Page 116 of Finding Their Place

“And next time, I want to meet Haley and Garrett.”

I wasn’t ready to face rejection since I rode a high like I hadn’t experienced in a long fucking time. “Not sure they’ll be in my life for you to meet.”

“I have a good feeling about them, Rowan.” River stated with her matter-of-fact voice and hugged me again. “Maybe you ought to finally check your phone’s messages.”

I shoved my hands in my jeans’ pockets, watching my little sister pull out of the parking lot. It wasn’t until I climbed from the shower twenty minutes later after washing the stench of the day from my body that I found the nerve to swipe my cell to life rather than have Siri do it for me.

A message from Haley waited for me.

My heart rate jacked, and holding my breath, I clicked to open her text.

She’d reached out to me minutes after River had arrived at the diner that morning.

Haley: So, I’ve got this roommate in my bed who agrees with me that we need our dry line or we’re going to be left laying crooked paver blocks in life. Will you come be with us—and stay this time?

A mixture of relief and excitement caught my breath on a sob. I pressed a fist to my mouth and reread her words.

They were together—and they wanted me.

Rather than text or call, I yanked on shorts and an old work T-shirt, shoved my feet into the closest pair of slides, and sprinted toward my front door, tripping on the way. Water still dripped from my hair, but I pushed it back, uncaring of my appearance.

My heart raced, light as a goddamn feather inside my aching chest.

Dahlia Angel didn’t give a shit I existed, but she didn’t matter when the two I yearned for the most did.

38

Haley

Garrett and I lay together on the couch watching a movie with him being the big spoon. Both of us were worn the fuck out from countless orgasms and the Chinese food we’d devoured.

He slipped his hand up my sleep shirt, his fingers splayed on my belly. His thumb ran in circles, keeping my tumbling emotions from spiraling into darkness. A Blow Pop clacked against his teeth, the scent of cherries on his every exhale above my head.

“Maybe you ought to try calling,” he murmured.

Wyatt hadn’t texted back, and as the hours had slipped past, anxiety built up inside me. He never went that long without getting in touch with me whenever I used to reach out first. Had something happened to him? Had he changed his mind about me? Us?

Even though my heart was full from finally having my koala back, sadness and regret hung over my mind. Wyatt hadn’t done anything to warrant my silence. It had been the abandonment wounds of my childhood that slapped walls between us—all my doing.

Had I fucked things up beyond repair?

“I’m afraid to call,” I finally admitted, my voice small and insecure as fuck.

“There’s nothing to fear, Hal. He’s been hurting just as much as both of us. Trust me. Trust him.”

I huffed an exhale. “I hate being patient.”

“I think he’ll be worth it,” Garrett murmured, snuggling in closer, his hard body cradling me from head to toes.

His warmth seeped through my sleep shirt to my skin, and I closed my eyes against the action flick I wasn’t paying attention to. Wyatt between us would definitely be incomparable, but anxiety kept my insides restless.

I couldn’t lay still and kept rearranging my body, trying to get comfortable.

Garrett shifted with me—and a wet, sticky pop pressed against my lips. “Here. It’s the best kind of distraction.”

I grabbed the Blow Pop from his hand. “There are things way better than candy to distract my mind,” I muttered.

“Yeah, but my dick is toast, and the last time I tried to kiss your pretty little pussy, you slapped my head because of overstimulation.”

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