“No, that’s not…please tell me if you had a plan here.”
He rests his hands on his little potbelly and leans back. “I told you, he’s going through a tough time.”
During our last conversation, he told me that Sebastian’s wife had cheated on him, and I shiver remembering the specifics of how they all found out.
His sigh is bone-deep. “Yes, I did know you were working for the hotline. And I met Elijah about six months ago when he came to the house to meet with Seb. That’s when Elijah told him about the hotline—that’s fate’s doing, not mine. And as far as putting you in his path? Nah, that’s destiny, kiddo. Elijah told me, even when I asked about you, that his sister took her matches seriously, and would only place you with Seb if your questionnaires aligned.”
He chuckles and chews on the piece of grass, so I’m sure there’s more to it than that.
“I could have saved her a lot of time. You can’t mess with the stars, Rowan. Your path was always going to collide with ours.” He pulls me into his side and places a kiss on top of my head. “You can’t run forever, sweetheart.”
Watch me. Watch me. Watch me.
“Every instinct you possess is begging you to run,” he says against my hair, “but for me, please stay. I won’t ask you to stay forever, but stay for now, for me.”
This man has never once asked me for anything and has given me more than I probably even know. How can I say no to him?
Instead of answering, I curl into his embrace and count to five. Anything longer than five seconds will make those love lines I actively avoid sprout roots—a girl can only bob and weave for so long before she goes down.
“Thane,”I groan. He’s the most annoying hotline dad I have at the moment, but I lower myself with a thud to sit on the top step of the beach estate Sebastian is calling home. Not a second later, Lucky pops out of nowhere and slinks into my lap.
Freaking hell. I attempt to shove him off me, but he digs his claws into my thighs, and I give up. I’m supposed to be at the bonfire, but Thane’s fourth emergency of the day saved me from having to be social.
“She’s a teenager.” I sigh. It takes a lot of effort to keep the exasperation out of my tone. “I’m not at all surprised she doesn’t want to give up her devices and spend a week in the woods, but I promise she’ll make the best of it when she gets here.”
I need to find this guy a permanent helper. He’s recently taken custody of his little sister and things are…strained, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.
“I’m going to throw every device she owns into the ocean.” The words are angry, but his tone is almost sterile.
“That is not advisable—it’s not that much longer. Do your best until camp starts, then she can go through withdrawals with all the other kids.”
“Fine. Will Lottie be there?”
It’s not the first time he’s asked about my friend, and I’m beginning to wonder if there’s a hint of a crush blossoming, but I wasn’t aware that they even knew each other.
“She will. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?”
He mutters something about deciphering my tone under his breath, but I’ve never been able to get a read on his emotions either.
“No. If you’re sure I can’t remove her bedroom door the next time she slams it, I’ve got nothing.” His words are stilted, but somewhere in there is a man trying to do right by his teenage sister, so I keep my voice light.
“She’ll come around. She’s hurting and feels betrayed by your father. Be consistent with her and you’ll be just fine.”
“You’re the expert here, Rowan, so you’d better be right. Talk to you later.” A low hum vibrates through the phone, so I wait. “Thank you,” he adds as an afterthought. I’m not sure what it is, but general manners seem to be a lot of work for him.
“You’ve got this,” I say, distracted as awareness rakes over my body. The sensation of being watched usually kicks my fight-or-flight into high gear, but this—here—is different. A footstep lands on the porch behind me, but I don’t turn around.
“You keep saying that,” Thane mutters, and while I’d guess that he’s hurting as much as his sister, there’s no pitch change to indicate how he’s feeling. “But I’ll believe it when we get through this…whatever this is.”
He hangs up without a goodbye, so I pocket my phone. Thane Wilder is trying so hard to be what his sister needs, but there are times when I wonder if he truly has no idea how emotions work.
“You’ve found a friend.”
Sebastian’s voice swirls and zings through my body, electrifying every inch of skin his words touch. The awareness from moments ago wraps around my body with the comfort of a weighted blanket. It must be his tone, right? It’s soothing, in a strange sort of way. It’s not familiar because when we knew each other, he was still a boy.
Tilting my head up, I find him looming over me. When he sits next to me on the step, a tad too close, I press myself into the railing. He takes up all the extra space because he’s all man now—well over six feet tall and broad enough to pass for a football player.
“The cat isn’t giving me a choice. I think he’s following me too.”
