Chapter 30 Ethan #2
“And that’s how you hooked up with Klaus,” I finished.
She laughed softly. “Yeah, that’s pretty much the timeline. Then I met Dante, spent time with him and the family, Ani came to get me after Dante and I came to an arrangement, and that’s it. Here I am.”
“So where does Evan come into all this?”
“Colorado,” she murmured. “Uh, we stopped there on our way to California. I promised Fox I’d go see the mountains.”
My throat tightened at the mention of Fox.
“It’s where I met Evan. And the rest is history,” she finished.
“Love at first sight,” I said.
She nodded. “Love at first sight.”
“Wow. Do you think Fox sent him to you?”
She laughed softly at that, seemingly sad. “Yeah, Foxy had a lot to do with Evan.”
“Can I… see this guy? A picture of him or something?”
She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “No. He likes his privacy.”
“Rosalie, come on—”
“I like that part of my life to be private. I don’t break promises to him.
He’s my world, Ethan. I love him so damn much.
I just… I can’t break a promise.” She hugged herself, and I knew just by her reaction that this wasn’t some silly Hollywood marriage.
This was the real deal. She truly loved this Evan guy.
“I would like to meet him,” I continued gently. “I don’t want our friendship to cause any rifts.”
“He knows everything about you already.” She looked at me. “He does. He’s OK with you and me being friends.”
I studied her for a moment before deciding that if she was good with it, then I would be too.
“So you married this Evan guy?”
“Yes.”
“Why not Anson? You guys made a lot of sense.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Evan asked first.”
I nodded. “Guess that makes sense. Was Anson upset?”
She shook her head. “No. We spent the night together on my wedding night. The three of us. He’s happy. We all are. My three guys and I.”
Three guys. She had three guys. We’d been fucking replaced.
My throat was tight. “It seems like it all worked out.”
She shrugged and looked out the window again.
I’d somehow taken this conversation to a place that seemed to hurt us both.
I didn’t like that I’d done that. She was the last person I ever wanted to hurt, but damnit, I had to know what she had going on in her life.
I was desperate to know her again. Even the painful parts.
“Is one of your band the other guy? That Cas guy?” I ventured. I figured if I was going to hurt my feelings, I may as well get it over with.
She laughed softly. “God no. There’s no way I could handle Cassius. Hex is a superior grouch ass. There’s just no way.”
“Is it Riley?”
She gave me a smile. “No, it’s not Riley.”
I nodded and looked at my hands.
She reached out and placed her hand gently over mine.
“Klaus,” she murmured. “He’s my third.”
I closed my eyes. Klaus Seeley. Of-fucking-course he was. He’d left Chicago around three years ago. Levin said he was headed to California for work. He needed to get out of Chicago after everything. That he had a security firm out there and was doing real estate.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if Rosalie was the reason for his California retirement. Now it was confirmed. I suspect Enzo wondered too, but he never said anything, probably because he was trying to protect me and keep Cole from losing his mind completely.
“Only three?” I asked, looking over at her. “Do you have plans to add more?”
She reached out and cradled my face. “Maybe.”
“Really?” My heart jumped in my chest. I hadn’t meant me, but if she were offering…
Fuck, there was no way in hell. None. I couldn’t leave my life. I was meant to replace Cole on the contract if Church would allow it.
“Yeah, but we live very different lives. I don’t think it would work out. I’d never ask you to leave your life.” She stared at me.
I placed my hand over hers on my cheek before wrapping my fingers over it and bringing her hand to my lips. I kissed her fingertips gently.
“I know,” I whispered.
“Unless you wanted to.” She winced.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” I choked out. “I do. I fucking do.”
I dragged her over to me, my heart thundering in my ears. I ran my nose along her jaw and breathed her in.
She raked her fingers through my hair as I rested my forehead against hers.
“I-I can’t though,” I finally rasped. “I want to, but I-I can’t.”
She crinkled her brows and pulled away from me. “Why?”
I licked my lips.
Fuck.
“I-I have a secret.” I swallowed hard.
She stared back at me before taking my hand in hers. “I have a few myself.”
I laughed sadly. “More than the ones you already told me?”
She nodded.
“Fuck.” I closed my eyes to gather myself. “Want to make a deal? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“I-I can’t tell you.” She winced.
“I can’t tell you either.” I let out a bitter laugh. “So what do we do, sweetheart?”
She sighed. “I want to tell you, Ethan. God. I do. If I tell you one of them, do you swear never ever to tell another soul? Ever? Even if you decide you don’t want me, you never tell. Promise?”
“On my life.” I crossed my fingers over my chest. “I would never tell.”
