“I… I should have told you this a long time ago, but you weren’t in a good place, then time just got away?—”
“Just say it,” I said.
He sighed. “Dante Church wanted Celeste brought to the underground to be punished. Cole and I wanted to kill her ourselves. It cost us.”
I frowned. “What did it cost you?”
“Rosalie,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” I sat forward and set my glass aside.
“For not giving up Celeste, we had to give up Rosalie,” he said thickly. “We signed a contract with Church. In it, we promised to never invade Rosalie’s life. The only way we could ever speak to her again was if she made the first move to come to us.”
“You made that decision without me?” I tightened my hands into fists.
He shook his head before I could lose it on him.
“No. We made that decision together. Church wanted two bodies. It was Cole and me. You’re not part of the agreement.”
I blinked at that information.
“The thing is, we thought you needed her most, but now, you’re you, E. You’re good,” he murmured before drinking again.
“What aren’t you saying to me?”
He sighed. “Cole isn’t well. He loves Rosalie more than anything in this world. He… he was good to her. When shit happened. He was good. He didn’t “cheat”. He didn’t marry someone else. He didn’t have a baby. Not that Riot is an issue, man,” he said, looking at me quickly.
I knew what he meant. I’d made them promise to keep Laz’s parentage a secret because I was so ashamed and hurting for how he was conceived.
“I get it,” I said, nodding along.
“The thing is, I’ve been thinking lately that I can renegotiate with Church on the contract we signed. He wants two people signed to it. If he’d let you take Cole’s place, then we could let Cole try to be with her. I think if I present it to him that we neverreach out to her, and never accept her reaching out to us, he’d go for it.”
“Let Cole go,” I murmured, catching on.
He nodded, looking miserable. “Yeah.”
I breathed out, my chest aching at the possibility of letting Rosalie go for good. I suppose I always knew she was gone, but this made it final. She was married now. I had Laz. There could be hope for Cole, even if Anson was her husband. Of course, that would take a miracle.
But, fuck. I wanted to just talk to her. Just to tell her I wasn’t the piece of shit she sang about in her song and kissed in that music video. I wasn’t that guy anymore. I had become a better man.
And she didn’t know me anymore. I didn’t want her last memories of me being the sobbing guy who was afraid to touch her, who was afraid of her touch because it reminded me of my sins. Of my trauma.
I wasn’t that guy. I fucking wasn’t.
I’d killed that guy and buried him in a place I never wanted to look at again.
Cole did love her. He lived and breathed for her. Hell, he was probably Rosalie’s biggest fan.
I nodded. “I-I am willing to take his place on the contract.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I-I have Laz and a whole ass life here. You have work and no time for women. Cole… he should be free. I’ll do it. I’ll take his place.”
Enzo closed his eyes for a moment. “I’ll reach out to Church. Maybe we can get this done soon. You do know we’d be letting Cole go, right?”
“I know,” I whispered. “But I want his happiness. He’s been miserable for almost five years.”
