Chapter 14 Logan #2
“So, are you going to give me the grand tour?” I ask, flashing her a grin.
Rosie shoots me a wry look. “You’ve pretty much seen it. It’s a one-bedroom loft in the Arts District, not a mansion up in the hills.”
“Humor me, smartass,” I deadpan.
She sighs, kicking off her heels and leading me down a short hallway, that opens into a bedroom dominated by a queen-sized bed with a padded white headboard.
The duvet is soft gray, accented by a cluster of brightly patterned throw pillows, and a boho macramé wall hanging above the bed.
In the corner, a round fuchsia chair is barely visible beneath a precarious pile of clothes, at least two feet high.
“Short on closet space around here?” I tease, smirking.
“Haha,” she mutters, flipping me off. “I’ve been busy, okay?”
“Uh-huh.” I arch a brow, clearly unconvinced. Rosie’s always been allergic to putting away clean laundry.
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “At least I didn’t let the load sit in the washer for three days like I normally do. I call that a win, thank you very much.” She props a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes. “May we move on?”
Grinning, I grab her hips, pulling her into me. I kiss the spot just beneath her ear, feeling her soften under my touch. “Aw, Pip, don’t be mad. I was just giving you shit.”
Rosie sighs dramatically but smirks, taking my hand and leading me back into the hallway. She shows me a small, but modern bathroom followed by a laundry room—aka closet—before we reached the end of our tour.
“And we’ve hit a dead end,” she announces, leading me back into the main area.
“Man, you weren’t kidding. This entire apartment can’t be more than six or seven hundred square feet.”
She shrugs. “Seven twenty-three, actually, but I love it.”
I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but that comment demonstrates yet another reason why she’s the perfect woman for me. Rosie may appreciate her designer shoes and purses, but she’s not materialistic. Never has been, and that’s so fucking refreshing.
All those nights partying with Hollywood’s so-called elite, I felt like an impostor in my own skin.
I won’t lie and say I didn’t have some fun, but the constant shallowness and toxicity gutted me after a while.
No matter how great my life seemed on the surface, the emptiness only grew, clawing at me from the inside out.
But I haven’t felt that darkness since the moment I saw Rosie standing on a frozen Nevadan porch, looking like my greatest dream come true.
Unsurprising, considering she’s one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met.
She’s always had a way of grounding me like no one else, brightening my world by merely existing.
“I really like it, Pip.”
She takes a seat on the couch, folding her legs beneath her.
“Thanks. It’s funny because my last apartment was three times this size, but I hated it.
It never felt like home to me. Julian had lived there first, and he was such a minimalist neat freak, I didn’t feel comfortable trying to add my own touches. ”
I frown as I join her. “The more you tell me about this guy, the more I want to throttle him.”
God, what a prick. Rosie’s lived in this place for maybe six weeks, and it already has that lived-in feel.
It’s homey, a place you’d look forward to coming home to at the end of the day.
I know that’s one hundred percent her doing, and it kills me to think of that pompous ass making her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
I don’t understand why she’d put up with that.
The Rosie I know would never allow someone to stifle her fire like he so clearly did.
I rest my head on the cushion, turning to the side to meet her gaze. “Why did you agree to marry him, Rosie? Did you really see yourself growing old together?”
She looks down for a moment, and when she lifts her chin, her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
“When I imagined a future with him, I didn’t see anything…
good or bad. It was just…blank. Maybe I should’ve taken that as a warning.
I’m always planning ahead, always pondering ‘what ifs,’ but with Julian, there was this…
void. I guess I convinced myself that no brain chatter meant no impending disasters.
” She scoffs, shaking her head. “I learned my lesson the hard way on that one, huh?”
I reach out, brushing my fingers against hers where they rest on the couch cushion. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Pip. Humans make mistakes. It’s one of the few guarantees in life.”
