Page 138 of Unraveling Rain
Rain’s wearing a short pale green dress with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. I thought she’d pair it with her Docs, but to my surprise, she’s wearing black strappy heels. Her hair falls in loose waves, and there’s just a touch of red on her lips.
She’s a fucking bombshell.
“Ready?” I ask, waiting by the elevator.
She walks toward me, and I immediately take her hand.
“Where are we going?” Rain asks as I start driving.
“I just told Matt to meet us downtown. Figured I’d let you pick the place.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her pull out her phone. After a couple of minutes, she says, “I want to try some Creole. There’s a place that looks promising.”
I nod and send a text to Matt through the car’s system.
Once we arrive, I hand off my key to the valet and open Rain’s door.
As we walk into the restaurant, I spot Matt and Trin. Matt waves as soon as he sees us.
“Hey, man. Perfect timing—we just got here,” he says, pulling me into a one-armed hug.
“Matt, Trin,” I say, gesturing toward Rain, “this is my girlfriend, Rain.”
They shake hands just as the waiter leads us to our table.
“I’m sorry if I come off too chirpy and overly eager,” Trin says with a big smile as she clasps her hands. “I’ve known Xander for a while, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen him with a girl.”
Matt groans and covers his face with one hand while I wait for Rain to say something.
“When Xander and I first met, we spent all our time in my world,” Rain says warmly, taking a sip of water. “I’m excited to be inhisworld now and meet his friends.”
If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I might’ve missed the slight tremble in her hands. I reach for her, and she gives me a grateful smile.
“Your world, his world,” Trin says, tilting her head. “How is that going to work out?”
Matt shoots her a “chill, please”look, but she just shrugs and turns back to Rain.
“Well, that’s a great question,” Rain says, clearing her throat. “One we don’t exactly have an answer to yet—but we’ll figure it out over the next couple of years.”
Trin raises a brow, clearly horrified, and Rain chuckles.
“Xander and I are lucky—we love what we do. I can run my business remotely while he’s in Raleigh, and when he’s away, I can go back to Azalea Creek for a few days.”
Trin nods, smiling just enough to be courteous. If I didn’t know her, I’d believe she was being sincere, but that smile doesn’t reach her eyes. What the fuck is going on?
“I like that,” she says. “I think it’s great you can keep chasing your dreamsandsupport your partner.”
Rain and I both smile politely, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more beneath Trin’s tone.
“Rain has supported me since day one,” I say, leaning in a little.
“She made sure I stuck to my therapist’s plan, followed my diet to a T. Our fridge is full of team-approved meals that are also delicious. She puts my needs first, always. Rain is my world.”
She leans her head against my chest, and I kiss the top of her head.
“Yeah, although our relationship is new, I’ve come to realize the importance of compromising,” Rain says, and my heart swells with pride. She’s not afraid to put people in their place.
“I mean, have you seen this man? So hot!” Everyone chuckles. “And don’t get me started on his heart of gold and all the little ways he shows me he loves me. If that’s not enough to try my hardest to make things work, I don’t know what is.”
