"Glad my loner status isn't your only excuse." Finn mumbled his words, the lack of venom a relief to Mary.

"No. I had other concerns."

"Like?"

"You were a high school dropout without any prospects."

The venom returned and Finn hissed, "Sheesh, what a snob."

"No. A realist. It may not have been obvious to you, but we were suffering. Money was becoming an issue. Luckily, Mom and Dad had been saving for our education for years, so we didn't have to worry about that. But our father,"—Mary hated admitting this—"well you know enough by now; he was spending money like it was water and things became uncomfortable."

The family's dirty little secret. Only after her mother's death did Mary truly come to understand the extravagances of her father. And she'd followed suit, the two of them using their indulgences to mask their grief. All culminating in her father's disastrous run for governor. The political move drained their accounts, leaving the family bank account poor with expensive lifestyles to maintain.

"The money was running out and Emily needed to be far away, so she didn't get stained by the situation. She was supposed to be looked after, living in the dorm. But everything changed because of you. The apartment was an expense. Travel to and from university was an expense. With no meal plan, food was an expense."

"I was going to get a job."

Mary waved a hand at him. "Sure. More dishwashing? That wouldn't pay for much. Would Emily have to get a job, too? Fit in school between shifts at a diner or cashier? She needed to focus on her classes, not basic necessities. How would you have provided for her?"

"We would have found a way. I loved her."

"But I wasn't sure you did."

A large hand gripped the mantlepiece before her, Finn's fingers turning white under the pressure. Mary rushed to explain.

"How could it be love? We were all so young, letting our hormones rule us with no one to intervene." Mary swallowed. "If you truly loved her, you would have let her go to university alone. Given her a chance. Let her focus on school, not on you."

"I'd never—"

"What if she got pregnant?" Mary cut him off, turned, and met his eyes. The blue irises clouded, not hard anymore. He opened his mouth, but she didn't let him speak. "Don't say you wouldn't have let it happen. Birth control is only 99% effective. And that's if you use it. There was a chance. She'd have to drop out or split her time between the baby and school. I couldn't risk her future."

Finn shook his head. "So, you made her miserable instead?"

Mary lifted her chin. "I've said I'm sorry. I can't change what I did. My plan was flawed. I didn't know how to cool down your relationship and when Emily wrote the note to you the day she left for Japan, I saw an opportunity. So I took it. Thought I was doing the right thing, protecting my sister."

Silence engulfed the room as Mary waited for Finn to absorb her words. His jaw worked, and she could see a vein straining on his neck. Was he going to explode? If he did let loose the anger he held against her, perhaps someday they could move past this.

When he did speak, Finn's voice was low and frustrated. "Maybe I can understand what you did that summer. But that doesn't explain why you lied to her for eight years. How was that protecting her?"

"I wasn't protecting her. I was protecting me. The longer you stayed away, the worse things got. And telling her the truth scared me. And I hoped I wouldn't have to. It killed me to see her upset, but I thought the situation would only be temporary. She'd get over you."

Except Emily didn't. Mary had a front-row seat to her devastation. Mary's stomach turned at the memory of Emily practically lifeless, depression gripping her sister and refusing to let go. She'd threatened not to go to university, but Mary had played the guilt card, insisting it's what their mother wanted for her. Still, Emily refused to do anything but the bare minimum of attending class, keeping her grades up and occasionally eating. Mary watched her sister close down, shy away from life.

"When it became obvious Emily wouldn't, couldn't, get past you leaving, I begged Simon to ask you to come back. But you shut him down. I hated you for not fighting for my sister."

"You what?" Finn sputtered. "You made me think I wasn't good enough and then you have the nerve to blame me for not fighting for Emily."

"Yes."

Finn blinked at Mary. Then blinked again.

Mary let the pain she'd held on to for eight years flow through her veins. "Why did you run away, Finn? How could you give up so easily on my sister? You claimed you loved her, yet you never tried to find her."

