Page 44 of Roses for Rosie

I gape at the ring. It looks real, but it can’t be. Adam just called me last night. We talked about planning a trip to New York to see the Rockettes for Christmas. He didn’t say anything about Scarlett. Breaking up with me to get back together with her seemed like the farthest thing from his mind.

“It’s real, darling.” She pauses and then laughs. “Don’t be so naïve. You didn’t really think he was serious about you?”

“He said as soon as he got back…”

“Adam says a lot of things. He’s a weaver of fiction. Sometimes I think he doesn’t understand the difference between the stories he writes in his silly little books and the fabrications he tells about real people.”

“But he promised.”

“Talk is cheap. When I told him I am pregnant and the baby is his, he flopped right over on his back and let me rub his belly like a puppy dog.”

My heart drops out of my chest and lands with a thud somewhere in the basement.

Pregnant. She’s pregnant? Scarlett Smith is carrying Adam’s baby? I can’t compete with that. I shouldn’t compete with that.

It’s his right, his responsibility, to do right by this unborn child. Any decent man would. It’s just plain wrong to lead me on though. At least he could hold off on proposing to her for a few hours until he could break up with me. It hurts that he took her back so quickly and without telling me.

How could he talk to me last night on the phone like nothing had happened? Does he think this news doesn’t merit mention? He’s going to be a father. His entire life was flipped upside down and he didn’t even bother to tell me.

This news impacts my life too, not just his. The life I thought we would share together is shattered. My dreams of our future together melt away, puddling like an old ice cream cone at my feet.

Sadness turns to indignation as Adam’s betrayal sinks in. He says I deserve better than the life I have with my father. What does he think better is? A life where the man I love makes promises he can’t keep? Does he think waiting around for him while he sleeps with women like Scarlett is better? Does he think he can have both of us and a baby too?

At least what I have now is honest and true. Taking care of family is nothing to be ashamed of.

Scarlett is still staring at me, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

“You didn’t really think he was going to settle down with a girl like you, did you? He was slumming it, playing house with the sweet girl next door, biding his time until I came back. That silly fight we had was just a bump in the road. It wasn’t even a break-up. The tabloids just needed fodder for a slow week. You shouldn’t believe everything you read.” She holds her hand out to admire her ring, twisting her hand back and forth to catch the light.

I can’t believe I was naïve enough to fall for Adam’s whirlwind romance. Looking back it seems obvious. The idea of me and Adam as a couple is ludicrous. We don’t make any sense. We are too different.

Of course he didn’t really break up with Scarlett. They are too perfect together, two perfect specimens of human being. I bet their baby will be blindingly beautiful. I picture his ice blue eyes and her gorgeous blonde hair melded together in a cherubic face.

“Poor little Rosie,” Scarlett mocks. “Get back to your pathetic little life and leave Adam alone.”

She turns and walks out the door, letting it bang behind her.

Chapter 22

Adam

I collapse on the bed in my hotel room. I couldn’t even tell you how many cities I have been in over the past three weeks. I lost count days ago. This tour is a whirlwind of competing events and appearances, readings and industry gatherings, meetings with publishers and producers. My head is spinning. All I want to do is go home.

I let my imagination wander for a moment, thinking about home. Rosie is the first image which pops up. I can’t wait to see her again. Just the thought of her beaming smile directed my way lifts my spirits. Maybe I could get her to meet me at the airport. We could reverse the roles of our last airport meeting, her waiting for me at baggage claim and my face lighting up when I see her.

In the scene in my mind, I walk right up to her and pick her up, swinging her in a circle before pulling her close and kissing her. I can practically feel her body against mine now. Her soft warm curves melt into my larger frame, the top of her head nestles under my chin.

That is just the beginning of the reunion I am planning though. There will, of course, be roses. So many roses. I already called the florist and arranged to have her fill every room of my house with vases full of roses. When I take Rosie back to my place from the airport, she will be greeted with the sweet perfume of dozens of flowers.

I don’t plan to let her linger very long over those lovely bouquets though. We are heading straight to the bedroom where I plan to keep her for at least twenty-four hours. My body craves hers like it has never wanted anyone before. It’s going to take a long time for me to feel satiated.

I might never get my fill of Rosie, actually. I could sleep with her every night for the rest of my life and still not get tired of her. Her body is smoking hot, but I can find that anywhere. Beautiful women are a dime a dozen in the circles I socialize with. Rosie is so much more than just a nice set of tits.

I love talking to her, hearing her perspective, listening to her stories. She challenges me and makes me think. She opens up new possibilities and makes me see the world in a different way. Her optimism and positive attitude drag me back from taking my life for granted and make me remember how fortunate I am to be as successful as I have become.

I wish I was in my bedroom, showing her how much she means to me right now, but I’m stuck here for another few days. The best I can do right now is call her. I pick up my phone and hit her name in my contact list, eager to hear her voice.

“What?” she asks, her voice hard and cold. Her tone is so different from the Rosie I know that I hold my phone away from my ear and check the screen to make sure I dialed the right number. Her name is displayed in big bold letters.

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