Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
IAN
“We don’t have to do this, hun.”
Rose is sitting in the passenger seat of my car, nervously plucking at the edge of her cast, a tiny worry-line etched between her eyebrows. Her shoulders are high and tight, and I don’t think I’ve seen her looking this stressed since the night I came over to install her security cameras.
I thought going to the Sleepy Hollow Food Fest would be fun for her; a way to explore more of the town, experience some of the events we have, and meet some new people. But now I’m having serious doubts about it.
When I brought it up a few days ago, Rose seemed excited. “All the local restaurants set up tables on the sidewalks downtown,” I explained, “and we can buy samples of their dishes to taste. There’s a lot of great food, the town closes down the main street so there’s no traffic, usually there are some bands playing, and all the proceeds go toward charity.”
“It sounds like fun,” Rose agreed. “Do a lot of people go?”
“Yes, especially if the weather is nice. And it’s supposed to be perfect this Saturday—sunny, but not too hot. A bunch of the guys from the station are going, so you could meet them, too.”
“Okay.” She smiled and hugged me. “I’d love to go.”
Now I’m trying to figure out what happened. When I picked Rose up at her apartment, she was smiling. But the closer we got to the small downtown area of Sleepy Hollow, the more her smile faded.
Possible explanations are running through my head—did she hurt her hand? Is she not feeling well? Did she get more bad news?
I don’t think I did anything wrong. I showed up right on time, brought a little gift—a box of truffles from the gourmet gift shop this time—and told Rose she looks beautiful. Which she does.
But I’m out of practice with this whole dating thing. So maybe I screwed up somehow.
Rose looks up from her cast, her brows arching in surprise. “What? Don’t you want to go to this? Eat food? See your friends?”
I spot a parking space just up ahead—a minor miracle considering how many people are here today—so I pull into it and put the car into park before answering. “Yes, but I’ve been before. It’s not a big deal to miss it this year. If you’re not feeling up to it…”
“I’m fine.” Another fine that sounds like it means something else.
“Rose.” She’s back to fidgeting with her cast, so I reach over to still her hand. “Something’s wrong. You don’t have to hide it from me. If you don’t feel well, or you’ve changed your mind, I’m not going to be mad about it.”
As a trio of women walk past the car, one of them lets out a sharp bark of laughter. Rose flinches and an unhappy expression crosses her face. She stares down at her lap for a few seconds before saying quietly, “I feel fine. I’m just… scared.”
Cheeks pinking up, she continues in a near whisper, “It’s dumb. It’s the middle of the day, and it’s perfectly safe. I know it is. But I can’t stop thinking…”
I cradle her hand in mine, stroking my thumb across her soft skin. “Thinking what?”
“I know it’s dumb,” Rose repeats. “But as I saw all the people heading here, I started wondering… what if he’s here? What if he sees me and—” She swallows hard. “He comes after me again?”
Ah, shit. I’m an idiot.
It never occurred to me. I’ve been out with Rose—at the grocery store, the gym, and the one evening when we ate out at D’Angelo’s—and she seemed fine. Happy. There was nothing to make me think she was scared.
But I should have thought. This is different. This is Rose going back downtown, where she was brutally attacked, surrounded by hundreds of people she doesn’t know.
I don’t think her attacker will show up, but if he does, I’m absolutely confident that I could stop him before he has a chance to hurt Rose. If not for it traumatizing her, I almost wish he would try something. I’d love the opportunity to face off against the fucker, show him what it’s like to be scared and hurt.
My teeth grind just thinking about it, sending little jolts of pain through my jaw. After I forcibly relax my jaw and take a steadying breath, I tell her, “Hun. I should have brought this up before we came here. And I’m sorry about that. But I promise—there is no way I’m letting anyone hurt you. It’s not going to happen.”
Flustered, flush deepening, she replies,. “It’s not that I don’t think you… I know you’re strong, and skilled… But what if he takes us by surprise? Or he has a weapon?”
