Page 94 of Resisting You
Callie stood nearby holding a tangled mess of fairy lights like she was imagining all the ways she could use them to strangle someone. Probably Rosa. Even though she had known the truth from the beginning, she was still my twin. And anyone who walked out on her brother was the enemy.
Lex was circling the four tiered wedding cake he had finished decorating today, trying to look like he wasn’t eavesdropping on the slow-motion train wreck that was my personal life.
“Can we talk about the damn elephant in the room?” Cam asked, dropping onto the hay bale like it had personally offended him.
“Cam, don’t,” Lydia cautioned him from where she straightened the chairs. I glanced over at my sister-in-law to be, for once grateful that she was here. Even if I never fully forgave her for what she did years ago, writing that horrible article about me.
She met my eyes briefly and gave me a small smile.
We’ve walked on eggshells around each other for years. Maybe it was time to bury the hatchet. If I wanted Rosa to forgive me and give me a second chance… didn’t I owe that same courtesy to Lydia?
“Don’t what?” Cam grunted and paused briefly only to wipe sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “Don’t try to understand why we’re setting up for a wedding that probably won’t happen?”
Steve nodded in agreement. “And even if it does happen, none of us exactly approve of you marrying a woman who walked out on you just a few hours ago.”
I sighed and rubbed my hands across my brow. I had already explained this to them at least four times in the last two hours. But the Tripps were nothing if not loyal to each other. Maybe a product of them not always having my back means they were overcompensating now? Either way, it wasn’t exactly helpful today of all days.
“We’ve been over this. She had good reason to leave,” I grunted and slid a look at my brother.
“Then explain it again,” Cam said. “Because the way I see it, she used you to build her practice. Walked out on you at your rehearsal dinner. Broke your heart. And potentially tanked your career again.”
“First of all,” I said, “we were using eachother… or at least wewere. At first. We agreed to stay married because it was mutually beneficial. It wasn’t just her using me. She was merely the one who got caught and called out for it.”
Cam scoffed and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was annoyed at my part in the scandal or if he was still pissed at Rosa for “using” me. “And you’re planning on doing what now? Chasing her down with a bouquet of roses and a hand painted sign like this is some kind of Hallmark movie?”
“I’m thinking about it,” I muttered.
Callie scoffed, yanking a strand of lights free with unnecessary force. “You’renotserious?”
I stood up, brushing off my hands. “Not about the sign, that’s lame. But yeah. Iamserious about winning Rosa back.”
Lex walked over, clipboard with today’s to-do list pressed to his chest like a shield. “Noah, maybe just… take a breath. You’re allowed to be upset. But you don’t have to fix this in the middle of Mom’s backyard.”
“I’m not trying to fix it,” I said, even though I was—because I broke it. I brokeher.And now I couldn’t stand the thought of walking away without trying to make it right. “I’m just not ready to give up. Not yet.”
Cam crossed his arms. “Is it really worth risking your career again? The network already had a field day with your last scandal. This one? They’ll turn you into a punchline.”
Callie shook her head. “She left, Noah. She’s not answering your calls. Doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know?”
That one stung more than it should’ve. Because part of me agreed with her. Part of me wanted to be angry. To be done.
But a bigger part of me—stupid, stubborn, still in love—couldn’t stop thinking about the way Rosa looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. Or the way she laughed when Birdie rolled over for belly rubs. Or the way she kissed me like I was her home.
“She didn’t leave because she doesn’t care,” I said, voice low. “She left because she’s scared. Because people like us… we break things.”
Before anyone could respond, Lydia’s voice cut through the air.
“You’re all wrong.”
We turned.
Lydia stood at the edge of the deck, arms crossed, hair pulled into a messy bun, her expression unreadable.
She walked slowly toward me. “As someone who’s messed up a lot—both in my relationship with Cam and with you, Noah, as a reporter—I know what it feels like to let people down. I know what it feels like to screw up over and over again and wonder if you’ll ever be allowed to fix it.”
She looked straight at me. “Rosa didn’t leave because she was afraid. Or because she didn’t love you. She left because shedoeslove you. She left because she was trying to protect you.”
Silence rippled across the backyard. Even Birdie stopped chewing. “What makes you say that?” I asked.
