by K. G. Reuss
“Daddy loves you, Blossom. I’ll be back tomorrow.” He didn’t move except for his slow, deep breathing and his thumb making gentle circles on the cotton fabric of her hospital gown.
Fuck.
If I had any doubts about Cole, they ended in that moment. I locked eyes with Enzo who gave me a slight nod, acknowledging the same thing I had.
Cole would be OK. We just needed to keep him sane until Rosie woke up. Each of us had a little piece inside us that only she could calm. We were a tangled, fucking mess without her. My worry was Cole would lose his shit, and we’d never get him back. I knew he and Enzo were up to something, but deep down, I didn’t even want to think about it. I had shit with Juliet to sort out, and I just needed my Rosie back to soothe the ache in my heart.
After they left, I stayed with Rosie, holding her hand. I wasn’t sure what the fuck I was going to do. All I knew was I had this deep fucking trench in my heart only she could fill. I’d do anything for her, even go back to Juliet if it meant Rosie would be safe from Juliet’s vicious plans for just a little while longer. Even though I’d agreed with Enzo earlier, I was desperate for Rosalie to tell me what I should do. I meant what I’d said when I said I’d let her make the choice. I wanted shit out in the open.
I’d even let her read all the messages from Juliet on my phone if she needed to.
I reached out and grabbed my notebook. I released Rosie’s hand to take my pencil. Frustration was my new friend. I clenched my teeth as I scratched words onto the notebook paper.
I had to get this shit out of my head. Without Rosalie to talk to, all I had was the paper, so there I sat, scribbling furiously in my own notebook. It was a diary of stories I’d kept since I was a kid. Or at least one of many. I’d filled countless notebooks with poetry, songs, and stories over the years, most of them involving a beautiful, fiery-maned girl who I just couldn’t get out of my head or my heart, the years between be damned.
The soft beeping of the monitor sounded out around us as I wrote the story of our first kiss. Whenever she woke up from this current hell, I had every intention of telling her how I’d felt when we were kids. About how much that innocent kiss had meant to me. Then I’d tell her about the first time I’d kissed her when we were older and what it had done to my heart. I just wanted to make sure I had the right words for when that moment came. Even if she changed her mind about everything, I needed her to know.
“Hello, Fox,” Mrs. Bishop called out softly as she and her husband stepped into the room. She went to Rosalie’s side and kissed her forehead. “How was she this afternoon?”
“Good.” I snapped my notebook closed and glanced at Rosie’s dad as he stood at the foot of her bed. I was positive his guilt was eating him alive. I’d always liked him. Stern. Strict. No-nonsense . . .but a decent man who’d made some bad decisions.
Join the fucking club.
I turned my attention back to Mrs. Bishop as she stared down at Rosalie, tears in her eyes.
“She looks so pale,” she murmured. “And I hate the sound that machine makes.”
“That machine is keeping her alive,” Cole’s voice called out as he stepped into the room.
Fuck.
Enzo must have lost track of him.
“Cole,” I growled, rising from my seat and going to him as Rosie’s mom opened her mouth in surprise. “Not here. Not now. Not again. Please, man.”
“No, let him say his piece,” Mr. Bishop finally said, drawing himself up to his impressive height. “I’m interested in what he has to say. Our conversation was cut short last time.”
“Mr. Bishop, I really don’t think now is the best time. Rosie—”
“Rosalie is having my baby. When she wakes up and gets released, I’m taking her with me. As far as I’m concerned, you can go to hell. You’re the reason she’s lying in this fucking bed in the first place, you asshole.”
I thought Mr. Bishop would launch himself across the room at Cole.
Instead, he nodded. “You can’t make me feel worse than I already do. You’re right. A lot of this is my fault. I wasn’t the greatest father to her. I never listened to her troubles or encouraged her in the things she loved. I even denied her those things, and because of it, this happened. You can blame me. I accept that. I know I pushed her out when she needed us the most. If she’ll ever even speak to me again, it’ll be a miracle. If she loses her b-baby. . .” his voice cracked, and his eyes misted over. “Well, I’ll blame myself for that too.”
