Page 16 of Secret Pucking Unicorn

“Do you consider yourself American?” Daphne asks.

Miranda shrugs. “Not really. Ireland with Dec’s family is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a home, and I’m Irish because I was born there. But honestly, I’m homeless. I bloom the best I can wherever I’m planted, but I don’t have roots.” Under her breath, she adds, “At least not yet.”

I know she didn’t intend for me to hear that, but thanks to shifter hearing, I did. My throat tightens and my eyes sting, knowing she considers the time we were together as children as she does, but also feeling she no longer has it. Every ounce of restraint in my body is being spent not wrapping Miranda in my arms and assuring her wherever I am in this world, she has a home with me. She’s not ready to hear it, no matter how ready I am to say it.

As we climb the steps into the jet, I realize I miscalculated. Miranda’s perky ass is at my eye level and my wolf is ready to howl. My focus has been on her being here and seeing her again, and I’ve ignored how freaking beautiful she is. Okay, not ignored. I’m not blind, but I haven’t allowed myself to think about it. But now it’s right in my face and impossible to ignore. I’m so distracted I stumble on the top step and face plant right into Miranda’s fine ass.

“Oh,” she cries out as she stumbles forward.

I grab her hips to hold her steady, but that unfortunately propels me against her more. This is bad. I let go, and she moves forward into the jet and turns back to look at me. She’s blushing and my teammates behind me are hooting and hollering.

“Yeah, missed a step,” I say. “Sorry.”

Regaining my footing, I stand to my full height and look down the line of teammates behind me on the stairs. It would be easy to give Carter a shove in his smug face and send them all falling backwards like dominos. Lucky for all of us, I have a strong rein on my temper and a steely eyed glare that shuts everyone up.

I am mortified. My wolf is embarrassed. If I was in wolf form, I’d be on the floor with my paws covering my muzzle in shame. My unicorn is probably pretending he doesn’t know me. Hell, I think I embarrassed my ancestors and future children, too. Of course, telling the grandkids about the time I head-butted their gran in the ass could be a fun story. I let a grin spread across my face, imagining it as I board the plane.

Stella, the chief flight attendant, gives me a warm smile.

“Declan, are you okay?” She lays a hand on my arm and squeezes gently out of concern. “Do you need ice for your knee or anything?”

I move to the side to let the rest of the team on the plane.

“I’m okay, Stella, thank you. Pride hurt more than anything.”

“Well, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know.” She gives my arm a squeeze one more time before removing her hand.

“My usual tea once we’re underway is perfect. Miranda may want some too. Did you meet her? She’s Coach’s new assistant.”

“Yes, I did. I’ll be by with your tea.”

Miranda is sitting with Brick, Logan, and Daphne in a set of four seats clustered together around a table. I take a seat next to Stone in the next cluster and am back-to-back with Miranda.

Stone nudges my arm. “Anything you want, Mac. I can’t believe you haven’t taken her up on it yet.”

My cheeks burn while I shoot Stone a glare and jerk my head toward Miranda behind me. His eyes widen and he mouths “sorry” to me. I want to smack the smirks Carter and Bedard are aiming at me from the seats across from us.

From behind me, I hear Brick say, “They have blankets and pillows if you want to sleep.”

“Thanks. I don’t sleep when I travel,” Miranda says.

“Oh no, do you get motion sickness?” Daphne asks. She’s sounding maternal already.

“No, not at all. I need to stay alert.”

“Why, no one is going to steal your stuff here,” Brick says.

Miranda laughs. “That’s not the reason. Funny story. When I was twelve, I was flying to America with my parents. It was my first time coming here and I think we were coming from Portugal?” She pauses. “Yeah, that was when they pulled me from the German school in Lisbon. They had two seats together in first class and I was back in coach.”

“You didn’t sit together?” Daphne asks.

“No, I was twelve.” She says, like it makes sense. “First class would have been wasted on me. I had a window seat, and I was comfortable. I slept most of the flight, anyway. There was a layover in Philadelphia or Baltimore. Somewhere like that. We were to get off and take a flight to Chicago or Minnesota. I forget. I slept through the layover and stayed on the flight and ended up going to Los Angeles.” She laughs like it’s hilarious.

“Wait,” Brick says. “Where were your parents?”

“They got on the next flight. They were used to traveling as a couple, they forgot I was with them.”

“They had to go through customs,” Logan says. “How do you not realize part of your group, your child, isn’t with you?”

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