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Dean inwardly cringed when he caught Finn watching him nurse his poor, blistered hands. The jerk reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of… ointment? Huh. He was well prepared.
“Here, take this,” Finn said, adding the extra pair of gloves to the ointment.
Dean looked down at his hands and winced. If he wanted any chance to hold Emilie’s hand, he needed to sacrifice his pride. He grimaced as he took the ointment and gloves. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” Finn’s tone was unperturbed.
When they were alone at par seven, Dean worked up the courage to test out Finn’s feelings for Emilie. “So, are you excited about this weekend?”
Finn’s eyes glazed over. “This weekend? Oh, the wedding. Of course.”
Dean chuckled. “You forgot already?”
Finn stared at the green. His ball was inches away from the hole. His game was good, but at least he had the decency not to rub it in Dean’s face, who was losing miserably.
“You’ll see, man. When you’re neck deep in planning and you’ve talked about it for so long, it’s just another meeting.”
Dean slipped the tube of ointment into his pocket. It sounded like two people who’d fallen out of love. “Are you and Ava okay?”
“Is anyone who’s with Ava ever okay?” Finn swung and missed the hole by an inch.
Dean laughed——a real laugh. “Yeah, she’s a piece of work.” He slapped a hand over his mouth after realizing his mistake. “Sorry, I just meant—”
Finn smiled good-naturedly. “Jokes. Just jokes. I am so head over heels for that girl, it’s ridiculous. I knew what I was getting into when I asked her to be with me forever.”
A thought came into Dean’s head. “And you’re sure you’re over Emilie?”
Finn’s head snapped up, a glare in his eye. “What? Why would you ask that?”
Dean took a step away. Maybe it hadn’t been the best time. “Sorry. You two have history and it’s hard not to be wary.”
“Emilie’s a great girl.” Finn tightened his grip on the club, swung, and missed the hole again.
Was the conversation distracting him? Dean should’ve started it eight holes ago.
“She and I were done long ago. Once I found out Ava was into me, I couldn’t help but make the switch.”
It was Dean’s turn to glare. “Oh, it must’ve been hard. Finding out the truth about your girlfriend’s family and leaving her a few days after her mom’s death. Smooth move, Finn. How you could ever choose Ava over Emilie, I’ll never know, but it’s too late now.”
Finn blinked rapidly. “It was never about Emilie’s family. I respected her for taking care of her mother and keeping it a secret. Too many people didn’t understand.”
“Including your fiancée.”
Finn stood back and stared at the grass. “I’ve never told anyone this. I met Ava freshman year and fell in love at first sight. She’s sassy and stubborn and loves money just as much as me—”
Dean guffawed. That was the truth.
“But… I’m crazy about her. I dated Emilie on a whim, and for the few months we were together, it was okay. We had fun, but I never felt that spark I did with Ava. When Ava started showing interest, it happened to fall around the time of Emilie’s mom’s death. I didn’t want to drag the relationship on if I had no intention of committing. Emilie deserved better.”
Dean turned the putter in his hand, twirling it on the green. Although he hated to admit it, Finn had done her a favor by breaking things off early. If he’d stayed because he pitied her, it would’ve been unfair to Emilie. “I’ve never thought about it that way.”
“I should’ve stopped Ava when I heard the rumors, but I was weak. I admit it. I didn’t want to do anything that might turn Ava’s attention away from me.”
“Even if you didn’t feel the same way, it was the decent thing to do.”
Finn glared at the ball, tightened his grip on his putter, and swung. The ball missed the hole again. He cursed and followed it, missing a second time. He straightened his back and met Dean’s hard stare. “If I could go back and change everything, I would. I mean, I’d still break up with Emilie, but I would’ve stood up to Ava and stopped the rumors from spreading.”
“I’m surprised you’re willing to marry her. Don’t you ever feel used?” Dean clamped his mouth shut and cringed at his blunder. He tried to backpedal. “I mean, in high school—she was only focused on what she wanted.”
