Page 149 of Wild Rose
“What do you need to tell me?” he asks softly.
“Need is a strong word. Maybe you should be asking what you deserve to know.”
He drops his head with a nod. “I take it that isn’t much?”
My shoulders slump with a breath. “I fell in love with your best friend.”
He lifts his brows. “In love?”
“This is the part where you tell me I don’t know what that is.”
He runs his hand along his face like this is something he wasn’t expecting. “Have you told him how you feel?”
There’s a honk outside my cottage. I swallow. “That’s my ride.”
He stiffens. “Wait. That wasn’t what you need to tell me. There’s something else, I know there is. What have I been missing, Rose? Please just tell me so I can help you.”
“I don’t need your help,” I shout. “I needed you to listen. How can I tell you what’s going on with me when you’d just—”
“I’d what?”
“You’d just blame me,” I choke out, tears threatening.
He reaches for me, but I step back, taking off my sweater and holding out my arm to show him the scars again. “This didn’t happen here. They happened two years ago when someone came into my dorm room and attacked me and my roommate.”
He pales. “What?”
“I was able to fight him off but just barely. The only reason he stopped is because he threw me against a mirror and it shattered over me. He and his friend ran.”
“Rose—”
“My door wasn’t locked, Wes.” I shrug. “I didn’t lock it like you always told me to. I didn’t call the police, I didn’t even go to the hospital.”
“Ro.” He releases a breath. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have been there.”
“You warned me about staying safe out there. And I didn’t even lock the door.”
He pulls me into his arms, and I let him hold me for a long moment, my arms at my sides. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers.
There’s a hard knock on my door. “I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t go,” he pleads softly, holding me tight.
“I’ll miss my flight.”
He pulls back, looking at me, his eyes red. “Don’t go at all,” he begs. “I know I’ve been hard on you, but I want to make things right.”
I nod, grabbing my suitcase. “Great. You know where to find me.”
“Ro, I don’t want to lose you. I love you. We need each other.” The desperation in his voice makes me turn.
I watch him, my expression hard, and it’s not fair. It’s not the way to fix this. I release my suitcase and take a breath. “I love you too. But I can’t stay. I’ve got a plan now, I’m taking care of it.” I glance out the window. “I don’t know if New York is for me, but I’m going to get my school records and maybe .?.?. move back home for a bit. Willow will kill me since we planned on moving in together, but I can’t go to schoolandpay rent.”
He starts to argue, but I stop him. “And you won’t either.”
He smirks. “We could get our own place together here, you know? Denver’s got some great schools. Less than an hour commute.”
I give him a small smile. “Thanks, but I don’t think living with my brother in his prime is the best idea.”