“Rose, I’ve trained for things like that.” At her questioning glance, I explain, “You’ve seen the flashy tricks I can do, but a lot of what I’ve trained in is self-defense. Being aware of my surroundings. I wouldn’t want to be in a situation where someone has a weapon, but I’m trained to disarm them. I’m fully confident in my skills and keeping you safe.”
“I’m sorry.” Self-recrimination tinges her tone. “I should have asked?—”
“No, you had no reason to. Why would it come up? But I’m telling you now—I’ve got your back. One-hundred percent. Or, as some of my friends would say, I’ve got your six.”
I hold Rose’s gaze as I continue, “And that reminds me, some of those guys will be here, too. My friend Zane—I’ve mentioned him to you—is part of a private security company called Blade and Arrow Security. They were all Green Berets, and they’re prepared for anything. So if there is a problem, which there won’t be, I know they’ll have my back.”
Her features relax, and she gives me a tiny smile. “You mean your six?”
“Yes.” Leaning across the console, I brush a soft kiss across her lips. “So between me and all my friends, you’re completely safe. But if you don’t feel comfortable, it’s okay. We can go home. Watch a movie. Have a barbeque at my place. Anything you want.”
A few seconds go by while Rose looks at me silently. Then she sets her shoulders and her tiny smile grows bigger. “I want to stay. I want to try all the food and meet your friends and spend the afternoon here with you. Not go home and let my fear control me.”
A ball of emotion lodges itself in my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs. “Okay. Good.”
Once we’re out of the car, Rose takes my hand, tightening her fingers around mine.
As we head down the sidewalk, she looks up at me, her eyes glinting with gold and bronze and emerald. Her hair blows in the warm summer breeze, the sun catching faint streaks of red. A sprinkling of freckles dusts her nose; a recent addition after spending the afternoon in the hammock yesterday.
“I know you’ll protect me,” she says suddenly, as we’re waiting to cross the street. “I know you will. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t think?—”
“I know.” I drop Rose’s hand and wrap my arm around her instead. We’re getting closer to the crowds, and I don’t want to take the chance of someone jostling her. “You didn’t.”
She leans into my side as we walk, her arm looping around my waist. “Good.” A pause, and then with a breathtaking smile, “I trust you, Ian. And I know you have my six.”
Oh . There’s that feeling in my chest again.
A pressure and warmth that spreads through my body. A happiness that’s almost too big to contain.
There’s this certainty when I’m with Rose. A sense that this was meant to be.
A swell of emotion makes my throat go tight, so instead of responding, I kiss the top of her head. Then we continue toward the center of town, toward the cheerful buzz of people and music, and I pull Rose a little closer to me.
She tenses as we get in sight of the main street. It’s controlled chaos—clusters of people chatting and eating, tables covered with warming dishes and heaping platters of food, lines of people at each one of them. A band is stationed at the far end playing folk music with a small cluster of dancers swaying in front of it.
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
Rose sucks in a deep breath and exhales slowly. “Yes. I’m okay.” She spots a map advertising the locations of all the food tables and gestures at it. “Let’s figure out all the places we want to try.” Her voice brightens. “I’ve been craving wings. And I still haven’t tried Sweet n’ Sour. Thea said they have the best frozen lemonade.”
God . She’s just amazing.
We’re halfway through the line for wings at the Hop-less Horseman, my favorite brewpub in town, when a familiar voice calls out, “Ian. Back at those wings again?”
I glance around to see Zane approaching with his wife, Elle, tucked into his side. As he gets closer, he lifts his chin in greeting, while Elle gives me a bright smile and a wave.
“It’s only my first time through,” I retort. “What about you?”
Zane chuckles. “My second. But there’s still plenty of time.” To Rose, he explains, “The Hop-less Horseman has the best wings in town. And for Food Fest, they make special flavors. Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon marmalade. Glazed donut. So we always hit up this table at least a few times.”
Then he smiles and holds out his hand. “I’m Zane Costa. It’s nice to meet you.”
