Chapter 46 Rosalie
FORTY-SIX
ROSALIE
Ilay in bed a week after they buried Fox and stared at my ceiling. The house was quiet. It was always quiet these days.
I spent a lot of time alone.
Colten and Jamie tried to hang out with me, but I’d told them I wanted to be by myself.
Dominic came over, but I turned him away, too.
And Ani…
I knew he wasn’t allowed to reach out to me. It didn’t matter anyway. He was getting married. The last thing I wanted to do was screw up more of his life.
Classes at Mayfair will start soon. And I was supposed to be married next weekend.
A soft knock on my door sounded out. I didn’t even look over as the door opened.
“Rosalie,” Enzo murmured.
I’d only seen him twice since the funeral. He was always working. He avoided me at all costs. I assumed he had guilt and regret like I did, but I needed him, and he was gone.
Cole still came and checked on me every night, though. He’d kiss me. Whisper to me that he loved me. Ethan wouldn’t even look at me. No one touched me except Cole. He’d kiss me, then leave.
My heart was breaking.
I didn’t speak. Instead, I closed my eyes and willed the tears to go away.
I stared up at Enzo.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
I sat up, waiting for him to speak.
He took up a spot on the edge of my bed and stared at his hands.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” he started.
My heart hammered hard at the prospect of what he was going to tell me.
He exhaled. “I-I’m calling off the wedding.”
“What?” I asked. “I-I don’t understand. You don’t want to marry me?”
He was quiet for a moment before his words came out softly. “I don’t.”
My heart shattered at his words.
“Why?” I croaked out.
“I just… don’t.” His shoulders sagged forward. “It’s not a good time.”
“I-Is there ever going to be a good time? A-Are you breaking up with me?”
“I’m not… I’m not breaking up with you. I just think we need time. My parents just died. Fox is gone. I think we both could use some time to work through things.”
I sniffled. He was right.
“OK,” I said, wiping hastily at my tears.
He still hadn’t looked at me.
“Enzo?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you still love me?” I whispered.
“Yes,” he answered softly. “I do. I will always love you, Rosalie.”
“You don’t come see me—”
He looked over at me, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “It’s hard to look at you.”
My bottom lip trembled.
“I failed you. I failed Fox. I failed us all. I’m not in a good place mentally right now. I know I’m a piece of shit. I’ve not been there for you when you needed me most, but I’m the reason you’re hurting. It’s hard to face you.”
“I love you.” I reached for him. Surprisingly, he took my hand and pressed his warm lips to my knuckles.
“I love you, too.” He kissed my hand again. “I do, Rosalie. So damn much. I just… please. I need time, OK? I think you do, too.”
“I’m lonely,” I said. “I need you—”
“I’ll send Cole up. He was ordering dinner. I’m sure he’s done by now.”
“I want you, Enzo—”
“Fuck, Rosalie,” he said a little too loudly, releasing my hand. He stood and smoothed down his shirt. “No. OK? Just… I’ll send Cole.”
He didn’t say another word. He walked out of my room, leaving me to another fresh wave of tears.
It seemed to be the new story of my life.
I stared at the book in my hands a few days after Enzo was in my bedroom.
The Missing Piece
The book Fox had given me for Christmas. I missed him so much it was making me sick. I was sure I was dying from a broken heart, but God wouldn’t take me.
I missed Ethan, too. He still wanted nothing to do with me. Wouldn’t even look in my direction. Not that I saw him often. We both stayed in our rooms. At night, I’d hear him scream. Then footsteps pounding to him. Cole. Enzo. Colten. Anyone but me because he didn’t want me.
So, I stayed in my room, alone. Crying. Choking down my own screams.
With shaky hands, I opened the book and stared down at Fox’s messy scrawl, a fresh wave of tears overtaking me.
Rosie,
I knew you wouldn’t read this right away. Do I know you or what? I assume if you’ve opened this, I’m gone.
Know that I didn’t want to leave you. I never want to be away from you. You’re my entire world, baby. You’re everything to me.
With my passing, I want you to remember what you promised me.
You need to go. You need to leave and never look back.
Go to Anson. If that’s not an option, leave on your own.
Build your life. Live your dreams. I want that for you more than anything else in this world.
Your happiness is, and will always be, my first priority.
If you look in the back of this book, you will find an envelope.
That envelope contains my will. It’s completely legal and set up with my attorney.
Sounds funny, huh? Me with an attorney. I have left everything to you.
My Jeep, my bank account, everything. It’s yours.
My attorney’s information is in the letter.
He knows to transfer everything to you immediately.
Please take it and go. Fall in love. Have babies.
Live… for me, baby. Please. I’m begging you.
