Page 78 of Unravel Me

“She seems so at home out here with you.”

“With all of us. So many of her strides have happened since you came along.”

“I’m glad to be a positive part of her journey, but don’t discount all the work you’ve done with her, Rosie.”

“I’m not. Really, I’m not. But there was only so much I could do on my own, you know? Yes, I worked hard to gain her trust, to help her feel comfortable, but we couldn’t get her near men until you. And now look at her. She’s so carefree out here, so happy.” Hope drains from her eyes, leaving her grieving a future she’s told herself she can’t have. “She’s going to make some family so happy one day.”

I squeeze Rosie’s hand in mine. “Her forever family is going to be so lucky.”

Rosie nods before focusing on the trees around us, trailing her fingertip over the bark of each tree she passes like she always does, like she’s looking for something she lost. She never offers any information, and I don’t press. It’s her quiet time, and I’m just grateful she allows me to tag along. Plus, there’s something rewarding about giving her the time and space to come to me herself when she’s ready. It makes me feel worthy, and that’s a feeling I’ve been lacking the past couple of years.

“Hey.” I nudge her side. “I was thinking about you getting stuck in the rain yesterday. I’ve got an SUV in my garage, but I’m pretty partial to my truck. What if you used it to get around? Work, errands, picking up and dropping off Connor. It’d save you some time and save you from the rain.”

“Oh, no. I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. I’m happy to lend you one of my cars if it makes life a little easier for you.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s…well…” She twirls a wave around her finger and lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know how to drive.”

“Really?”

“I have my learner’s permit, but I never actually learned how to drive. Dad was always supposed to teach me, but…” She shrugs. “Didn’t end up having anyone around to teach me.” She gives me a grateful smile and a hand squeeze. “But thank you for the offer, Adam. That’s so thoughtful of you. The bus is just fine, and a little rain won’t hurt me.”

Memories flood my head, weeks spent in the driver’s seat of my dad’s F-150 while I crept along quiet neighborhoods, my mom in the backseat, hanging over my shoulder and gasping every time I got a little too close to another car, or thatone timeI bumped the curb. My parents waiting for me with a poster and balloons when I finished my driver’s exam, and the dinner they took me out to afterward to celebrate. Amazing memories, but ones I don’t appreciate enough. Because a simple coming-of-age ritual I thought every kid had…Rosie didn’t. She didn’t have someone sitting next to her, worrying over how much gas she gave the pedal, every over-swing of the wheel, and whether she’d checked her blind spot. She didn’t have someone watch her pull out of the driveway all on her own for the first time, someone to worry about where she was going and if she would get there safely, telling her not to be late, texting her fifteen minutes later to make sure she got there okay.

For the first time, it truly hits me how much Rosie missed out on. Can I give her back all of those experiences?

I’m so proud of her, this beautiful girl, the way she thrives despite the things she missed out on, the way she pushes herself to conquer her fears for her son. Because when Connor wants to splash in the creek, she takes his hand and splashes with him, and when he wants to wade a little farther, she takes a steadying breath and steps forward.

“I’m going to miss this,” Rosie says when we start heading back. Connor is fading fast, his small arms thrown around my neck, head resting on my shoulder, his breathing growing shallow as he bounces along on my chest.

“Summer?”

“Summer. This. Me and you. Connor. All the time we have together. I haven’t had such an amazing summer since…since…” She closes her eyes, giving her head a small shake. “School starts in two weeks, and I can’t wait to get back to it, to graduate, but I know I’ll be so busy with all my rotations, and you’ll be busy at work, too, so…I’m going to miss this. The unlimited time. The lazy days and long nights.”

My stomach twists, a heavy lump that sinks to the bottom of my stomach. Two weeks. Two weeks left of summer vacation, before Rosie goes back to school and I start training camp before our preseason games.

I don’t want to spend them lying to her. I want to spend them loving on her, giving her all of me, getting all of her in return. I want her at my home opener. I want her in my jersey, my name on her back. I want Connor yelling for me, calling me whatever the hell he wants to call me. And I want to make them proud to be a part of my life.

“Nothing will change between us, Rosie. It’ll be hard, yes, but we’ll figure it out together. We’ll start a new routine, and you’re going to fly through your last year of school. Before you know it, it’ll be spring and you’ll be a veterinarian.”

“That’s as scary as it is exciting.”

“What’s the plan after graduation?”

She grits her teeth. “I have no idea.”

“Oh, come on. You, the girl who plans everything, doesn’t know? I don’t buy that.”

She blows out a deep breath, spinning around before she sways into my side, holding my arm. “I might have a few ideas.”

“Spill ’em, trouble.”

“Well, the last year is for us to explore all the different aspects of vet medicine so we can decide where we want our specialty to be. So, my first chunk is at the school itself, where we do surgeries, emergencies, radiology, that kind of stuff. Afterward, we get to choose our rotations. I already know I want to go into shelter medicine, and I’ve arranged to do most of my elective rotations at Wildheart. I’m hoping, if I do well, they’ll hire me as a vet after graduation.”

“You’re going to be fabulous. And they already love you there. I can’t imagine them not wanting to keep you.”

“Yeah, I hope so. I’d really love for Connor and me to get our own place too. I know Marco wants to move in with Archie, but our apartment is so small. There’s barely enough room for Connor and me, let alone another adult. And they’re so selfless, they’ll never ask me to leave. If I can get a job and tuck aside the first few pays, then I should be able to afford to get Connor and I our own apartment, with his own room.”

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