Before Rose can reply, Elle beams at her and says, “And I’m Elle. Costa. I still can’t get used to saying that. We just got married, so it’s still new. Anyway, I’ve heard all about you. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Rose goes pink, but she returns Elle’s smile with a slightly more tentative one. “Thanks. Ian told me about both of you. It’s nice to meet you, too.” After a quick pause, she adds, “I hope whatever you heard was good.”
“Absolutely.” Zane smirks at me before turning his attention back to Rose. “Since I see Ian at the gym a lot, I’ve heard all about how amazing you are, and talented, and beautiful, and how he’s?—”
“Zane.” Elle’s voice goes gently stern. “You’re going to embarrass Rose.”
His expression sobers and he looks at Rose earnestly. “Sorry. That wasn’t my intention. I’m just glad to see Ian so happy.”
“It’s okay.” Rose glances at me affectionately before continuing with a smile. “If Ian wants to say nice things about me, I won’t complain.”
“How could I not?” I kiss her cheek, feeling the heat of her flushed skin beneath my lips. “You are amazing.”
“Awww. You two.” Elle has a speculative glint in her eye, and I just know she’s already imagining me and Rose getting married. It’s this thing I’ve discovered with all my coupled-up friends. They’re inordinately invested in seeing their single friends find love.
Although…
Now I’m not single. And the idea of falling in love doesn’t seem so unrealistic anymore.
“You guys should come over,” Elle enthuses, and I can practically see the little hearts in her eyes. “We can go out to the patio, grill, and we got some new outdoor games, too. And there’s the hot tub… What do you think?”
“Thanks, Elle. Let me get back to you,” I hedge, not wanting to agree to anything that will make Rose uncomfortable.
But she surprises me again. “That would be really nice.” Rose meets Elle’s eager gaze. “If Ian is okay with it, I’d like to.”
“Absolutely.” My heart swells. “Whenever you want.”
And from there, the rest of our afternoon just keeps getting better.
At Sleepy Dogs’ table—a diner that specializes in a wide variety of hot dogs—we run into a bunch of the guys from Station 4. I had worried Rose might feel awkward around Grant, since he was there the night of her attack, but she just smiles and tells him quietly, “Thank you. I didn’t say it that night. But you were so kind. It really helped.”
Just as we’re leaving Sweet n’ Sour with our frozen lemonades, we meet up with Ben, Thea, and Laila, and Cash, Ari, and their little girl, Winnie. We all settle around a picnic table and chat for a bit—the women ooh- ing at all the cute things Winnie’s doing and talking about names for Thea and Ben’s baby, who’s due in December.
Thea brings up trivia at the Hop-less Horseman, saying to Rose, “You really should come. We don’t have anyone on the team who knows about art. We’ve got six on the team right now—me, Ben, Dave and Willow from the ambulance corps, Grant from Station 4, and Ian—but we can have up to eight. And once I have the baby, I’ll be taking some time off. We could really use you.”
When I asked Rose if she wanted to come before, she didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea, so I didn’t push. Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean we have to do everything together.
Although I wouldn’t mind bringing Rose with me, holding her hand like Ben does with Thea, and kissing her whenever we get a question right.
Man. I’ve turned into the guy I used to make fun of. And I don’t even care.
But this time, Rose doesn't put Thea off with an I’m not sure or a maybe . She says yes .
While we wander around the small craft area, Rose talks with Penny and Iris, two employees at the library. As they explain how they’re selling hand-crafted jewelry to raise money for a new computer lab, Rose immediately offers to help. “Would it help if I donated a painting?” she asks. “To sell at your next fundraiser?”
“Oh my gosh, that would be amazing,” gushes Penny. “But that’s way too much.”
But Rose insists, promising to bring one of her paintings to the library next week. “I’ll donate one of the ones from my apartment,” she confides as we walk away. “Hopefully it will bring in something decent for them.”
