Finn stood in the hallway of the mini mansion in Ballston, a bag containing a toy sailboat in hand. The suburb was a lifetime away from his base in Washington, and he had no idea why he'd agreed to attend this birthday party.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Lance ushered Finn into a spacious living room awash in baby blue balloons, streamers, and a small crowd full of mostly women. Lance grinned at Finn. "Glad to have the extra Y chromosomes."

Lance. He was the reason Finn was here. The man's good-natured attitude was infectious and Finn found he couldn't deny the request to attend the birthday party.

In a deep, dark corner of his heart lay Finn's ulterior motive for accepting the invite. The chance to see Emily's life outside of her office. The life he might have had if she'd not decided he wasn't good enough.

Lance apparently wasn't quite good enough, either. At least not to marry Emily. Over the last few days, Finn witnessed the close relationship between Lance and Emily, but he never would have guessed Lance was the father of her child, nor that they were having a second one.

If it were his child, he'd have done anything to convince Emily to make a life with him.

The little boy was currently attached to Emily's hip as she strode toward him. "Finn." Every time she used his first name, a pin pricked at his heart. In the Navy, it was titles and last names only. He rarely heard his given name and never as sweet as from her lips. "No trouble finding the place?"

"Rideshare." The light in Emily's silver eyes dulled at his response. The pin prick turned into a needle jab. Why had she invited him if he made her sad or upset or whatever this recent reaction to him was?

The kiss had changed everything. Whatever tentative truce they'd come to since he'd returned to Washington was obliterated the moment his lips touched hers. He'd arrived early for his court prep session, hoping to use their moment in the hospital together as proof that there was still something between them. See if she'd consider giving him another chance.

Instead, she'd shut him down before he had an opportunity to say the words he'd practiced on the way over.

It won't happen again, Emily had stated matter-of-factly. You couldn't get a much more direct order than that.

"Here's the man of the hour." He took the child out of Emily's arms and kissed him on the forehead. The boy squealed with delight and grabbed at his father's nose. "Ben just loves his aunt, doesn't he?"

Aunt? Finn caught on the word and clung to it like a life raft. If Emily was the baby's aunt, then the boy wasn't her child.

Emily's head tilted a fraction. "Ben is my nephew. Lance is married to my sister."

Nephew. Finn's world rotated, and he saw the three people before him in a new light. Emily and Lance had never been together. They didn't share a child. Nor was she pregnant. The pieces reassembled. Emily wasn't a mother. She was a single woman with no romantic entanglements. Married to her work.

Lance was married to her sister.

"Mary?" He couldn't imagine this genial man committed to Emily's shrew of a sister. That woman would eat Lance for breakfast.

A hint of a smile threatened Emily's lips and the tension in his shoulders eased a shade at the sight. "No, my younger sister Beth."

"Speaking of, here comes my angel now." Lance stepped away to greet his wife. Finn recognized the very pregnant woman with short blonde hair from the hospital.

The younger woman moved into line with her sister. "We didn't get a chance to formally meet the other day." Emily's eye fell to the floor and the needle in his chest stitched again. "I'm so glad you could join us."

"My afternoon was free." It was true. There was nothing but the gym to distract him at the base. Max had family visiting in town and he couldn't hang out with Campbell and his family for another night. They were amazing and always made him feel like more than just a guest in their home. But Campbell had a limited reprieve from active duty and the man needed to spend time with his wife, Lily. Alone.

Besides, Finn required a break from the front-row seat to the couple's obvious adoration for each other. High school sweethearts torn apart when Lily's family had moved away. Years later, while on leave, they'd found each other again and picked up as if they'd never spent a moment apart. Finn had the pain of seeing Campbell without Lily and the pleasure of him reunited with her. He preferred the latter and wished them nothing but the joy they so richly deserved.

That said, it cut a little too close to the bone. Their story had the happy ending Finn wasn't allowed to have. His split from Emily wasn't a result of family obligations. At the time, he didn't think there was a chance for reconciliation. She'd simply decided he wasn't good enough for her.

Finn shook Beth's hand, making eye contact with the woman whose looks mimicked Mary but whose personality, he hoped for Lance's sake, was more akin to Emily.

Beth's eyes twinkled. "That's right. You know my sister from Bridgetown."

"Yes, Em and I..." Finn stole a glance at Emily. "... yes. I believe you were with your aunt in Japan at the time."

Beth's face flattened, her mouth forming a thin line as if she was reliving an unpleasant memory. "Right." In a flash, the look was gone. "Well, that was a long time ago."

"Yes," agreed Finn. But it felt like only yesterday.

"And you're back from gallivanting around the world on your tiny boats?" Mary's bitter tone sliced through the air and the muscles in Finn's back bunched together. She bracketed Emily on the opposite side of Beth.

He met Mary's icy stare and wondered what his brother Simon ever saw in this woman. A classic beauty, but Finn wondered if he wiped off the makeup and clothes, if there would be nothing left but a cold void.

"Mary." Emily's sweet tone hardened, reminding him of the way she'd defended him against the small town gossip a lifetime ago. "Finn is a Master of Arms in the Navy. He doesn't gallivant. He protects civilians like you and me from unfathomable dangers."

Finn's heart battled between anger and admiration, hearing her talk about him like he was some kind of hero. Upon learning his plan to enter the military at the end of his summer in Bridgetown, Emily had expressed shock at his choice. She worried about the dangers he might face. Quite rightly it seemed. At the time, he'd assumed he had no other choice. No one wanted him, and the military offered a life.

Over the course of their time together, she worked away at his resolve, eventually convincing him of another life. One where, with a little effort, he could have multiple options to choose from, including her.

Finn's heartbeat quickened at the pride clear on Emily's face. He'd run to the military mostly because it was that or serve French fries to the locals in Bridgetown all day, but partly to spite Emily. Now here she was, seemingly congratulating him on his accomplishments in the Navy.

"Not on my own." His fingers ran along the seam of the new shirt he'd purchased for today's party. "That's what the Navy is, a—"

"Family?" Beth offered.

Finn nodded. "Indeed."

"But what about Simon?" The small group turned to Mary, whose icy crust seemed to crack. "Isn't he your family?"

"It's different. The Navy needs me. Simon doesn't."

Ben fidgeted in Lance's arms as if the boy understood what being alone in this world might be like. Impossible surrounded by this tight-knit group before Finn, who gathered on a Saturday afternoon to celebrate the child's birthday. Finn had just turned seventeen the last time he marked a birthday with a family member. Delora brought home leftovers from the restaurant she worked at, and a box of cake mix. She'd promised to bake him a cake that weekend. His niece caught a cold and the cake never materialized. Finn felt forgotten.

Lance bounced the boy on his shoulder and paced away, murmuring to his son like a doting father.

Beth drew Finn's attention back. "But surely you won't stay in the Navy forever."

"I'm due to reup."

Beth's small nose scrunched up.

"The military establishes contracts with their members." Emily said. "Finn is thinking of signing for..." She turned to him.

"Four more years." Finn watched Emily brush her fingers along the chain around her neck and over a small lump that sat under the collar of her white sweater.

"So, if you wanted, you could leave the Navy and stay in Washington." Beth nudged her sister's elbow. "If you had a reason to?"