Page 25 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

She wasn’t even doing anything, just walking, her hair catching the glow of the streetlights. The kind of gorgeous that made the world slow down.

The kind that wasn’t just about looks but something else, something harder to define. Like she belonged somewhere bigger, but had no idea.

She paused outside the bakery across the street.

Just stood there, staring at the darkened windows like they held all the answers to something she hadn't figured out yet.

I knew that feeling.

She looked lonely.

Not in the obvious way. Not the kind where someone’s sitting by themselves at a bar or walking through town without company.

It was deeper than that, the kind that settled in your bones. The kind you carried even when you were surrounded by people.

Before I could think twice about it, I pushed back from the table.

Mason raised a brow. “Where you going?”

“Be right back.”

Ethan, still sulking in his pink bowling shirt, smirked. “Say hi to Aurora for us.”

So he’d noticed her too. Of course he had.

I ignored him, stepping outside into the crisp night air.

She didn’t see me at first. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she looked like she was trying to talk herself into something. Or maybe out of it.

“Aurora.”

Her head jerked up, eyes wide.

She was even prettier up close, the kind of pretty that made my throat feel tight.

Her hair was loose tonight, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. The streetlights caught hints of auburn in the strands, and for a second, I forgot how to do normal things. Like speak.

Her lips parted slightly, then she blinked. “Owen?”

Hearing my name in her voice did something strange to me. Something I didn’t have a name for.

“You wanna come inside?” I offered. “Have a drink?”

Her brows lifted. “With you?”

“With all of us. It’s Friday. Bowling.”

Did that sound too small-town?

Yeah. I was sure it did.

She huffed out a laugh, quiet but warm. “I’m not really in a drinking mood.”

“Then come in for the company.” I nodded toward the window, where our group was still laughing over something. “It’s loud, but at least it’s not…”

I hesitated. Not lonely. Not whatever it was I saw on her face before.

She seemed to get it anyway. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her coat, like she was debating. Then, finally, she nodded.

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