Page 40 of Billionaire Bachelor
I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but that comment demonstrates yet another reason why she’s the perfect woman for me. Rosie may appreciate her designer shoes and purses, but she’s not materialistic. Never has been, and that’s so fucking refreshing.
All those nights partying with Hollywood’s so-called elite, I felt like an impostor in my own skin. I won’t lie and say I didn’t have some fun, but the constant shallowness and toxicity gutted me after a while. No matter how great my life seemed on the surface, the emptiness only grew, clawing at me from the inside out.
But I haven’t felt that darkness since the moment I saw Rosie standing on a frozen Nevadan porch, looking like my greatest dream come true. Unsurprising, considering she’s one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met. She’s always had a way of grounding me like no one else, brightening my world by merely existing.
“I really like it, Pip.”
She takes a seat on the couch, folding her legs beneath her. “Thanks. It’s funny because my last apartment was three times this size, but Ihatedit. It never felt like home to me. Julian had lived there first, and he was such a minimalist neat freak, I didn’t feel comfortable trying to add my own touches.”
I frown as I join her. “The more you tell me about this guy, the more I want to throttle him.”
God, what a prick.Rosie’s lived in this place for maybe six weeks, and it already has that lived-in feel. It’s homey, a place you’d look forward to coming home to at the end of the day. I know that’s one hundred percent her doing, and it kills me to think of that pompous ass making her feel uncomfortable in her own home. I don’t understand why she’d put up with that. The Rosie I know would never allow someone to stifle her fire like he so clearly did.
I rest my head on the cushion, turning to the side to meet hergaze. “Why did you agree to marry him, Rosie? Did you really see yourself growing old together?”
She looks down for a moment, and when she lifts her chin, her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “When I imagined a future with him, I didn’t seeanything…good or bad. It was just…blank. Maybe I should’ve taken that as a warning. I’m always planning ahead, always pondering ‘what ifs,’ but with Julian, there was this…void. I guess I convinced myself thatno brain chatter meant no impending disasters.” She scoffs, shaking her head. “I learned my lesson the hard way on that one, huh?”
I reach out, brushing my fingers against hers where they rest on the couch cushion. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Pip. Humans make mistakes. It’s one of the few guarantees in life.”
Her lips twitch into a faint, humorless smile. “Yeah, but even without the cheating, there werea lotof clues he wasn’t as committed to our relationship as he should’ve been if we were getting married.”
I tilt my head, studying her. “Like what?”
“Stupid things, really, but things that make meme.Like…even in the beginning, he never really made an effort to know me. Didn’t bother asking questions, unless the topic involved him. To this day, he has no clue how I take my coffee. Or what my favorite food is. You know how sometimes I need to step away to find a quiet place? Julian had no clue that meant I was overstimulated and needed a few minutes to regroup. I told him directly what I was doingandwhy, but it must’ve gone in one ear, and out the other. The very next time I tried slipping away, he’d follow me, demanding I come back before my supposed rudeness embarrassed him.
“He’d regularly have an excuse to avoid my family gatherings, even though I was quite vocal about how important they are to me. I’d happily hang out with him and his friends, but he’d never do the same with mine. I could go on and on, Logan. When I look back on the entirety of our relationship, it was very one-sided. But I was so lost at the time, I didn’t see the obvious.” Her gaze is raw. Searching. “Why did I let it get that far?”
“Because you give people the benefit of the doubt,” I say matter-of-factly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
She shrugs. “I still feel like an idiot sometimes.”
“Rosie,he’sthe idiot for not appreciating what he had.”
“That’s what Sylvie says. Although, she usually adds a string of expletives afterward.” She chuckles lightly, but she still seems dejected.
I pull her into a side hug, kissing the crown of her head. “The important thing is you got out, and that took guts, Rosie. You should be proud of yourself for that. I sure as hell am.”
Her breath catches, and she laughs shakily as she wipes at the lone tear rolling down her face. “Why do you always know the perfect thing to say?”
“It’s a gift.” I lean back into the couch and wink.
Rosie rolls her eyes but grins, the melancholy in her expression lifting just a little. “And then you go and ruin it by being an arrogant ass,” she teases.
I laugh. “It’s not arrogance if I can back it up, baby.”
She shakes her head, fighting a smile, then nudges my thigh with her own. “Hey, Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for always being my safe space. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that before.”
I smile softly, squeezing her hand. “Anytime, Pip. Always.”
Her stomach growls, making us both laugh.
“You hungry?”
“Starving,” she replies. “What are we ordering?”
