As he concluded, Fin rubbed his eyes and rolled to face her. “And that’s why I’ve become so protective of my private life over the years. I’m afraid I’ve developed a reputation for being aloof or standoffish, but it’s damn near necessary to protect my family and those I love.”
Alex laid her head back on his shoulder and hugged him tight. “Just so you know, as a previously ignorant fan, I always had the impression you were simply private and mysterious. It never seemed to me that you were unfriendly or cold. But I’m probably biased because I also crave my privacy and likely have a slanted view toward the paparazzi.”
A thought occurred to Alex and she raised her head to look at him. “So, wait… is the reporter who caused Fiona’s accident the same one from the press junketandthe one who ripped my dress?”
Fin nodded.
“Jesus, Fin. She’s stalking you. Miranda Cole, you said?” At his nod, she continued, “Just let her show her face around me. I’ll teach that heifer some manners.”
Fin laughed and pulled her on top of him. “You and Addie are fierce women. My protectors.” He punctuated his sentences with kisses. “Addie has her legal team on it. Now, let’s talk about more pleasant things.”
Fin rolled her over and tried to tickle her. “Surprise!” Alex beamed. “I’m not ticklish. But you are.”
Alex attacked his ribs with her fingers, and Fin squirmed like a fish. A wrestling match ensued that ended with Alex on bottom, her arms stretched above her, grasped firmly in Fin’s hands.
“Och, you’re a strong one. Not ticklish, eh? That’s unnatural. What’s wrong with you, woman? Aye, then we’ll have to find something else to make you wiggle.” And he proceeded to do so.
Chapter19
Last Day
Last night,Alex had purposely set her alarm early enough to allow time for them to say a proper goodbye this morning before she headed to her apartment to prepare for work.
As she slipped on her shoes, she addressed Fin. “Tonight’s your last night.”
“Aye. My plane leaves mid-morning tomorrow.”
“Volleyball tonight or no?”
“I’m content either way, Alex. Spending time with you makes me happy, whether it’s with your friends or you alone.”
Alex sighed. “I feel torn. I want you all to myself and yet, I feel an obligation to my team, especially given that I missed Tuesday. Ugh.”
Fin pulled her into his arms. “Let’s do volleyball then. We have time,mo leannan. It’s just a matter of scheduling.”
“Okay.” She kissed him goodbye and told him she’d text later about sharing rides after work. Then she was out the door and running to her place to get ready for the day. She hoped work would take her mind off the growing heaviness in her heart.
Fin spentthe morning packing his bag and cleaning up Eddie’s apartment. Before leaving, Alex suggested he stay at her place tonight, so he didn’t have to worry about closing up the apartment tomorrow morning before his flight. He appreciated her foresight and recognized that planning for unexpected issues was a skill she exercised daily.You’ve got to love a woman with a brain, he thought.
No one answered his knock at Eddie’s place, so Fin made his way to Alex’s back door, which he found unlocked. Fin used the magnetic notepad Alex kept on her refrigerator to write a thank you note to Eddie for the use of his apartment. He preferred to thank him in person, but left the note on the kitchen counter for Alex to deliver in case Fin didn’t see him before he left.
With his immediate chores taken care of, Fin made himself comfortable on Alex’s couch and opened his laptop to work on his to-do list. Felix hopped up on the couch and situated himself next to Fin, meowing until he reached over to pet him.
He penned a quick email to Alex asking if she wanted to join him in Los Angeles the second week in November. He would be too busy next week, but he had a break the following week before traveling back to Scotland.
Fifteen minutes later, an email notification dinged and he switched over to read Alex’s response. She wasn’t available as she had training in Dallas that week for a new software they were implementing. And she couldn’t take any time off through the end of the year. They would have to find weekends where they could both get away.
Fin sat back, frustrated. His past relationships had mirrored Alex’s in that they were casual. However, most of the women he dated were in show business, where both of their careers centered on events rather than weekdays. Coordinating around openings, award shows, and other industry happenings made spending time together easy. He realized Alex was right—synchronizing their schedules was more difficult than he’d first thought. But they could figure it out.
Fin put those thoughts aside and focused on the manuscript he and Addie were reviewing. She had reviewed his ideas on the script and sent her remarks yesterday. He was almost finished going through her revision notes. Fin loved the way she took his comments and expanded them, nailing down what he was after even when he couldn’t find the right words. An hour later, he received a second email from Alex.
She had set up a shared calendar where they could each record their travel plans. The link he clicked on showed several blocks of dates marked with her upcoming trips. They contained her name and the location where she would be. Fin’s first reaction was excitement. Having each other’s travel itinerary would make coordination easier. His second response was wariness. An online tool that could be hacked or shared was dangerous for celebrities. He needed to run this by Addie before doing anything that might leave him exposed to the public. Fin liked the idea, but he needed to make sure his personal information was safe. He forwarded the email to Addie, asking for her opinion, and returned to his manuscript.
Just as Fin broke for lunch, Alex called. “Hello, lass. How’s it going?” he greeted her.
“Awesome. I submitted my final budget for the new department. The last quote I was waiting on showed up just as I was fixin’ to flay someone over it.”
“Congratulations. You must feel relieved to have all your fixing done,” he teased.
