Legendary Daddy by Mia Monroe (each kindness read aloud txt) 📕

Why don’t we finish cleaning up and surprise him? He has a lot to deal with right now. This is one thing that we can take off of his plate.”

“I agree. Let’s do it.”

Bentley and I spend the next hour boxing up trash, gathering clothes off the floor, and cleaning a kitchen that, to be honest, should be shut down by a health inspector. By the time we see Finn again, he walks into the living room still groggy from sleep, wearing only his boxer shorts.

Bentley immediately gets mad. “Finn. Cover yourself up in front of my Daddy.”

He laughs. “Sorry. I forgot you guys were here.” He runs back to his bedroom. He returns wearing sweatpants and a sweater. He smiles. “Better?”

“Way better,” Bentley says, patting the seat next to him on the couch. “How was your nap?”

“It felt really good. I guess I haven’t been sleeping much since Dad declined a couple of days ago.” He seems to realize what’s happened to the apartment, jerking his head around and sniffing the air. “Oh my god, you guys. You shouldn’t have done this.”

“Somebody had to do it,” Bentley says. “God knows you weren’t doing it.”

“Hey,” I say, chiding him gently. “Don’t give him a hard time right now.”

“No, I’m gonna give him a hard time, Daddy. He has been like this for years. This isn’t just because of what happened with his dad.”

I raise my eyebrow at his defiance. He catches it, his cheeks blushing.

Finn sighs. “He’s right. I deserve it.” He crosses his arms over his chest, pouting. “I just get so overwhelmed. I don’t know how to handle things, and then I just shut down.”

“I understand,” I say.

Finn sits down next to Bentley on the couch and lays his head in his lap. Bentley cards his fingers through Finn’s short brown hair. He’s a very attractive boy. Tall, lean, and hairless with a perfect face, big brown eyes, long lashes, and a heart-shaped mouth. Matteo would fall hard. But he’s far too skinny. He looks like he hasn’t been taking care of himself. He has dark circles under his eyes. It concerns me.

Bentley pokes his ribs that are clearly sticking out. “When’s the last time you had a good meal?”

Finn shrugs. “I’ve been getting by.”

“You look skinny,” Bentley notes. “How much weight have you lost?”

Finn groans. “Stop acting like a Daddy.”

Bentley laughs. “I’m not acting like a Daddy. I’m acting like a best friend who cares about you. You don’t look healthy.”

Finn sits up, glaring at his friend. “You have no idea what it’s like to spend all day and night in a hospital waiting room just waiting to hear that your father has died.”

Bentley’s face softens. “Shit. I’m so sorry. You’re right. That’s insensitive. I’m just super worried about you. I’ve never seen you look like this.”

Finn rubs his forehead, tugging at his hair. “No, I’m sorry for snapping. You’re right. I haven’t been taking care of myself. I just got so caught up in wanting to be there for my dad’s last moments, I skipped a lot of meals and a lot of sleep. I’ve been living inside the hospital for weeks.”

“It’s over now,” I chime in. “We can help you.”

“Okay.” He nods, his big brown eyes gazing up at me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Bentley and I start going over things that we found out while Finn was sleeping, the life insurance policy, the different funeral options, and some other odds and ends we learned about his father’s affairs. He nods, eyes glazing over as though he doesn’t know what to do. But after a few quiet minutes, he smiles.

“No funeral. I know that much for sure. I just want to take him with me wherever I go.”

“That can be arranged,” I reply. “Now, there’s some paperwork you need to fill out for the life insurance policy. We can help you do that if you need it.”

He nods. “Yeah, that would be good.”

“Does he have a house or anything that we need to sell?”

Sadness falls over Finn’s face. “No, we had to sell that stuff a long time ago to pay for his medical treatments. He was in hospice for a little while, then the hospital when things got really bad. A few weeks ago, he was supposed to move back to hospice for the end of his life, but he didn’t make it there.”

I pat his back. “Any effects of his that we need to take care of?”

He shakes his head. “I cleared out everything important before we moved into hospice the first time.”

“Are you coming back to Los Angeles with me?” Bentley questions gently.

Finn looks at him with sad eyes. “Can I?”

“Yeah, of course. Daddy says you can even stay with us for a while. As long as you want to.”

Finn gasps. “Really? I can stay with you?”

Bentley nods. “Yep. Los Angeles is expensive. You can’t just move there and get an apartment with no job. Daddy said you could stay in one of the guest bedrooms until we figure out what you want to do.”

Fresh tears stain Finn’s eyes as he looks at me. “That’s really nice. You don’t even know me.”

“I know Bentley, and you’re his best friend. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a package deal.”

He smiles, wiping his cheeks. “Man, Bents. You got lucky this time, didn’t you?”

Bentley giggles. “What did I tell you about luck?”

Finn laughs. “I hope you’re right. Maybe Los Angeles is exactly where I’m supposed to be too.”

“It is. I already know it is. You had to be here for your dad, and now you can start doing things for yourself. It’s already predicted. Just like it was for me.”

“What are you guys talking about?” I ask.

Bentley’s cheeks blush, and I know there’s a secret.

“You haven’t told him?” Finn teases.

“No, and you’re not gonna tell him either.”

“Hey, I thought we talked about having secrets.”

Bentley looks shy. “We did, Daddy. I’m sorry. I’ve kind of already told you parts, but it’s a little embarrassing.”

“I’m waiting.”

“No, I can’t.” Bentley