13. Finn tries to fix it

THIRTEEN

FINN TRIES TO FIX IT

A fter finishing our hot chocolate, Rissa and I decide to enjoy a few minutes to ourselves. The kids are taken care of, under the watchful eyes of their aunts and uncles in the playroom, and we can take a break from running after them. So we stay seated on a couch so huge it could probably double as a life raft. In front of us a fire crackles in the massive fireplace.

Rissa lays her head on my shoulder. "This house is crazy."

I chuckle. "We've seen some places, haven't we?"

As a billionaire, I've seen my share of 'crazy' houses. I’ve bought my share of crazy houses, albeit usually as investment properties.

But Tank has outdone himself this time.

I get it though. We both remember the days when every dollar we earned was spent before we even got our hands on it. Our mother worked hard her whole life trying to take care of us and still couldn’t afford the lifesaving cancer treatments she’d needed. No matter how we both felt about Maxwell Marshall and the unholy bargain that had changed our lives, there was no doubt that he had saved us. He had saved her .

We had to love him for that.

Now our mother is in remission and feeling much better. We can afford to give her everything she needs and everything she wants, too. This cabin is the visual representation of that.

Rissa shifts, her gaze lingering on the flames. In the firelight she's a vision, the glow sparking off the red tones of her hair and highlighting her long lashes and plump lips.

She's stunning, always has been, but now there's this new dimension to her. All the things that she hates only make her more beautiful to me. Now when I look at her I see so much more than just what’s on the outside, I see the loyalty, strength, and determination that she brings to everything she does from her business to our children.

"You are so beautiful."

She laughs softly. "I feel like a zombie.”

"I think you mispronounced goddess .”

She rolls her eyes, but I see the smile that she's trying to hide, the one that says she loves the compliment even if she won't admit it.

From down the hall, we can hear Tank's booming laugh and the sound of the kids shrieking.

“Should we go see what’s going on?” Rissa mumbles.

I shrug. “Nope. I think Uncle Tank can handle it. All we need to do is relax and enjoy the quiet.”

Another shriek echoes down the hallway. Rissa raises an eyebrow.

I shake my head. “Tomorrow is going to be even worse when we’re all opening presents.”

She looks over at the huge tree that is already surrounded by a veritable mountain of gifts underneath. Even though we were bound by the one-gift rule for our wives, it’s clear Tank didn’t hold back when buying for everyone else in his life.

As if she can read my thoughts Rissa says, “Your brother is so over-the-top. Did he buy a present for every person he’s ever met?”

"Probably. But I can’t wait for you to see what I got you." I smile smugly.

She turns, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "As long as it’s not another kitchen appliance?—"

" That coffeemaker was thousands of dollars. You could open your own coffee shop with that thing. I thought it was what you wanted!”

“I did,” she insists, "but not for my birthday.”

“Lesson learned. Don’t worry. It’s not any kind of kitchen gadget. I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it.”

“Is it a spa day?” she asks.

“No hints!”

Rissa grins. “Fine. Keep your secrets. As long as you stuck to the budget, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“I did. It took a lot of creativity to come up with this gift, too.”

She hums under her breath. “Now I’m really curious.”

It’s hard to maintain a poker face, but the anticipation of her reaction is half the fun. The other half will be watching her open it. Not that Rissa is particularly shy but I can only imagine that she’ll be a little flustered once she realizes that I got her a boudoir session. This is the perfect gift to prove to her that she’s more beautiful than ever.

I have to be sure to thank Josie when I can get her alone later. Since I was so late in asking for it, she agreed to print out my custom message on card stock and package it along with the gift certificate for the photo session. Zack had passed it along to Gabe, who texted earlier that he would wrap it along with his own gifts.

“Finn, do you ever think about having another baby?”

The words hit me like a snowball to the face. I hurriedly struggle to arrange my features into a neutral expression.

“Do I ever think about it?”

“Yeah. I was just wondering since Riley will be turning two next year. And if we want to have another then we should be thinking about how far to space them apart.”

She’s still talking but suddenly my neck is hot. I tug at the collar of my shirt trying to get some air. Then I’m suddenly aware that she’s looking at me expectantly but I have no idea what she just said. It feels like my brain is underwater.

“A baby?” I repeat.

She nods, her eyes searching mine. “You always said that you wanted to have a big family.”

It takes everything I have not to laugh. The thought of bringing another baby into our family when it feels like we just had one two seconds ago makes me feel absolutely unhinged.

I love our little family with every fiber of my being but another baby means another round of diapers and bottles and sleepless nights. It means another round of mood swings and insecurity and feeling like my wife is hiding from me.

When I look up Rissa is watching me. Her smile has faded. “Unless you don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to.” I tug at my collar again. “Is it hot in here? Maybe we should move back from the fire.”

Rissa puts her hand on my knee. “Finn, you look like you’re about to have a stroke. Forget I said anything. I’m talking crazy.”

When she moves to get up, I yank her down so quickly she yelps.

“You know that I love you and would give you anything you asked for. I’m just not sure we’re ready to have another baby so soon. And don’t they say you’re supposed to wait a few years in between? That’s a thing, right?”

My voice sounds unnaturally high so I clear my throat. “Actually I do feel a little weird. I’m just going to get a glass of water.”

“No, I’ll get it. You stay here.” With one last look of concern, Rissa walks in the direction of the kitchen.

As soon as she’s out of sight, I pull out my phone. Hurriedly I pull up my last text chain with Gabe. I was so sure I had the perfect gift. But a boudoir session is not the perfect gift for a woman who wants to have another baby. All that will do is make her think I’m focused on how she looks. Which is the exact opposite of what I was trying to do with the gift.

This whole thing is a disaster!

Now it’s Christmas Eve and there’s no time to get anything else. I curse myself for following that stupid one-gift rule. I should have bought another as backup, just in case.

I text a quick SOS to Gabe.

Finn

Have to cancel that photo session with Josie. Sorry! Will explain later.

Gabe

Of course. Hope everything is okay.

I feel terrible that he went through the trouble of picking up and wrapping the present and now I’m canceling. But once I explain everything I know he’ll understand. But then another message comes through.

Gabe

Actually don’t be mad but I think I misplaced it earlier. My bad

Just then Rissa comes back in carrying a glass of water. She looks between me and the phone in my hand. “Is everything okay?”

I pocket my phone to give her my full attention. “Everything is perfect.”

She hands me the water before sitting next to me on the couch again. As she cuddles up against my side, I try to think of how I’m going to sneak away and find another gift without her noticing I’m gone.