Fine Make

CHAPTER 021:1 Don't Want To Play This Game Anymor...

CHAPTER 021: I Don't Want To Play This Game Anymore

"Another Delilah?" I ask.

"You know," she says, shifting uncomfortably. "The infamous Knox, Finn, and Delilah situation."

"The what now?" I ask, brows lifting.

Victoria's eyes are fixed on me.

I watch her also, not wanting to miss any telltale sign on her face. She's surprised: She tries to hide it, of course, quickly repairing her expression. But I catch it. She expected me to know what she's on about.noveldrama

And now I'm stuck trying to decide if I should let her off the hook or press for the story she clearly doesn't want to tell. The thing is-I think I already know. Or at least I have a sinking, nauseating feeling clawing at my thoughts.

But my mind refuses to wrap itself around what she might actually be implying.

Knox. Finn. Delilah.

There was a history between them, one messy enough to warrant a personal, cautionary visit from Finn's mother. I'd like to know what the hell happened.

Did Knox date her too?

My chest tightens at the idea.

I don't want to believe that.

Not just because I already feel like I'm treading over dangerous ground with him- but because the idea of him having been with her... it's too much. It's too much tangled history. Too many connections. Too many overlaps in places that should never have overlapped.

I remind myself-Delilah is indeed two years older than Finn. She was a senior when they started their "thing." A very secret thing, he always said. I assumed the secrecy was part of the thrill for him. The age difference, the fact that he was barely sixteen, and she was already legally an adult.

But now, all I can think is-what if the secret wasn't just about them?

What if it was because someone else had been involved?

Someone else like Knox?

Jesus. My brain folds in on itself at the thought. This is another problem I can't think about right now, or I swear to God my head is going to combust.

"You do know who Delilah is, don't you?" Victoria asks, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.

"Of course I do. She was Finn's girlfriend. It'd be insane if I didn't know who she was, seeing as I'm in Asheville for her wedding."

Victoria tilts her head. "That's all you know? That she was his girlfriend?"

"Should I know more?"

She narrows her eyes. Not in a hostile way. Just measuring. "Hmm. I've only met you a handful of times, Sloane," she says slowly, "and I think you're one of the best decisions Finn has ever made. Watching Delilah be his obsession for years was... exhausting. Judging from your reaction to my question, you clearly have no idea what this family has been through trying to split those two apart." She pauses to breathe.

"I raised my children to make their own decisions, to have choices. I wanted to be the kind of mother who supported, not dictated. But sometimes... I think I should have drawn a line. Early. Firm. Once you start letting them do everything on their own, it gets hard to take the reins back."

I stand there awkwardly, not knowing if I'm supposed to reassure her she did a great job raising her children. I practically grew up without a mother. What do I know about mothering?

Victoria's still speaking. "We lost things we'll never get back. Things I might never fully forgive them for. And as much as I wish I could explain it all to you, it's not my story to tell. If Finn wanted you to know, he'd have told you."

My throat tightens.

She keeps going. "But don't be too hard on him for not saying anything. Some truths are harder to speak aloud than others." Victoria saying I shouldn't go hard on Finn only makes me want to go harder on him. I've known him for ten years. I've held him while he cried, over and over again, about a catastrophic thing that happened in his life. Whatever this is, he could have trusted me with the information. Now I'm thinking, is there anything I know about Finn that isn't Delilah related?

Victoria must be reading the changes in my mood, because she says, "He cherishes you, Sloane, Talks about you

CHAPTER 021: I Don't Want To Play This Game Anymor...

constantly-well, when his father isn't around. Julian doesn't have the patience for

Finn's love life. You must hate her too, I suppose. Delilah."

I hesitate. "I do. Finn's my friend. She's broken his heart more times than I can count."

She nods, as if that confirms some theory she's been nursing.

"Good. Then we share the same goal."

"The same goal?"

"To see this wedding happen. It's the only way he'll be free."

I don't answer. Because, well... Everyone seems invested in this damn wedding. They all have goals that contradict each other. Finn wants to stop it. Knox wants the same but for selfish reasons. And now their mother wants an entirely different thing-for the wedding to happen. That's what I want too, but it's all beginning to become overbearing.

This isn't a wedding.

It's a battlefield.

I don't want to play this game anymore. Maybe Knox was right. People will love whomever they want, no matter how hard you try to push them in the right direction.

I let out a breath. "I understand you, Victoria. We all want to see Finn end up with someone else. But we've been stuck in this loop for so long. Maybe it's time we accept the truth. Maybe he'll never be free. Maybe this is who he is now."

She studies me. "Judging by your tone, you two must have gotten into a fight recently."

"We didn't," I say too quickly.

"Right. Do you have someone in your life, Sloane? A love interest. Someone you care about."

Where did that come from? "Not currently," I reply.

Her eyes soften, and I don't like what I see there.

"I want you to tell me the truth," she says. "Why did Finn come to Asheville? You both can't expect me to believe he's so over Delilah that he can sit through her wedding and cheer as she walks down the aisle. Something's not right. What is he planning?"

"Umm, as his friend, anything I say would be a breach of friendship confidentiality."

"I'm his mother. I deserve to know what's going on in my own son's life, especially

when it involves his happiness."

Well, I'm kinda pissed at Finn right now. Might as well say it.

"He wants to win her back," I reply.

Victoria exhales. "I suspected. How?"

"Honestly? I don't know." I'd be damned if I repeat Finn's earlier proposition.

"We can't let it happen, Sloane."

"We?"

She comes closer. "I've been quiet for too long. I watched that girl gut my son over and over. I will not stand by while he walks willingly into the fire again. I want her out of his life, and you're going to help me."

Why does everyone want me involved? Why do I always end up in the middle of this?

She steps even closer. "I know you care about him. You're kind. Genuine. You'd do anything to save someone you love. And I've seen how he looks at you. I saw the way he reacted when Knox gave you that gift. I don't even want to know what that was about, but it was the reaction of a man who's possessive. And people get possessive over what they think they own." I flinch. "You've got the wrong idea about this entire situation. I don't mean this in a bad way, but I'm really struggling to follow where this conversation is headed."

Her voice drops to a whisper. "I think that deep down, he likes you. He's just too caught up in Delilah to see it. Help me send her off once and for all, and we both get what we want. I get my son back. And you?"

She looks at me, eyes unwavering.

"You keep Finn for yourself."