Page 110 of Billionaire Bachelor
We slide into a curved booth, and not even two seconds later, a waitress approaches and takes our drink orders. I ask for a bourbon, Ryan orders a gin-ginger beer concoction. Ryan leans back, arms stretched along the top of the leather.
There’s an awkward silence between us. He’s acknowledging the elephant in the room, but he’s letting me stew in it for a bit, which is fair, I suppose.
“So…you and Rosa.” His tone may seem casual, but anyone who knows him as well as I do could hear the resentment buried in his voice. “She’s the reason you wouldn’t go out with Penny’s friend?”
“Yep.” I nod. “And I know you’re pissed, but if you’re willing to listen, I’d like to explain why we kept our relationship under wraps at first.”
Our drinks arrive, so we hold off a sec until the waitress leaves.
Ryan takes a sip of his gin. “I have some questions first.”
“Okay…” I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. “Shoot.”
“At my mom’s party…you said you’d been dating for about a month. Well, when I thought about it, that would’ve been around the same time you were in Lake Tahoe, so it’s not adding up.”
“Yeah, about that…” I chug half my bourbon, relishing the burn. “Rosie showed up at the cabin the weekend she was supposed to get married. It was a freak coincidence. She had no idea I was there, and I had no idea she was coming. But for three nights of my vacation, we were at the cabin together.”
“But there’s only one bed, and you’re too tall to sleep on that small-ass couch.” A deep crease forms between his brows. “Did Rosa bunk in the living room?”
Oh, Christ. Is he really going there?
What’s the right thing to say in this situation? “No, dude, she didnotsleep on the couch, but I did give her at least six orgasms on it. Does that count?” Yeah…probably shouldn’t go that route unless I’m in the mood to get punched again.
Shit.
I look him straight in the eye. “Ryan, I will answer that question if you really want me to, but trust me,you don’t.”
“Fucking hell,” he mutters. “So, you’re saying your relationship with my sister started becauseyou hooked up with her on a weekend when she was incredibly vulnerable?Nice. Real standup move there, Logan.”
He looks like he’s about to throw down, but I probably do too after that bullshit accusation.
“Fuck you, Ry.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “My relationship with Rosie didn’t start in Tahoe. It started onthe day we met. When I look back, there were so many defining moments between us. If I hadn’t been such a chickenshit, we’d probably be married by now. Maybe even have a kid or two.”
I look up, my voice steady. “Yeah, I’ve dated other women, but Rosie’s the only one I’ve ever loved. I’ve been in love with her since we were kids, and I never stopped. How many times do I have to tell you that before you believe me? So, when she gave me the green light to take things to the next level? You’re damn right I took it. And I’m not gonna apologize for that or let anyone accuse me of taking advantage of her—which, by the way, this is the second time you’ve done that now. Rosie iseverythingto me. She has been for a long fucking time.”
Ryan exhales through his nose, clenching his jaw. Then he picks up his drink, downs it in one long gulp, and mutters, “Motherfucker.”
I scratch the side of my head. “Motherfucker…I don’t know what to say to that without looking like a complete asshole?”
“Exactly.” He scrubs a hand down his face.
I give him a minute to see if he wants to elaborate.
He sighs, setting his glass on the table. “I know you love her, Logan, and that you’d never take advantage of her. I don’t know whyI keep saying stupid shit when I’m pissed. I guess…” Ryan gestures between us. “Maybe it’s because I can’t stop asking myself why you couldn’t trust me with the truth? I understand why you’d want to keep your relationship private from the general public, but we’refamily, man. I wouldn’t have gotten so fired up if you’d just talked to me.”
“Seriously? History does not agree with you there, bud.” I arch a brow. “Ryan, I literally cannot tell you how many times I’ve tried talking to you over the years about pursuing Rosie. Every single time I evenhintedat the subject you shot me down. And I know I don’t need to remind you about how you reacted when you saw me kissing her on New Year’s Eve. Clearly, you’re still holding onto some feelings about that, considering you recently threw it in my face.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call themfeelings,” he mutters.
“Well…” I wave him off. “That night, my teenage dream of making Rosie mine went up in smoke, but not because I didn’t want her. After seeing how strongly you reacted when I finally did make a move, I backed off. Then with me being away at Stanford and the whole Flingr whirlwind…by the time things started settling down, your sister was swimming in the deep end of the dating pool.” I shrug, as if it was no big deal, but it really fucking bothered me. “I kept waiting for the timing to be right, but the odds of that happening kept getting worse. And then she got engaged, so…”
Ryan doesn’t say anything at first. Just sits there, tracing his finger along the rim of his glass.
“I didn’t know that,” he says eventually. “After everything took off…” His lips curve into a crooked smile. “You were partying, traveling, always had a gorgeous fucking woman on your arm. Hell, I was there for a lot of it, and it definitely seemed like you were living the dream, man.”
I huff out a humorless laugh. “Not everything is as it seems, Ry.”
He searches my eyes. “I’m your best friend. If you were so miserable, why didn’t you tell me?”
