Page 104 of Make Me Trust Again
Grinding my jaw at the annoying voice at the back of my mind, I square my shoulders and turn around.
Shadow’s fine here; she’ll come back home when she’s ready.
I walk around the cottage, ready to head back home. I should get some work done. There are a few final touches on the bathroom that need to be finished, and then I could maybe shift to the master bedroom. Mom was living at home when I got back, but with how quickly she’s been declining, she won’t be coming home again. Becky has her own place, and Matthew refuses to set foot in Bluebonnet. Might as well toss all the shit out of our old rooms and shift my stuff to the master bedroom.
What’s the point? It’s not like you’ll sleep in it.
“Fucking asshole,” I mutter under my breath, hurrying up my step, only to come to a stop when I hear a low curse. But that’s not what draws my attention; it’s the name.
“Dammit, John.”
I spin on my heels, expecting to find the man in question here, but Rose is all alone.
She hangs up the phone and closes her eyes. Her cheeks are flushed, a deep line between her brows as she sucks in a long breath and pinches the bridge of her nose as if she’s trying to calm herself.
She tilts her head back, letting the air slowly out. Her body is tense; her fingers curled around the device, squeezing it tightly to the point her knuckles have turned white. She blinks her eyes open, pressing her lips in a thin line, but it’s not frustration, but resignation shining in her eyes that pulls me in. Her pain calls to that broken part of me that wants to take it all away.
My feet move before I can think it through, eating the distance between us, and it isn’t until I step onto the porch that she finally looks up, tears glistening in her eyes.
“What. Happened?” I ask slowly, trying to hold back my frustration since it’s the last thing she needs right now. My finger slips under her chin and lifts her face. My mind is already coming up with ten different ways I can hurt her fucking ex while making it last long, so he can taste just a fraction of the pain he’s making Rose feel.
She blinks a few times, her throat bobbing as she swallows. “He’s not coming.” Rose chuckles humorlessly and shakes her head. “I don’t know why I was expecting anything else. Once again, he has ditched Kyle without an explanation or a call; hell, I’d even take a freaking pigeon at this point. He left me to deal with explaining to our son why his daddy can’t find the time for him or just keep his damn promises.” Her eyes meet mine, and this time, there is no hiding the tears. “Who does that?”
Fucking hell.
“An asshole.”
“Well, he sure as hell is that,” she mutters, her lip wobbling.
Her teeth sink into her lower lip, her nostrils flaring as she sucks in another breath.
“It’s going to be okay.” I skim my finger over her cheek. Rose leans into my touch, letting out a long breath, as some of that fire burns in her irises.
“I hate him, Chase. I hate him more with each passing day. What does that make me?”
She expects my judgment, but I understand her better than she realizes.
“Human.” I rub away the sole tear that slipped from her steel control. “It makes you human.”
Leaning down, I press my mouth against the top of her head. Rose lets out a strangled sound, her forehead pressing against my chest, fingers gripping at the material of my shirt. I grip her neck and slide my other hand to the small of her back and just hold her.
There are no more tears, but her body is tense, anger radiating off of her in waves. Her fingers grip my shirt, tugging slightly.
“—fair.”
No, it isn’t fair, and I hate that for her. For Kyle. They deserve better than that.
“Let it all out, sweetheart. I’ve gotcha.”
Her curled fist connects to my pecs once, twice. I just continue running my hand over her back, up and down.
I’m not sure how long we stay like that, when she finally starts to pull away, but doesn’t let go, not completely. “I’m sorry, I?—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I reassure her, rubbing at her stiff neck. “What do you need? There is a punching bag with your name on it in the barn if you want.”
“No, I can’t. I—” Rose shakes her head. “I have to tell Kyle, and then I have to call Becky. I was supposed to work today to keep busy while Kyle was away, but now…”
“Mom?”
