A Rainy Night Reunion at My Noodle Cart Chapter 06

A Rainy Night Reunion at My Noodle Cart Chapter 06

After I soothed my daughter to sleep, Finn and I sat down at the table.

He carefully pulled a still-warm box of cinnamon rolls from inside his jacket like he was presenting treasure and set it in front of me.

“Ava, try some,” he said with a careful smile. “It’s your favorite flavor.”

Something stung behind my nose as I looked at his face and the pastry in his hands.

“Finn,” I asked, “who are you really?”

From the way Cameron had backed off, it was obvious Finn wasn’t just anybody.

He’d always told me he was a driver, that he spent his days driving for Uber.

I’d believed him without question.

I met him a year ago, when my daughter spiked a high fever in the middle of the night and I panicked, stumbling down the stairs with her in my arms.

It was hard to get a car that late, but on the way to the hospital, I ran into Finn.

He pulled over on his own, asked what was wrong, and drove us there without hesitation.

Once my daughter was on an IV and her temperature came down, I finally felt like I could breathe again.

After we exchanged contact information, we gradually got closer.

Finn liked kids a lot, and he’d show up smiling, bringing little treats for my daughter.

When he found out it was just the two of us and money was tight, he’d help with drop-offs and pick-ups, and he’d bring over fruit and groceries.

Finn had offered me money once, but I refused so firmly that he never mentioned it again.

Over the past year, we’d come to feel like a family.

I wasn’t stupid, and I could see how Finn felt about me.

I just never dared to respond, because I was afraid he’d despise my past, and afraid he wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Now that Cameron had barged in and blown everything up, there was nothing left to hide.

But before I said anything else, I needed to know who Finn really was and why he’d gotten close to us in the first place.

Finn met my questioning stare and let out a quiet sigh.

“You’re right,” he said. “I’m not a full-time driver. I just do rideshare after work because I enjoy it.”

“Cameron came to this city on a business trip today,” he continued. “He’s here to talk about a partnership with the Foster Group, which I manage.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth, stunned.

Finn watched me carefully, his voice gentle.

“Ava, don’t be mad that I kept it from you,” he said. “I just felt like what we had was good, and I wanted to wait until we were closer before I told you.”

“You know how I feel about you,” he added. “I can tell you like me too.”

“But you space out a lot, and you sigh like you’re carrying something heavy. I don’t know what happened in your past.”

“I think maybe I still haven’t made it all the way into your heart.”

My eyes flooded, and between choked breaths, I told him everything about my past, start to finish.

When I was done, I forced a small, shaky smile.

“I understand how you feel,” I said. “But I’m not in a place to start another relationship.”

“Thank you for taking care of me and my daughter,” I added. “If I can raise her safe and steady, that’s all I want for the rest of my life.”

To my surprise, Finn didn’t stand up and walk away.

He watched me for a moment, then reached out and held my hand, warm and steady.

“I don’t mind,” he said.

His voice was so firm it felt like a heavy stone smashing every tangled, hopeless thought in my head.

Finn looked straight into my eyes.

“Ava, I like you,” he said. “Give me a chance.”

“I want to stay with you,” he said, “and protect you both.”

His gaze was stubborn and sure, and his palm was hot against mine.

Slowly, I nodded.

“Okay.”

I would give Finn a chance.

And I would give myself one, too.

Over the next few days, Cameron kept coming to the little place to look for me.

All he did was demand to know what Finn and I were to each other and insist I go back to the Caldwell house with him.

I ignored every word.

That dark, suffocating stretch of my life was finally over.

I never wanted to see any old faces again.

I never wanted to go back.

During that time, Finn also seemed busy with something.

I kept living my life the way I always had.

I just didn’t expect Lila to show up in person, bringing her son with her.