Page 26

FINN

“It’s official. I have siblings!” Finn handed Ollie a manilla envelope. The lawyer he’d hired at Owen’s recommendation confirmed that all of Ron’s paperwork was legitimate; plus, Finn had done his own separate DNA test and had a professional compare the results, leaving no room for doubt.

“You confirmed it?” At Finn’s nod, Ollie sorted through the lab papers, his smile growing as he read. “Congratulations, Mr. Cooper, it’s a girl and a boy!”

“I think you say that if I’m the parent,” Finn laughed, sitting close to Ollie in their private corner since Liam had left. “I didn’t want to get invested in case the whole thing was a lie, but now that I know for sure?” He opened his fingers by his temples, indicating that his mind was blown.

“I think it’s awesome.” Ollie did an adorable little dance in his seat, reaching for Finn with grabby hands, and of course he obliged, leaning in to catch Ollie’s familiar scent and taking note, as he did every day, of how Ollie was filling out. It reassured him, releasing tension and helping him sleep better at night.

Since Ollie had been fighting so hard to stay by his side, Finn had fought right next to him. After getting a recommendation from Owen’s therapist, Finn began working through his isolation and found that Ollie had honed in on something that Finn had never seen. With professional help, he’d learned that his thoughts and behaviors had been molded as an abandoned young child and persisted throughout his life without question, creating his bereft reality. He’d been unconsciously keeping a distance from most people, and he had to own up to the fact that a small part of him had created the solitude that haunted him. Both he and Ollie had become the things they feared most, but they didn’t have to remain that way.

“Are you going to contact them?” Ollie asked as they sat back.

“I think so. I’ve been um…” Finn rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. “I’ve been stalking their social media. My sister has no public pictures and my brother’s accounts are nature and food shots. But I want to get to know them, see if we look alike, find out what happened in their childhoods.” Hope and happiness gently lifted the corners of his mouth. “You know…I’ve always wanted a big family.”

“Like you don’t have one already?” Ollie tapped his nose. “There’s Uncle Joe, Owen and Liam, and you’re basically Mikey’s uncle, then everyone at The Pointe because they’re some of the best people I’ve ever met. And then there’s me and my family.”

“Your family?” Finn had crossed paths with Ollie’s parents a few times and it had been awkward. They were cordial to each other but no one was more aware of his double-dipping than Finn himself.

“Yes, my family.” Ollie wagged a finger at him. “If I’m going to get over this then they will. And if my parents are talking to you? That’s great! Plus, for some weird reason, Tommy loves you and Biz is like, your hypewoman.”

“My hypewoman?” To be fair, when they talked at the coffee house he’d gotten the feeling that she was pushing them together. Had she been doing the same to Ollie?

“I’ll explain later. Anyway, my point was that these are all the people who are on your side, and that’s before you meet your new family.”

Constantly charmed, Finn put an arm around Ollie’s shoulders, holding him despite the separate chairs. “Thank you, Sunshine. That’s…what you said was perfect.”

“It’s a gift,” Ollie winked, and Finn gave him a short peck, trying to savor Ollie’s lips in an appropriate way for the visitors’ lounge, but it was never enough.

“Well, since you have this gift, can you tell me how to approach my new family?” He had to admit that he was slightly nervous, first impressions and all.

“You send them a little DM with ‘Hi, our deadbeat dad got around and I’m your brother,’” Ollie deadpanned and the sentence hung there for a few seconds before they both erupted into laughter.

“Maybe?” Biting his lip to stifle more giggles, Finn wheezed. “At least I’m not worried about it anymore.”

“Good. I am the gift that keeps on giving.” Ollie smiled up at him with stunning blue eyes. At the height of his illness, the color had dulled but now it was back, hypnotizing Finn and putting him under a spell once again.

“You are.” Kissing Ollie’s temple, Finn breathed in powder, lilies, and home. “You really are.”

Staring down at his phone for the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes, Finn wished that he could text Ollie and receive a happy bunny GIF in return. But Ollie was unplugged and while Finn fully supported that, sometimes he missed the instant communication, especially as he fidgeted in the back of his favorite restaurant, waiting to meet his new family.

It turned out that Megan and Jax had known about him thanks to Ron, and they’d been delighted when Finn had first reached out, setting up a group chat where they’d awkwardly gotten to know each other. As it turned out, Finn was the only one to have met their infamous father.

Five years older than Finn, Megan lived a few states away; she was divorced with a daughter, but her mom had been a kickass single mother and she had a few half-brothers, so she didn’t seem to have a lonely childhood.

However, Jax remained a mystery. Younger than Finn, he grew up near Ollie’s hometown and had left the area for culinary school, but then moved back, and now he worked as a line cook. But he didn’t share much more than that, and Finn couldn’t tell if he was taciturn or shy. He’d know soon enough since they were about to meet in person for the first time. Megan had booked plane tickets once they’d started communicating, and even though he’d seen pictures, it didn’t prepare Finn for the resemblance when she finally walked in.

“Finn?” Clad in a long flowery sundress and strappy sandals, she looked far younger than forty, and both of them had gotten a majority of their appearance from Ron, for her long chestnut hair and warm brown eyes matched Finn’s; however, they’d been lucky enough to draw their personality from their mothers, for she exuded warmth and confidence, and he instantly liked her.

“Hi, Megan.” They exchanged a genuine hug and Finn pulled out a chair for her.

“It’s so good to finally meet you!” She sat, putting her purse in her lap. “When I got that DNA kit last Christmas, I didn’t think it would lead to this. But I’m very glad it did.”

“Honestly? Me too.” Finn smiled at her, unable to stop staring, suddenly, he realized that she was doing the same and laughed. “Sorry it’s just-”

“No, I get it. You look more like me than my other brothers do. It’s crazy.” She fished her phone out of her purse. “Can I take a picture of us?”

