“Do you think any of us would have traded our old lives for this?” She pauses, waiting for me to disagree. “We would have gladly stayed in that gutter if it meant we stayed together.” She pokes me in the chest, and it stings almost as much as her words. “She’s the heart of this family, Darian, and you’ve broken it.”
“Fuck.” I put my head in my hands as flashes of the past few years come tumbling at me all at once. It’s images of Rosy and how her light has slowly been slipping away from her. I’ve tried to give her everything she ever wanted, and in the process, I took away what she loved most. Me.
“I think you should go,” Lindsey says softly, and I shake my head.
“Please.” My voice breaks. “Please, I need to see her.”
“Darian.” Rosy’s voice comes from behind Lindsey, and my heart lurches toward the sound.
Lindsey closes her eyes for a moment and then opens them before she straightens up. “Fix it,” she says in a low voice. “For all of us, you better fix it.”
She moves away from the door, and behind her is Rosy with red eyes like she’s been crying. The sight of her tears makes me weak, but I don’t move, afraid if I do she’ll run.
We’re silent as we stare at one another and then a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I should have known you wouldn’t give me any space.”
“Never.” I shrug, not at all sorry.
“Darian, I meant what I said. I do love you—”
“I love you too,” I cut her off, and she shakes her head.
“But maybe that’s not enough.” She looks down at the ground and sighs. “I know that what you do is important, but so am I.” When her eyes finally meet mine again, I see the tears.
“You are the reason I do the work. For us.” I can’t stand the distance between us anymore and take a step closer. “Rosy, you are the reason I wake up every day. Without you, it all means nothing.”
I shake my head as she begins to talk.
“Please, let me just say this.” She hesitates and then nods as she presses her lips together. “I thought by giving you your old life of luxury, I was somehow making up for taking you away from it. All the times you told me that you were happy to give it up, I thought about all you had to sacrifice, all we had to sacrifice when we didn’t have two pennies to rub together.” I put my hand on my chest as I feel the hollow ache clench. “Those were our best times, not because of the money, but because we had each other, and I’ve lost sight of that.”
I take another step closer, and I can almost reach out my arms and touch her.
“After I read your note, I could only think about one thing, and it was the first time you looked at me. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I could do anything. One look from you and I could take over the world and become the man I was destined to be. You gave me the courage to do that, and then without realizing it I left you behind.” I shake my head and take one small step closer. “I lost sight of my purpose, and that’s always been to love you.”
“Darian,” she says softly, and this time it’s her turn to step toward me until we’re a breath apart.
“On the way over here tonight, I relinquished my control of the company. They have everything they need to keep my work going forward, and I named Lindsey as head of operations.”
“What?” she screeches from the hallway.
“Oh my god, are you serious?” Rosy’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“You are my life, not my work. And I’m sorry I needed you to remind me of that.”
“Um, can we go back to the part where I’m in charge of something I know absolute shit about?” Lindsey says, but I ignore her because Rosy is smiling up at me.
“Promise me something,” I say as I pull Rosy against me and cup her cheek.
“Anything.” She reaches up and touches my face like she’s checking to be sure I’m real.
“Promise me that the next time you want to leave, you’ll tell me first. It will save me a lot of money.” I glance back at the bashed-in door, and I hear Rosy laugh.
“Deal.”
With that one word, I look into my wife’s eyes just before I kiss her with all the love I have inside me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me in tight as I lift her off the ground. Every part of me is clinging to her, and right now, all I want to do is find a flat surface so we can make love.
“Take it back to your house. I’ve gotta find a midnight repairman,” Lindsay says, although she doesn’t sound as pissed as she did earlier.
“I’ll send someone over,” I tell her as I carry Rosy out of her apartment and to the elevator.
“Yeah, and then send someone who can explain what the hell it is you want me to do for your company.”
I turn around as I step onto the elevator with Rosy in my arms. “Relax, it’s your company now. Do what you want.”
With that, the doors close, and Rosy and I laugh before our lips connect once more.
Chapter 13
Rosy
The morning sun tries to sneak in under the heavy curtains, but it’s still dark in our bedroom. I reach out, not finding my husband in bed with me, and for a moment my heart drops. I shake it off because there’s no way he’s not here after last night. Even as I get out of bed and feel all the yummy aches in my muscles, I know that his words were true.
After I grab my robe, I pull back the drapes, letting the light flood the space. With light landing on every inch of the room, I realize I hate this place. I think I got lost in trying to be the wife I thought my husband wanted and agreeing to that image even at the cost of what I wanted. His dream wasn't only to make it but to fit into a world that shunned him and to prove himself.
As I walk downstairs I can hear his voice coming from the kitchen. When I walk in, I see he’s got his phone pressed to his ear, and I wait there, drinking him in. It doesn’t take long, and he must have heard me because when he turns around to face me, there’s a smile pulling at his lips.
“Hold on,” he says into the phone as he comes over and gives me a quick kiss. “The twins have gotten themselves in a tangle.” He smiles against my mouth before he kisses me again.
I didn’t realize I was tense across my shoulders until they relax. I assumed it was a work call, and I get mad at myself for not trusting him.
“Why the look?” he asks before he puts the phone back to his ear.
I glance down, but he doesn't let me get away with it. He lifts my chin to look at him, and I explain. “I thought it was a phone call for work, and I’m upset I didn’t trust you. But that reaction lies with me, and I know in time it will stop.”
“I love you.”
God, he really is perfect. I hope I wasn't too hard on him by leaving, but the thing is, it’s not just us anymore. He gives my ass a squeeze and then a quick smack.
“Grab the door. Security said Lindsey is on her way in.”
I make it to the front door at the same time as Lindsey and she comes straight in, already halfway through a sentence.
“I can’t do this. That Mary is a nightmare.”