31. Who’s The Real Mr. Incredible?
CHAPTER
WHO’S THE REAL MR. INCREDIBLE?
ROSIE
“Are you nervous?”
“Me? Nervous? Pfft. Have you ever
known me to be nervous?”
Adam side-eyes me as we stroll down the sidewalk together, towing Connor along in a brand-new, top-of-the-line, fancy-as-hell wagon he just happened to have in his garage.
In the wagon with Connor? Bear. Yes, this wagon is so fancy, it supports this one-hundred-and-forty-pound dog with ease. “Always.”
“This would’ve been an acceptable time to lie, in case you were wondering.” I look at Connor, bouncing along in his new favorite ride, clapping his hands and chanting I-lan
, because Adam told him we were going to go meet his new friend Ireland. Then, I look down at myself, the outfit I changed four times, the jeans Archie swore hugged my ass just right, the oversized sweater I put on after giving up on everything else. “I just want your friends to like me.”
“They already love you, Rosie.”
“You can’t possibly know that, Adam. You’re only trying to make me feel better.”
“I absolutely do know it. We’ve been talking about you for three months now. They’ve been dying to meet the girl who has me smiling at my phone all the time.”
Heat touches my cheeks, and I hide my smile. It’s been two weeks since Adam and I decided to take things slow, and the man has picked right back up with being a permanent fixture in my life, except it’s even better than before, even without the physical stuff.
He finished his preseason games last week, and between all the training and practices and surgeries, we’ve seen each other every day.
Sometimes I wake up to him confirming my Starbucks order, and thirty minutes later he’s at my door, helping me get Connor ready for daycare while I savor my coffee.
Sometimes he’s leaning against his truck when I leave school for the day, a ridiculously handsome smile waiting for me, a goofy grin on Bear’s happy face.
And sometimes—my favorite of times—he shows up in the evenings with teas and muffins, helps me with Connor’s bath, reads him his favorite books and puts him to bed, and then curls up on the couch with Archie, Marco, and me to watch Jeopardy!
.
He’s squeezed himself into every crevice of my life, and everything feels so full I’m nearly ready to burst.
“At least I’ve already met some of them,” I say as we start up a long, winding driveway.
“You mean at the clinic after Bear’s surgery when they were all there?”
“No, when they came to Wildheart.”
“Hmmm?”
“Garrett and Jaxon? When they came to see me at Wildheart?”
Adam arches a brow. “Pardon me?”
“Yeah, they wore the…the fake mustaches. Did you not know?”
Adam trips over his own feet, somehow kicking a shoe off in the process. “ Fake mustaches
?”
“Back up.” I come to a stop, and Adam’s still trying to put his shoe back on. “If you didn’t know they came to spy on me, where did you think Jaxon got Mittens from?”
He throws his arms overhead. “He told me he heard little meows coming from the dumpster in the parking garage of his condo, and he climbed in and saved Mittens! He sent me a picture of Mittens next to an old sock and a crumpled bag of Doritos and said, ‘Look what I found in the garbage!’”
“Wow. That’s a really elaborate lie. I’m impressed.”
Adam blinks at me, and then, again: “ Fake mustaches
?”
“Garrett’s fell off and he ran away after pretending he got a phone call.”
Adam scrubs his hands down his face in slow motion. With a sigh, he gestures at the sprawling house before us. “Well, let’s go meet the rest of them.”
He tucks the wagon onto the front porch and takes Connor’s hand in his.
When he opens the front door, a lively golden retriever welcomes us by dropping to his back, rolling around on the floor.
Bear joins in, and Connor squeals with laughter, dropping to the floor so he can get in on the fun, and I’m busy freaking out over whether I should shake hands, hug, or offer a simple, friendly wave to everyone I meet tonight.
I turn to Adam, about to blurt the question, but Garrett Andersen strolls down the staircase, grinning when he sees me.
“Rosie! Welcome to Carter’s Palace of Love.” He wraps me in a hug as soon as I start shoving my hand out in the space between us. “We’re huggers here.”
“Well, there was that one time you took a dildo to the face in way of greeting.” Jaxon Riley appears behind him, winding an arm around me.
“Oh, hey, I can’t wait to show you all my pictures of Mitts.
” His eyes dart to Adam over my shoulder.
“Uh, this stray cat, I, uh…found in the dumpster.” He winks at me, then frowns at Adam. “What are you grumpy about?”
“ Fake mustaches
?”
Jaxon grimaces. “Oh.”
Garrett grits his teeth. “You heard about that, huh?” Suddenly, his eyes widen, and he cups a hand around his ear. “What’s that, Jennie? Coming
!” He takes off down the hallway at the speed of light, leaving Jaxon staring at us.
“So, I guess it’s just us. Well, I, uh…” He’s nearly as fast as Garrett when he makes a run for it, except he slips at the end of the hall, crashing into the wall. “ Owww
.”
