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“I didn’t let you in.” “Then how did I get in here, Adam? Why am I in your T-shirt, making breakfast in your kitchen?” “Beats me. Witches have all kinds of superpowers, I’ve heard.”
“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.”
“You don’t have a soft spot, Jaxon, do you?” “Nah, fuck that.” “Sounds like you’re a softie for love underneath that tough exterior.” My grin grows as he shakes his head. “Sounds like you might know how to actually court a woman, not just sleep with her.” “All right.” He yanks my beer out of my hands and strides toward the house. “You’ve had enough. I’m making you a coffee.”
“I thought it would be nice if the dogs could hike together again, since they seemed to really like each other. You know, for the dogs.” That grin grows, so huge, so dazzling, and Rosie bobs her head in agreement. “Oh, yes. Definitely. For the dogs.” “And maybe me too,” I admit. “I, um…I liked walking with you. And talking with you. And eating you. No, fuck.” I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. “Fuck, no, that’s not what I—eating with you. Your sandwiches. Not your…” I gesture at her crotch. Holy fuck, I gestured at her fucking crotch. I’m turning into Garrett.
I start by thinking about one seemingly insignificant thing, and then I accidentally think of something bad that could happen because of it, then another something bad, and before I know it, I’ve got a list of all the horrible, terrifying things that could go wrong if I wade too deep in the water, or if I go for a walk at night time, or if I grow a backbone, open my mouth, and finally tell somebody no.” She watches my blank face for a moment, then cringes. “Sorry. My level of anxiety is almost always unmatched.” She points at Piglet, roaming up ahead with Bear. “Except with Pig. And see, now
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“Welcome, everyone, to the first official meeting of ‘Adam’s Road to Hope: One Man’s Journey to Pussy Palace.’ Don’t forget to pick up a gift basket and get your time cards punched on the way out. Sangria is in the fridge, snacks are on the table, and pizza will be here in thirty.” Cara slings one leg over the other, clasps her hands together under her chin, and smiles. “Class is now in session.”
Hank clears his throat. “I’ve never wished I could see more in my life than I do right now.”
Lily takes the bracelet from me and slips it on her wrist, then gently takes my hand in hers and slips her bracelet on my wrist. “I’m a little faster, so mine is longer. We can swap. Now you can think of me when you wear my bracelet, and I’ll think of you too.”
“We’re never good enough for the wrong people. But you’re just right for us, and we love everything about you. Don’t be nervous. Just be yourself.”
When I start stepping into my sneakers, he screeches. “No! Not the Nikes, Rosie, please, for the love of God. You’re ruining a perfectly good outfit!”
“You’re my favorite brand of trouble. Want to know why?” “Why?” His hand comes out of his pocket, catching a fistful of my dress, stopping my next backward step, closing the distance between us. His voice drops to a whisper, all gravel and husk, one that sends a hot shiver rippling down my spine when his lips pause at the shell of my ear. “Because I’ve never wanted to be so deep in it as I do now that I’ve met you.”
“I don’t have the space she deserves.” Nor the money to keep up with her care. “If I did, I’d bring her home in a heartbeat. But she deserves more than what I can offer her.” “I get that. But for what it’s worth, Rosie, it’s not usually the space that makes a home. It’s the love. And I bet you give the best kind.”
“I thought we’d be able to stay longer if we had some light. Then I could keep you longer.” “You can keep me forever,”
“How busy do you want me to keep you? Because sometimes I feel lonely, but when I’m with you, I feel full.”
My eyes flutter closed as I chant the mantra my therapist taught me. My past is not my future. I’m allowed to be scared, and I’m allowed to choose to move slowly, so long as I move.
“Not sure where you get off thinking they don’t go straight to heaven. I sure as hell don’t see anything but heaven when I look at you.”
I don’t think it’s wrong to make someone your whole world, but I know the one time I’ve done it, it was my greatest mistake.
“Deacon, make your son introduce us.” Dad rips open a Fruit Roll-Up, and now I want one, so I grab one too. “Adam, listen to your mother so I don’t have to, blah blah blah, happy wife, happy life.”
“I just told you I haven’t even kissed her!” “Well, what are you waiting for? And make it good, so she wants to keep you! None of that half-assed, three out of five bullshit!”
“I don’t need you to take on my pain, Adam. I just need you to sit with me while I feel it. That’s enough for me.”
You wanted to be someone’s first choice, and you weren’t. But we aren’t for everyone. There’s always been something better waiting for you.”
“You are the most beautiful, kind, and thoughtful man on this planet. My heart is already yours. No isn’t an option, Adam.
“Fucking love the way you taste when you unravel for me.”
“I told you,” Archie growls, “stop calling me Daddy.” “Okay, Daddy.” I snicker, kissing Archie’s cheek. “I think it’s sweet when you worry, Daddy.”
“You’re not my first choice, Rosie. You’re the only goddamn option.”
Because Stardust Lane? That’s the name of the street I grew up on. The last time I was home with my parents.
“It’s okay to be scared, Adam,” Jennie murmurs. “Because when you have trouble loving your own broken pieces, nothing seems scarier than giving them to someone else.”
Cara wipes a single tear from her eye, sniffling. “I knew calling your mom was my best work yet. I can’t wait to see how I eventually top it.”
“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.”
“Connor is a million times more important. There is nobody as important to me as you and that little boy, so for the love of God, Rosie, get in this truck before I throw you in it.”
“I do it so they know there’s always someone out there that loves them, that’s rooting for them. That it might take some time, but they’re going to find their people. I do it for the Rosies.”
“You smell like trouble, and you taste like it too. Now get back to bed, before I get myself into a whole fucking pile of it.”
“And Rosie? If I find you in my kitchen in the middle of the night again, I’m fucking you right there on that counter.”
“Thank you for coming.” Rosie’s eyes soften, and she touches her hand to the other side of the glass. “Where else would we be if we weren’t here supporting our favorite person?”
So kiss me, please, because I’m ready to give it all to you.”
“You’re a bitch,” Courtney spits out. “Proud of it, babe.” Cara wiggles her fingers at her as she storms down the street. “Enjoy your trip back to the fiery depths of hell.”
Jaxon’s chest heaves as Marchanbo slumps to the ice at his feet. “Don’t touch my fucking goalie.” He tosses my mask at my chest. “Here. Your face is too pretty for black eyes.”
“Emmett, get Cara on the phone. I need her advice.” He leaps from his seat, dashing across the room to grab his phone. “She’s been preparing for this her entire life.”
“There’s no better view than right here beside you.”
All I’ve ever done with love is lose it.
“Marco was measuring my room yesterday. Says it’ll make a nice yoga studio. Then Archie reminded him he hasn’t done yoga in two years, so Marco looked him dead in the eye while he ordered a new mat and five outfits from Lululemon.”
“Whatever. Real men love their friends. I read somewhere that there’s a direct correlation between how much love a man shows other men and the size of his cock.” “Ah,” Emmett hums. “That explains your pocket rocket.”
“I’ve always thought people were like puzzle pieces. That we spend our lives searching for someone who’s shaped almost as if they’re just for us. You find each other, and you get this funny, excited feeling in your stomach the closer you get, the more you learn about them. And then, suddenly, something slides into place, this perfect fit, like you had this space saved just for them. And when they squeeze themselves in, it feels like your puzzle is finally complete.”
“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.”
