Chapter Eight
Rosemary
Sighing happily after a wonderful date, Rosie walked into her house and threw her keys down in the designated bowl on the table by her front door. Her eye twitched as she spotted other keys. Keys that had been there for weeks, and she had no idea how much longer they would be there for.
Every time she asked, she only got vague answers, or the date changed.
Overwhelmed by dread at seeing her parents and hearing what they had planned next, Rosie focused on something positive. Taking a chocolate from the box Louis had given her, she savoured the sweet treat. Yummy, strawberry flavoured.
Every moment with Louis was special. Unfortunately, each one got tainted.
Every time she came home, she was met with disdain.
Her parents did not approve of Louis. Too famous.
Too handsome. Too rich. Nothing he did pleased them.
They were convinced he would soon break up with her for someone better.
If not, then the travel he had to do to play away games would pull them apart.
That hurt Rosie since she was made to feel she wasn’t good enough for him.
That they wanted the relationship to fail, and they claimed more and more of her time.
The pressure from them was becoming too much, and Rosie was starting to crack.
She just wanted to come home and relax. She wanted to enjoy her dates.
But her parents’ disapproval loomed, and she craved their acceptance. They knew that and used it against her.
Cashmere rushed at her from the kitchen, rubbing around her legs for pets. Her soft fur soothed Rosie, and she picked her cat up. The scent of her fur calmed her.
“Sorry, sweetie. Your favourite human isn’t here today.”
He had dropped her off home but hadn’t walked her to the door. Knowing what her parents were doing, he had stayed in the car to avoid fanning the flames.
His sad eyes had met hers. “Please don’t let them get to you.”
Rosie hadn’t responded, unable to promise anything. Instead, she had waved goodbye as he drove away.
Her father appeared from the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe. Holding back an annoyed groan, Rosie put on a big, fake smile. Why were they still here?
That was so awful to think, but it was how she was feeling.
“And where have you been?” he asked coldly.
Take a deep breath. Don’t let them get to you.
“Good evening, Father. I went out for dinner with Louis,” she answered.
She had thought Louis was making progress with them, but all this time they had just been cataloguing things against him.
Scrunching up his face, he seethed. “You’ve been doing that a lot. Too much!” he responded. “We have come to visit you. We should be your priority. Instead, you take every opportunity to stay away from us.”
How can you not see why?
“It isn’t really a visit when you seem inclined to stay. A visit means a leaving date, which you don’t seem set on,” she reminded him.
That got her a glare in response. Rosie sighed again, but this time it was in utter misery. They had been here now for nearly a month with no explanation. Once upon a time, she looked forward to their visits. Now, they came with stress and frustration, with no escape until they decided to leave.
Being with Louis showed her what it could be like to be truly happy. That day out with Louis and his cousins had been weeks ago, and her mother had thrown a fit at seeing her muddy hair. They had invited her out again, but she had been too afraid to accept.
Like a lost little girl, she craved her parents’ love. Now, her parents considered Louis a bad influence. Nothing he did made them think otherwise. He didn’t deserve it, but they were determined to drive a wedge between them.
“What I do with my time is not for you to decide,” Rosie responded calmly, putting down Cashmere. “He is my boyfriend. I enjoy our dates and seeing him.
“I have spent time with you. Time that you dictated and you have used my home to host. I have cancelled some of my plans, and rearranged my life, to make you both happy. I have cleaned up after you. Cooked. Nothing I do for you is met with kindness and positivity. Each conversation we have, all I hear is disappointment.”
“You would not hear it so much if you were around more,” her father retorted.
“And yet you do not hear yourself,” Rosie responded.
Her inner warrior finally coming out again, starting as a calm storm that would no doubt turn fatal.
“You are never satisfied. This is my home, and I am not welcome. I cannot rest. I cannot relax. I cannot make my own choices. I haven’t even heard a hello from you yet.
“You cannot understand why I am not around as much as you like, because you honestly couldn’t care less how I feel. How you make me feel. In your world, you come first.”
That made her father laugh. “And he listens, does he? He makes you feel cherished? Positive? Loved?”
