The Roommate Promise (Sierra Rose Ridge #1)

Chapter 1

DANI

“Holy crap, you’re the size of a house. Ow!”

I rubbed my arm where Vanessa swatted me.

“I’m not that big,” she huffed. “And you saw me last week.”

I gestured at her middle, which had expanded significantly since then.

“You popped.”

She slumped against the counter.

“That’s what Anthony said, but he was more diplomatic.”

“He’s the one who got you pregnant,” I teased.

“Auntie Dani! Auntie Dani!”

A whirlwind of dark hair and pink tulle rushed into the kitchen. I braced for impact in time for my favorite five-year-old to run full-tilt into me.

“You sound like Sofia,” I said, “but you can’t possibly be her. You’re too big!”

My best friend’s daughter giggled.

“It is me, Auntie Dani. It’s Sofia! You know me.”

I gasped in mock surprise.

“My goodness. It is you. How did you get so big?”

“I eat my vegetables.” Her serious tone melted my heart. “Sometimes they don’t taste so good, but I want to grow up big and strong and healthy.”

God, I loved this kid. Before Vanessa had Sofia, and I got to see the magic and mayhem up close, I scoffed at the idea of a biological clock. Now, a constant voice in my head reminded me I was running out of time.

I shushed my inner voice and focused on the positive. My life wasn’t what I imagined, but it wasn’t so bad.

“Are you excited to meet your baby brother or sister in a few months?” I asked.

She nodded vigorously.

“I’m going to be the best big sister in the whole world. We’ll have so much fun playing dress-up, and I can read to her. I’ll share my dollies, and I can teach her how to play all my favorite games and sing the best songs.”

“Sweetheart, the baby might be a boy,” Vanessa cautioned her.

At Sofia’s mulish expression, I rolled my lips inward to hide my laughter.

“I want a sister.”

“Brothers can be fun, too,” I assured her.

Sofia turned to me with wide eyes.

“Do you have a brother?”

“No,” I admitted. “But when I was a girl, I had a best friend who was like a brother to me. His family moved next door to us when I was eight, and he became my favorite person to play with even though he’s a boy.”

She wasn’t convinced, but she lost some of her indignation.

“Jake’s the one who taught me how to play soccer.”

Sofia’s eyes widened comically.

“You’re so good at soccer.”

“Exactly.”

She thought hard, and I congratulated myself on navigating this crisis.

“How come I don’t know Jake?” she demanded.

“He joined the army, so he had to move away.”

I didn’t think about him too much these days, though he was once my shadow. After I got a university scholarship, he dated someone who wasn’t good for him. We fought, and our friendship fizzled out after that. It was so stupid now, but time puts all things into perspective.

Vanessa interrupted my mental recriminations.

“Someone new is moving into his old house. The renter who was there moved out, and the leasing company hired Angela to clean.”

I jolted in surprise. My parents still lived in the same house where I grew up. When I was there a few days ago, they didn’t mention anything.

“I hope you’re right,” I said. “That guy has a dog who barks all the time.”

Sofia grew bored; she grabbed a juice box and returned to the living room.

“How do you feel?” I asked Vanessa. “Still exhausted?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “Now that I’m in the second trimester, I thought I’d have more energy, but not so far. I wasn’t this tired last time.”

“You also didn’t have an energetic kindergartener who’s outgrown her n-a-p, so you can’t rest whenever you need to.”

“Thank you for agreeing to watch her while Anthony works overtime. I’ll be able to work on my photo composition.”

“Of course. I’m always happy to spend time with her.”

Vanessa pressed the back of her head to her forehead and struck a pose.

“You only love me for my access to adorable children,” she proclaimed.

I snorted. It was obvious where Sofia got her flair for the dramatic.

“You bullied me into being your friend at book club long before then.”

“Bullied you? You were so pathetic all by yourself. I took pity on you, and this is how you repay me?”

“Yes, with lasagna bites and free babysitting.”

Vanessa perked up.

“You brought me lasagna bites?”

I handed her the insulated bag.

“I made extra when I was at my parent’s house because you love them.”

She ignored me as she stuffed one of the cupcake-sized lasagnas into her mouth. Her grunt of enjoyment pleased me.

“Oh my god,” she said after she inhaled it. “That’s so good. You’re going to make someone a wonderful partner someday.”

I frowned.

“I’m already a wonderful partner.”

She made a dismissive gesture and gave the mini lasagnas a longing glance.

“You know what I mean. Your forever guy.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Beau. He treats me fine.”

