Page 69 of Kiss From A Rose

"For what?"

He licked his lips. "Miss Rose gave me money to pay rent so I didn't have to move in with Lilah 'cause she has Grace, and the place she lives in is really small. I don't know what we would've done without her help."

My Rose and herbigfucking heart. She'd taken five thousand dollars; that's all the money she had, at least that's what she thought, and she'd given some of it to this young man.

The truth was that I had fucked upbigtime again and again; because if it was just here and there, Rose's big heart would've forgiven me. But in the past two years since the kids left, I decided to push harder and longer at work instead of talking to her about what it meant to be empty nesters. And for what? Money? Prestige? What? And did any of that matter if Rose wasn't waiting for me at home?

I knew the answer to that, which made me a bigger ass than I'd realized.

I clapped Edgar on the shoulder. "No thanks needed, son. You help out a lot around here; you earned that."

We talked about all the things we’d need in the coming days to get this project underway and after Edgar headed back to the B&B, I stayed, watching the waves crash against the rocks below.

For the first time since Rose left, I felt a deep sense of purpose. This was more than just a project; it was a chance to contribute something lasting and show her that I was here to support her in any way I could.

I turned and saw Mike in the garden, looking down at the beach. I walked to him.

"Mike."

He turned and nodded. "Gray."

"You still pissed at me, son?"

He looked surprised that I was taking the bull by the horns. The one thing I'd learned since Rose left was that not saying things didn't help a situation; it only worsened it. Pretending everything was alright had broken my family—I wasn't doing that shit anymore withanyfamily member. Mike was important to Willow, so he was important to me.

"Yes, sir."

I nodded. "I’m grateful for your support of my wife, for helping Willow, and for making all of us realize how badly we messed up with Rose."

I could probably have knocked him down with a feather; he looked so surprised.

"I'm going to tell you what I told my kids: that I'm going to do better by Rose and by our family." I was learning new skills for a man who never apologized and bulldozed his way through life, ignoring the difficult things and avoiding conflict. That didn't mean I was good at it, yet, 'cause this shit was hard.

"What does doing better mean, sir?"

Mike wasn't lobbing softballs at me. I was glad. I needed to be held accountable. I now had Dr. Ogle and apparently Malou, but it didn't hurt to have more people.

"I've taken a temporary leave of absence from work."

He stared at me, his surprise clear.

I grinned. "I haven't told Willow yet. Jude knows. I've got someone else acting as president and CEO. I'm here for six months…to start with." The way Rose was, I didn't think six months would be enough to win her back. Right now, a lifetime felt too short. She wasangry, and I didn't know how to handle this version of Rose. She had always been so pliable and easy that this new personality trait of hers was taking some getting used to. The odd thing was that I liked it. I felt like if she talked about how she felt and I could tell her how I felt—maybe the marriage we could have now would bebetter, more solid, one where we both were standing on equal footing. Because it was plain to me that Rose felt she had to work harder and be better to be accepted by me; while I felt I deserved it all for just being me. I was an entitled son of a bitch; no questions about it.

"It's hard to believe," Mike spoke slowly, "'cause you're a workaholic."

"I'm also fucked because I can't live without my wife. If there was a choice to make between work and Rose, she'd always win."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "I never expected this. When Willow told me you'd be here with Jude, I thought it was going to be the same kind of shitshow Thanksgiving was."

"We've come a long way this past month."

"Thanks for telling me," Mike said politely. "I like your wife very much. I wish I had a mother like her."

I chuckled. "You and me both. Now, I was wondering if you have some time tomorrow morning to help me put up a wall."

He looked at me quizzically.

I patted his shoulder. "Let me show you."

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