Jackson Hi, Mikey.
Jackson
"Hi, Mikey."
That's the sound that stops me mid-conversation with Jade, Rian, and Joseph. Three syllables, and the voice goes straight through me before my brain even catches up. Every muscle I own goes still. Across the room, Bennet has gone rigid too, stiff and lock-jawed, his eyes fixed on the door.
I can't look.
Fuck. I can't see her.
Not now. Not like this.
My attention follows him because it was always going to, because there was never a version of this where I keep my eyes in my lap. Then they land on her, and I don't have time to prepare for any of it.
Fuck me.
My breath catches in my throat. My eyes water. My mouth goes dry, and my fists clench and unclench against my thighs while every conversation around me disappears.
She's wrapped around Bennet, both arms around his neck, and fuck, those arms. They're muscular now, actual carved definition where there wasn't any before.
She's wearing black jeans, black lace-up ankle boots and a plain white T-shirt tucked in at the waist. Her hair falls loose in dark waves around her face, and there's a silver-bright streak running through them on both sides.
She's fucking beautiful.
Different. Stronger. There are changes everywhere I look, enough that I know I've missed an entire version of her becoming this woman, but she's still Rose. I would know her in any room, in any fucking lifetime.
And I'm staring.
I know I'm staring, and I can't stop because some panicked part of my brain is convinced she's going to disappear again if I look away for too long.
Seven months became ten, ten became a year, and now she's standing twenty feet away from me like I didn't spend every one of those months wondering where she was.
Bennet finally sets her down and they stand there wiping tears from each other's faces. The room descends on her almost immediately. Jade gets there first, then Blaire, Jenn, everyone pulling her into hugs one after another while I sit exactly where I am.
I haven't moved.
Where the fuck was I when everyone received instructions on what to do if Rosalie Bennett ever walked through that door again, because my body sure as fuck didn’t get the memo.
Then she turns to face me. I'm standing before I decide to stand.
I start across the room slowly, barely aware of everyone else anymore. Rose doesn't move either. She just watches me come toward her until I stop within an inch of her, close enough to see every small change I couldn't see from across the room.
I reach for her.
There isn't a discussion with myself first. No reminder of boundaries, no consideration of whether I still have the right. My hand simply comes up and cups her jaw because I've done it a thousand times before and there is no amount of time long enough for my body to forget.
Her lids flutter closed as she leans into my palm.
Jesus Christ.
I stare down at her while my thumb moves over her chin and brushes her bottom lip, and every month between the last time I touched her and right now disappears so completely it's terrifying.
"Hi, baby," I whisper.
Her eyes open and meet mine and nothing else exists. For one second, it's just us.
Then they widen in panic as her gaze darts over my shoulder, and reality comes back with a fucking baseball bat.
Rian.
My fiancée.
My fian...
My goddamn fiancée, Rian.
I drop my hand from Rose's face so fast you'd think she burned me.
Fuck.
Fucking hell.
"Rose." I take a deliberate step backward and clear my throat, trying to shove twelve months back between us after I just erased them in front of an audience. "It's, uh... good to see you."
Good to see you.
Brilliant, Marcus.
I turn and reach for Rian.
The hurt on her face is immediate, and that's a bill I'll be paying later. She covers it quickly, though, which I knew she would. Her chin lifts, her expression settles, and she takes my hand and comes toward us.
"This is my fiancée, Rian." Even saying it right now feels fucking obscene. "Rian, this is Bennet's sister, Rosalie."
Bennet's sister.
Jesus.
Rose's gaze flicks to mine for half a second.
Yeah. I heard it too.
Then I get to stand there while the two women exchange the most excruciating pleasantries known to mankind.
"It's lovely to finally meet you."
"You too."
"I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm sure."
Every word arrives perfectly polite and completely empty while the entire party pretends not to watch our little zoo enclosure.
Blaire has frozen halfway through pouring a drink.
Jenn is whispering something to Joseph without moving her lips.
Jade isn't even pretending not to stare, because subtlety has never interested her.
Bennet is looking directly at me with an expression I refuse to translate because I'm fairly certain it says the fucking look, asshole.
Excellent.
Glad everybody's having fun.
Rian survives another thirty seconds before giving Rose one final, "So nice to meet you," that convinces absolutely nobody in the building and excuses herself to the bathroom.
I watch her go, then I look at Rose.
Nope. Can't do that either.
I just head for the kitchen. Beer is not going to cover this shit.