They sat for a moment, looking out over the waves below. The tide was in, and the beach almost non-existent. Finn couldn’t feel the whip of the wind on his face, nor the spray of the water below as the waves crashed up the cliffs and over the edge to where he was sitting in stunned silence. All he could feel was the thrill of the first kiss he’d had in over ten years.
An energy buzzed between himself and Edie—who was as quiet as he was. Finn felt as though if his leg was to brush against her, a lightening of static electricity would set them both alight. He couldn’t remove the smile from his face, not that he wanted to, and he very much wanted to turn to look at Edie to see if hers was the same. But he was scared the magic would evaporate like the misty sea if he saw anything other than a smile on Edie’s face. Shehadwanted to kiss him; he wouldn’t have done it otherwise. Truth be told, he had known she wanted to kiss him from the moment he realised he wanted to kiss her too. There had been an instant when his heart felt a light as a feather, and it was like a bolt from the Gods reminding him that he was a human being with feelings, and needs, and a heart that was good.
A hand reached over and grasped hold of his. In the corner of his eyes Finn could see Edie was looking at him. Steeling himself, Finn turned to look back.
“We should talk about Mary and Anna,” Edie said, her face positively glowing.
Finn’s heart sank a little that she hadn’t mentioned the kiss they had just shared, but at least she hadn’t run off. He understood that her heart had been broken in a terrible fashion, not that long ago at all, but he couldn’t help feeling there was something else she wasn’t telling him. Still, he wouldn’t push it, not now, that wouldn’t be fair on Edie. What hewascertain of, was his own feelings for her. He was falling hard, and he realised that this was a direction he was happy to go in.
“Yes,” he replied. “We should. Can you tell me a little bit about how you felt after Saturday? You seemed to have such a wonderful time with young Anna.”
Edie smiled and nodded.
“Yes, she is a joy to be around,” she said, her eyes twinkling with the memory. “But I am worried what will happen to her if Mary doesn’t make it through her surgery next week. I know we can’t just adopt her, as much as I would like to keep her safe, it’s not for us to do. Besides, I’m sure the hospital board and Social Care would have something to say about two people who are still practically strangers themselves adopting a child they barely know.”
She gave a small ironic laugh and Finn felt like he’d been stabbed through the heart with her words.
Practically strangers don’t kiss each other, do they?
Edie didn’t notice his pain and continued talking.
“But, if I could make a plan with her, and with you, then I would.”
The breath left Finn’s body in a hurricane speed.
“You would?” He couldn’t help the question spilling from his lips.
Edie turned her whole body to face him.
“Oh Finn, of course I would. Look at me,” she laughed. “I’ve been a wreck since the first day I set eyes on you. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed? I’m not going to let you answer that though! I would love for us to be a little family together, and one day maybe we can. But we can’t have that with Anna. What we can do, though, is the absolute best for MaryandAnna.”
Finn’s emotions were so all over the place at the moment that he wasn’t shocked to feel cold icy fingers of dread creeping through his body once again. Edie had just said she wanted them to be a little family. A little family was something he could never do, for more reasons than his historic failure to protect his unborn child. In all Finn’s excitement at what was unravelling between himself and Edie, he hadn’t stopped to think of the future ramifications of where it could lead. And what he had made doubly sure would never happen again, was fathering another child.
After running away to Norfolk, Finn had booked himself in to the hospital for an elective surgery that would put an end to the idea of him being a father. Now, the woman who had so greatly changed his mind about ever falling in love again, had just openly declared she wanted them to be a family.
Finn sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He felt Edie’s warm hand upon his hair.
“Is everything okay? Did I say something to upset you?” she asked, her voice full of concern. “Is it because we can’t take Anna on ourselves? Because wecanoffer her help, we can show them that we will make good our promise and help Anna find the best family for her if the surgery goes wrong.”
That’s it, Edie you’re a star.
Finn knew what he was about to say would mean their worlds would flip upside down, but it would set them up for the future in ways that Finn just couldn’t.
“Let’s do it,” he said, excitedly. “Let’s ask Mary if she’ll sign something to say wewillbe able to adopt Anna if the surgery goes wrong. We can prove the bosses and Social Care wrong. We’re both respectable people with good jobs and responsibility. Let’s do it.”
Edie looked at him, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“Hear me out,” he continued. “I know it’s an insane idea. But you said you wanted a little family with me. And I know, Edie, more than anything in the whole wide world, hat I want to be with you too. To spend the rest of my days growing old with you.”
Finn stopped for a second, if only to take a breath to say the next few words.
“Because, Doctor Edie Fletcher, I have fallen in love with you.”
There was silence. Edie didn’t know what to say. Finn’s eyes searched her face for a reaction to those three great words; but Edie couldn’t give him the reaction she wanted to.
He loves me.
He wants us to adopt Anna.
