Page 121 of Unravel Me

“Rosie came in early this morning to get Bear ready,” the doctor tells me. “She took him for a short walk around campus and said he was very happy to get out in the sun.” She gestures me inside a small examination room, where Bear greets me by hopping up on his hind legs, front paws on my stomach.

“Oh, buddy.” I drop to my knees, letting him lick my face, my hands in his thick, silky fur. Relief expands in my chest, clogging my throat as I hug my dog to my chest. “I love you, Bear,” I murmur against his floppy ear. My hands slide over soft cotton, and I pull back to look at the bandana tied around his neck. “What’s this?”

“Rosie wanted to surprise you. And as you can see, Bear looks very dapper in his new bandana.”

The Vipers logo and my jersey number, forty, cover the blue bandana. But right in the center? A drawing of me and my best, furry bud, the wordsDaddy’s biggest fanscrawled beneath it.

I should’ve known. If ever there was going to be somebody who would see past it all, the goalie mask, the fears, and the insecurities, I should’ve known it would be Rosie.

It’s always been Rosie.

ROSIE

Think with your brain, not with your tits. Think with your brain, not with your tits.

No matter how many times I repeat the words, all I can see is muscles. Miles of muscles.Intricately carved, golden like honey, moving lithely under a soft, Saturday morning sun in September, ebony curls falling over bright blue eyes. For the best, really, because I know what will happen when I see them.

I’ll drown. I’ll lose myself in those eyes, all the love, the kindness, the patience that swims in them. I came here to talk to him, to figure out where to go from here, but when I look at him, the only words that come to mind areI love you.

I only make it another three steps down the winding driveway before my heart free-falls to my stomach, my feet halting. The bright garden Adam has been working at since I appeared at the end of his driveway comes into focus, lush petals splashing a rainbow of colors across his front porch, lulling me forward, closer to a feeling that screams of home.

“What are you doing?”

Adam’s eyes flip up, and he jumps to his feet, all six foot five of sweaty, barely-covered muscles. “Rosie.”

Bear leaps up from the dog bed on the porch, whining as he jogs toward me, pressing himself into my side.

Adam swipes at the sweat beading on his forehead, leaving a smudge of dirt above his eyebrow. “You’re here.”

I zero in on a droplet running a river down the center of his broad chest, through the flawlessly etched abs flexing as he yanks off his gloves.

“What are you doing?” I repeat, eyes flicking to the bushes that weren’t here before.

He wrings the gloves, gaze ricocheting between me and the bushes.

“Adam…” I skim the soft pink petals, fighting the sting of emotion behind my eyes. “These are peonies. You’re planting a peony garden in your front yard.”

He nods.

“Why?” I whisper, heart pounding in my ears.

The haze in his eyes clears, leaving them vulnerable. “Because I wanted you to feel like you were home if you decided to come back to me.”

There’s too much space between us. Too fuckingmuch, the only logical decision is to eliminate it by throwing myself at his chest, wrapping every inch of me around him until there’s nothing left.

Adam chuckles softly, his hand running down my back.

“I forgot how good you feel,” I cry softly into his neck, and then he sighs, his body relaxing as he hugs me tighter.

“I missed you so much, Rosie.”

I slide down his body, wiping the traitorous tears from my cheeks. “I came to check on Bear, and then I was gonna segue into asking if we could talk about things. I wasn’t planning on jumping on you.”

He laughs again, and I’m not sure there’s a more beautiful sound.

“For future reference, jumping on me is always acceptable.” He gestures at my bag, discarded somewhere along the way on the driveway, and the dog jumping at my feet. “Do you want to check on Bear and then segue into asking me if we can talk here, or should we do it inside?” He cringes, checking his watch. “Shit, I forgot I have to meet someone in a half hour. It’s kind of important. My publicist said I have to be there.”

“Oh. That’s okay.” Disappointment slumps my shoulders, and Adam palms the back of his neck.

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