Page 52 of Choosing Us

Sure, I’ll call you when I get out of here.

Me

Can’t wait.

Harlow Lane reacted to your message with a heart emoji.

“Sorry about that. I swear, if Tess as a work wife is any indication of what an actual wife would be like, I don’t know how I feel about marriage in my future.” Finn makes a face.

“What do you mean?” I thought Tess was like Finn’s lifeline at work.

“Oh, she’s great, but she micromanages every detail of that business and has zero chill about anything.”

“So, no office romance in your future?” I tease.

“With Tess?” Finn barks out a laugh. “No way, I think that would be some BDSM style story, and female doms aren’t my thing. She’s more like another sister—a very bossy sister. There’s never been anything other than friendship with her. She’s not really my type at all. Plus, she’s dating, or is she engaged, no, I think they’re just together, but whatever. She’s happy, and I’m happy her control is limited to the office.”

“If she’s not your type, then what is?” Tess is pretty, she’s not Harlow, but I never had a spark with Finn’s office manager either or thought of her much outside of his office.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I think … I think I need someone that’s going to keep things interesting. I don’t know, maybe make me work for it a bit, you know?” Finn wiggles his eyebrows.

“So, drama.”

“Not necessarily, I mean, maybe? I don’t know. I just want something that’s extraordinary and different, I guess.” Finn shrugs as Doris delivers our food.

“I think chemistry and connection matter more than entertainment value, Finn,” I tell him as he waves me off.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, so happy for you and Harlow, blah, blah, blah, happily ever after.” He grins, and I know he is genuinely happy for me, but I don’t think he knows quite what he’s asking the universe for when it comes to his own HEA.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“A disgruntled pelican!” Savannah cries out as Finn looks mortified, shaking his head and moving his hands over his chest again, as though straitening the lapels of a suit coat.

“A movie star?” Walker asks with much less enthusiasm than his teammate’s avian guess.

“Time!” Olivia calls out as Finn and Savannah groan in the exact same manner—not that you can tell these people are siblings or anything.

“A pelican? Seriously, Sav? I was a butler!” Finn declares as Savannah picks up her wine glass with a shrug.

“Looked like a disgruntled pelican to me.” She pouts before taking a drink and a debate breaks out over Finn’s skills when it comes to charades.

New Year’s Eve with the Callahan family has been like everything I could have hoped for and expected, while at the same time being delightfully surprising. Large families fascinate me, as do functionally healthy ones, but being in the thick of it like this is a novel concept. They fight and bicker, but it’s clear they have genuine affection and love for each other. It’s so foreign—and lovely.

“Can I get you another?” Ryan stops next to the barstool I’m perched on and points to my empty cup. I’m drinking Diet Coke tonight because I was texting with an agent in Salt Lake City that may call me later if the interrogation they’re conducting goes in a certain direction. It also allows me to fully absorb the hilarity of the Callahan siblings taking a game of charades a smidge too serious.

It’s fantastic.

“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” I offer him my cup, but he wraps his hand around mine, squeezing it before heading to the bar in his dad’s dining room to pull a fresh Diet Coke out of the fridge. When Ryan invited me, I was worried about Walker being here, but I think he’s so used to me being around with the book club friendships that he hasn’t really suspected anything between Ryan and me yet … I don’t think. Or if he does suspect something, he is likely not saying anything and waiting for me to bring it up.

Oh.

He’s Walker.

Yeah, he totally knows what’s going on and is waiting for me to bring it up to him. That is not on my to-do list any time soon. When, and ultimately if, Walker and I have that conversation, I will have to be one hundred percent sure that things are very serious between me and his brother-in-law. We are headed in that direction, but for some reason, I want to hold off on that conversation.

One conversation I thoroughly enjoyed this evening was getting to know Cami better. Maybe we have a bond over being new to the dynamics of the inner circle, but I also can’t imagine the emotional few weeks she’s had since Jack and Liam knocked on her door. She’s very sweet, and despite her age, has one of those old souls that I tend to gravitate toward.

Most of the Callahan family is here, except for Ryan’s oldest brother, Jack, who is in Austin, Texas for a concert his company Lux is putting on. Savannah, Vivian, and their girls are all jealous because not only is country pop star Tinsley Sinclair performing, but it’s also a joint performance with the one and only Fiona Skye.