And someday, when the time is right, I’ll meet you on the mountaintop. It’ll be our eternity, Rosie. You and me. Forever.
I wrote this book for you. It’s our story from the beginning to now. You need to finish writing it. I’ve left some pages blank for you to do that.
And the missing piece?
Find him. I think you already know who that is.
I love you from the moon to the stars. To the bottom of the ocean, to the depths of my soul.
Forever, Rosie.
Your Foxy
I sobbed louder, closing the book and hugging it against my body as I fell back on my mattress. The envelope fell out and landed on the floor, but I didn’t pick it up.
I curled into myself, rocking on my bed as I clung to the book.
Warm hands lifted me.
I didn’t bother to open my eyes as someone held me on their lap. I hadn’t even heard him come into my room.
“It’s OK,” Dominic’s soft voice sounded out. “It’s OK.”
I held my book tighter. It was the last thing I had of my Foxy. His last words. His last feelings.
He wanted me to go.
I had nowhere to go, though.
I was lost. So fucking lost. Everything was falling apart.
“Here,” Dominic said gently, tilting my chin up. He pressed a pill to my lips. “Take this. It’ll help.”
I was tired of being drugged and fuzzy, but in this instance, I needed the escape.
Parting my lips, I let him place the pill on my tongue. He leaned over and grabbed the water from my bedside table and put it to my lips. I drank it down, letting him thumb away a droplet after.
“This is what’s going to happen,” he continued softly. “You’re going to sleep. When you wake, you’re going to shower, eat, and then I’m taking you out of the house.”
“Where?” I asked, my voice muffled.
“I’ll take you to see your Foxy. I think it’ll help.”
I nodded. It would help. I wanted to go to the cemetery and sit with him.
“Rest,” he said, placing me gently back into my spot and covering me. “I’ll be here when you wake.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, Rosalie.”
I breathed out, really hoping he would be.
I sat in the backseat of Dominic’s car later that evening. Enzo and Cole weren’t home. Colten and Jamie were watching over Ethan. I didn’t even bother to text the guys to tell them I was leaving. I assumed they likely knew if the kings were taking me.
“I like your shirt,” Vincent said from beside me.
“It’s Fox’s. It was always my favorite,” I murmured, twisting my hand in the worn material.
“Uh, so… any new songs lately?” Fallon asked from my other side.
“No,” I whispered.
I caught Dominic’s eye in the mirror. “Do you want to listen to music?” he asked.
I swallowed. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea.
I nodded.
“What kind of music do you like?” Fallon asked.
“I-I don’t know. Rock. Pop.”
“Levin, put something on,” Vincent called out.
Levin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, grunted but quickly pulled out his phone and put on some music. He automatically connected to Dominic’s Bluetooth.
Screaming and shouting filled the car, and I blinked at the sound.
“He likes shit that screams at you,” Vincent said, leaning into me. “Feels like my dad is yelling at me whenever we’re in the car together.”
I let out a soft laugh at that.
The music pounded through the car for a few more minutes before the song changed to a classic rock song I recognized.
I drummed my fingers to it, letting myself hum. I liked this song.
“You can sing,” Fallon said. “If you want. We don’t mind. Heard you’re good.”
I swallowed and gave him a quick, nervous smile.
Vincent belted out some of the lyrics, his dark eyes sparkling as he nudged me with his elbow, and Fallon joined in.
“I know you know this chorus, Rosalie. Come on,” Vincent encouraged. “Don’t make me duet with Fallon. He’s not as good as I am.”
“Man, shut up,” Fallon said, no anger in his voice.
“Here it comes,” Vincent pressed. His eyes drank me in as I let go and sang loudly to the song.
“Whoa, fuck yeah,” Vincent pumped his fist and joined in. We sang the entire song, Fallon chiming in.
When it ended, a pop song came on that made Levin groan.
We kept singing, though.
Dominic joined in, making me smile widely for the first time in weeks. He was really good, perfectly in tune. It had to be the De Santis genes, given that Ani was amazing and Fox had been as well.
“Levin, you German dick noodle, fucking sing,” Fallon shouted, kicking Levin’s seat.
I knew Levin was the grouch of the group. He honestly scared me. He was big like his father. Taller than Fox had been and even more muscular. He rivaled his father in size.
But I knew Klaus was the same way, and he’d proven to me that he wasn’t as rough as his exterior suggested.
I didn’t think Levin would sing, but he finally did, his voice filling the car.
“Whoa, who knew this German cunt hair could sing,” Fallon whooped.
“Fuck off, dick licker,” Levin said, reaching back to slap at Fallon, who snickered.
“Dick licker? Please. I’ve seen you lick more dicks than me.”