Page 83 of Off-Limits Love

“Oh, really? Then I suppose I should give you this, too.”

She pulled a sheet of paper from her back pocket and handed it to him with a twinkle in her eyes. Her tears were gone, and in their place, he saw pure temptation. “Is that what I think it is?”

Mak nodded. “Yeah. I’ll fight for you, Finn Blackwell. For us,” she said softly. “I’m ready.”

“Ten minutes,” he growled. “Go. Hurry.”

Mak’s happy giggle filled the barn, and while they didn’t get everyone fed in ten minutes, it was done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

He pulled her to the utility sink once they were done, and they washed up, bumping shoulders and splashing each other like kids between slow, tantalizing kisses.

He grabbed her hand and held it as he led the way to the open doors only to freeze when he saw Jensen glaring at them from beside an SUV.

“Brad—what are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Jensen said with a deep scowl.

“Where’s Emi?”

Brad jerked his hand toward the all-black vehicle. “Inside. I tried to drop her off but didn’t want to leave her with a sick old man instead of her mother. Now I’m wondering if she’ll be safe with you at all.”

Mak’s fingers clenched on Finn’s at the accusation in Jensen’s tone.

“What are you doing, Makayla? Are you really that desperate for attention?”

Mak sucked in a breath.

“Get Emi and take her inside to see the animals,” Finn said in a tight voice.

“Finn…”

He turned his head and stared down at her upturned and very anxious face. “Do you trust me?”

She blinked at him but nodded without hesitation. “Yes. I do.”

“Then let me talk to your ex.”

“Mak, let’s go,” Brad said again. “We’re leaving.”

Mak lifted her chin before giving Finn’s hand one last squeeze and releasing it to stalk toward the SUV. She moved to the passenger side backseat and yanked open the door. “Come on, baby. Let’s go see Dash and the others, okay?”

Jensen cursed and stalked around the front of the vehicle as though he was going to stop Mak from retrieving her daughter, and Finn quickly moved to keep that from happening.

“Let them be.”

“Oh, listen to you,” Brad said in a mocking voice. “You suddenly get a brain transplant so you can talk? Dude, where was that in high school?”

Mak swung Emi out of her car seat and down to the ground, taking her hand. She nudged her daughter in a wide circle around them.

“Bye, Daddy!”

“Aren’t you going to give me a hug? Don’t let your mama stop you just because she’s mad at me as always, baby girl.”

Finn barely managed to keep his hands to himself when Emi tugged away from her mother and ran to hug Jensen’s legs.

“That’s my girl. You be good, and I’ll see you this weekend.”

“It’s my weekend,” Mak said. “And we have plans.”