Her father stepped toward her, and for the first time ever, she felt afraid since his expression was so angry. Her feet moved, taking her backward, and he frowned at that. It did make him stop, though.
“Yes. He does. He lets me be me.”
Shaking his head, he did not seem convinced. “And where will it lead, Rosemary? Will he marry you? Do you want that? Do you want to be stuck in his life, travelling when he does, moving when he does when he changes teams?”
He did travel a lot, and she didn’t always go with the team. Rosie paused. The other point was not something she had considered. What if he signed a contract to play for another team?
He isn’t the only one that can do that, Rosie. What if you signed a new contract for a different team?
“It is too early to decide any of that,” she stated.
But the thought was now trapped in her mind. It was something they needed to discuss and see if it could work between them. Her father had now planted that dangerous seed.
“However, it is not too early to think about it!” her father snapped. “You have your own goals in life, Rosemary. He should not interfere with that.”
“And he hasn’t. Louis has been nothing but supportive, and I am sure we would find a compromise,” Rosie defended, her anger rising. Hands on her hips, she asked the big question. “What is this really about?”
Her father started to pace, which was never a good sign.
“Your mother and I are in agreement. He is not good enough for you.” His face softened.
“It is lovely that he is what you want now, but we need to think about what is best for you. Louis is not what is best for your future and will only damage your career.”
“And who is good enough for me in your eyes?” she snarled, venomously enough that it shocked her father and his jaw dropped. “No one is! You scare them all away.”
“How dare you . . .”
“How dare I?” Rosie challenged. She even laughed.
“You think you have complete say, regardless of what I need or want. You and mother CONTROL me. You always have!” Shaking her head, it was her turn to pace.
“My whole life you have taken control. I let you, like a fool, desperate for your approval. But I am never going to get it, am I?”
“That is enough!” he shouted back, spittle flying everywhere. “I am your father, and you will show me respect. You will listen. Louis Ledger is not good enough for you, captain of a successful hockey team or not. You need to come home.”
Pointing around her, she responded sarcastically, “I am home. This is my home remember?”
Eyes narrowing, he crossed his arms over his chest. One foot was tapping. “Home. Our home. Not here. We have let you travel and explore long enough. Now, it is time to be where you should have always been. By our side, helping run our company.”
Oh, this did not sound good.
She had never been aware that this was their plan, but it made sense. Her older sister was out of the picture, and her parents weren’t getting any younger. It had to go to someone. They had paid for her education and had chosen her path to be in the media and marketing.
Sudden dread rattled her bones, like an axe was about to fall. Her entire body went cold with dread.
“Why?” she croaked.
Her father hesitated. That was enough to tell her he was about to lie or only tell her a partial truth.
“The company is struggling. We need you and your expertise. Your mother and I are good at the production stuff, and keeping the staff, but we need you to make us bigger. Find us new opportunities, markets, and buyers.”
That wasn’t the whole story, but she believed him so there had to be some truth to it.
There were none of his usual tells for a lie, like his thumb twitching.
Now all the pieces were clicking together, and the jigsaw puzzle was making sense.
Why they suddenly appeared and were trying to integrate themselves in her life again.
Basically, it was to get her used to having them around again.
They had gotten her to join their online meetings, introducing her to staff and asking her for ideas. They had controlled her time, forcing her to spend less time with Louis, and in her own office. All this was because they were trying to force her to work with them.
No. For them.
“That is not my problem,” she replied bluntly.
It really wasn’t. They chose their path.
They built their way up, and it was up to them to succeed.
That was what they had always told her. She would always be grateful for what they had provided, but they hadn’t asked her to work for them.
It was expected. Her life was theirs to use. It was certainly not her own.
“It is if we lose it,” he snarled. “Think of your inheritance. Our reputation. Do you want to see us ruined?”
The company was too profitable for them to worry about being ruined, so that was just a manipulation tactic.
Calmly, she approached and touched his arm. “Of course I do not. I love you both, but what you need to remember is that I cannot just drop everything suddenly. I have my job. My life. I have Louis.”
“Rosemary, I am disappointed in you. Family comes first. It always does,” he argued.