Falling For Disaster (15 page)

“What do we do now?” He asked and Jamie leaned back.

“Give me your phone,” he commanded and Finn quickly pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Jamie.

“I’m giving you my phone number and both of my addresses. Call me whenever. And use my address in Chicago for anything you need to relocate or to find a new job,” Jamie said as he swiped and tapped rapidly. Finn nodded as he watched. “I planned to spend a few months in Baja, I’m kind of overdue for a vacation. You can join me there as soon as you’re ready. We can spend our days drinking beer on the beach and grilling fish and we’ll fuck like wild badgers,” Jamie said as he handed Finn his phone and winked. Finn smiled as he looked down at his phone.

“Ok,” he mumbled and his jaw dropped as he read the contact details.

Future Husband/Soul Mate

Finn chewed his thumbnail as he studied the addresses and waited for the giddy fluttering in his chest to subside.

“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” he teased as he looked up at Jamie. Jamie shrugged as he grabbed Finn by his shirt and pulled him close.

“When have you ever been able to say no to me?” He asked before his lips covered Finn’s.

Chapter 29

It must have been an hour since Finn had blinked. He walked around Jamie’s beach house with his arms crossed over his chest as he went from room to room studying pictures and staring out at the view through the giant windows.

The last two weeks had been a muddled rush and he began to feel heavy and tired as the adrenaline wore off. Finn felt drowsy as he tried to recall just how he ended up in Mexico. There had been a lot of phone calls. Finn waited for about ten minutes after Jaime left Blytheville then opened the floodgates.

“How is this going to work?”
They started there. Jamie was patient and did his best to help Finn work through that. Finn jumped back and forth between excited certainty and crushing doubt and panic. Jaime was understanding and reassuring and Finn never felt pressured. Aside from the trip to Paris, Finn had never traveled outside of Missouri. Putting in his notice at the school and sending resumes to universities in Chicago was surreal. All of Blytheville was terribly disappointed but wished him well and he already had preliminary phone interviews set up for the next few weeks. It hadn’t been difficult for Finn to pack up his books and clothes and mail them to Chicago. He just questioned his sanity the entire time he was packing. Finn called Jamie about twenty times in two days just to make sure that Jamie was sure they were ready and everything would work out.

“I’m in love with you, Finn. If you get to Chicago and you don’t like it there or you want your own place first, we’ll deal with it. I don’t care where we live and we don’t have to live together right away if you aren’t ready for that. I just can’t be with you in Blytheville. Or Missouri, really,” he explained.

Finn reasoned that he had never been very happy in Blytheville and without Jamie, he never would be. He didn’t want to go back to St. Louis, so Chicago was as good a place as any to start over. And he could be with Jamie there. Finn repeated that line of thought hundreds of times as he went through the process of taking a blind leap, personally and professionally to be with someone he barely knew.

“Who are you?”
Finn was struggling to get his head around that. Jamie was even more patient as Finn asked about everything from when Jamie lost his first tooth to how many people he had dated to his favorite flavor of ice cream. After being told so many times that he couldn’t ask questions, it was exhilarating to know that Jamie was an open book and wanted Finn to know him.

Jamie grew up in an upper middle class suburb of Chicago. His father was a dentist and his mother a librarian. He had three sisters. Two were happily married and Jamie had a handful of nieces and nephews he adored. His other sister went into the Air Force and hoped to be an astronaut. Jamie went to Northwestern and almost majored in philosophy before he switched to criminal justice and eventually went into law enforcement. Shortly after graduating from the F.B.I. Academy, he came out to close friends and his family. Jamie’s family had taken his coming out pretty well and he was openly gay when at home and in the city. He didn’t hide it professionally but he always kept his personal life separate and had a string of discreet but short relationships before he got involved in undercover work.

Being from Chicago, Jamie grew up loving the Blues and Jazz. He also loved classical music and classic rock along with some modern rock. His parents were foodies before it was trendy and he grew up eating adventurously and had a natural talent for cooking. Jamie loved modern architecture and art and promised to take Finn to his favorite museums and galleries. Because he’d spent so much of his childhood in libraries, Jamie was passionate about books and excitedly told Finn about the shelves he built that covered just about every wall in his home and how they still weren’t enough. Finn was too embarrassed to tell Jamie that he’d gotten a semi just imagining all the books and kept pinching himself as he listened. All of it seemed too good to be true. They talked for hours every night but Finn couldn’t quite believe that Jamie was real, he was so perfect and completely certain and invested in building a life with Finn. The whole thing seemed so at odds with the life Finn had expected. A gorgeous, mature, successful, intelligent, stable man didn’t fit with the universe’s plan for Finn.

