72. Enzo
SEVENTY-TWO
ENZO
S omething was wrong. She walked into the house with her eyes rimmed in red and wearing a gorgeous cocktail dress I knew she didn’t own. I watched as she clutched a dark folder to her chest. I nearly went outside and pulled her from his car when they’d parked. It took everything I had not to.
I wish I had because she’d been crying, and I wanted to know why.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking her into my arms.
“It’s been a long day,” she answered, hugging me back as Anson stepped past us.
Based on his shoe removal, I assumed he would stay, which wasn’t unusual as of late.
He gave me a curt nod before going upstairs, presumably to see what everyone else was doing or go to the bedroom we’d let him stay in when he was here.
I hoped, at some point, he would see Dominic so they could form a decent relationship.
Cole, Fox, and Ethan were working in the basement, and I’d only come up long enough to wait for Rosalie to come in when I got a notification someone was in the driveway.
“What can I do?” I pulled away and cradled her face. “Tell me.”
She exhaled and stared up at me with glassy eyes. “I-can we talk? Just me and you?”
“Absolutely,” I said softly, taking her hand in mine. My heart was thundering in my chest, but I forced myself to remain calm as I led her upstairs to my bedroom and closed the door.
She sat on the edge of my bed with the folder still in her hands.
I went to my knees before her and stared into her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Sunshine? Talk to me.”
She licked her lips, her jaw quivering. She placed the folder next to her on the bed.
“I, um, I have to tell you so many things, Enzo. I’m just scared of all of them.”
“Tell me,” I urged gently, taking her hands in mine. My pulse thundered in my ears as my anticipation cranked up.
“Will you be my secret keeper again?” She looked at me, a tear slipping past her dark lashes.
“I will be anything you want me to be. Talk to me.”
“You can’t get mad, either.”
I studied her for a moment. I knew I could be volatile. I didn’t want her to be afraid to talk to me. It gutted me to think she could be frightened of me. That was something I didn’t like.
“OK,” I agreed, hoping to manage what I agreed to. I frowned as I stared down at her freshly manicured nails.
“You got your nails done,” I commented, taking in the soft pink color, tiny diamonds, and little hearts on her fingers. “I didn’t know you were going to do this today. And your dress… it’s new?”
She nodded and sniffled.
“Did Anson do this for you?” The thought of another man doing this for my girl twisted my stomach. “If you need clothes and things like this, baby, just ask. It’s yours?—”
“It wasn’t Anson, Enzo,” she broke it.
“Then who? Did you have an appointment for the nails?”
She shook her head and pulled a hand away so she could wipe at her tears again.
“Rosalie, you’re scaring me,” I murmured. “You’re not yourself. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t want to keep secrets from you.” She finally looked at me. “I hate not telling you. I told myself I wasn’t going to, but I’m here. I’m not a liar, so you need to know.”
“What happened?” My mouth went dry as I stared back at her.
“We were practicing today. There was a moment when we stopped and just talked. I was having a hard time with a song. I was stressed out about everything. I lay on the stage and stared up at the ceiling. I just… breathed.”
I frowned but didn’t interrupt her.
“Anson lay next to me. We talked about things. About him. Me. Us. ” Her voice cracked on the last word.
Fucking hell. Not this again…
“Did he kiss you? Touch you?” I tried to control myself. I told her I’d not be mad, but fuck, that anger was starting to blossom. We’d told that fucker countless times she was off-limits. She even promised…
I steadied my breathing and forced myself to stay on my knees. The alternative was killing the prick down the hall.
“No,” she said. “He didn’t. I just… I almost did, Enzo. I want you to know that I’m struggling. I care for him. You need to know that I do.”
I breathed in and out several times, willing myself to relax. “I know you do.”
“I told him, again, that we’re just friends. Unless you and Cole agree to it?—”
“We will never agree,” I broke it. “Ever, Rosalie. Don’t fucking make us. Please, fucking don’t do that to us. Cole would completely lose it. Fox and E might be good with it, but it’s all or nothing. Right now, you have nothing. Do you understand?”
She nodded and wept softly.
This was fucking killing us. I couldn’t take him away. I couldn’t keep her from him. The most painful thing was knowing she was hurting because my Sunshine loved with her whole heart.
“It’s so hard to hear you tell me these things and then know tomorrow he will take you away.
That you’ll spend hours together. You’ll be close.
And you’ll be thinking about him. It’s fucking tearing me apart inside,” I admitted in a wavering voice.
“How would you feel if you were me and the guys? You were pissed about E and Macy. About Celeste. About random women. How do you think we feel? Is it fair to us?”
“It’s not fair,” she whispered. “It’s not. I hate myself for it. If I could turn everything off, I would in a heartbeat. I’ll do better. I promise.”
I sighed and squeezed her hand. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
” I tilted her chin up so she was looking at me again.
“And I fucking love you. I love our family. I want nothing more than to be your husband, the father of our children, and everything you need, even be your secret keeper.”
“Really?”
“Without a doubt, Sunshine. My whole heart and soul belong to you. I won’t punish you for loving someone. I won’t. That would be wrong of me. I only beg of you not to do anything. You can love whoever you want to love. I ask that we’re the ones you be with.”
