Winning my Best Friend's Girl - Piper Rayne Page 0,29
to change. He’s not capable of being her father.”
“Her?” I ask in surprise. In the months since she’s returned, I haven’t spent nearly the time I need to with my little sister.
“Yep. A girl.” She punches me in the arm. “You better be a damn good uncle to her. It’s the only reason I came back here. She’ll need a father figure and here she has loads of uncles who will look after her.”
A tear slips and falls on her dress, darkening the light pink fabric, then another.
I pull her into a hug. “Oh, Sedona, I’ll be the best damn uncle I can be, I promise.” I draw back. “Those father-daughter dances?” I point at myself. “Count me in. Those camp-outs and whatever else dads are responsible for?” I point at myself again. “I’m there.”
I see why she doesn’t think I’d be available—I tend to stay away from Lake Starlight as much as possible. But that has to change. I need to man up because Sedona needs me. Hell, I don’t want to be the weird uncle no one truly knows or feels comfortable with. Staying away from here was easy before my siblings had families. Although I lost my parents young, it was etched into us all that family is first—always. It’s time I figure out what I really want my future to look like. I can’t keep avoiding the past. Seems it will always rise up to haunt me anyway.
“Thanks, King.” She wipes her face. “I swear I’m okay with it. My job as a freelance writer has the flexibility, but I want to find an apartment and Phoenix won’t even talk about me leaving her and Griffin’s place.” She runs her hands over her stomach again. “She’s coming soon, and I don’t want to be that mom who relies on others for everything. And Phoenix has her own life, her own family with Griffin.”
Harley chases Dion across the dance floor, catching him right before he runs into the cake table. Nearby people laugh, but Harley’s anything but amused. Dion looks a little scared for his life.
“Have you thought about talking to Harley? She’s the only one who really knows what you’re going through.”
Sedona nods. “You’re right. That’s probably what I should do.”
“And as for having your own space. Move in with me. I have Juno’s old room empty and I’m barely there. It’s just me there so you don’t have to worry about feeling like you’re invading someone else’s family. Even if it’s not permanent, maybe it’s a better solution for you in the short term.”
“I don’t want to impose. I’m sure you don’t want to bring women home to see a pregnant girl sitting on the couch with a pint of ice cream on her belly.”
“Why does everyone think of me as this player? I don’t sleep with random women.”
She shrugs and purses her lips as though she has to think about it. What the hell? “I’m not sure. I guess I assumed…”
“Listen, I’m no saint, but I’m not a player. Hell, I’d be off the market if one woman would put a sold sign on me.” I look across the room and find Stella’s gaze on us. A small smile on her lips. But I know better than to read into any of that.
“I know.” Sedona rubs my upper arm. “Maybe this is a second chance for you guys.”
“I don’t think so, since I told her we could just be friends and she could date my best friend at the station.” That decision stings every time I think about it.
“You didn’t?” Sedona shakes her head at me, a frown on her lips.
“I did.”
“King,” she says, sighing.
“I know, I know. But seeing her back here caught me off guard, and she clearly doesn’t feel about me the way I feel about her. I’m becoming that clingy loser guy who can’t stop loving someone who clearly doesn’t fucking love him back.”
“She’s stupid and crazy if she doesn’t love you. But I think you might have it all wrong.” She turns to the bartender and asks for a lemon-lime drink. “Screw it, I’m having the sugar.”
“I don’t have it wrong. She snuck back here and never told me. She was here for six months and not one word.” I put a tip in the jar for Sedona. She needs to save her money right now.
“I think the two of you need to talk. You might have read the entire situation wrong.”