“I’m great! Business is going good with Michael, and Callie is at full capacity for patients. And we just found out we’re expecting our first child.” He was beaming.

“Holy shit dude, congratulations!” Kyler got up from his chair and shook Corey’s hand, bringing him in for one of those ‘guy hugs’. “I can’t wait to see the little crib midget!”

I noticed Finn was pretty quiet during this whole exchange. In fact neither he nor I had spoken since Michael and Corey had approached the table. I was relieved that I didn’t have to answer his question earlier, but when Corey announced his baby news I couldn’t help but notice that Finn had glanced over at me. I risked glance in his direction and we made eye contact. Why was he looking at me like that? I felt uncomfortable and yet I couldn’t look away from him. His tongue came out and licked his bottom lip. When he closed his mouth my eyes went back up to his. His pupils were dilated and he tracked me watching him. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something but I abruptly stood up from the table. My legs hit the table top causing some of the silverware to clang together and my napkin to fall to the floor. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make so much noise. I’m just headed to the ladies room.” I could feel the heat creeping onto my face.

“You want me to come with Em?” Harper asked.

“Nah, I’m good stay and talk. I’ll be right back.” I wanted to ask her what was going on with Kyler but I needed to get my own shit sorted out. Harper watched me but nodded her head before I turned and walked away from the table.

I made a beeline for the ladies room I’d seen outside the banquet door. I was relieved to see that the triplet bitches were no longer manning it; they must’ve gone inside to torture someone else. I walked into the bathroom and found a stall. Thankfully I was the only one there so at least I had some peace to freak out. Locking the stall door, I leaned my back against it and let out the breath I’d been holding. I had no idea what that was out there but it about did me in. Why did Finn have to look at me like that? His eyes seemed so intense. When he licked his lips I thought I was going to melt into a puddle. He was not supposed to be bringing out these feelings in me. I collected my thoughts. I just needed to get through this night and then I would go back home to Weston on Monday.

Fuck! Weston!

I hadn’t even thought about him this afternoon while staring into Finn’s eyes, and that wasn’t acceptable. I couldn’t do that staring swoony thing with him. I needed to push whatever this was out of my head, and get through the next couple of hours like an adult. An adult that had been married for eight years and felt nothing for her high school boyfriend.

With a new sense of resolve I stepped out of the stall, washed my hands and walked out of the bathroom. Just as I turned out of the door I ran right into a hard chest. I looked up and saw Finn standing in front of me.

“Are you okay?”

And there went my new resolve.

“I’m fine, why do you ask?” I was wringing my hands together. “I just had to pee. Can’t I pee without people checking on me?” For fuck sake I’m not even drunk tonight and I can’t shut my mouth.

He smirked… the bastard was smirking at me?! “Of course you can pee without being checked on but I thought you looked a little pale. You got up and left so abruptly I thought I’d make sure you didn’t need anything.”

“Nope”, I said, popping the ‘p’ in the word. “I’m all good. Shall we go back inside?” I started to walk away but Finn grabbed my hand to stop me. Oh god, what his touch did to me. I felt something in that slight touch that I hadn’t felt in ten years and it was a shock to that dormant part of my heart. It was a feeling that West had never been able to invoke. Finn’s large hand holding my smaller one sent tingles all over my body and my breathing picked up, causing my chest to rise and fall. His eyes wandered down to my cleavage and back up to my face. I shook my head and tried to clear my head of the sensations. Clearing my throat I asked, “Was there something else?”

He paused watching my face for a long moment, “Well I guess not, other than I wanted to see if you would like to dance later.”

As much as I knew it wasn’t in my best interests to let Finn hold me that close, once he gave me that heart-stopping smile, I knew there was no way I could tell him no. “Of course.”

He let go of my arm and allowed his hand to drift to my lower back leading us inside the banquet. This was so not a good idea!

When we got back inside and made our way to our table, we walked right into the middle of a conversation Michael, Corey, Harper, and Callie were having about some of the stupid things Kyler had done in high school. They were all laughing so hard that Harper and Callie were doubled over, holding their stomachs.

“Oh my god dude, you remember that time senior year Ky tried to superglue his hand to Mary’s boobs?” Michael said between catching his breath laughing. “He’d slept with her at a party the weekend before and he said her rack was so awesome he wanted to be attached to them permanently?”

Ky looked like he was in a dream state. “Those were some great boobs. And I would have done it if someone hadn’t ratted me out to coach.” He sighed. “Eh, glad I never went through with it though. I’ve seen better since then.”

Corey was chuckling, holding on to Callie’s waist while she had her hand over her mouth hiding her smile. Michael pushed it a step further. “Yeah I bet you have. Living in Los Angeles you and Finn probably see some pretty hot women. You two must have a new one every night! I’ve heard women throw themselves at musicians out there.”

I was no longer smiling, and I turned and looked right up at Finn. The hand that had been on my lower back dropped and he brought it up to rub the back of his neck. He looked uncomfortable. “I suppose it was like that for a time but it’s not like that anymore.”

Kyler grabbed Finns arm, “Don’t let him fool you. He had women at his beck and call until Val. She’s smokin’ but they are always off and on.”

Oh no, this is just what I didn’t want to hear. I didn’t want to know what woman had managed to snag Finn and hold on to him when I hadn’t. My stomach rolled and I thought I was going to be sick. I dropped my eyes from Finn, and looked down at my feet.

He cleared his throat. I think he was trying to get me to look back up at him, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. I didn’t want to be there anymore. The space felt a little too small and suffocating. I thought about grabbing my purse and high tailing it out of there but, I didn’t want him to know how much the conversation had affected me.

“Ummm, yeah there was Valerie, but we aren’t together anymore.” Finn sounded pissed off at Kyler for bringing it up. I wished he hadn’t either.

“Sure, for now dude. She always comes running back when she wants and you keep taking her back. Hell, I’d take her back too. Seriously, you should see this chick. Her body is fucking unreal!”

Okay, I’d had about all I could handle of this conversation. I leaned down and grabbed my purse ready to walk away. I was about to tell Harper I was ready to go, when Finn moved to stand in front of me. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Let’s go get some air. We need to talk.” I desperately wanted to tell him no—that we had nothing to talk about—but I didn’t have the heart to say so. I kept my head down and nodded in agreement. He took my hand and pulled me away from the table. We made our way to a set of French doors that led outside. Before we made it, Harper caught up with us and grabbed my arm.

She watched Finn while she leaned over and said quietly to me, “If you want to go Em, we can leave now. You don’t have to go talk to him if you don’t want to. Just say the word.”