“Sure, I should get one too, for my boyfriend.” Ollie wouldn’t forgive him if he didn’t get photographic evidence. He’d offered to get a day pass and come along and Finn had considered it; however, his loneliness work made him hyperaware of being too needy, too codependent, and he decided to go alone. If things went well, he’d bring Ollie next time.

“How is he feeling?” Megan asked, genuine concern on her face. Finn had only mentioned that his partner had a health issue, not elaborating any more than that, but it was nice that she remembered.

“He’s getting better. Hopefully, he’ll be released soon.” That all depended on Ollie reaching a healthy weight and maintaining it, which he was closing in on. Since he’d struggled so much in the beginning with both food and the boot, he needed to stay at least three months; however, Ollie had been taking it in stride, especially with a newly freed right foot. His movement was still restricted but he positively beamed the first time he walked to Finn without it, and it seemed to spur him on, keeping his improvements steady and consistent.

“That’s great!” Luckily, she didn’t ask any follow-up questions, somehow intuiting that Finn would share if he could.

“Hi.”

The two of them jumped, their heads snapping to the side where Jax stood, and Finn froze. Most of Jax’s photos had been blurry selfies so seeing him in person was a pleasant shock.

Almost a decade younger, Jax was striking, with the same cheekbones and eyes as Finn, but his features were far more chiseled, as if they were contoured, complimenting his white-blond hair which had been swept up artfully, the sides shorter than the front. He had too many piercings and bars in his ears to count and he was definitely wearing eyeliner, his fashion sense on the side of video game survivalist as he sported a black tank top and cargo pants that were laced into mid-calf steel-toe boots. Some of the other patrons stared as well and the first thought that came to Finn’s mind was that Ollie would love him.

“Hi!” Megan jumped up first, latching onto Jax, and he carefully returned the embrace. It wasn’t that he shied from it, for his emotions were genuine, but he held his body stiffly.

“It’s really good to meet you, man.” Finn stood, and they exchanged a handshake that turned into a quick shoulder-bump hug.

“Same.” They all settled down and Jax swung his head around, taking in the place. “I thought you were joking when you told me about this restaurant but a friend of mine knows the chef. You have great taste.”

“Naturally,” Finn winked. “I never joke about Thank Goodness It’s Tasty, you have to trust the name!”

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Now that their whole party had arrived, Quinn sauntered over with menus, her hair still bright magenta but this time the roots and tips were black. After a few moments of browsing and placing orders, there was an awkward silence, which Jax broke like a pro.

“I wonder if there’s more of us.”

Finn couldn’t help but laugh. “Probably, considering the age difference.” Finn gestured between himself and Jax. “I’m pretty sure Ron wasn’t a monk for ten years. He seemed proud of being a deadbeat when he told me the news.”

“Ew.” Megan made a face that Finn had seen a few times, in the mirror. “I hope you told him off.”

“Didn’t have to,” he grinned, remembering the way Ollie went to bat for him, his words ripping Ron down from his high horse. “My boyfriend tore him a new asshole.”

“I like him already!” Megan declared as Jax let out a quick chuckle. “Oh!” She held up her phone again. “Now that Jax is here, let’s get that photo.”

After unsuccessfully trying to squeeze themselves into the selfie frame, they grabbed Quinn, who took pictures for them on each of their phones. Finn reminded himself to tip her fifty percent, shutting off the screen, but he tapped it one too many times and it woke again, showing off the photo of him and Ollie in front of Uncle Joe’s porch.

“Whoa,” Jax commented, his eyes flicking from Finn’s lock screen to his face and back again. “I thought you looked familiar.” Within seconds, he scrolled through his phone, pulling up an Instagram profile and showing it to Finn. “You’re dating Olleelicious.”

When Ollie had shown him his account and the number of followers, Finn only knew that it was a lot. He hadn’t taken into consideration that, aside from the bots, a good chunk of those followers were real people who knew Ollie’s persona, and in turn, Finn as well. It suddenly struck Finn how truly public it all was and why it had been so easy for Ollie to unplug, especially when his self-worth and appearance were all wrapped up in it.

“Yeah, I am.” Finn hoped he sounded breezy and not too shell-shocked.

“Wait, I’m confused, who are you dating?” Megan leaned in, all ears.

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, simultaneously a little freaked out and a little proud. “My boyfriend is kinda big online, he’s um…I forget what you call it-”

“An influencer. I’ve been following him for years, he’s amazing with makeup. I can’t believe you’re dating him. I mean, I can but…I’m sorry, I’m babbling.” Jax put a hand over Finn’s and his eyes glittered strangely, as if all his emotion were stored in them. “I hope he’s doing okay. There are chat groups dedicated to him, you know. Everyone is pulling for him.”

“R-Really?” His perception of Ollie’s internet presence reshuffled yet again.

“Can you give him a message?” It seemed that Jax wasn’t as shy or withdrawn as Finn had thought. Maybe it was because they’d met in person, or that Finn knew Ollie, either way, it didn’t matter. Looking down at his brother’s callused hand, all Finn could do was nod.

“Sure.”

“Tell him thank you.” Jax took a breath, looking sideways at Megan, who watched with concerned curiosity. “One of my friends saw his last Live and decided to get help. She’s doing better now because of him. He kind of saved her life.”

“That’s…” Finn tried to find the words, but a sniffle derailed them and they turned to find Megan drying at her eyes with a napkin.

“I don’t know what’s going on but it just made me cry.” She teared up even more.

With a soft chuckle, Finn patted Jax’s hand. “I’ll tell him. He’d love to know.”