Chapter 77
Chapter seventy-seven
Once they arrived, there was no stopping Meredith and Imogen. They sped off as soon as Billy parked the car and it was safe to get out.
“I guess it gives us a moment without eyes on us,” Rosa said from the back seat behind Billy. Their eyes met in the rear-view mirror.
“Two seconds...” Billy grinned before she also jumped out of the car. Instead of heading inside, she ran around the front of it to the opposite side and climbed back in, this time in the back seat, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Billy.” Rosa laughed, but the sound disappeared when soft lips pressed against her own. Rosa meant to resist, but her body didn’t agree. Her arms rose and her fingers slid into curls as she melted into the kiss.
“I did brush my teeth,” Billy teased before kissing her again.
It could have been seconds; it might have been hours—Rosa lost all track until something, somewhere inside her, pulled her back to reality.
“We have to stop, otherwise—”
“Otherwise?” Billy prompted playfully.
“Otherwise, I won’t want to, and that could lead to all kinds of trouble.” She smirked and grabbed Billy by the lapel, yanking her forward until they were a breath apart. “But I want to…just so you know. I don’t want you to ever stop.”
“I get it.”
Billy’s eyes bored into her own.
“When you look at me like that…” Rosa closed her eyes. “We have to go.”
“You’re right.” Billy sat up, straightened her shirt, then reached out and wiped the corner of Rosa’s mouth where her lipstick had smudged. “Have I got it on me?”
Rosa laughed and dug out a tissue, wiping the evidence from Billy’s mouth.
Stopping for drinks seemed like the perfect reason for why they’d taken so long to get there, not that anyone seemed to notice. They were both too busy fussing over Schultz, who looked like he might be enjoying the attention a little too much.
“Good to see you awake, Schultz,” Billy said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
“Good to be awake…wasn’t so sure for a moment if I would be.” He chuckled and coughed.
“Don’t overdo it, love,” Meredith said, already leaning over him to wipe his face.
He turned to her and smiled. “I won’t.” His attention turned back to Billy, with Rosa standing there by her side. “Thank you for coming, all of you.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Imogen piped up. Her hand still wrapped around his as though she were afraid to let him go.
“How are you feeling?” Rosa asked.
“Oh, tired mostly,” he said with a smile that echoed the words. “It’s normal, I’m old and had a heart attack.”
Meredith gripped his hand harder at the words and caught Rosa’s eye, holding it long enough that Rosa understood.
The fear of losing someone you loved was unbearable, and she felt a sudden need to touch Billy.
With everyone’s eyes now back on Schultz, she risked it.
Just her little finger, moving out to touch whichever part of Billy was closest. From her peripheral vision she saw Billy, still focused on Schultz, but Rosa felt it as fingers touched and twisted around one another for just a moment, the unspoken words of, “I’m here,” etched in both minds.
She watched and listened as Meredith, Imogen, and even Billy, jumped in and out of the conversation, optimistic about the situation and talking about the things they were going to do.
Every word of it solidified in Rosa’s mind that she wanted Billy. Not just her life as her daughter’s other parent, but something more—something lasting.
“Mum?”
Rosa shook herself from her thoughts. “Sorry, what?” She felt a little dazed at her own realisation—so out of it she hadn’t noticed anyone was speaking to her.
“Gran asked if you wanted to go and get lunch with Ma and we’ll stay with Grandpa?”
“Oh.” Rosa looked up and found every pair of eyes on her. Meredith’s held mischief, Schultz’s looked tired, and Billy’s looked concerned. Imogen gave her that teenage stare that said, “You’re embarrassing.” “I’m…yes, sure, we can…” She looked at Billy again. “Yes, let’s do that.”
“Okay.” Billy turned and smiled at the others. “I guess we’ll get lunch. Want anything brought back?”
Three heads shook.
“Alright, then, see you in a bit.” Billy kept smiling until they were out of the room. “Are you alright?” she asked Rosa.
Rosa stopped walking. “Yes.” She nodded then blurted, “I want to marry you.”