Page 180 of Unravel Me

“Aw, Rosie.” Archie embraces me tightly, and Marco piles on top. “You know we’re not going anywhere.”

“You two are the only family I’ve known for so long. I don’t want to lose that.”

Archie swipes at the tears falling from my eyes. “We’ll always be family, Ro. And we are so proud of you, and so happy to see you growing your family. You are deserving of everything good you’ve found in this world.”

“You’re two of the best things I’ve found,” I murmur.

“We get that a lot,” Marco whispers, and I snort through my tears.

Twenty minutes later, I’ve got the last of my things loaded into my backpack. One bag is all I have left, because Adam and Archie already took everything over to Adam’s place—our place—yesterday.

“Oh hey.” Archie stops me in the doorway after my fifth good-bye, handing me a folder from the bank. “Take this.”

“What is it?”

“A savings account for Connor. I opened it when you found out you were pregnant.” He rubs his neck, lifting a shoulder. “Been putting your half of the rent in there every month for his education.”

My chest cracks wide open, and my heart falls at my feet. I don’t have the words to tell him how much this means to me, so in true fashion of a girl who has too many feelings and has never learned how to properly express all of them, I hurl myself at his chest and weep.

He rubs my back, his breath catching in his throat. “If you don’t get out of here in the next ten seconds, I’m gonna cry, too, and I don’t wanna cry.”

“I love you, Arch. Thank you for being my best friend.”

“I love you, too, Rosie. Now get your ass on home.”

I can’t wait to, but it’s the new year, and I can’t let one of my favorite girls celebrate all on her own, so I stop at Wildheart on the way. The vet tech who got saddled with holiday duty waves at me from the cat den when I walk in.

“Hey, Rosie.” She follows me through to the kennels with one of the ten-week-old kittens from a litter someone found on the side of the highway. “What are you doing here today?”

“Just wanna see Piglet.” I haven’t seen her since we dropped her back off on Christmas Day, and I don’t think I’ve ever gone so long without seeing her. “I’m gonna take her for a quick walk.”

“Piglet? Did nobody tell you?”

“Tell me what?” I grab her leash off the hook, already reaching for her favorite treat in my pocket as I approach her kennel. My feet skid to a stop, and my knees wobble, like they don’t know how to keep me upright anymore. Then I read the sign hanging from Piglet’s kennel, and when my coworker whispers the same words, my heart shatters.

“Piglet’s been adopted.”

* * *

It takes me an hour to pull myself together enough to get behind the wheel.

An hour of convincing myself this was everything I wanted for my Piglet. A home. A family who will love her beyond a shadow of a doubt and treat her right. A family that chooses her for the rest of her life.

She deserves this, a forever family. The same as I found mine.

I guess I was just holding out hope that my forever family…well, that it could be hers too.

Ugly sobbing and snorting all kinds of snotty fluids isn’t quite how I pictured driving up to this house for the first time since it’s officially become my home. When Adam watches me from the front porch as I step out of the car, I can tell it’s not how he imagined it either.

It’s a mild day, the dusting of snow we got yesterday melting beneath the bright sun as Connor rides his new bike along the walkway. Adam’s gaze comes my way, and all the worry in his blue eyes steals his excitement as he stands from the front steps.

Connor stops the bike with his feet, climbing off and racing over to me. “Mama!” He hugs my legs tight, his big green helmet smooshed against my thighs. “I lub you, Mama.”

“I love you, too, baby.” The words come out super croaky, and when Adam takes my hand and pulls me into him, a fresh wave of tears falls.

“What’s wrong?” he whispers, rocking me side to side. “Did you change your mind? ’Cause you’re not allowed. I’ll lock the doors and won’t let you leave.”

I laugh a snorty, strangled laugh, then cry some more. “I’m fine. I’m totally and completely one hundred percent fine.”

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