Page 41 of The Best Friend Problem
“Finn, Pru, you made it!”
Pru felt the smile curl her lips as she glanced up to see Mrs. Jamison standing in the doorway of the house, grey hair pulled back into a bun like always, a big welcoming smile lighting up her face. Wendy Jamison had been a second mother to Pru.
“Wouldn’t miss it, Mom.” Finn moved up the front porch steps and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you, dear. And you”—Wendy held her arms out—“get over here.”
Pru happily stepped into the loving embrace. “Happy birthday, Wendy.”
“Well, come on. Everyone is already here, and the grandkids are starving. Or so they keep telling me.”
Right… Pru would bet their grandmother had been sneaking them cookies behind their parents’ backs all night. The perks of being a grandma, Wendy always told her with a wink.
They sat at the table, exchanging hellos with everyone as they settled. No one mentioned whether she looked any different or acted like anything was off between her and Finn. Perhaps they could pull this off. For a little while. Once she started to show, they’d have to tell Finn’s family. She didn’t want to keep it a secret from them, anyway.
A small spark of joy burned deep in her chest as she realized her baby would be getting a family beyond her—grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins.
A family.
Her eyes misted over with the knowledge. Damn hormones! She couldn’t cry. Not now, everyone would know something was up. Blinking back the tears, she grabbed the dish of mashed potatoes Finn’s niece handed her.
“So Pru,” Wendy said as they all dug into the delicious dinner. “Tell me what’s new in your life? Any handsome men you’re seeing?”
Finn choked on the sip of water he’d just taken. She squeezed his leg, trying to silently tell him to keep his cool, but it had the opposite effect. He gasped, his sputtering increasing. Jordan, who sat on his other side, started patting Finn’s back as he cleared the liquid from his throat.
“Finn, dear.” Wendy held a hand to her chest as she stared with concern and confusion at her son. “Are you all right?”
Crap! She had to deflect so Wendy didn’t start to suspect anything from Finn’s panic.
“Am I dating? No, sadly the men in Denver are…lacking.”
Wendy’s gaze came back to her, and the woman chuckled at her statement. Finn, however, didn’t seem to find it as amusing. His eyes narrowed, but she ignored his glare and asked his mother about her upcoming cruise.
The rest of the evening went by nicely. Wendy loved her gifts and sent everyone home with an extra birthday cupcake.
Once they were in the car and on the road back into the city, Finn glanced toward Pru.
“Lacking, Pru? Seriously?”
She chuckled. “Well, what did you want me to say? ‘Oh, yes, Mrs. Jamison, I had a lovely time the other night doing the naked tango with your son. Oh, and by the way, I’m now carrying his unborn child. Surprise!’”
He gave a defeated sigh. “No. I guess you couldn’t say that. Unless we wanted to spend the rest of the night explaining in detail how this all happened.”
Not too much detail, she hoped. She couldn’t imagine a mother wanted to know the exact details of how her son knocked up his best friend.
And now it was in her head again. Every delicious moment, every exquisite detail. Finn’s rough hands touching her so softly, the contrast driving her wild. Her body started to heat with the memory of what he could do with those hands, his tongue, his—
Whoa!
She needed to stop thinking about that night. They weren’t going there again. Things were weird enough as it was.
The rest of the ride was silent except for the soft music filtering in from the car’s speakers. Finally, they arrived at her apartment. She’d never been so glad to be home, which was strange and a little sad. She loved hanging out with Finn and his family, but tonight had been stressful. She hated keeping secrets, especially from someone as sweet as Wendy Jamison.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Thanks for coming. I know Mom loves seeing you.”
“Your mom’s the best.”