“I-I have… I have…” She winced, her breathing picking up.
“Hey,” I murmured. “Rosalie. Sweetheart. It’s OK.” I reached for her and pulled her close to me. “Whatever it is, it’s OK. I promise.”
She shook in my arms, making me frown.
Finally, she pulled away and brought her phone out of her purse. I watched as she thumbed through it for a moment before wiping her tears. I didn’t interfere. Whatever this was, she could tell me at her own pace.
“Here,” she whispered, handing me her phone.
I took it and stared down at the image of a beautiful little girl with long, blond curls. I frowned at the image. Blue eyes. A playful smile. In ballet gear, with a pretty little crown atop her head. She had to be Laz’s age.
“Rosalie?” I looked from the picture to her.
“That’s my daughter.”
I widened my eyes at her before looking back at the image. She looked like Rosalie, but she also looked like…
Fuck. I couldn’t say it, so I said something else instead.
“Is she… Klaus’s?”
She ducked her head. “No. She’s mine. I-I guess I had some wild nights after everything.”
“Rosalie.” I lifted her chin so she was looking at me.
“Don’t tell,” she whispered, knowing that I knew that little girl belonged to Cole. I knew about what happened in that bathroom the night at the club when Cole had gone after Klaus. “Please.”
My heart ached. She was Cole’s baby. Neither of us said it, though.
If she wanted to go with her story, I’d accept it.
But fuck. Cole would lose his mind. All he wanted was a kid.
He treated Laz like he was his. Always teaching him stuff.
Reading to him. Singing. Watching movies. Throwing footballs.
“What’s her name?” I asked.
Rosalie wiped at her eyes. “Elissandra. We call her Ellis.”
I nodded. The name Cole wanted for a daughter.
Damnit, Rosalie…
Fucking hell.
My phone buzzed loudly, startling us. We both jumped, and I swallowed thickly before grabbing the damn device and answering it.
“Hello?”
“It’s after one in the morning, prick. Why aren’t you home?” Cole’s voice came over the line. Rosalie backed away and got out of the car. I watched her walk along the edge of the lake, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
“I’m busy,” I said.
“Yeah, you get your cock sucked? Fuck that bitch you’re with?”
“Man, stop,” I snapped at him. “I’m not fucking anyone. I’ll be home later.”
“You have a kid, man. A son. He doesn’t need some random cunt coming into our home. Enzo said you’re not home yet—”
“Cole, fucking stop!” I shouted, punching my steering wheel. “Fuck, man! Stop!”
He went silent as I breathed heavily.
“I’m not out getting laid.”
“You’re at the lake. I can see you on the map.”
I sighed. “I am. We came out here to hang out. We ate some pizza, just talked, and then we’re going to head back. That’s it.”
“Emily,” he scoffed. “Generic bitch name.”
“Cole,” I warned.
“Will you be seeing her again?”
I let my head fall back against the seat. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
“So you do like her.”
“I do,” I admitted. “But I don’t think it’s going to work out.”
“So you’re letting Rosalie go too? Is that it?”
I stared out at Rosalie as she wiped her eyes.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think I have to,” I whispered, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
“You and Enzo… fuck you both.” He disconnected the call, leaving me in silence.
I took a moment to steady myself before I got out and went to Rosalie. I tilted her chin up and stared down at her.
“I’m proud of you,” I whispered. “You have no idea how much.”
She sniffled as tears trickled down her cheeks.
“I can’t leave. We’re not those people,” I continued.
“I know,” she answered back softly.
“I’m a dad too.”
She blinked at me. “Enzo’s son.”
I stiffened but nodded tightly. “He counts on me. I can’t leave him. I won’t leave him. I love him more than anything in this world.”
“I understand,” she said thickly.
“I won’t tell your secret.” I thumbed her bottom lip. “And I will always be there for you. I swear it.”
“I know,” she replied, her bottom lip wobbling.
I leaned in and brushed my lips gently against her forehead before I said to hell with it. This may be my last shot to ever taste her.
I kissed her lips, willing to back off if she wanted me to, but instead, she parted her lips for me and let me sweep my tongue against hers.
She kissed me back, and it was like I was raised from the dead. Every emotion surged to life inside of me.
She was it. She was the one.
I knew it in high school, and I fucking knew it now.
I deepened the kiss, pulling her against me as she twisted her fingers into my hair. Were this another life, I’d have laid her in the sand and claimed every part of her body, but this wasn’t that life.
This was this life.
And in this life, she was married and had a whole new life that I wasn’t part of.
I broke off the kiss, both of us breathless.
“Our secret,” I whispered against her lips.
“Our secret,” she replied softly.