Cole glared at him for a moment before tearing his gaze away and peering at Rosalie. His bottom lip trembled. “I’ll never let anyone hurt her again. Ever. That includes you.”
The silence in the room was palpable. I rested my hand on Cole’s shoulder.
“We should go, so Rosie’s parents can spend some time with her,” I murmured.
Cole nodded tightly before moving to Rosie and bending down. He whispered something in her ear I couldn’t hear before kissing her cheek and stepping away. I watched his back as he left the room before I leaned over to kiss Rosalie too.
“I love you, baby. I hope we get to talk tomorrow. I’ll dream of you tonight.” I backed away and gave her parents a nod before disappearing from the room.
Cole leaned against the wall outside, a muscle thrumming along his jaw.
“What the fuck, man? Really? You needed to do that shit here? Tonight? Again? We talked about this!”
He didn’t say anything, only shook his head and let out a scoff.
Enzo joined us in the hall. “I’d ask where you went, but judging by how the fuck this looks, I don’t need two guesses.”
“He decided he wanted to confront Rosie’s dad in her room… again. Nice, huh?” I shot a sour look at Cole.
“I’m leaving,” he grunted, storming away from us.
Enzo and I exchanged quick looks before jogging after him into the elevator. I ground my teeth as Cole pulled out his phone and texted someone.
“You can’t be doing that shit, Cole. Especially not in Rosalie’s room,” I started. “Everything is a fucking mess right now, and that shit isn’t helping. They could stop us from seeing her. They could decide not to tell us what’s going on. Is that what you want?”
The elevator doors opened, and Cole stormed out. We followed him outside.
“Fucking say something! Don’t just walk away—” I reached out and grabbed his arm.
He spun and threw a punch, landing it hard on my cheek. I let out a snarl and shoved him. Enzo was between us within seconds.
“You don’t know what the fuck it’s like,” Cole rasped, breathing hard. “Rosalie is having my baby. My kid! I don’t want any mother fucker causing her an ounce of pain. I’ll fucking kill someone. Again.” His chest heaved as he glared at me.
“I understand,” I said softly.
“You fucking don’t. You just fucking don’t.” A tear leaked down his cheek, his bottom lip trembling. “I have a chance to have a family with a girl I’m head over heels for. I can’t lose that. I won’t. It doesn’t matter who it is that gets in the way. I won’t allow it. I-I killed for her. I fucking ended someone’s life for her. Do you understand how fucking deep I am in with her? With our baby? I don’t give a shit if that’s her old man up there in my way. I’ll fucking end him too.”
“Easy, man,” Enzo said gently. “We know. We get it.”
Cole’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he shook his head. “I’m sorry. This entire thing has made me insane. I’m barely holding on here. It makes it worse that I have no idea what version of Rosebud is going to wake up. Will it be the one who still wants us? Will she hate me for leaving? What if she doesn’t want me anymore? I know I sound nuts, but man, it’s a big possibility. Ian fucked her up. You know he did.”
“She’s going to want you, Cole. For fuck’s sake, you’re the father of her kid. She wanted you before this. She’ll want you after. Worrying about it won’t change a damn thing except make you feel out of control, and we don’t need that shit
from you right now. OK? Tomorrow is a new day. They’re going to take Rosalie off the machines. Her testing went well today. We might be talking to her by this time tomorrow. Just focus on that and not the other shit,” I said.
Cole nodded. “Fine. I’ll try.”
“Come stay at my place tonight,” Enzo murmured, reaching out for Cole and pulling him in for a one-armed hug. “We can unwind. I’ll talk to my dad. If he’s cool with it, and I think he will be, we can start getting things for the guest house. It’s a little on the bare side right now since we don’t use it. And the beds are shitty.” Enzo glanced over his shoulder at me as he released Cole. “You too, Fox.”
“I’m in. And I really want to see what the fuck an Alaskan king bed is.”
Enzo grinned and winked at me. “You’re going to love it."
