Chapter 28
Rosa
I stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street, wincing as the sudden movement sent a pounding reminder of last night’s tequila shots straight to my skull. I didn’t even have that much to drink, but just like my mother, I’m a lightweight.
At least I had the good sense to crash in Hazel’s airbnb with her.
Being the best friend she is, she kicked Reid to sleep on the couch in the other room after he promised me Noah had been safely deposited back at our hotel room and she and I shared the bed, like we were two thirteen year olds on a sleepover.
Now I was walking the two blocks back to the Maple Grove Inn to check on my husband.
Husband.
The word still felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else. Someone responsible. Someone who didn’t wake up this morning wearing a tiara that read “Drunk in Love.”
As I rounded the corner toward our inn, I nearly collided with Noah’s mom. She was holding Birdie, in her arms, her expression tight with concern.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed. “Rosa, do you know where Noah is?”
I blinked, trying to process the question through the fog of my hangover. “Uh… in our room?”
She shook her head. “He was supposed to pick up Birdie an hour ago, but he’s not answering his phone.”
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. “That’s… weird.”
Even though we had only just eloped recently, I had known Noah for years. And he was never the guy who slept through alarms or ignored calls—especially not from his mother.
“I was just heading back to the room,” I said. “I can take Birdie and check on him.”
“Thank you, sweetie!” Marty said. “I’m supposed to meet your mother and father for lunch soon and I’d hate to be late for them. They seem like they, er, really value punctuality.”
I shifted my purse on my shoulder and took Birdie from her arms. The little guy let out a soft whine, curling against my chest like he knew something was wrong.
“To say the least,” I snorted. “It’s very sweet of you to try to get to know my parents, but it’s really not necessary, you know.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marty said. “We’re family now. Which means your parents are family, too.”
The lump in my throat grew bigger. Mine and Noah’s feelings for each other were more real than ever…
but it didn’t change the fact that we were keeping up the charade of this marriage because we both had something to gain from it within our careers.
Otherwise, we would simply be dating right now.
Just two people going on some early dates and getting to know each other. Now? Now our parents were family.
Marty reached over and hugged me, Birdie giving a little grunt between our bodies. “Do me a favor?” Marty adds. “Make Noah a hot chocolate this morning. It always was his favorite when he was hungover.”
I grinned wider. “How do you know that?”
Marty rolled her eyes. “Oh, honey. Parents always know these things. Especially when you have five kids. I’ve seen more teen rebellious years than most people.” She waved over her shoulder as she turned around and headed off in the direction of Main Street.
As I headed into the lobby of the inn, I took a quick detour into the attached cafe and was met with a woman working behind the counter with bright red hair and a brighter smile.
“Hey,” I said. “Any chance I could get an americano and a hot chocolate?” I asked, still holding Birdie, tightly against my chest.
“Ah,” the woman said, grabbing two paper cups. “You must be heading to Noah’s room.”
I blinked, surprised by her response. “You know Noah?”
She nodded. “I went to high school with him and Callie. I’m Lyla. And hey… You look pretty good for a girl the morning after her bachelorette party.”
“Thanks,” I said over the shrieking sound of her steaming some milk.
“Cute dog,” she said, leaning over to pet him.
“He is, isn’t he? Oh… wait, I wasn’t even thinking. I can’t have him in here, can I?”
Lyla waved my concern off and moved onto pressing some espresso into the filter. “We don’t get many surprise health inspector visits here, so it’ll be fine as long as we don’t make a habit out of it.” She hit the button and the strong brew of espresso filled the air.
“Are you coming to the wedding this weekend?” I asked. Even though I’d only just met Lyla, it sounded like she knew Noah pretty well.
“I’m planning on being there,” she said, popping a plastic lid on the cup and sliding it over to me. “My mom and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. My mom is Elsa… she and Marty have been best friends for decades.”
I smiled at that, feeling a calm sense of peace knowing that Noah’s mom had her version of a Hazel in her life. “Ahhh, Elsa. As in Elsa’s Piner ?”
Lyla chuckled. “You are officially a Maple Grover if you’re calling us the Piner.”
Then, pouring the steaming milk over the chocolate syrup, Lyla punched some buttons into the computer and gave me the total. I tapped my credit card to the reader and added a 25 percent tip as she placed the two drinks in a carrier for me.
“Since you have your hands full,” she added with a wink.
I made my way down the hall to the elevator and pressed a kiss to Birdie’s forehead while we ascended up. When the doors opened on our floor, movement immediately caught my eye. Down the hall, Morgan was walking toward me. Toward the elevator.
Morgan .
A slow prickle of unease spread through me as I slowly stepped off the elevator toward her.
She wasn’t staying on this floor. She shouldn’t have been anywhere near our room. And yet… here she was. Wearing the same dress as last night.
Her gaze flicked toward me, and for a fraction of a second, I thought I saw something—hesitation, guilt—before she quickly put a shaky smile on her face.
“Good morning, Rosa,” she said, walking past me to press the elevator button with a perfectly manicured hand.
My heart kicked against my ribs. This could have been a coincidence. It could have been nothing.
But something about it felt very, very wrong.
I swallowed hard, struggling to juggle the drinks and Birdie, while getting out my keycard. The light blinked green and I pushed open the door to our suite, nervous about what might be waiting on the other side for me.
