Page 31 of Unraveling Rain
Rain
The past couple of nights have been rough. I don’t usually have nightmares—at least not anymore—but the way I stood up to River when he saw me with Xander left me restless, jittery.
It brought back memories from high school.
With Dennis.
“Ugh, Rain MacAllister. Stop. You’re going to have a great time today with Xander. No need to think about the past,” Imutter aloud.
Sometimes it helps to call myself out on my bullshit.
“Oh, hey, Chef. I wasn’t expecting to see you here today,” Blair says as she enters the kitchen.
I jump. “Fuck, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry, Chef.”
We both chuckle as she comes closer, a frown creasing her forehead.
“What?” I ask, pretending that making food for a picnic basket is the most normal thing in the world.
“Well, you usually don’t come over on weekends,” she says, pulling on her sous-chef coat.
“True,” I reply without missing a beat. “I’m going on a hike and decided to pack a few essentials. It’s easier to prep everything here than in the van.”
“Oh, a hike. That sounds fun. Where are you going this time?” she asks as the rest of the team starts trickling in.
“Not sure yet. I’ll let the adventure decide where to take me. I’ll see you all on Monday. Call me if you need anything,” I say, hurrying out the door.
“Hey,” River says, getting out of his truck.
Oh gosh, I don’t want to do this right now.
“Hey,” I reply, not slowing my stride.
“Can we please talk?”
There’s a hint of weariness in his voice, and it makes me pause.
I take a few deep breaths, rolling my shoulders to brace for the uncomfortable conversation we need to have.
“Sure. Let me get this in the van. Do you want to come in?”
He follows me to the van. I slide the door open, quickly stash the food in the mini fridge, and sink onto my bed, motioning for River to do the same.
“I’m sorry I was an asshole to you the other night,” he says, a whoosh of air leaving his nose.
“I know you’re twenty-eight. Heck, I know I’m thirty-two. But for some reason, I can’t stop worrying about you all. I know Ruin is safe because Gio would burn the world down for her and the babies.”
We both chuckle. He’s not wrong. I’ve never met someone more in love with his wife than my brother-in-law. He worships the ground Ruin walks on.
“Miles is a tough guy,” he continues, “even though he can come off as goofy sometimes. And Merlin is in Raleigh, so even though I’d like to keep an eye on him, he’s far away.”
He pauses, playing with a loose thread on his jeans.
“So that leaves me,” I say gently, encouraging him to keep talking.
“Yeah,” he says, releasing a deep breath and covering his face. “And Granny and Mom.”