His mother thought so. She was quiet when Finn first told her about Jamie. There were a few startled gasps that quickly turned into a breathless “Oh, my goodness!”. When she cried and laughed, Finn was even more confused. When he asked why she wasn’t as freaked out as he was she sighed happily.

“Sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re taking a chance. I’ve been waiting for you to do something that makes you uncomfortable and have a little fun. I don’t know if Jamie is going to work out but I’m glad you’re taking a risk and going someplace bigger. I never intended for you to spend your whole life in Missouri and I certainly didn’t want you wasting away in Blytheville. It sounds like a miserable place,” she said and Finn couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

As stunted and backwards as Blytheville was, the whole town was in shock after The Brotherhood collapsed. Everyone knew that it was going to be better in the long run but it was a blow for the community. It was going to take a while for people to recover from the financial loss of the steady income The Brothers received and spent in town. Rose’s bar was pretty much destroyed. The feds took it apart physically and she was never going to recover from losing 90% of her clientele and both of her brothers. Finn crossed paths with her once and they exchanged strained yet commiserating smiles. He heard that she was seeing Hank Felton and everyone thought they looked like a nice couple.

As far as Finn was concerned, the best news as far as Blytheville went was that the young men were suddenly desperate to buckle down in school and find decent jobs in town. Without The Brotherhood to fall back on, they had to settle for legitimate livelihoods. Finn couldn’t wait to call Jamie after his last day at the school to tell him that Brian Wade had stayed after class and asked for as much information as Finn could give him on camps and scholarships. With The Brotherhood gone, his mother lost her job waiting tables at the bar and was moving the family to Corbin. She got a job managing a Holiday Inn and had left his father. She wanted Brian to focus on his own future. Finn would never forget how relieved and excited Brian was as he wrote down everything Finn told him. Finn gave him phone numbers of every friend that had anything to do with journalism and promised to email everyone he could think of and make sure Brian was looked after. He also gave Brian his phone number and email and swore he’d make good on his promise to help Brian research and apply to schools. When Finn drove away from the high school for the last time, he was grateful for his time in Blytheville. He’d made a very big difference in Brian’s life and he knew that Brian was going to do something great in the future.

Finn was right about his mother and Jamie. As soon as she learned about Jamie and Finn’s plan to move to Chicago, she asked for his number. He had absolutely no doubt that she would call Jamie as soon as she hung up with Finn. He’d warned Jamie to be ready. He wasn’t expecting them to become best friends though. By the time Finn got on a plane for San Diego, his mother and Jamie had spent almost as much time talking and exchanging text messages as he had with Jamie.

“Honey, I love him so much!” She gushed far more times than Finn could keep track. “Did you know that he…” She would say dozens of times before she excitedly shared a new tidbit she’d learned about Jamie. “He’s so perfect and I can’t wait to meet him in person,” Finn’s mother exclaimed as he walked to his gate. The three of them had plans to spend Thanksgiving together at Jamie’s house in Chicago. Jamie’s parents were definitely going to be there and they were waiting for Jamie’s sisters to work out their plans.

“You don’t think all of this is too fast or completely insane?” Finn asked as he waited to board.

“It’s definitely fast but sometimes, you just have to go with it, honey,” she said. She sounded so confident and excited for Finn. “You would be insane if you didn’t go for it, Finn. Jamie loves you and he’s exactly what you deserve,” she insisted and Finn nodded as the line moved closer to the gate.

“I can’t believe I’m going to Mexico,” he said as he handed his ticket to the flight attendant.

“If I’m honest, that’s the only thing that has me a little concerned. Have fun and be safe. Jamie promised that the three of us are going back next summer and I can’t wait,” she giggled excitedly and Finn took a deep breath.

“Ok. I need to get settled and shut off my phone. I’ll call you when I get to Jamie’s. I love you, mom,” Finn said as he made his way to his seat.

“I love you too, baby!” She said before hanging up.

Finn had never been so nervous in all of his life. He scanned the terminal, looking for Jamie and tried to make his heart beat evenly. Aside from FaceTime calls a few times a week, he hadn’t seen Jamie since the day he left Blytheville. Finn’s fears about their attraction being the result of the forbidden nature of their relationship and the isolation of Blytheville evaporated when Jamie’s hard body crashed into his and Jamie’s strong arms wrapped tight around him.

“Finn!” Jamie gasped as he held him close and buried his face in the corner of Finn’s neck. Finn gave up on his vow to hold it together and not cry as the smell and warmth of Jamie enveloped him. Finn felt safe and like he was finally where he was meant to be. Unfortunately, they happened to be in the middle of a busy airport terminal. People cleared their throats in irritation and frustration as they rushed past and Finn blushed as he leaned back in Jamie’s arms. Jamie didn’t seem to care. His eyes were flooded as he drank Finn in. “How was your trip?” He asked as he wiped the tears from Finn’s cheeks.

