Page 71 of Unraveling Rain
“Xander, come meet Merlin,” Rain calls, waving me over.
Three long strides and I’m beside her.
“Hey, man. I can’t believe my sister is datingtheXander González. It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” Merlin says, shaking my hand vigorously.
I chuckle at his enthusiasm, but Rain is not impressed.
“Excuse me?” she says, hands now planted firmly on her hips. “Are you implying that you didn’t think your sister had enough game to land a hot, famous guy like him?”
I cover my mouth to hide the shit-eating grin threatening to give me away.
“I’ll have you know, I have enough game to landanyguy I want. It just so happens Xander fits the bill,” she adds, pinning her brother with a playful glare.
I’m trying hard not to intervene. I don’t think he meant anything by it, but I’m still learning how the MacAllister sibling dynamic works. Besides, I’m not dumb enough to interrupt Rain mid-rant.
“Yeah, yeah,” Merlin fires back. “You have so much game, you had to wait for him to show up in Azalea Creek to land him. Okay, yeah. Got it.”
“Ohhhhh, he got you there, Rain,” Miles chimes in, suddenly beside me.
He claps me on the back as we exchange quick hellos.
When I glance back, Rain is trying to tickle Merlin while he expertly dodges her attacks. Everyone’s laughing. Ruin’s cheering her on from across the table, shouting for her to make him pay. It’s chaos—but it’s warm and happy chaos.
Eventually, they call a truce and settle down. Menus get passed around, and I order the double burger with steak fries. Rain gets the fish and chips. Merlin, seated to my left, finishes his order just as the waiter drops off a fresh round of beers.
Before I can ask for water, Rain slides a tall glass of iced water in front of me.
“I asked the waiter to keep a pitcher on the table,” she says casually.
I lean in and press a quick kiss to her temple. “Thanks,” I whisper.
She takes my hand under the table, weaving our fingers together and resting them on her thigh. I love how in sync we are. It wrecks me. She’s just… perfect.
Turning to Merlin, I say, “Rain mentioned you go to Wolff University.”
“Yeah,” he says, nodding. “I’m about to start my senior year.”
“That’s exciting. What’s your major?”
He winces, and I raise an eyebrow. “That bad?”
He chuckles and takes a pull from his beer. “No, no. My major is business administration. It’s fine. The original plan was for me to come back and help River manage the orchard, but lately… I’m not sure that’s what I want anymore.”
I’m surprised he shared, especially since we just met, but I’m likely the only person at this table he feels won’t judge him either way.
“Well, is there anything else you’d rather do?” I ask, genuinely curious.
A blinding smile breaks across his face, and I immediately know whatever comes out of his mouth next is his passion.
“I’m on the school soccer team. I would love to explore that more seriously,” he says, a hint of blush in his cheeks.
“Really? That’s cool, man,” I say, pulling out my phone and typing his name in the search engine.
He notices and glances at my screen, his blush deepening.
A quick scan of his stats tells me everything: top scorer last season, strong assist numbers, good with aerial balls. The kid’s got potential.
“Merlin, your stats are impressive,” I tell him.
