Page 60 of The Boyfriend Effect (Frisky Business 1)
“Well, aren’t the four of us quite a sight,” Rosie says, a wide smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.
Don rubs her shoulder and gives her a peck on the cheek. If I weren’t so damn happy about Wolfie’s blessing, that’s exactly the kind of thing that would have bugged me.
Maren runs her thumb over my fingers and gives me a reassuring look. She knows me so well. Too well, almost. That’s what makes us such a great team.
“You know, Rosie, we wouldn’t be here without you,” Maren says with a grateful shake of her head. “Really. Thank you for believing in us, even when we didn’t.”
“That’s my Rosie,” Don says, beaming at my grandma. “She’s a light.”
Maren squeezes my fingers. I know what she’s trying to tell me. Don’t even think about it. They’re adorable. Let Rosie be happy.
“I knew you kids would figure it out,” Rosie says with a wave.
“Your meddling says otherwise,” I say, half under my breath, and Maren swats my arm.
Rosie chuckles. “You two just needed a little encouragement, that’s all. The connection between you was plain to see. To the trained eye, that is.”
Maren and I exchange a glance. She smiles, and my heart squeezes. God, I love this girl.
“That right there, that look between you. It’s precious. Hold on to that,” Don says.
Rosie nods. “You’ll need it. Along with kindness and respect. Your relationship will suffer without them.”
Maren smiles. “Any other advice from your experience?”
Rosie screws her mouth up into a tight line for a moment while she thinks. Then it unwinds into a soft smile as she places her hand on Don’s knee. “All that stuff about how you should never go to bed angry? Bullshit. Sometimes it’s okay to sleep it off and try again in the morning.”
My ears perk up. I was expecting a generic platitude. This is genuine, coming from someone who really wants to help us.
Maren and I turn our attention to Don, who’s currently gazing at Rosie with the most admiration I’ve ever seen one person give to another.
“Always put the other person’s needs first,” he says, staring seriously into Rosie’s eyes. “Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when you think your needs are really important. Love is sacrifice, and your actions should reflect that.”
Wow. A real stunner of an answer from Don. I guess I need to give this guy more of a chance than I thought.
Rosie leans over and places a small kiss on his cheek, and Maren rests her head on my shoulder.
This isn’t the kind of family unit I ever envisioned for myself, with just me, my girlfriend, my grandma, and my grandma’s boyfriend. But right now, at this moment, the four of us feel like a family.
Of course, my family is more than this. It’s also the guys I work with—Wolfie, Caleb, Connor, and Ever. They’re my chosen family, the people I choose to be around. And Maren, well, she’s the girl I chose a long time ago.
I can’t believe how lucky I am to have her now. And there’s no way I’m letting her go.EPILOGUE* * *MAREN“I’m gonna need a break after this,” Caleb grumbles.
A very old, very heavy vanity is hoisted haphazardly over his shoulder as he follows Wolfie’s lead up the stairs. I try to stay out of their way, only jumping in to make sure we don’t do any damage to the antique, or to Riverside’s wallpaper on the way up to Rosie’s new apartment.
Rosie organized everything very neatly in preparation for the move, even offering to hire a crew. But, lucky for her, we have some beefy young men at our disposal already, the owners of Frisky Business eager to take the day off from the shop to do a little manual labor. Well, more likely it was the bribe of hot pizza and cold beer at the end of a long day that enticed them.
While Wolfie and Caleb unload the vanity and catch their breath, I pop said beers into the empty refrigerator and head back downstairs toward the truck. Scarlett stands in the bedroom, passing boxes down to Penelope as Connor slings garment bag after garment bag over his shoulder.
The apartment is fully furnished, so it was relatively easy to pack up Rosie’s life in a matter of days, putting a hodge-podge of remaining items up for sale online. Don also insisted that she didn’t need to bring any kitchenware, assuring us that he had enough for the both of them.
That’s right—Rosie is about to move in with her boyfriend.
Hayes is taking the transition pretty well, having come a very long way since his first introduction to Don. It was only a couple of months ago that Rosie sat us both down for another whiskey-infused tea-time chat and told us her exciting news.