Fourteen
Enzo
After a long night of arguing over everything from which color comforter Rosalie would prefer to leather reclining couch versus a pull-out sofa, we finally settled down in my bedroom to sleep.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Cole called out as Fox grabbed a sleeping bag from my closet.
“Getting ready for bed?”
“Listen, I don’t know if I punched you in the face too hard earlier, but let’s take a minute to think this over. We’re all going to be sleeping in the same bed at some point, right?”
“I’m not going to let you spoon me, fuck face,” Fox snorted.
Shaking my head at their banter, I glanced at them from where I sat at my desk trying to find sheets that would fit the big ass bed I’d ordered a few minutes ago. Cole snatched the sleeping bag from him and chucked it back into the closet.
“Then let Enzo, dick wad. But don’t you think we should get used to it? I know I’m not planning to let her sleep alone.”
“She won’t be alone,” I called out. “I’ll be there.”
Cole shot a triumphant look at Fox. “See? Enzo knows what’s up.”
“I do,” I added, enjoying the look on Fox’s face. “Should I get you some sexy underwear while I’m buying sheets?” I smirked at him.
“Yeah, make ‘em fucking pink and lacy, asshole.” Fox stomped over to my bed.
I hid the smile on my face as he tugged the covers back and crawled into my king size. With a low growl, he settled in.
“Don’t grab my ass, Scott. I’ll return that fucking cheek check you gave me earlier.”
“Like I’d want your ass, Evans. I’d fucking break you.”
Fox shot him the finger without turning over to look at him. I chuckled at their exchange. We were almost back to normal with two exceptions.
Ethan and Rosalie.
We’d have them with us soon. I knew we would. Ethan had slept most of the day. Personally, I thought he had too many pain medications, but I was no doctor, and I knew he was in pain, so I let it slide. The bitch of the situation would come later when it was time to get him off the meds. Not a feat I looked forward to.
When I’d shared my concerns with Fox and Cole, they’d agreed. Both were worried about how this shit would go down. It wasn’t like we were brand new to the subject of Ethan’s drug use and depression.
My attention was drawn back to Cole who was sliding into bed next to Fox, a mischievous grin on his face. I smirked, knowing what Cole was up to.
Fox let out a squeal as Cole sidled up behind him and wrapped him in a bear hug before finger blasting his belly button. I couldn’t stop my laughter as Fox fell out of bed and landed on his ass. Cole snickered so loudly I was sure my father’s men downstairs could hear him.
“Asshole,” Fox grumbled, getting to his feet and shooting a half-assed annoyed look at Cole. But there was relief in the look.
I knew what he was thinking. Cole would be OK as long as we could keep his mind off shit.
Fox slid back beneath the covers and turned to face Cole. “I’ll shave your fucking eyebrows off, man, if you do that shit again.”
Cole snorted and shook his head before settling against his pillow, leaving a good six inches between them.
Quickly, I added a pair of large, pink, lacy panties for Fox as a joke to my online cart and checked out, before shutting down my computer and turning off the lights. I got into bed beside Cole.
“You should sleep in the middle. You’re less likely to grab my ass,” Fox grumbled from his side.
“I’ll do just about anything for twenty bucks, Evans. And that includes grabbing your ass,” I said, burrowing beneath my sheets and letting out a contented sigh. It had been a long day. Sleep was a welcomed reward.
Fox grumbled something incoherent which made me and Cole laugh.
“It’s going to be OK, right?” Cole mumbled softly into the darkness a moment later.
“It will be,” I assured him.
The mattress shifted on the other side of Cole. Fox must have rolled onto his back.
“We have Juliet to deal with. And I guess we’ll know more once we hear from Rosalie,” Fox murmured.
“Fuck Juliet,” I grumbled. “Let her make her move. We can certainly handle a fucking cheerleader.” I still hadn’t told Fox about my current role in the matter as assigned by my father.