I gently set Birdie down on the floor and he limped over to his water bowl and bed in the corner, taking a long drink as I set our coffee and hot chocolate onto the counter.
It was silent inside our room, but it looked like a party had taken place. Snacks were strewn across the coffee table and empty bottles of Michelob Ultra littered the floor.
I stepped deeper into the suite to the bedroom where the curtains were still drawn, the air thick with the scent of stale alcohol. Noah was sprawled across the bed, half clothed but dead to the world, his arm dangling off the edge.
Beside him, crumpled on the pristine white sheets, was a black lace bra.
A bra that was definitely not mine.
My pulse stuttered. I took a slow, careful step forward. On the nightstand near the minibar, a stack of papers caught my eye.
I picked them up, scanning the first page.
It was a contract. A movie deal, more specifically.
But not just a movie deal for Noah… but for Morgan, too.
I flipped to the second page which was a series of bullet points outlining the media strategy, not only for the movie… but for Noah.
And Morgan.
And … apparently me. For our eventual divorce.
My face went red hot. A divorce that would be pinned entirely on me.
A divorce that would paint me as an adulterer, a liar, a woman who used Noah for fame before cheating on him and tossing him aside.
I gripped the pages so tightly my fingers ached. My pulse roared in my ears as I stared down at the evidence of a betrayal so calculated it made my stomach churn.
“Noah,” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut through the fog of his unconsciousness. “Wake up.” When he barely stirred, I kicked the edge of the bed, shaking it drastically.
He groaned, turning onto his back, eyes fluttering open sluggishly. “Rosa?”
I hurled the contract at him. “Care to explain this?”
He blinked blearily at the papers, then at me. “What…?” His voice was rough with sleep and something else. Something raw. “What is… how did this get here?”
“You tell me.” I crossed my arms, my chest tightening. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re planning to destroy me. I thought we agreed to this marriage so we could each benefit. Not so you would throw me under the bus.”
He pushed himself up, rubbing his temples. “No, Rosa… that’s not the plan.”
“Bullshit.” My voice wavered, but I refused to back down. “It sure as hell looks like the plan.”
“Okay, yes, that was one person’s plan. But not mine. I’m not signing it.”
“Really?” I reached out and grabbed the papers to flip to the last page, holding my breath. Exhaling, I saw he was right; he hadn’t signed the contract yet. I took a breath, remembering Hazel’s words from last night. Maybe I need to hear him out. “Okay. So whose plan was it? Morgan’s?”
He stared at me for a long moment before sighing. “Yeah. And maybe Kristen’s? I don’t really know.”
My father’s words about Kristen being Noah’s PR agent, not mine, came back to haunt me.
I shook my head. Even though I saw the contract with my own eyes, I wasn’t sure what to feel about it. “While you’re at it, maybe explain the bra on the bed, too?”
His gaze flickered to the offending piece of lingerie, confusion shadowing his face. “That’s not—” He cut off, his brows knitting together. “I don’t know how that got here.”
“Convenient,” I snapped. “You’re telling me you don’t remember how a contract or a bra ended up in our bed the night after your bachelor party?”
“I swear!” His voice rose with frustration and he winced, clutching his head. “Rosa, I had two drinks last night. Two. There is no way I blacked out this much.”
The anger in his voice was real, but so was the evidence.
The contract. The bra. Morgan in the hallway.
I kicked a couple of the empty bottles around my ankles.
“Two drinks, huh? Looks like you had more than that here at the after party.” I shook my head, my throat burning.
“I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that you’re lying, or that you actually expect me to believe you. ”
“Call Reid,” Noah said. “Or West. Ask them.”
“It looks like your real party started after you made it back here to the room and they left.” I pointed out the mess in the living room area.
Groaning, Noah stood up and crossed to the common room of the suite. “I… Rosa, I swear to you, I didn’t do this. I had a couple of drinks and then at the club, I started feeling really weird…” His words faded off as his eyes landed on the hot chocolate on the counter. “You got me a hot chocolate?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “I did.” I glared at Noah, grabbing the full cup of hot chocolate and dumped it down the sink. “But hangover hot chocolate is for good husbands who don’t plot to sabotage me with their ex-girlfriends!”
Before he could respond, Birdie let out a weak whimper.
Both our heads snapped toward him. He was curled up near the door, his small body trembling.
“Birdie?” I murmured, forgetting about our fight and rushing to him. His breathing was labored, his little paws twitching as if he was trying to shake off whatever was wrong.
“What’s wrong, little man?” Noah sank to his knees next to me, placing his palm gently on Birdie’s belly.
Panic pushed aside my fury. “Noah, something’s wrong.” I scanned the messy floor until my eyes snagged on a large, empty bag of M&Ms. “Did he eat these?” I asked, pointing at the chocolate wrapper.
Noah pressed his fingers against his temples. “I don’t know. I’ve been here talking to you the whole time.”
Neither of us had been paying attention, but something was definitely wrong. “I think he may have eaten those M&Ms while we were fighting.”
Noah was instantly on his feet, his own anger forgotten as he scooped Birdie into his arms. “We need to get him to my brother’s vet practice. Now.”
Without another word, we bolted from the room, our fight temporarily drowned out by the one thing we still had in common—loving the little creature who needed us both.
Even if I didn’t know if I could trust the man running beside me anymore.