“You deserved that,” a gorgeous woman says, tossing her long blonde locks over her shoulder.
When Jaxon reaches a hand up for her, she nudges it away with her foot.
“So cute you think I’m helping you. Cara Brodie gets on her knees for no man.
” She winks at me, poking the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “Except my husband.”
Connor climbs to his feet, pointing at Cara as she hugs me. “Pwetty.”
“Oh, bless your soul, sweet boy.” She scoops him into her arms. “You have such amazing taste, don’t you?”
He runs his hand down her hair, fascinated. “Wooow.”
“I did the same thing the night I met her,” Emmett Brodie says, nudging my side as he appears at it. He smiles at me before wrapping me in possibly the sweetest, best bear hug I’ve ever received. “I’m the lucky husband.”
Adam’s hand slips over my hip, pulling me close, his lips at my ear. “You okay?”
“Oh shit.” I clap a hand to my forehead. “I haven’t said a word yet, have I? I’m Rosie.” I hold my hand out, then pull it back. “Oh right. We already hugged.” I wipe my palms on my jeans. “I’m nervous.”
“You know what’s great for nerves?” Cara asks, transferring Connor to her hip and looping her arm through mine. “Frozen margaritas.” She leans close as she leads me down the hallway, the sound of… singing?
gracing our ears. “You’re gonna need at least five.”
The sight in the living room is interesting, to say the least. Every bit of anxiety I’ve been holding onto at the thought of meeting Adam’s family melts away as I watch Carter Beckett and his sister, Jennie, putting on a whole-ass show while they sing the karaoke version of “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. ”
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Cara whispers. “You wouldn’t believe how often this happens.”
Garrett slips up beside us, sipping a can of cherry soda water. “Jennie’s ass looks unreal in those jeans, huh?”
“Shut up
, Garrett!” Carter screams, spinning to us. He stops when he sees me, tossing his microphone over his shoulder. “ Ollie
! Rosie’s here!”
Footsteps patter, and a moment later a petite brunette slides into the room, holding her teensy tiny twin. “Oh my God.” Are those…tears? “ Finally
.”
Jennie dances over, a brilliant, dimple-popping smile on display when she bounces to a stop in front of me, her long chestnut hair tied back with a ribbon. “Hi. I’m the funnier, better looking, and more mature Beckett sibling. Can I give you a hug?”
“I’d love one,” I say, swallowing down the emotion crawling up my throat as she gives me a squeeze, so warm, like being wrapped in sunshine. Everyone is so damn nice
, and I had no less than three anxiety attacks today over the prospect of meeting them.
Carter saunters over, and I swear to God, I’m doing everything in my power to not look at his crotch. It’s been shoved in my face seventeen thousand times at the bus stop, I almost feel like we’re friends.
“Carter Beckett, NHL captain, Calvin Klein underwear model, GQ’s Sexiest Man, and DILF extraordinaire.” His chest puffs with pride, and he shrugs. The humble brag rolling off him in waves is astonishing. “Some people also call me Mr. Incredible.”
“Oh for God’s sake, Carter.” Olivia rolls her eyes and sighs. “I’m sorry. He’s…well, he’s like this all the time. I’m Olivia, and I’m stuck with him for the rest of my life.” She passes her daughter off to Carter and squeezes me against her. “It’s so good to meet you, Rosie.”
Carter shoves his adorable daughter in my face. “ And I’m Ireland, my daddy’s biggest fan and his pride and joy.
”
“Hi, Ireland,” I snicker, shaking her tiny hand. “You are just perfect, aren’t you?”
“I-lan!” Connor squeals, tugging at Carter’s pants until he plops her down on the floor in front of him.
“Woooah-ho-ho,” Connor wonders aloud, crouching to look at her, hands on his knees.
He waves at her, then pats her fluffy, dark curls.
“Hi, I-lan. Hi, baby.” He smiles, eyes alight, and points at his chest. “Conn’a hug I-lan? ”
“ Olivia
!” Carter shrieks, waving aimlessly. “Get the camera! It’s happening!” He tears the video recorder from her hand when she returns with it, and sinks to his belly on the floor, eyes glittering as he records my son hugging this sweet little girl. “ Her first friend
.”
He stands, running his hand down his chest as he sighs, and it’s then I notice his shirt. It’s a picture of him and Ireland, Daddy
scrawled overtop of it. My gaze goes to Ireland as Connor releases the giggling girl, and I fold my lips into my mouth when I spy her onesie.
Because the picture on it matches Carter’s, and scrawled on top of hers? Daddy’s Princess
.
Adam shoves a frozen margarita into my hand. “You’ve met everyone, seen the Beckett siblings do karaoke, and been subjected to Carter’s shirts, which, by the way, he has a whole closet full of. You deserve this. Cara put extra tequila in it.”