“Fine,” Finn murmured as he looked around nervously. There were so many people, all seeing him and Jamie together. “Should we get going?” He asked and Jamie nodded before he laughed and pulled Finn into his arms again.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” He said loudly before he grabbed Finn’s face and kissed him.

Finn melted. He hung onto Jamie’s shoulders as warmth slowly spread though his body while Jamie’s tongue swept hungrily through his mouth. Finn’s eyes flared when something hit his back and he was pushed against Jamie’s chest.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” A petite, elderly woman cried as Finn looked over his shoulder and watched as she juggled a giant purse, an itinerary, her carry-on and her phone. “I didn’t mean to run you down but you boys should find someplace a little more out of the way. Or a hotel room,” she teased and winked before she stepped around them and rushed toward the baggage claim. Finn knew his face had to be just about purple, it was so hot.

“Let’s go,” Jamie laughed as he slid an arm around Finn’s shoulders.

Within half an hour they had Finn’s luggage loaded into Jamie’s Range Rover and were on a highway, heading south along the coast. Finn’s eyes were glued to the window as he stared out at the ocean. He’d only seen the ocean on TV and in pictures and couldn’t get over how huge it was. It was endless and Finn couldn’t speak as he gazed at it in awe. He held onto Jamie’s hand and listened as he described his favorite places in southern California and Mexico. They crossed the border and stopped at a tiny restaurant for cold beer and tacos. At least that’s what Jamie called them. Finn wasn’t sure if he’d been lied to his whole life or if Jamie wasn’t translating right but whatever he was eating was nothing like the tacos Finn had grown up with. He inhaled eight of them and would have kept going if he hadn’t been in so much pain. Jamie had to drag him back to the car and promised that there would be plenty of tacos to come and they would only get better as they drove south. Finn decided not to tell Jamie he might be just as excited about the tacos as he was about the sex. And the beer. Finn was finding that cold, authentic Mexican beer was pretty delightful as well.

“This is your beach house?” Finn asked as Jamie parked in front of a large modern single level house. He was expecting something small and rustic, more faded and a little disheveled with a ratty hammock strung between two palm trees. Instead, Jamie’s house looked like something out of an architectural magazine. The walls were a pale adobe style and the house resembled a large, flat box with floor to ceiling windows along the front of the house.

“Yeah,” Jamie said as he shut off the car and looked concerned. “Is this ok?” He asked and Finn’s eyes widened.

“Of course it’s ok! It’s beautiful!” Finn reassured him and Jamie relaxed. Finn turned and looked at the house again. “I was expecting something more driftwood and coconuts with a leaky grass roof and shoddy plumbing,” he mumbled and Jamie laughed as his hand rubbed Finn’s back soothingly.

“The roof is pretty solid but the plumbing will get iffy if we don’t use the outdoor shower and wash too much sand down the drain,” he said and Finn’s lips twisted as he stared at the ocean just beyond the house.

“Can we still go swimming?” He asked as he turned back to Jamie. He shrugged as he pushed his door open.

“The pool’s heated but the ocean will be chilly. It might not be as bad later in the afternoon. The water will be perfect when we come back in the summer,” Jamie said and Finn nodded faintly as he digested the fact that there was a pool, an outdoor shower and they would be coming back. Regularly, from the way Jamie spoke. “Come on!” Jamie urged before he jumped out of the car and shut the door. Finn shook his head in disbelief as he got out.

“Hey,” he called as Jamie opened the back of the car and reached for Finn’s luggage. Jamie raised his brows as he handed Finn his carry-on bag and Finn gestured over his shoulder, toward the house. “I don’t want to be vulgar, but…” He paused and looked back at the house and then at the car. “Are you rich?” Finn asked and Jamie blinked a few times before he laughed and shook his head.

“No. I’d say I’m pretty comfortable and very fortunate,” he said as he shut the back of the car. He gestured toward the house and signaled for Finn to follow as he picked up the suitcase. “My grandfather on my mom’s side bought a lot of property down here when it was cheap and made a fortune on it. He opened a few resort hotels along the coast and built a bunch of beach houses. My uncles inherited the hotels and he left each of the grandkids property. I had this built about ten years ago,” Jamie explained as he unlocked the door. “One of my uncles lives a few miles away and rents this out for me when I’m not using it,” he said as he swung the door wide. Finn’s eyes just got bigger as he stepped through the door.