Her lips twitch into a faint, humorless smile. “Yeah, but even without the cheating, there were a lot of clues he wasn’t as committed to our relationship as he should’ve been if we were getting married.”
I tilt my head, studying her. “Like what?”
“Stupid things, really, but things that make me me. Like…even in the beginning, he never really made an effort to know me. Didn’t bother asking questions, unless the topic involved him.
To this day, he has no clue how I take my coffee.
Or what my favorite food is. You know how sometimes I need to step away to find a quiet place?
Julian had no clue that meant I was overstimulated and needed a few minutes to regroup.
I told him directly what I was doing and why, but it must’ve gone in one ear, and out the other.
The very next time I tried slipping away, he’d follow me, demanding I come back before my supposed rudeness embarrassed him.
“He’d regularly have an excuse to avoid my family gatherings, even though I was quite vocal about how important they are to me.
I’d happily hang out with him and his friends, but he’d never do the same with mine.
I could go on and on, Logan. When I look back on the entirety of our relationship, it was very one-sided.
But I was so lost at the time, I didn’t see the obvious.
” Her gaze is raw. Searching. “Why did I let it get that far?”
“Because you give people the benefit of the doubt,” I say matter-of-factly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
She shrugs. “I still feel like an idiot sometimes.”
“Rosie, he’s the idiot for not appreciating what he had.”
“That’s what Sylvie says. Although, she usually adds a string of expletives afterward.” She chuckles lightly, but she still seems dejected.
I pull her into a side hug, kissing the crown of her head. “The important thing is you got out, and that took guts, Rosie. You should be proud of yourself for that. I sure as hell am.”
Her breath catches, and she laughs shakily as she wipes at the lone tear rolling down her face. “Why do you always know the perfect thing to say?”
“It’s a gift.” I lean back into the couch and wink.
Rosie rolls her eyes but grins, the melancholy in her expression lifting just a little. “And then you go and ruin it by being an arrogant ass,” she teases.
I laugh. “It’s not arrogance if I can back it up, baby.”
She shakes her head, fighting a smile, then nudges my thigh with her own. “Hey, Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for always being my safe space. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that before.”
I smile softly, squeezing her hand. “Anytime, Pip. Always.”
Her stomach growls, making us both laugh.
“You hungry?”
“Starving,” she replies. “What are we ordering?”
“Pizza work for you?”
“Pizza always works for me.”
“Pizza it is,” I say, opening the DoorDash app. Once our order is placed, I add, “Done. It’ll be here in about forty-five minutes.”
Rosie slowly inches her lips toward mine. “Feel like fooling around while we wait? You kinda owe me.”
“Owe you?” My brows lift. “For what?”
She shifts her body toward me, lifting her skirt just enough to straddle my legs. “I watched the video you sent me earlier, but I never actually got the chance to do anything about it.”
I grin. “You need some relief, Rosie?”
“I mean, if you think you can accomplish that, I wouldn’t say no.” She shrugs, feigning nonchalance, but her eyes sparkle with mischief.
“I can always accomplish that, baby,” I tell her.
There’s no doubt I want her, but I refuse to be another person in Rosie’s life who fails her. I need to make sure she has no doubt how much I value her mind and her heart, not just her body.
“For the record, Pip, I flew back early for you, not your body.” I kiss her gently.
“I know that, Logan.” She kisses me back, fingertips tightening on my shoulders as she pulls away. “The hot sex is just a bonus.”
Her words awaken something deep and primal inside of me, and I slide my hands up her silky thighs, feeling the tension in her muscles relax beneath my grip.
“Well, in that case…consider me at your service.”
The smile she hits me with is blinding. I don’t know what I’ve done to get so lucky, but I’m sure as hell not taking it for granted.
Without a doubt, Rosie is what I’ve been waiting for all these years.
Being with her on this new level makes me feel whole in a way I never have before.
I know she’s not there yet, but if I play my cards right, I’m hopeful I can do the same for her.