“‘Fine,’” she repeated. “Do you hear yourself? Anthony treats me like I’m the center of his world, and I do the same for him. Just because Beau doesn’t beat you doesn’t mean he’s right for you.”

She gripped my hands solemnly.

“You deserve better than a guy who’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that, but he’s dimming your light. You used to be full of excitement and life, and now you’re barely going through the motions. Life is passing you by.”

My hands went cold at her words.

“I’ve held my tongue for a long time because you’re an adult, but I can’t stay silent. If you want to be a mother, you need to get on it soon. This pregnancy is harder than last time because I’m in my thirties, and we’re the same age.”

I froze. We’d never talked about my growing urge to be a mother. It didn’t consume me the way it did some women, but it took up an increasing number of thoughts.

“You’d make a wonderful mother, Dani,” she continued as if she hadn’t dropped a bomb in my lap, “but I’m not sure about Beau.”

“Beau’s a good guy,” I insisted faintly.

“I’m not saying otherwise,” she placated me. “But I don’t think he’s the person you want to tie yourself to for the rest of your life. Do you want to marry him?”

I panted as if I ran three miles. Her words echoed my secret fears.

“I don’t have to get married to have a kid.”

“Married or not, the father would have a say in how your baby grows up. Do you really think he’s father material? If something happened to you, is he the person you want to raise your baby? Are you willing to let him belittle your child the way he does you?”

He said I was too sensitive. I needed him to manage my finances and make the decisions because I was too scatter-brained and bad with money. He reminded me regularly that, without him, I’d be living with my parents in my thirties. I had a handful of part-time jobs, while he had a career and a home.

“Please don’t be mad at me,” she begged. “You’re unhappy all the time, but you put on a smile anyway. When was the last time you painted?”

I glanced away.

“I’ve been working a lot. I’m always the first person they call at the Tavern when they’re short-handed like tonight.”

I sounded defensive.

“I’m sorry to bring this up when you have to go in on your day off, but I worry about you. Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not. I’m just not in a position to deal with this right now.”

“I’m sorry again.” Her tone was gentle. “You’re the best woman I know, and you deserve better than fine.”

My throat closed up. Vanessa continued as if she hadn’t upended my life.

“Just because Rosa and Sam were unlucky in love doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

I smiled faintly at her reference to the 150-year-old local legend of Rosa Delgado and Sam Thornfield. Vanessa was obsessed with the tragedy. Many of her photographs told a visual story of Rosa and Sam’s ill-fated love and heartbreak.

“You know who’d make a great dad?” Her voice was deceptively casual, and it set off my internal alarm. “Jacob.”

“Jake?” I scoffed, incredulous. “I haven’t seen him in over a decade. He’s God-knows-where doing who-knows-what. Last I heard, he was getting married, so he might have kids already. Besides, I didn’t think you knew him.”

“I was a ranch kid, and you were part of the alternative crowd, so I didn’t know either of you well,” she corrected, “but in a school our size, everybody knew everybody else. He was in sports but wasn’t a meat-head, quiet but friendly, watched out for the younger kids, and he put up with you for years.

Plus, he was tall and handsome. Of course, I knew him. ”

I threw a dish towel at her. She snagged the lasagna bites with a laugh.

“I’ve got to choose the photos for my submission. Give Sofia kisses from me. If I go in there with these, I’ll have to share.”

Her trill of laughter followed her out. Once she left, my composure cracked. I’d avoided this topic for a long time, but she was right.

Beau and I weren’t in love. After my dad got injured at the ranch, I returned to Sierra Rose Ridge.

Beau and I dated on-and-off during my dad’s recovery, but it wasn’t serious.

When his roommate’s job relocated him, Beau asked me to move in.

I was tired of living at my parent’s house, but my two part-time jobs weren’t enough to pay for a solo place and help my folks with their bills.

Now, we were more like roommates than a couple, without the freedom of being single. I racked my brain, but I couldn’t remember the last time we had sex. We hardly saw each other since our schedules were so different.

“When did Beau and I grow apart? Is it too late to fix it?”

I worked a lot, both at the bar and for my web design clients. When I wasn’t working, I helped my parents or Vanessa. On my days off, I enjoyed mountain biking or hiking, neither of which he liked. Book club wasn’t exclusively women, but he scoffed when I invited him.

He worked early mornings at the ranch, so he often went to bed before I got home on nights when I bartended. We used to make effort to spend time together, but now, sleeping in the same bed was the only activity we shared.

“Auntie Dani? Are you coming?”

Sofia’s question drew me out of my contemplation. I pasted a smile on my face and locked my challenges into a mental box. Playing with Sofia would give me time to catch my breath until I figured out how to fix my life.