Chapter 18

Alex

F inn's apartment in Oregon Hill felt like a sanctuary, and lord knows we needed a safe haven after today's events. Finn had lined the walls with shelves filled with books and vinyl records, meticulously organizing each one. Potted plants of all shapes and sizes filled every available corner, their greenery lending a calm, natural atmosphere to the space.

He'd also constructed a small greenhouse that was connected to the living room window. Inside were various herbs, such as rosemary and sage, filling the space with their delightful scents.

We were on the couch, Finn's head resting on my chest, his body trembling slightly as he struggled to contain his worry. The issue with the fermentation tanks at the brewery had hit him hard, and I could feel the weight of his anxiety pressing down on him.

"Hey," I whispered, running my fingers through his hair in slow, soothing strokes. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out together."

Finn sighed, his breath warm against my neck. "I just don't know how, Alex. Those tanks are everything." Finn sighed, and his warm breath caressed my neck.

My mind raced as Finn's words echoed in my head. I was born into immense wealth and privilege, and it had been ingrained in me from birth to use my resources to fix any problem that came my way. It was a knee-jerk reaction for me to want to swoop in and take over. But as I held him close, feeling his trembling body against mine, I knew that wasn't what he needed from me. He needed support, not control. And if I did too much, Finn would resent me for it.

I had a few extra tanks sitting in storage at one of my warehouses. It wouldn't be an issue to loan, or hell, just give him one. But I refused to do anything without Finn's consent. He hadn't asked for my help, and I knew he probably wouldn't. That's just who he was—fiercely independent and determined to make things work on his own.

As much as it pained me to see him struggling, I also respected his determination and pride. So instead of offering unsolicited solutions, I simply held him tighter and whispered words of comfort until his trembling subsided.

I tightened my arms around him, pulling him closer. "You'll find a solution," I said firmly. "There's always a way. Maybe you can find a temporary workaround or get an emergency loan. We have options. We'll explore them all."

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and despair. "I just feel so overwhelmed," he admitted. "This place... it's my dream, and it feels like it's slipping away."

I pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I know how much Fireside Forge means to you, Finn. We'll fight for it, together."

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he nestled closer, his body slowly relaxing against mine. "Thank you," he murmured. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, the soft hum of the record player in the background adding to the tranquility of the moment. Finn's breathing gradually steadied, and I could tell he was finally calming down.

"Do you want to talk about what happened at the brewery today?" I asked gently, not wanting to push him but offering an ear if he needed it.

Finn shook his head slightly. "Not right now," he said. "I just want to be here with you."

My heart ached for him, but I was glad I could give him comfort. "Then we'll stay right here," I breathed. "For as long as you need."

Finn closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I know I just said I didn't want to talk about it, but I'm so fucking scared, Alex."

"What about your insurance company?" I murmured. "Have you contacted them yet?"

"I have to wait until the repairman gives me an estimate." Finn yawned, and I realized how exhausted he was from all the drama. "They're coming tomorrow. As soon as they tell me what needs fixing, I'll contact the insurance company."

"It sounds to me like everything's going to be just fine," I murmured, stroking Finn's hair. "I'll be here for you, and if you need anything at all, just ask."

My phone started ringing on the coffee table in front of us. I leaned over and saw it was Bridget Chase.

"Do you need to get that?" Finn asked. I was about to say no, then remembered that was the name of the director of the charity I used to work closely with.

"Oh, yeah, I do." I lifted my arm, and Finn scooted out of my embrace. Then I stood up and grabbed the phone.

"Alex Harrington," I said, stepping away from Finn to give myself some privacy.

"Mr. Harrington, this is Bridget Chase, the executive director of Bright Horizons Initiative. Unfortunately, I have some information regarding your ex-wife, Miranda Beasley-Harrington."

My pulse quickened. "What is it?"

Chase's tone was professional, but grave. "I've been investigating Miranda's activities and I've uncovered some troubling information. It appears she's been embezzling funds from us. You were smart to step down from the board of directors when you did. Otherwise, the police would investigate you, too."

My breath caught in my throat. "Embezzling? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm certain. I've tracked several transactions that divert funds into accounts under different names, all of which trace back to her. It's a sophisticated scheme, but the evidence is clear."

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process the implications. Miranda was someone I had once trusted, and she was hardly poor. I was paying her seven figures in alimony payments over a three-year settlement deal. After the divorce was final, I'd given her my seat on the board of directors of Bright Horizons so she could establish herself amongst the DC elite. It was a charity supporting inner city youth in our nation's capital. "How much money are we talking about?"

"At least a few hundred thousand dollars," Ms. Chase replied. "Possibly more, depending on how long this has been going on."

I felt an icy anger building inside me. "What do we do next?"

"I recommend two courses of action," Chase continued. "First, we need to stop the embezzlement immediately. Second, we should consider replacing the stolen funds to prevent any disruptions to Bright Horizon's operations."

