I didn't detect a hint of teasing in his voice, not that I expected there to be.

I shrugged but didn't say anything, just grabbed a few changes of clothes and stuffed them in the bag, then got my toiletries from the bathroom. When I came back, Levi was sitting on the edge of my bed, taking in my room, and I realized that this was the first time he was seeing it.

We hadn't come up here when he came over for lunch last week, and we usually hung out at his place since we could be alone—save for Greta—there. What did he think of my room? It still had some posters from my younger days, but most of the space was more 'adult.'

"I like your room. It's very you. Cozy and warm," he said with a smile, as if he'd read my mind.

My room was the biggest bedroom after the master bedroom belonging to my dads, and I'd set my desk up against the window so I could get some sun in when I started work for the day.

Other than that, there was a single cabinet full of stuff from my—but mostly Penny and Dean's—childhood.

Projects made by my siblings, birthday gifts they'd given me, stuff I had no use for now but couldn't let go of because of sentimental value.

Until I moved here, I'd never had stuff that was mine, nothing except a few clothes and sometimes a toothbrush, and I'd lost even that when we were taken.

So when I started actually owning stuff, I became a bit of a hoarder.

Now most of that stuff was hidden in the cabinet, or in boxes in the top shelf of my closet, but it was all still there.

My bed was where Levi probably got the "warm and cozy" from, because it was covered in pillows, and at least four blankets made out of the softest wool.

I'd made two of them with Noel, while the other two had been Christmas gifts from him.

I had a few more I used in my closet. I loved how soft they felt against my skin.

Lev i

I saw Finn eyeing the blankets on his bed, and grabbed the corner of one, surprised by how damned soft it was.

"You wanna take one of these? And wow, they're soft," I murmured, making him laugh.

"I made that one," he said, the pride clear in his voice. "Well, Noel made half of it, but I did the part you're touching."

"Noel as in Caleb's mate, the elf?" I asked, and he nodded. I supposed I should get used to everyone knowing everyone. That was the small-town magic, wasn't it? There were no strangers here, only potential friends and acquaintances.

Finn took the blanket we'd been talking about, and quickly folded it up before sticking it into the bag.

"All right, I'm done."

I stood up, then took his free hand in mine.

"Let's go, then," I said, and he smiled at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He was so damned cute.

Downstairs, Jai handed me a Tupperware full of curry and told me I could heat it up for dinner tomorrow. I wasn't going to say no to a free meal, especially not when I knew what a good cook he was.

"Have a great weekend, you two," Jai said, and Raphael wriggled his brows from behind his mate, making Finn blush.

"We will. Thanks again for the food," I said since Finn was too busy having a silent stare-off with his dad, and Jai waved me off.

"Come on, Gin," I murmured, which made Raphael grin for some reason .

Finn wished Jai a good night, then promptly ignored Raphael as he turned around and made a beeline for the front door.

"Ah, night, Raphael, Jai," I said, then hurried after my mate, who was already halfway to my car.

While I put his bag in the backseat and made sure Greta was settled in, he got into the passenger side. I handed him the Tupperware as I got into the driver's side, then stole a glance at him as I started the car.

"You okay?"

He sighed, then nodded. "Just embarrassed. Dad never tires of teasing me."

"I think it's sweet."

"Well, I do like that he doesn't treat me with kid gloves the way Papa sometimes does, but I could do with a little less teasing."

"You know he only does it because you react so easily," I pointed out, and he snorted.

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious."

"Hey, I'm on your side!"

Finn's brows shot up as he glanced at me. "Really? Could've fooled me."

I laughed, then reached over to take his hand in mine. "On a serious note, though, I really am. On your side, no matter what. "

Finn smiled, then leaned his head on my shoulder. "I know. And it's only because of that that I felt brave enough to go back to therapy, because you said you'd support me."

"And I will. Whatever you need."

Finn sighed happily, and we spent the rest of the short drive in companionable silence while Greta snoozed on his duffle bag.

When we reached my place, I put the Tupperware in the fridge, made sure Greta had food and water, then locked her out of the bedroom so Finn and I could have some time to ourselves. I had no plans beyond cuddling and making out, but if Finn wanted to take things further, I wasn't going to say no.

"Oops, looks like I forgot to pack sleep clothes," Finn said, his lower lip trapped between his teeth when his eyes met mine. I glanced from him to his still zipped-up duffel bag, and grinned.

"Well, luckily for you, I like seeing you in my clothes," I said, making him smile.

"Yeah, lucky me," he murmured softly, making my heart skip a beat.

Shaking my head, I went over to my closet to find him some clothes, but when I heard him suck in a sharp breath, I remembered what I'd done earlier that week when I'd been thinking about him.

"You...you did that for me?" Finn asked as he stepped closer, his eyes moving from me to the bottom of my closet.

My nook didn't look as cozy as his—I didn't have Noel's super-soft blankets, but I was definitely going to buy or commission some—but I'd spread out a few blankets, added some pillows, and moved the rest of the extra linens to a hall cupboard.

"I want you to feel safe when you're here," I said by way of explanation. What I really wanted was for him to think of my home as his home, but I didn't think we were there yet.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

Finn's eyes met mine, and he smiled. "Okay." We gazed at each other for a long moment before I shook myself out of it.

"Clothes, let me get you some clothes," I murmured as I turned back to the closet.

When Finn took off his glasses to change and didn't put them back on, he said everything I needed to hear without ever saying a word.

We got into bed, and with the lights turned down, we made out, soft, slow, and leisurely, because we had all the time in the world, and because someone as sweet and precious as Finn deserved to be worshipped.