ROSALIE
Isat on my bed, watching as Ellis danced around. Her nails were sparkly pink, and she insisted I send pictures of how they turned out to Cole. I did, and he was quick to call her.
I knew he was in a hurry because he told her that he loved her nails and couldn’t wait to see them when he got home. He’d disconnected the call soon after.
The effort he made blew my mind.
Or maybe it didn’t.
I knew how much Cole wanted a family. It made me feel guilty that I’d kept Ellis away from him, but in my defense, I had no idea what was going on in his life and wanted her safety above all else.
So when Ellis finally went to sleep, I wandered downstairs. Ryder had fallen asleep on the foot of my bed, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him. The nails he’d picked out looked incredible, and I loved them.
I was wearing my short sleep shorts and a white camisole. I’d put my hair up into a high ponytail and pushed my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers.
Ryder had brought us a few things to eat since I didn’t feel comfortable eating anything the guys had purchased. Knowing my current favorite ice cream was cookies and cream, Ryder had made sure to get me a small container of it.
I pulled it from the freezer and sat at the kitchen island, eating it slowly, thinking about the song “Gun-Shy.”
I didn’t even realize Enzo was here or that he had company, but I found out soon enough when he came out looking heart-stoppingly gorgeous in an all-black tailored suit. A pretty woman with blonde hair, in a red dress, came out with him. Judging by where they’d come out of, it had to have been his office.
My heart jumped into my throat, and my stomach turned at the sight of the pair together. I had no idea who she was, but she clearly had a thing for him as she wound her arm through his and smiled up at him. Judging by his not pulling away, I knew the feeling could very well be mutual.
They laughed together but stopped as they spotted me sitting at the island.
“Sorry,” I muttered, wiping the ice cream from my mouth. “I-I didn’t know you had company.”
“Who is this?” the woman asked, looking to Enzo as he stared at me. His dark eyes ran up my bare legs and paused at my chest before he looked at my face.
“Uh, this is Rosalie,” Enzo said, clearing his throat. “Rosalie, this is Jade. She’s my assistant.”
“And probably future Mrs. De Luca if the evening goes well,” she said, laughing.
Enzo’s brows crinkled at that as she swept toward me.
“You’re the singer,” she said, eyeing me.
“Um, yeah. I’m just visiting?—”
“Of course.” She gave me a big smile.
Enzo’s phone rang, and he sighed.
“I need to take this. I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving me alone with her.
“I saw your video,” Jade continued.
“Oh? With Fabian or Riley…?”
“The sex video with Enzo,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
I swallowed. “That was a long time ago. We’re… we’re barely friends these days. I’m just visiting Cole.”
“Right.” She tittered. “Let me make something clear to you. I don’t know why you’re here, but Enzo is mine, got it? You had your time with him. Now it’s my turn.”
“Uh, OK. Well, congrats on that,” I muttered, clutching my container of melting ice cream.
“I don’t think he’d want you these days anyway,” she continued. “You’re a bit… used, aren’t you? He was bored with you and left, right? Found someone else to marry? She passed, and he’s been lonely ever since… until me. Now I get to keep his bed warm while you’re just an old sex tape to him.”
