“I was scared of you. Of your life. Of-Of the woman you were with. I didn’t want to bother you. You left me. I-I thought that spoke volumes when you went with Enzo and left me behind.”
“Fuck,” he snarled softly. “Didn’t want to bother me? Rosalie, we have a fucking kid together. It’s not a bother. This shit is just wild. I’m trying to cope with the suddenness of it. You should have fucking told me! Goddamnit.” He released my face and wiped at his eyes. “I have missed my daughter’s birth. Her first birthday. Her first day of preschool. Ballet recitals. All of it.”
“You left me, Cole. You still keep leaving me,” I snapped at him.
“How am I leaving you? I’m right fucking here!” His blue eyes flashed with his words. “I fucking kidnapped you, for fuck’s sake. I’d like to think that voices my feelings a lot fucking better than anything I could ever say to you!”
“What are your feelings?” I asked.
He let out a soft huff of air. “They don’t fucking matter anymore. You’re married. You’ve replaced the guys and me. Right now, all I’m concerned about is our daughter’s stability. You have enough cock, don’t you think?”
My face heated at his words.
“You’re a fucking asshole,” I said, my voice shaking.
He stared back at me, a muscle ticking along his jaw. “You fucking replaced us. I held off, wanting you. Loving you. Andyou fucking replacedme. I never replaced you. I didn’t keep your daughter from you either. And I sure as fuck didn’t dump Foxy in the ground and walk away without looking back and marry some giant tatted prick bastard who beats the fuck out of someone you said you loved!”
His words were a slap in the face to me. I blinked back tears rapidly.
“Nice,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “Thanks for telling me.”
He exhaled. “Those… Those are my feelings. You asked. Now you know.”
I wanted to leave the room, but I had to endure because Ellis would come running back any minute.
“I-I have other feelings, too,” he continued. “I’ve been thinking all day about them.”
“What?” I asked, sniffling.
“You’re gone a lot. I’m really not. I can take Ellis, so you can travel and work?—”
My heart thudded hard.
“No. You’re not taking my daughter.”
“She’d have a good life with me?—”
I got up from my stool and grabbed my crutches.
“Where are you going? I want to talk about this— ” He reached for me.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” I said softly. “Or I will beat the fuck out of you with my crutches.”
He frowned and released my arm. “Where are you going?”
“I am going upstairs. Take the cookies out of the oven. We’ll try this again tomorrow.”
“You’re going to keep Ellis up there?” he asked, his voice shaking.
“We had a movie night planned anyway, and it’s getting close to her bedtime.”
“Rosalie,” he choked out. “I-I…”
“Save it. We’ll try again tomorrow.” And with those words, I hobbled away from him.
After Ellis went to bed,I lay next to her. We’d spoken to Evan, Anson, and Klaus, and the three had put on a production of The Three Little Pigs for us, complete with pig noses. Klaus doubled as the wolf and had ears. Ellis had laughed, and even I’d cracked a smile despite being upset about Cole.
Evan asked me what was wrong, but I told him we’d talk later, and he accepted that.
