Page 63 of The Contractor's Rose
His reply came less than a minute later. First, a photo of what Ithinkwas his muddy work boot half-submerged in some kind of trench, accompanied by a frowny face selfie where he looked way too handsome to be covered in concrete dust. His hair was windswept and his shirt was clinging to him in all the right ways.
GAVIN
Wish I could stop by and kiss you goodnight. You’ll get extra tomorrow. And forever.
Heaven help me. I smiled like an idiot, heart warm and stomach fluttering.
After checking out, I made one more stop to the law office that held my best friend hostage for most of her waking hours. Elodie had promised to escape early tonight, and sure enough, as I pulled up to the curb, she burst through the glass front doors like she was fleeing a crime scene.
“FREEDOM!” she shouted over her shoulder, high heels in one hand and her purse in the other.
Behind her, Mr. Anderson—her father and the senior partner—shuffled out the doors, huffing and puffing with a manila folder in hand.
“You forgot this!” he called.
Elodie pivoted on bare feet, kissed his cheek, grabbed the folder with a wink, and spun back around toward me.
As she opened the passenger door and tossed her things in the back, he caught sight of me through the open door, smiled, and gave a quick wave before retreating into the building.
“You know he’s going to have a heart attack one of these days,” I said as she slid into the seat.
“I warned him about keeping me caged. I’m a feral paralegal,” she replied, then narrowed her eyes at the dash. “How much dust did you have to scrape off this thing to get it moving?”
She wasn’t wrong. This car barely left the parking lot behind the shop these days. Between most of my destinations being within walking distance and Gavin insisting on driving us most places, it had practically turned into a decorative item.
“Don’t judge my lifestyle,” I muttered.
“Too late. Can we swing by my place? I wanna grab a change of clothes. And wineglasses. Because if you give me a Solo cup one more time, I swear to God?—”
I laughed, nodding as I turned the key.
By the timewe made it back to the shop, the sun had almost fully set, casting the street in amber and gold. The windows glowed faintly, catching the light from the lampposts on the street, and everything felt warm in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
I unlocked the door, balancing the wine bottles in one hand, and pushed it open into darkness.
I reached for the light switch. “Okay, let’s?—”
“Surprise!”
The lights hummed to life and I froze. There was a banner stretched across the back wall that read,A Little Water Never Hurt a Rose!
I blinked once. Twice. My eyes adjusted to take in the small crowd gathered inside—Mom, Dad, Teagan, Gavin’s contractor crew, and a few local shop owners. Everyone was smiling like they hadn’t just startled the life out of me.
“What … what is this?” I gasped. I turned toward Elodie. “Did you do this?”
But she shook her head, wide-eyed, already stepping back as my parents closed in. Their arms wrapped around me without hesitation.
It had been a rough couple of weeks sincethatdinner. Since Gavin and I told them. Or rather, since I told Dad after coming back from the bathroom, cheeks still flushed and heart racing from the conversation with my mother.
I hadn’t eased into it. I sat down, took one look at the tension radiating off my father, and said it flat out: “Gavin and I are together.”
The look on his face had shattered me. A perfect mix of confusion, hurt, and disappointment. The kind of expression that reached into my ribs and squeezed. The disappointment? That was for me. The hurt and anger? That was for Gavin.
He hadn’t said anything at first. He just reached into his wallet, pulled out more than enough cash to cover everyone's meal, and placed it gently on the table.
“Harry—” my mom began, voice tight with warning.
“I love you, Rosie,” he said as he stood. “And I love you like my own damn brother, Gavin. But I’m not prepared for this. I need to process before I say something I’ll regret.”Then he walked away. My mother had stayed long enough to pull me into a hug and promise he’d come around, then she left too.