“OK,” she agreed. “I’m yours.”
“Mine,” I whispered fiercely to her. “Always mine.”
“Do you promise?”
“You know I do, Sunshine.”
She gave me a watery smile and wiped at her tears again.
“There’s more I need to tell you.”
Fucking hell.
“OK. I’ll be good,” I promised gently, hoping to keep that promise. Already I wanted to punch Anson in the fucking face. Or worse, put a bullet into his skull.
“I saw Matteo De Santis today.”
I froze at her words, not quite sure how to process them.
“He’s the one who had my nails done. Who bought me this dress,” she continued. “I told him I didn’t have money but would pay him. He said no. H-He likes me. I think we’re friends.”
I was still trying to compute her words and couldn’t find my own.
Finally, I came out of my stupor.
“Matteo De Santis is a dangerous man, Rosalie. Very fucking dangerous.”
“So are you,” she whispered.
I closed my eyes at her words, hating the comparison.
“There’s a difference between us. I would never hurt you for gain. He would.”
“I don’t think he’s like that?—”
“He fucking is!” I shouted, my anger bubbling over. I got to my feet and paced the room. I was beyond pissed. How fucking dare Anson let her be around that fucking monster. I continued my angry stomp, all sorts of ideas going through my head.
I finally turned to her to see her staring fearfully at me. Quickly, I approached her and cradled her face with both hands, forcing her to look up at me.
“Tell me again who you belong to,” I whispered.
“You,” she answered back, her voice wavering. “Fox. Cole. Ethan.”
“If something were to happen to you, do you know what would become of us?”
A tear dropped onto my hand.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ve been stupid and selfish.”
“We all have,” I said thickly. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath.
“I love you, Rosalie. With everything I am or ever will be. You are the woman I want to grow old and die with. I want to share my life with you. With the guys. Have beautiful babies and watch them grow. We can’t fucking do that if you’re harmed. ”
“I know,” her voice wavered. “I-I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have gone. He’s so kind to me. I trust him. I trust Anson.”
I closed my eyes and focused on not going straight to Anson and punching him in the face. Or worse. I had half a notion to end his life and send his body back to his old man, but I didn’t because I knew what that would do to Rosalie.
“I trust Anson, too,” I finally said. “I trust he cares about you and will protect you. I do not trust Matteo De Santis. Please, do not go to him again. Promise me.”
“I promise,” she answered.
“OK. No more. You call me next time Anson needs to meet with his father. Deal?”
“Deal,” she murmured.
I’d started to calm down, but I knew I’d still have that talk with Anson, so we were on the same page.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said, kneeling before her. “I don’t like the secrets either. I’m sorry if I get angry, but I fucking love you and need you more than my next breath. I worry.”
“I know. I love you, too,” she replied.
“Is that all?” I ventured, hoping she wouldn’t drop another bomb on me. I was surprised I’d lasted as long as I had without tearing into someone.
“I, uh, the meeting tonight,” she said, her voice taking on that tremble that put the fear of god into me. “I told myself I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but I think you should know, but you have to promise not to say anything to anyone. Not until I decide.”
My mouth went dry. I nodded wordlessly as she handed me the folder. I opened it and stared down at the contract in front of me.
Millions of dollars were being offered for my Sunshine, my girl. Her dreams were sitting in the palms of my hands. My pulse roared in my ears as I stared dumbly at the words on the paper.
She’s going to leave me.
She’s going to leave us.
This is happening. Fuck. It’s happening.
I closed the folder and looked at her. “Are you leaving us?”
“No.” She widened her eyes at me. “If I take this, then yes, but not forever. I’d be recording, doing concerts, and traveling, but we’re still together. Alex said I could wait until after the wedding if I wanted. We’d be married and everything.”
I nodded and stood. Her eyes followed me as I sat beside her on the bed.
I hated the following words out of my mouth, but they needed to be said.
“If this is what you want, then I support you.”
“Really?” She crinkled her brows at me.
“Yes, Sunshine. This is your dream. We’ll figure out how to live it together. I-I can be here working. You can be singing and traveling. We can make it work. I just… Fox will get drafted professionally, too. You’ll both be gone. It’ll just be…different, but we can do this. I know we can.”
She threw her arms around my neck and sobbed softly. I closed my eyes and held her back.
“I was so scared to tell you. I thought you’d be mad,” she choked out. “About everything. I’ve just been so lost lately. So scared.”
“I know, baby. I know. I’m sorry I haven’t been a better man for you,” I murmured as I held her in my arms. “We can do this. I know we can. When you’re ready, you can tell the guys.
Whatever your decision is, I’ll be at your side.
We all will be.” I kissed her soft lips. She fell into it immediately.
And that was all it took. I was done for. Everything else washed away as I put her on her back. Carefully, I took off her panties and dress before I pushed into her body, groaning softly against her lips as I made love to her. Not fucked her. Loved her. Like she deserved.
Because Rosalie Bishop was my girl, there wasn’t anything that would ever change that. Not even a fucking record contract or Matteo De Santis trying to weasel his way in.
Or even the monster down the hall I’d eventually deal with.