Fox was always trying to quell the waves within Cole. He didn’t need to break his ass to do it with me too. This was my life. I was a mobster’s son. I wanted this now. I needed the control. To be in charge. The entire situation which had left me feeling helpless had ultimately led me to feeling powerful. To being powerful. I couldn’t let it go for anything. I wanted to take down anyone who crossed me. I’d been far too nice for way too long. That shit was over now. It had taken me the last few days to come to that conclusion. I didn’t have an out. I never did. Thinking otherwise was foolish.
“Then we should get this shit over with.” Cole let out a soft, bitter laugh.
“You know what I told you,” I said. “We have a plan. Let’s stick to it.”
“I could always just go back to Juliet,” Fox mumbled, ignoring my comment. “I’d do it if it meant keeping her off everyone else’s asses, especially Rosalie’s.”
“And we talked about that already,” I pointed out. “It’s stupid.”
“You know where I stand.” Cole’s voice came out with a hard edge. “All she has to do is make one wrong move. I won’t fucking hesitate.”
“We should sleep.” Fox shifted again. “We have a long day tomorrow with Rosalie. Oh, and Ethan wants us to grab him more fruit too."
“I got him another basket in my car.” Cole sighed. “He’s a freak of nature with his fruit obsession.”
“He told me that at one time it was the only thing he could steal to eat,” I said softly. “I think it’s a comfort and control thing for him.”
Cole shook his head. “Poor fucked up bastard.”
“He’s gotten a lot better.” Fox paused. “Did you guys see the scars on his legs today when they tried getting him out of bed?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know it had gotten that bad,” I said into the darkness.
“He’ll be fine. He’s made it this long.” Cole tugged the blankets closer.
“I think he’ll be fine too. He might need some help, but that’s what we’re for.”
The blankets shifted back down the bed.
“Listen, Fox, I need to be fully covered at night. None of this kicking blankets shit,” Cole grumbled.
“I hate being hot,” Fox complained. “Why the hell do you have thirty fucking blankets on your bed, Enzo?”
“There are two,” I called out. “And a sheet. These blankets cost more than your wardrobe, Evans. Be gentle.”
“Eat me, De Luca.”
I laughed.
“I’m going to have to get my own damn blanket. Enzo, come on, dude. Why are you taco-ing into this shit like an Italian burrito?” Cole tugged uselessly on the blanket and let out a sigh.
“My bed. My rules.”
Cole punched his pillow and grumbled, “I don’t think the Alaskan kin
g bed is going to be big enough.”
“It’ll get way hotter in here once Rosalie and Ethan join us. Best get used to it, fellas. But I’ll do some research to see if there’s a bigger option.” I released some of my blanket, and Cole immediately tugged it to himself.
“Dibs on sleeping next to Rosie,” Fox called out with a yawn.
“Fuck you, Evans. Rosebud is sleeping next to me.”
“I’ve loved her longer. Seniority rules,” Fox argued.
“She’s having my baby.”
“Shut up, you assholes. My bed. My rules, remember? I’ll get her first.” I grinned as they argued, citing reasons why they should be able to hold her at night.
“But speaking of the baby, we’re going to need a nursery,” Cole said softly.
“We can set up a crib in the corner of the second bedroom. Let that room technically be Rosalie’s and the baby’s,” I suggested, picturing the logistics.
“And I’ll stay in there with her and the baby,” Cole said smugly.
“No, we’ll all take turns helping her with the baby because we’re in this together, one big happy family. Besides, she’s not due until summer, and we’ll be leaving for college soon after the baby is born,” Fox was quick to correct him.
“So the baby won’t need anything too elaborate in the guest house then. And when we look for a place close to the college, we’ll make sure to get a place big enough that everyone can have some private space to escape to, plus a nursery, and a room for our big ass family bed,” I said, thrilled to be making decisions in the best interest of my family.
The room finally grew silent. I heard Fox’s deep breathing as he fell under. Cole soon followed suit. I shifted so I could grab my phone off the dresser and opened it to my gallery where I looked at a photo of Rosalie and Ethan. They didn’t know I’d taken the photo of them. They were in the hallway at school. Ethan held her close when they thought no one was around. It was right before Ethan left for rehab. But I was Lorenzo De Luca. I was around that day. I was every-fucking-where.