Page 15 of Unravel Me

“You’ve got a great bunch surrounding you, honey. If you’re looking for love, take a look at the people who show up for you every day. When you find someone who makes you feel like that, an extension of your family, you’ll know.”

I know she’s right. The laughter that surrounds me on my best and worst days brings me a contentment I couldn’t live without, and as I head outside and watch my friends make my home their own, I know that if they were all I had for the rest of this life, I’d be okay.

But it still doesn’t stop me from wishing for someone to call my own at nighttime when the quiet sets in.

“Hi, princess,” I whisper, scooping Ireland up and kissing her tiny nose. I tug on the strap of her pink gingham sun hat, and she beams up at me, toothless, pulling in those Beckett dimples in her frilly bathing suit. “Jesus, you’re cute as fuck.”

“That’s a Beckett trait,” Carter says, swimming to the edge of the pool. “Ireland, baby, look! Look at Daddy! Watch what I can do!” He presses his feet against the pool wall and launches himself backward, flipping underwater, emerging with a gasp. “Did you see me, princess? Did you see Daddy? Ten outta ten, right, baby?”

I tickle her cheek. “Wasn’t watching.”

“Aw, man.” Carter slaps the water and swims away.

“Your daddy is too much sometimes, isn’t he?” I murmur to Ireland, setting her back down on her blanket, stretching out beside her.

Her innocent green eyes stare up at me as I drive her favorite light-up bug car around her, and I can’t help letting my mind wander back to another set of green eyes. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve done this, let my thoughts drift to Rosie. That sweet smile, those honey blonde locks with streaks of soft pink, the gold freckles splashed across her cheekbones, the way that dog looked up at her like she was her whole world.

Hours later, when I’m sitting at the edge of the pool, watching the sun sink behind the spectacular backdrop, when it’s quiet and my dog’s head rests on my thigh, I’m still thinking about her.

My patio door slides open, and Jaxon sits beside me, handing me a beer and dipping his legs in the water. “I’ll never get tired of this view.”

“Me neither.” I take a long pull on my drink, licking the taste from my lips, and for the hundredth time, I wonder what Rosie’s mouth tastes like. Jaxon’s probably not the one to talk to about this, but he’s the only other single one in our group, so he’s the only one still here tonight. “I met someone yesterday.”

“Yeah, dude, I know. That picture has two-hundred-and-fifty thousand likes on Instagram. Everyone knows.”

I chuckle, an exhausted sound, and scrub my eyes. “Someone else. Yesterday, when Bear and I went for a hike.”

His brows rise. “Oh? And? Spill the tea.”

“She was…I donno.” I palm the back of my neck, thinking back on Rosie. “So cute. She’s in vet school, and she was walking a dog from the animal shelter. She’d made special treats for the dog, and she shared some with Bear. Shared her lunch with me too. The dog she was with has had a rough life, she said, and she was just so patient with her.” I shrug. “She was just really sweet.”

“You’re telling me you found someone whoactuallylikes dogs and isn’t just pretending? You hit the jackpot, buddy.”

“Shut up, asshole.”

He laughs, sips his beer. “Seriously. Sounds like something worth exploring.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“And how was she about the hockey stuff?”

“Didn’t come up.” I remember the way I searched her eyes for any hint of excitement when I introduced myself, how her wide gaze gave nothing away. “I don’t think she recognized me.”

“Not a huge hockey fan, then. That’s okay. Kinda what you wanted, right?”

“Would be nice to know if she likes me for me, that’s for sure.”

“So you gonna call her and ask her out?”

I cringe. “I would, but, uh…I didn’t get her number.”

“Jesus, Adam, rookie mistake.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight. I was all…” I run a hand through my hair, tugging. “Bamboozled.”

Jaxon laughs. “So go back next weekend. Same time, same place. Bet she’s there.”

“That’s kinda…logical. But is it too much? It feels stalker-ish. I don’t wanna scare her off.”

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