SWNOVELS Unravel Me: Chapter 3
I haven’t actually moved yet, in case you were wondering. I know it’s simple, one foot in front of the other and all that. But, you see, it’s the first time Adam has graced me with his backside, and, um…
The man has a bubble butt.
Sweet mother of dragons, it’s glorious. It’s divine. It’s—
“You comin’, Rosie?”
I startle, shaking away the bubble butt fog, and let Piglet drag me over to Adam and Bear.
It’s a quiet, peaceful walk, the dogs exploring ahead of us, pausing for the occasional fallen branch sniff or for a nose kiss. Adam’s hand brushes against mine more than once as we weave through the uneven terrain, and when I stumble over my own two feet, he steadies me by wrapping his long fingers around mine.
There’s a steady beat in my chest that thrums all the way in my ears, has me swallowing back nerves that have appeared out of nowhere. I don’t know him. Not in the slightest. He’s kind and friendly and here I am ready to fall all over his feet. I need to reel myself in, so the quiet is probably for the best.
We come to a fork in the path, an old wooden bridge up ahead. Piglet jogs back to us, nips playfully at my backpack hanging off Adam’s shoulder, and then does her infamous jump and butt spin.
“We always stop at the bridge and have lunch,” I tell Adam as Piglet leads us to her favorite spot. “It’s the highlight of her day, because, food.”
“Food is the highlight of our day, too, Bear, isn’t it?” Adam chuckles as he hands over my bag, watching me sink to the edge of the small bridge, both dogs crawling all over me as I pull out containers of food.
I lift a sweet potato chip as Adam sits beside me. “Can Bear have a snack? They’re healthy and homemade. I have dehydrated sweet potato with a bit of cinnamon, and peanut butter banana cookies. I made everything this morning, so it’s extra fresh.”
He nods, watching as I feed the dogs. “That sounds healthy. What are you, a vet?”
“Trying to be,” I murmur, cleaning my hands after the dogs lick them clean.
“You’re seriously a vet? That’s so cool.”
“Not yet, but next year, hopefully.” I smile up at him as I unwrap my sandwich and hold half out to him. “Grilled chicken and pesto panini.”
His stomach rumbles. “I can’t eat half your lunch.”
I snicker, stuffing it into his hands. “Your stomach says differently.”
He blushes but accepts happily. “Don’t judge me, but I’ve already had two Big Macs today.”
“Oh God.” I moan. “I haven’t had a Big Mac in years.” When you’re on a budget as strict as mine, you don’t stray from your carefully curated grocery list, except to accommodate whatever coupons are in the flyer that week. I look at Adam, noting that on my second bite, he’s already devoured his half. I poke his hard stomach. “You look like the kinda guy who’s always hungry.” I blanch at my words, then quickly backtrack. “Because you’re so tall, I mean. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone this tall.” I swallow. “And broad.” And his butt. I mean, wow.
Adam chuckles, picking an apple pie cookie from the container I offer. “I am the tallest of my friends, and I’m hungry most of the time.” He devours the cookie and swallows. “But you should see my friends, Carter and Garrett. They’re human garbage disposals. I have a cupboard at home with snacks just for when they come over.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. I have to refill it weekly.”
Piglet stands and stretches before lying at Adam’s side, her head in his lap. As she drifts to sleep while Adam gently strokes the spot between her eyes, just how she likes, I’m blown away by the instant change in her demeanor today.
“I’ve never, ever seen this before. She hasn’t really warmed up to any man. The only person she’s so relaxed with is, well…me.”
“Don’t worry.” He nudges my shoulder with his. “I won’t replace you.”
I giggle. “Promise?”
“Promise.” His gaze moves over me in a slow sweep that heats my insides. “’Cause you’re irreplaceable, Rosie, aren’t you?”
I drop my gaze to my legs, watching them swing above the sparkling creek below, unable to hold his stare. It feels intense, like he’s looking for something. I don’t know what, but all at once I’m both worried he won’t find it and hoping he doesn’t.
Whatever it is he’s looking for, I’m not likely to stack up. The only thing I’ve ever been good at being is someone’s second choice.
Fingers flutter against my cheekbone, coaxing my gaze back to Adam’s. He brushes my bangs aside and smiles, twirling a lock of honey blonde and pale pink before tucking it behind my ear.
