She shook her head. “Fox is dead.”
“What’s the matter with you?” I frowned as she pulled away from me.
“I-I need to go. I have another show tomorrow, and I’m tired.” She started to walk away from me, but I caught her hand and tugged her back.
“Hey, what’s up with you?—”
“He’s dead, Ethan. Let him rest in peace. It’s what he’d want.” She stared up at me, her voice shaking. “That life is dead. It’s gone. Move on from it. Please. If you aren’t coming with me, then please, I’m begging you to let Fox go too.”
I stared down at her. This wasn’t right. Fox was the love of her life.
“No,” I whispered. “Never. I will never let him go. He will always be with me. In my heart. In my head. In the fucking nightmares that I force into good dreams. One where he’s playing football, taking bubble baths, writing his stories. One where we’re all still together, and you’re married to Enzo, you’re smiling, you’re-you’re having my baby.”
She sobbed softly and hugged herself.
“Please,” I whispered. “Understand?—”
“I need to go. Please. Take me back.”
I stared down at her before nodding. “OK.”
Gently, I helped her back to the car before I turned my phone off. The tracking on the car wasn’t superb and wouldn’t pinpoint me anywhere specifically. Hopefully.
Her phone rang, and she stared at the screen for a moment before answering.
“Hey, Evan,” she said softly.
The deep rumble of a man’s voice sounded out, but I couldn’t make out anything he said.
“Yeah. I’m OK. I know. I’m sorry. Mhm. Yes. He’s taking me back to the hotel now. OK. Yeah. That’s a good idea. I will. I love you, too. Bye.” She hung up and stared out the window for a moment before speaking.
“Can you drop me off at Brewsters? It’s not far from the hotel I’m staying in. Ryder is going to meet me there to take me inside. Evan said Ryder told him there are loads of reporters waiting for me still.”
“Likely think you’re out with Enzo,” I muttered, since that damn video was out there in the world.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
We didn’t say anything to one another after that until we were back in the city.
I drove her to Brewster’s coffee shop, pulled up to the front, and put the vehicle in park.
“Rosalie, I don’t want this to be goodbye,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “And I don’t fucking want you walking. I can drop you and Ryder off.”
“It’s not far away. You can watch us from here,” she said, looking at me. “We won’t be walking. Ryder would never do that, especially with everything going on. He takes care of me.”
“I don’t want this to be goodbye,” I repeated, wincing at how affectionate she sounded about him.
“It’s not.” She gave me a sad smile. “You have my number and my secret.”
“I’d never blackmail you,” I said sternly.
She laughed at that, making me wince.
“I was a stupid kid back then,” I muttered, thinking about how we’d gotten her in the first place.
“I’m glad you did.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “We’ll talk soon.”
“Promise?”