It makes my heart hurt a little, thinking about Rose parting with one of her favorite paintings. But I’m also damn proud of her for offering, especially given the uncertain situation she’s in.
By five o’clock, the Fest is winding down, so Rose and I start heading back to the car. She’s all smiles; a complete one-eighty from how she looked on our way here, and I couldn’t be happier.
We’re just passing by Wine and Cheese, the new wine bar that opened last month, when Rose pulls me to a stop. Her cheeks are pink—from the sun this time, not embarrassment—and she looks at me hopefully. “Do you want to stop here? And have a glass of wine? The patio looks so pretty, and it’s so nice out?—”
Sitting outside on a perfect summer evening with Rose? Sharing wine, talking, and cuddling on one of the cozy loveseats on the patio? Helping her feel safe in downtown Sleepy Hollow again? There’s no hesitation. “Of course.”
So we end up snuggled on a loveseat, Rose’s legs draped over mine. On the table in front of us, we have two glasses of Pinot Grigio and a small plate of cheese and olives—not that either of us is hungry, but just in case. The atmosphere is definitely on the romantic side, with jazz music playing softly in the background and twinkle lights draped all around the patio.
After taking a sip of her wine, Rose cuddles back against me and rests her head on my shoulder. “I had a really good time today. Even though I was nervous in the beginning, you were right. There was nothing to worry about.”
“Good.” I run my hand down the length of her hair, always amazed at how soft and silky it is. “Everyone loved you, you know.”
“They did?” There’s a hint of doubt in her words.
“Absolutely. Do you know what Cash said to me while you were talking with Ari and Thea?”
“No, what?”
“He said he thought you were perfect for me.”
Rose tilts her head back to meet my gaze. “Why? Because you’re so outgoing, and I’m the opposite?”
Her answer stops me for a second. Yes, Rose is shy, but once she opens up, she’s one of the nicest and most genuine people I know. And I watched her talking with all my friends—her friends now, too—and she was nothing but friendly.
“That’s not why. And you’re not the opposite. You talked to everyone, it looked like you were having fun, and I could tell they enjoyed talking to you.”
Pleasure curves her lips and she says softly, “Yeah. It was fun. And I liked everyone.” She pauses. “It’s different here. No one cares about my art. They don’t care about Rosalyn Spencer. Here, I’m just Rose. Ian’s girlfriend.”
A moment later, red shoots up her face. “I mean. Your friend. We never talked… I’m not trying to presume…”
My girlfriend?
Six years of avoiding commitments, and now I’m ready to jump in. “Yes. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my girlfriend. That is… if you want to be.”
Happiness chases away the darkness in her eyes. “Yes. I’d love that.”
Joy expands in my chest so quickly it steals my breath. In the absence of words, I dip my head and kiss her. I nibble and suck and trace my tongue along the seam of her lips, tasting wine and a hint of lemon and sugar.
Rose touches my cheek; her slender fingers cool and soft against the rough of my stubble.
I tease her mouth open and deepen the kiss, plunging inside, stroking her tongue with mine.
She makes that sexy little sound—half moan, half whimper—and I’m immediately hard.
As I cup her jaw, her pulse flutters madly beneath my thumb.
My body is aching for her. I’ve never wanted anyone more.
But we’re out in public, sitting on an outdoor patio, no less. So I need to reel it in before Rose realizes that we’re full-on kissing in front of at least twenty other people and gets embarrassed about it. Not that I think there’s anything to be ashamed of—we’re two adults, enjoying a romantic evening together—but I’ll do anything to spare Rose discomfort.
Once I reluctantly drag my mouth from hers, I cuddle her body against mine. So she won’t have the chance to overthink it, I jump back to the topic from just before. “Do you want to know what Cash said?”
Eyes slightly glazed, her lips still swollen and damp from kissing, Rose blinks at me. “What did he say?”
“He said in all the years he’s known me, he’s never seen me as happy as I’ve been with you.” My heart thuds hard. “And he’s right.”