“What the hell?” Finn asked while buckling himself into my Jeep. “Holy shit,” he gasped as he held up his phone for me to see. I looked up from sliding the key into the ignition to see a post on Rottie’s Instagram page that read—
FREE CONCERT AT MY HOUSE! PLAYING UNRELEASED SONGS FROM UPCOMING ALBUM! COME ONE, COME ALL, COME HARD!
“No shit,” I whispered, trying to comprehend what that would bring to our quiet little canyon. Rock and roll fans, scores of them, metal heads out the ass. “What a genius!”
We crept to the gate. Not one news van or reporter was stationed on the other side. I got out of the Jeep, peeked up and down the street, then rushed to drive through the gates. As the metal barriers to my home swung shut, we witnessed the first wave of metal addicts arriving in cars, vans, trucks, and motorcycles. Some were on bikes, rollerblades, and skateboards. I glanced at Finn. We both yanked on some old caps and dark sunglasses. Then, we pulled into the street, leaving the impromptu rock concert behind. The cops were filing in on the heels of the first wave of fans. Snickering to myself as we slipped out unseen, I had to imagine that Rottie’s agent—whoever that poor bastard was—would be up to his eyebrows in citations after this.
“We owe Rottie for that,” I confessed to Finn when we swung free of the canyon to head in the direction of Arizona.
“Maybe we can name our first dog after him,” Finn suggested, pulling off his hat to let the air blow through his golden hair.
“Only if it’s a poodle,” I replied, and he laughed. It was a joyous sound, free and light, something that I’d not heard since his press release. It filled me with such joy I laughed too.
“Or maybe my next fish?” His fish had moved in with us now, and they couldn’t be moved for a long time, which made me happy because we’d always have a connection even if…
Nope. We were not ending.
Hell, we’d only just begun.
Every mile from LA we drove, catching a night in a no-tell motel halfway there, Finn loosened up more and more. By the time we arrived at that fancy gate with the formidable guard in Scottsdale, Finn was loose as a goose. Given a pass a while back, I drove through and into a neighborhood of palatial homes, towering palms, and glistening ponds on sprawling golf courses. Yes, there were two just in this neighborhood alone. Why? God only knows, and even he was confused.
“This is quite the neighborhood,” Finn said as we cruised at the respectable speed of twenty-five through winding streets with names such as Pink Mesa Lane or Sand Song Avenue.
“Yeah, it’s really something. Hard to imagine that my grandparents on my mother’s side were migrant farm workers, and today, their daughter lives in a home like this. Goes to show that the American dream is alive and well,” I replied as we pulled a left off Gold Valley Way up to my parents’ modern adobe home. Finn whistled at the view of the mesa that lay beyond my family’s fourteen acres of desert, sand, and geckos. Pinks, purples, and a dark blue like the color of Finn’s eyes after making love colored the sky.
“This is amazing. I can feel the desert gods calling to me to come relax and be safe here,” he whispered, enthralled with the sunset. “It’s kind of magical.”
“Yeah it is.” I couldn’t argue. Arizona was stunning. I was proud to be a native son. The front door burst open, and my mother ran down to the driveway. I got one peek at Finn’s face before she embraced him. His blue eyes had been round as manhole covers.
Mom kissed his cheeks, patted his face, and then, hugged him once more. Dad stood in the doorway, snickering, as my mother led Finn inside without giving me a backward glance.
“Chopped liver,” I sighed, gathered our duffels, and tromped into the house.
“She’s over the moon to know that you finally found someone to settle down with,” Dad confided as we hugged at the front door.
“Is she picking out names for the grandkids already?” I enquired. It was a legit question since she was already doing so for Lyle and Carmine.
“Not yet but give her a few minutes.” Dad clapped my shoulder, took our bags, and nudged me toward the huge kitchen. “Grandma is back and waiting to see you. Don’t mention the latest tattoo on Grandma’s ankle. Your mother is not at all pleased.”
“Grandma is the best,” I whispered. Dad nodded, then went upstairs to drop our bags in one of the guest rooms.
I padded into the kitchen to find my grandmother seated at the island on one side of Finn, my mother sitting on the other, stuffing him full of chicken tamales and black beans on the side. “Hey now women, give the man room to breathe.”
I slid in between Finn and my grandmother, pecking her wrinkled cheek as I moved into the small space.
“He’s so handsome,” Grandma said, then reached up to pat my cheek. “I got some new ink! Look!” She hiked up her pink legging to show me the butterfly on her ankle. Mom huffed. She was not a fan of tattoos.
“That’s awesome,” I replied, giving Finn a wink. He nodded, cheeks puffed with food, sapphire eyes sparkling in delight. Yeah, this had been the right thing to do for sure. “I’m thinking of getting a new one myself.”
Mom rolled her eyes. Grandma clapped. My older brother, the party pooper, sauntered in through the back door with a glass of purple iced tea in one hand.
“You know that most businesses frown on hiring people with tattoos. They’re seen to be tacky, low-class, and criminal,” Lyle interjected. “Personally, I feel that they’re fine for the lower classes, but—”
Grandma flipped Lyle the bird.
Finn spewed tamale all over the island.
My mom erupted into a litany of Spanish, chastising my grandmother. I nearly passed out from laughing, while Lyle sputtered under his breath.
“What did I miss?” Dad asked when he entered the kitchen a moment later.
“Grandma gave Lyle the finger,” I managed to say between bouts of wild laughter.
“Mother Rosa,” Dad teased, kissing her on the cheek before padding round the island to give my mother’s hand a squeeze. Finn glanced at me, cheeks wet with mirth, his smile sweet and so sincere.
“You can back out now. This is the norm here at Casa Chavkin, and it will only get worse when Kelly arrives,” I warned Finn while Grandma began dishing more beans onto his already overflowing plate.
“Nope, you’re stuck with me. I love your family already.”
“And I love you,” I whispered beside his ear as I drew him into my side.
Mom beamed at me around Finn.
This whole relationship thing was okay. I should have tried it sooner, but then it wouldn’t have been Finn. Maybe my heart was just waiting for the right person to come along so it could open fully. Just like the flowers atop many cactus that only open at night.
So that made Finn my moon and stars. No secret there.
Epilogue
Finn
“I can’t believe I made it to this alive after all that falling over on the ice,” I confided.
Cam laced his fingers with mine, and for a moment, I admired the man who was a million times sexy in his tuxedo, his eyes wide as we edged our way through the crowd to the drop-off zone. He wasn’t the only one who was in awe of the sheer magnitude of people we’d passed, and I was glad I’d taken my meds, because my anxiety and inability to handle this would have killed me tonight.