My parents and the Murphys weren’t listening to us; they were too busy watching the scene unfold in front of us.
In the middle of the lobby of the most popular theatre in Los Angeles.
We were early, and Finn would have to step back outside and walk the red carpet soon. He’d just met us here before everything got started.
“He slept with her?” Lincoln asked, keeping his voice low.
Hugh leaned in. “He technically didn’t sleep with her. They hooked up one time. He got some red flags and backed way off.”
“Well, there’s a little bit of a gray area there,” Cage reminded him, and we all grew quiet when she stopped in front of them, and Finn set Reese’s feet on the ground.
“This is my best friend, Reese Murphy. And you need to pull yourself together. This is a big day for both of us. Let’s tone down the outbursts, yeah?” Finn said, which, for my brother, was about as harsh as he got.
He usually let things roll off his shoulders. But he’d always been different when it came to Reese.
“Hey, Jessica. Congrats on the show. I know it’s going to be a huge hit. I can’t wait to see it.” Reese extended her arm.
Jessica looked down and glared at her hand before Reese pulled it back to her side. “Listen, bestie. He and I are walking the red carpet together. Because we’re together. So, there will be no public hugging and carrying on amongst you two. You got it?” she seethed.
“I wish I had some popcorn right now,” Cage whispered, and Lila swatted him in the chest.
“She definitely gets right to the point,” Maddox said, and his brother barked out a laugh.
“That’s one way of saying it.” Wyle smirked. “She’s fucking unhinged.”
“What the hell are you doing, Jessica? You don’t get to speak to her that way. You are completely out of control. I’ll meet you in the back to walk out together, and we can continue the conversation there. Not here, in front of my family and friends.” Finn’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard it, and Jessica’s head snapped up and moved in our direction.
She walked toward us, and I squeezed Lincoln’s hand, unsure of what she was going to do.
“Hey, y’all. You must be Finn’s family. I’m his better half, Jessica.”
She’d completely transformed her tone and was acting sugary sweet. None of us said a word as she’d basically just been a complete asshole to Reese.
And Reese was part of the family. She was also one of the nicest people I’d ever known.
“Well, we will definitely have to catch up later. It was so great to meet y’all. I’ll see you in a bit.” She had a wide smile on her face and waved before turning on her heels and marching away.
Reese walked toward us, eyes wide as she winced. “Well, that didn’t go so well.”
I opened my arms and hugged her before introducing her to Lincoln and his siblings. She made her way around the group.
“Do you see what I’m dealing with?” Finn said, rubbing his temples. My parents and the Murphys were taking turns hugging and fussing over Reese.
“I warned you, brother.” Cage raised a brow.
“I didn’t sleep with her,” Finn said through gritted teeth, glancing at my parents to make sure they weren’t listening.
“I think there’s some confusion there,” Hugh said over his laughter.
“How is one confused about whether or not they slept with a woman?” Lincoln asked, his brows cinched together.
“Well, it’s sort of a tip thing.” Georgia burst out in laughter as the words left her mouth.
“Oh my gosh, are we back to the tip debate?” Reese said as she stepped into our little huddle. “I told you not to go there, Finny.”
My brothers, Georgia, and Reese were all laughing hysterically, and everyone else looked completely confused.
“He dipped the tip of the, er, company pen into the wanton ink. Just the tip, though.” Cage smirked. Everyone fell back in laughter.
Yes. Finn had shared his little escapade that had gone awry with us, and apparently, he’d told Reese what happened, as well.
“It’s not funny,” Finn hissed. “She was all over me. I’m human. Things got heated, and she was on top of me.” He glanced around nervously.
“And?” Maddox asked, looking between us.
“Well, we sort of started, I mean, just the slightest bit.” He shrugged.
“He’s trying to say that the tip made contact…” Hugh covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile.
“And then she fucking bit me. Hard. I still have a scar.” He shivered dramatically as he rubbed his shoulder. “I called it off. There were some major red flags. Like the fact that she gouged me with her nails and drew blood right before she sank her teeth into me like a fucking vampire. I got the hell out of there, but she wouldn’t accept the fact that I didn’t want to take things further. And we work together, so I’ve just sort of ignored it. Now, she’s acting like we’re together. Nothing has happened since.”
“Since you bumped her with the tip of your dick?” Cage said dryly.
“Well, yes. That is exactly what happened. And look at how she just acted. Thank God she didn’t get the whole package.” He waggled his brows. “Let’s just say that my agent is not pleased about the situation.”
“It’ll be fine. You’ll have some space between filming now, so it will all blow over.” Reese bumped him with her shoulder, and I watched as all the tension left his face. “This is your big night. And I’m here, so…”
“I’m so fucking happy you’re here.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Finn, they’re calling you,” my mother said, hurrying over to straighten his bow tie. “Get out there. We’ll see you inside.”
“Okay. Find Angelique. She’ll take you to your seats. Dylan just texted that they were all pulling up now. Angelique has a row reserved for them, too.” Angelique was Finn’s agent.
He hurried off just as Angelique came walking our way. I’d met her a few times when I’d visited Finn on set. She ushered us inside the theatre and whispered in my ear.
“It’s a real shitshow with this Jessica Carson situation. I warned him to be careful. It’s no secret that the woman is always in the midst of a lot of drama. And I’ve heard she’s got it bad for Finn.”
“Oh, I think you are spot on. I just witnessed a bit of a meltdown.” I chuckled.
She shook her head. “Never a dull moment. You guys enjoy. This row is yours. Your cousins have the row behind you.”
We all shuffled around and found our seats just as Uncle Jack waved at us, and they all made their way over to their assigned seats.
Lincoln was beside me, and he leaned close, whispering in my ear. “All that sex talk has me ready to haul your ass back to the hotel.”
My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I turned to look at him. “You’re insatiable.”
“Only with you, sweetheart.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
epilogue
Lincoln
It was our season opener, and I was champing at the bit to get out on the field. I’d always loved football. It was a part of who I was. But it was different this time, as I stood on the sidelines waiting for the coin toss, wearing number sixty-nine proudly.