“Thanks, Dad.”
“Call us when you get there,” his mother said, “and keep us posted.”
“I will.”
Humbled by his family’s faith and support, Finn stepped outside, tossed his suitcase in the back of the vehicle, and then climbed into the front.
They’d barely driven out of town limits when Beau side-eyed him and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
What he wanted was Lainey, in his life and by his side. Everything else would work itself out.
“I’m sure.”
“Ballsy move, flying out there and just unexpectedly showing up on her doorstep.”
Finn grunted. His visit wouldn’t be entirely unexpected. He’d straight-up told Lainey he’d follow after giving her a few weeks to sort through things. Well, those few weeks were up.
“Do you even know she’s there?”
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
“I don’t know. Have you heard from her at all?”
“No.”
He’d hoped that after she had some time to come to grips with things, she would reach out. That hadn’t happened. He wasn’t going to let that deter him though. Patience and fortitude were part of his DNA. He was willing to wait for as long as it took even if that meant biding his time on the sidelines until she decided to give him—to give them—a chance.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“No worries. I was headed out that way anyway. That new guy Steve hired is arriving this afternoon, and I said I’d pick him up.”
“Right.”
Finn thought of the the skinny, bespectacled guy who had been part of Lainey’s holiday group. Steve had recently mentioned that he’d finally filled the lead research position at the center, but Finn hadn’t been paying much attention. He had his own issues to deal with.
They made good time and arrived at the airport well before his flight. Beau dropped him off at the entrance and then went to park.
Finn was headed to the check-in desk when a familiar scent stopped him dead in his tracks. He scanned the large, open space but saw nothing of interest. Thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him, he lifted his chin and sniffed until he picked up the scent again. There! It was faint but unmistakable.
Forgetting everything else, he focused on the scent and followed it to the baggage claim area. There, reaching out for a bag on the belt, was a man who looked a lot like Lainey’s brother. And beyond him ...
Lainey.
She was even more breathtaking than he remembered. Her hair was haphazardly piled on top of her head, errant strands escaping and framing her beautiful face. Black-rimmed glasses—those were new—sat perched on her cute little nose.
Heart pounding, Finn resisted the powerful urge to storm across the space and take her in his arms. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm his bear. Lainey had returned to Aurora Falls. Why, he didn’t know, but at that moment, he didn’t care.
While his feet didn’t move, his eyes never left her. She seemed nervous. Distracted. Biting her bottom lip and shifting her weight, arms crossing and uncrossing while she waited for her bag.
The moment her luggage appeared, she grabbed it from the belt, and then she and Henry started walking toward him. Henry was the first to spot him. He nudged Lainey and said something. Her head lifted and searched, locking on to Finn when she found him. She smiled, and light erupted in his chest.
She closed the distance between them at a near jog, stopping right in front of him. “Hi.”
Forget polite greetings. He pulled her into a hug, relishing the feel of her in his arms and how perfectly she fit against him. Without conscious thought, he leaned down and captured her lips in a soul-searing kiss.
Only when Henry cleared his throat did he remember where they were. Finn reluctantly released her, wanting to roar in triumph when he saw on her face the same look of near rapture he felt as well.
“Hi,” he replied, his voice growlier than usual with his bear so close to the surface. “What are you doing here?”
“Henry accepted a position at the research center. I’m tagging along.” Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, you didn’t know that?”
Finn shook his head.
“Then why are you here?”
“Me? Oh, I was heading to Vermont.”
She looked down at the suitcase he hadn’t yet checked. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were soft and shimmering. “You were, huh?”
He nodded. “I told you I’d come.”
“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, you did.”
Lainey
ANY LINGERING DOUBTS Lainey had had that she was doing the right thing vanished when she saw Finn. It was as if a switch had flipped. Just that quickly, everything seemed right with her world again.
“Nice to see you again, Docs,” Beau said, arriving through the automatic sliding doors. He took one look at Finn’s arm around her waist and grinned.
As happy as she was to see Beau’s smiling face, she wasn’t as pleased with what his presence might mean. “Does this mean we’re taking the helicopter again?” she asked as they stepped outside into the brisk, frosty air.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no. The roads are open—at least for now.” Beau looked up at the sky. “Probably not for long. It’s good you arrived when you did.”
“You knew?” Finn said to Beau as they were walking out to Beau’s SUV.
“Of course I knew.”
Lainey didn’t see it, but she felt Finn’s weight shift slightly and saw Beau stumbling to the side, trying to keep his balance. He was laughing.
“Hey, it’s not my fault if you’ve been too preoccupied to pay attention to what’s going on around here.”
Finn grunted, a very bearlike sound. Henry looked slightly alarmed, but it filled Lainey with warmth.
“I’m paying attention now. Someone fill me in, please.”
“Like I said, Henry’s decided to take a position at the research center,” Lainey told him again.
“I got that part. And you?”
“Well ...”
Lainey had thought time and time again about what she would tell Finn. His initial reaction to seeing her was promising, but she was still nervous. Being happy to see someone who had come for a visit was one thing. Finding out she’d walked away from everything and planned on staying permanently was quite another.
“Tell him,” Henry coaxed.
“Well, Henry heard that the area could use a veterinarian too,” she began. “And I thought, Hey, why not?”
Finn’s lips quirked, but his eyes were practically glowing. “You did, huh?”
“Yes, I mean, I like the area. The people are nice.”
“They are,” he agreed.
“And then there are the polar bears,” she continued, her eyes twinkling. “I did mention I have a thing for polar bears, didn’t I?”
In the front seat, Beau started coughing, but it sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
“I do seem to remember you mentioning something about that,” Finn said. He squeezed her hand. “What about the directorship though? Did that fall through?”
“No, actually. The offer was waiting for me when I got home, but after giving it a lot of thought, I turned it down. Working in an office, dealing with all that administrative stuff—it just isn’t for me. I’m more of a hands-on type, you know?”