"She wrote me a letter." Finn spat through gritted teeth.

"And you just accepted her words. Gave up. You ran away like a coward. Worse, you knew where she would be in a month's time. You literally had her address, seeing as you found the apartment together. Yale is an hour away. If you'd loved my sister, nothing should have stopped you from trying to get her back."

"The letter told me she didn't want me."

"The letter, yes, yes. But what about what was in your heart?" Mary pointed to Finn's chest. "Or in your brother's heart? He tried, over and over, to get you to come back. But you refused to let Simon talk about Emily. Why?" Mary stepped forward. "Was it because you doubted Emily's love for you? Or did you not love her enough?"

"You have no idea what I went through." Finn's eyes flared with hatred. "I thought there was nothing to come back for."

"Really. That's your excuse. One rejection from my sister and you fold. You're nothing like your brother. He fought for me. Stuck it out in this town for eight years with only the hope I might come back, walk through the doors of the Waterfront one night." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, before she could even think about what she was saying.

Finn muttered something that may have been my brother is a fool, but Mary wasn't listening as the words she'd spoken crystallized before her. Simon could have left Bridgetown anytime. Should have left long ago. But he didn't. Continued in this small town because of her. He wasn't a womanizer, a man who took pleasure in one-night stands. He'd waited in that bar night after night for her. Because he cared for her. Maybe even loved her.

He was fighting for her now. The ultimatum wasn't a ploy. It was his desperate last attempt at being with her.

Finn was staring at her. She didn't know if he would throw her out of the house or crumple to the floor. Mary settled in the notion she might never really come to understand her brother-in-law, but things had to shift. She didn't want her niece or nephew born with this cloud hanging over the family. And the shift had to start with her.

"Let's face it. I'm not going to change, Finn. I'll always fight for my sister. You can count on it. And that includes the right to be in my sister's life. In my niece and nephew's lives. In your life." Mary touched her fingers to Finn's resting hand on the mantlepiece. She expected him to pull away, but he didn't move the digits. "You can keep hating me, keep this wall between us. And I won't blame you. I'll judge you, but I will understand."

Finn growled, but Mary refused to be derailed. "And I will love you too, Finn. In spite of and because of everything that has happened. You make my sister unbelievably happy and that is all I ever want for her."

Her brother-in-law rubbed his chest with his free hand. He stared straight ahead and when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "I'll never understand you."

Disappointment lanced the wound in Mary's heart. She'd tried, been honest. And Finn couldn't accept her for who she was. Maybe no one could. And maybe this here was why she should stay far away from the Waterfront Café, let Simon go, get as far away from her as possible. Have a chance at a happy life.

From afar, Simon wouldn't have to be the constant peace maker between her and Finn. Simon would be free to carve out a relationship with his brother that didn't have the stain of her interfering. Sure, there would be times when they'd be in the same room together, but if she tried, Mary was sure she could keep away from Simon. after all, she was good at hiding.

Mary dropped her fingers and moved to leave when Finn continued. "But we agree on one thing, we both want Em to be happy." His gaze found hers and for the first time, Mary didn't see sheer hatred there. "I'd be lying if I say I could forgive you someday. I don't know if I can. But for Em's sake, I'm willing to try. And for my sake, because I don't want to hold on to the mistakes of the past."

"For Emily then." Mary held out her hand.

Finn took her hand in his and pumped it up and down.

"Okay." Mary didn't know what to say. "Let's start fresh today." She ended the handshake and held up a hand. "I know, I can't erase everything but from now on I'm living in the moment, with my brother-in-law who is a tad grumpy at times, but also brilliant, loyal and an amazing husband and will be the best father to his children."

Finn stared at her for a moment. "Agreed. And I'll try to keep in mind that my outspoken, opinionated and passionate sister-in-law maybe does the wrong things for the right reason."

Mary smiled at Finn. "It's a start."