“I like your hair,” he tells me quietly.
My cheeks heat as I touch one of the messy, pink buns on my head, before fluttering down to the bottom half that hangs loose, unruly waves resting an inch or so above my shoulders. “The buns? Or the color?”
“Those buns up top are cute as hell. But I really like the pink. It’s kinda rosy…just like you.”
My nose scrunches. “You think so?”
“Mhmm. Pretty and unique.”
His kind words slow the beat of my heart. Normally the only people who gush over my hair are kids. Instead, I get judgmental looks from people in the grocery checkout line who think a person’s life choices are reflected in something as trivial as their hair color. I haven’t had much control of anything in my life. This is one way for me to take back control, something I do because it’s my choice and mine alone.
So as Adam’s fingertips skim my cheek when he pulls back, I’m sure he feels the warmth he brings there when I whisper, “Thank you.”
After lunch, we wade through the shallow creek, the cool water refreshing on my bare feet. Adam goes a little farther, until the water nearly reaches his knees, and I inch back to land as my heart thuds in my chest.
He joins me a few minutes later with two happy, wet dogs, and ambles along beside me as we head back to where we came. Do I contemplate detouring several times and claiming I’ve gotten us lost to drag this day out a little longer? Yes. Yes, I do.
But before I know it, we’re at the top of that old, rickety staircase that leads us back down to reality.
Adam starts down ahead of me with Bear, and Piglet does as she always does: digs her paws into the dirt, refusing to move.
“C’mon, girl,” I coax gently. “You’re safe with me; I promise.”
She whimpers and lies down, and I sit on the top step, petting her head.
“Hey, Adam? Go on without us. Pig’s afraid of going down the stairs. It’s usually a half-hour affair. I’ll just—”
“Here.” Adam’s at my side in an instant, taking Piglet’s leash in his hand, swapping me for Bear’s. “You take Bear down; I’ll get Pig.”
Before I can protest, he leans down, kisses her forehead, and then stands and pats his chest. Piglet rises to her hind legs, paws on Adam’s torso, and he hoists her into his arms.
“’Atta girl,” he chimes as my mouth gapes. “Go ahead.”
I look down at Bear, and he cocks his head to the side, like he’s thinking he might want a ride too. “Not a chance, big fella.”
He huffs, then starts trotting back down the stairs. When we reach the ground, Piglet’s looking mighty smug and content in Adam’s arms.
I roll my eyes as she licks behind his ear. “You little flirt.”
Adam sets Pig down and takes his hat off, running his fingers through his tousled curls before covering them up again. “Did you drive here?”
I shake my head.
“Do you, uh…need a ride? I walked here, but I don’t live far. We could walk to my place, and I could drive you back.”
“That’s okay. The shelter isn’t far from here.”
Adam nods, glancing over his shoulder. He scratches his neck and points behind him. “Well, I’m going that way.”
I point in the opposite direction. “And I’m going that way.”
His head bobs. “Guess this is where we say good-bye.”
Now I’m the one head-bobbing. It’s so awkward. So I make it a hundred times more awkward by thrusting my hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
He looks at my hand, then back up to me. At my hand again, then me. He grins, so wide, so amused, so damn smug . “A handshake, huh? So formal.”
My eyes narrow, arms going across my chest. “What do you suggest?”
He shrugs, and when he takes a step toward me, my heart jumps to my throat.
“You know, Rosie. I wasn’t having the best day when I ran into you. Or rather, when my dog tackled you to the ground. Maybe he knew what he was doing, though. Because my day got a hundred times better after you fell into it.”
He takes another step forward, and in all the panic that ensues at the thought that this handsome, kind man might actually be…flirting with me, I lose control of my body, accidentally crossing one ankle over the other and promptly tripping over my own two feet, crashing into him.
Adam chuckles in my ear, low and hearty, his breath tumbling down my neck as he holds me to him. “You’re trouble, aren’t you?”
That t-word sparks something inside me, something lost and broken, and I cling to Adam as he squeezes me for a moment that ends too soon.
He gives Piglet’s chin a scratch, and with one last look in my direction, he winks at me. “See ya around, trouble.”