Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“What do you mean?” Rock said.
“Perry is Foreveralone,” she said with a giggle.
“Aww, that isn’t very nice,” Rock said.
“He never has anyone else!” Dayna added. “Uncle Perry, do you have friends? Are you really forever alone?”
I felt my heart sink. The kids had called me the nickname before, but in front of Rock, it stung more.
“Dayna. Rock is right,” Cam said, lifting an eyebrow. “Don’t call Uncle Perry that.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I said, waving a hand. “No big deal.”
“Well, he certainly isn’t alone anymore,” Rock said, leaning over and rubbing his hand on my thigh.
His touch sent warmth through my whole body. It felt so real in that moment, like it didn’t matter that we were fake boyfriends. It was genuine.
I was deluding myself, of course. But at that moment, I wanted to curl up in that illusion and pretend it was my home.
“You didn’t have to just accept that, you know,” Rock said to me as we slowly made our way down the hallway upstairs after dinner.
“Accept what?” I asked. “Oh, the thigh touching? It was okay, Rock. It actually felt good.”
His eyes twinkled a little as we stopped outside the door to our room. “Not what I meant, but I’m stoked that you enjoyed that.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I meant them ragging on you,” Rock continued, his gaze becoming more serious. “All through dinner, it seemed like you were just trying to make everyone else happy. Letting the kids call you Foreveralone? You don’t have to take that shit.”
I looked down at the floor. “It doesn’t matter. They’re just kids.”
“I think it matters,” Rock said, his tone gentle. “Matters to me, and maybe it does to you, too, if you think about it more.”
“I know I’m a people pleaser,” I told him. “I’ve always been that way. I want the people around me to be happy. It kills me when they aren’t.”
“Of course,” Rock said. He shifted on his feet. I could tell that his walker boot was bothering him after a long day, but I also knew he’d never admit that.
“Let’s head into the room. I need sleep.”
“In a second,” Rock said, reaching out and clasping my hand before I could reach into my pocket for the key.
I let out a breath, relaxing my shoulders. The hallway was only lit by the occasional wall sconce lights that dotted the space between doors. Rock’s face was bathed in the gentle warm glow, and he looked so sincere it almost hurt. I was so used to seeing him in a baseball cap and a T-shirt, but tonight, the collared black shirt was making him seem different. Like I was seeing a whole different version of who Rock could be—not just a party-hungry, fun-loving guy, but a whole, well-rounded man.
Rock really had everything.
“What is it?”
“I mean it. I want you to know that you deserve to be happy, too,” he said. He squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to try to make everyone else happy. They fuckin’ love you. Whether you’re constantly trying to solve their problems or not.”
I clenched my teeth, then softened my jaw. “I know you’re right,” I said, letting out a dry laugh. “Almost forty years old, and I still do it.”
“People pleasing?”
I nodded once. “Yeah.”
A corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. “Because you have a good heart. It isn’t a bad thing. Just need to remember yourself, too.”
Rock had no idea he was making me melt inside, like a damn sundae on a hot afternoon. Rock already had a way of doing that—making me feel like I was worth something.
Like for once, instead of being the guy who takes care of everything, I was the one being cared for.
“It’s been a few hours since we did any… immersion therapy,” I said, my voice coming out a little hoarse. “Can I—”
Before I’d even finished, Rock was leaning forward, pressing his mouth to mine. His plush lips were so soft and yielding. It still felt so novel, so unlikely, that I was able to kiss him. Every millisecond of it was a thrill, every cell in my body standing on end and reaching out toward him.
He took a couple fumbling steps forward, gently pushing me back against the wall. He was still holding one of my hands in his, but now he reached for the other as well, lacing his fingers in between mine.
And in his kiss, I felt the same thing. He cared about me. Even if all of this was fake, and soon enough, it all would end.
Rock was willing to show warmth to anyone, even though he wasn’t actually interested in men.
I got lost in him. I reached out, gingerly at first, gently letting my hands fall against either side of his hips. As we kissed, my hands roamed higher, skating up the sides of his torso, until my palms were pressed against his back and pulling him closer toward me.