"How much do you need?" I asked, already dreading the answer.

"Around two hundred thousand should cover the immediate shortfall and give us some breathing room while we sort this out," Chase said.

That was the amount Miranda had originally asked me for when she surprised me at my house the other night. Jesus Christ, what was wrong with her?

"Fine," I said, my voice steely. "I'll arrange for the funds. But let me make one thing perfectly clear: this must stay out of the news. Bright Horizons does excellent work, and this could turn off potential donors. And I hate to say this, but we can't report it to the police."

"Understood, but are you sure you don't want me to report her to the authorities?" Ms. Chase's voice dropped an octave. "This is a very serious crime, Mr. Harrington, and…"

"Children depend on Bright Horizons, Ms. Chase," I sighed. "I can't risk hurting those kids. And nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing my ex-wife behind bars."

"But…"

"Ms. Chase," I turned to see Finn staring at me with wide eyes. "Miranda will not go unpunished. Trust me. Please send me all the evidence you discovered. Thank you for your hard work."

I ended the call, my mind reeling from the revelation. Miranda's betrayal stung deeply, but I couldn't let it derail everything. Bright Horizons was too important, and so was Finn's brewery.

"Everything okay, Alex?" he asked.

I forced a reassuring smile. "Just some business I need to handle. Nothing for you to worry about."

"You're a powerful man, Alex," Finn murmured. "Like one of those tycoons you see on tv. How come this is the first time I've seen this side of you?"

I sat next to Finn and took his hand. "Babe, I don't show you this side of me because," I raked my fingers through my hair. "It's not who I really am. At heart, I'm a regular guy who loves his cottage in the country. I hate dealing with, shit, sorry. You're going through so much, I don't want to talk about the bullshit my ex-wife is putting me through. She's not important." I leaned over and brushed my lips over his. "You're important."

"Why are you with me?" Finn whispered. "You're wealthy, a man with important connections. I'm a nobody who can't even run…"

"Stop," I squeezed his hand. "I'm with you because I want to be. You've ignited something in me I've never felt before. I'm blessed to have been born into a wealthy family, but I never earned that money."

"You've been here for me. Let me be help you," Finn leaned in closer. "Tell me about your wife."

"My ex-wife," I sighed and leaned back against the cushions. "I met Miranda at UVA during my senior year. She was my sister Summer's sorority sister, and she was quite a catch." I shut my eyes for a moment, recalling how beautiful she was. "Deep inside, I knew I was gay, or bisexual. But no one in our social circle was out of the closet, and I'd often hear all the slurs people used. Lose a tennis match? Your opponent would call you a fag. Dress a little differently? They'd say it looked gay. You know what I'm talking about, and I was very insecure about myself."

"I remember being called a fag whenever the neighborhood bully set his sights on me." Finn kissed me on the cheek. "It hurt, and it still does, even today."

"Miranda was the perfect girl to have on my arm. Bright, attractive, and popular. All my fraternity brothers were jealous of me for dating her." I stood up and stretched. "I look back now and realize I never loved her. What I loved was having the gay slurs go away. All I had to do was date this gorgeous, sophisticated woman and nobody called me names anymore." I held out my hand. "Your bed is calling my name. C'mon, let's go to sleep."

Finn took my hand, and I pulled him to his feet. As we walked into his bedroom, I continued my story.

"Miranda actually asked me to marry her, and looking back on it now, it felt more like a business proposal."

Finn opened his bedroom door, and he sat on the edge of the bed. "Go on, tell me more."

I sat next to him and toed off my loafers. "Not once did she mention love, which was a smart move on her part. Perhaps if she had, I'd never have married her. But she thought we'd be the perfect Washington D.C. power couple, and she tried to interest me in politics."

"President Harrington has a ring to it," Finn grinned, then he took off his t-shirt and let it drop to the floor. "So you married her. Why the divorce?"

"Obviously, I wasn't attracted to her." I stood up, took off my slacks, folded them, and placed them on top of his dresser. "I mean, at first we had a decent sex life, but one night a few years ago we were making love, and I couldn't get it up." My cheeks burned. "Jeez, I've never told anyone this before. Anyway, I had to imagine naked guys in order to, you know, perform."

Finn got under the covers and patted the mattress next to him. "Oh, I did the same thing with my first and only girlfriend. I broke up with her a couple of days later. Oddly enough, she came out as a lesbian soon after."

I climbed under the covers and laid my head on Finn's chest. "Then my grandfather passed away, and I realized how temporary life was. I thought to myself, do I really want to spend my life with Miranda? A woman I wasn't in love with? So I moved into Grandpa's cottage and filed for divorce."

A soft snore came from Finn, and a smile stretched across my cheeks. Not once in my entire marriage had I ever felt this way about Miranda. Could this man beside me be the missing piece I never knew I needed?