Chapter 24

twenty-four

Rose – Two Weeks Later

Gently, I roll the engagement ring Noah gave me between my fingers, still on the chain, while the small silver diamond ring he bought back in high school sits on my finger on my right hand, opposite my ring finger. My emotions are all over the place, even two weeks after he made his confessions.

My eyes catch the ring on my finger, and my heart hurts a little, knowing we could have been married by now.

Cameron gave it to me yesterday without Noah knowing.

Cameron went back home to see his family, and I quietly asked him to grab the ring, and since he knew where it was, he took it.

I promised to give Noah a chance, which means I need to try as well. Knowing he hasn’t been with anyone else helped a lot with my decision.

Wearing the original ring on the opposite hand is me showing him I will try.

“I think I prefer the small one,” Natalie says as she comes up beside me, placing the tray of empty A1 bottles, and salt and pepper shakers on the counter.

I snort, push off the counter, and grab the container of salt to start refilling the empties.

The diner has just closed. While Natalie and I are on refill duty, Peter is scrubbing all the chairs, booths, and tables.

“Liar,” I say as I unscrew all the saltshaker lids.

“Hm, maybe, but you, on the other hand, do prefer it, don’t you?” she asks, and I smile a little, loving that she knows me so well.

I never had a real friend outside of the boys in high school, so it's nice having one now, and it’s something I never take for granted.

Here, I’m not the rich girl whose daddy refuses to buy her crap. Here, I’m the single mom doing everything for her son.

I admit, “I do, not that the other one isn’t beautiful because you know it is; it’s gorgeous, but the one on my finger, that was bought by the boy who had big dreams and wanted me to be part of them.”

I swallow at my confession and look down, continuing to fill the shakers.

“Rose,” Natalie says sadly, but I don’t look up, so she grips my hand, stopping me from doing my job. I sigh, giving her what she wants. She gives me a small smile as our gazes connect. She whispers, “He’s still that boy from high school who loves you. He’s proven that since he came back into your life, hasn’t he?”

I smile a little and admit, “Ten times over. He’s ensured to be around as much as possible. I just don’t know….”

My head is still scrambled, but I guess that’s what happens when you spend two years resenting, loving, and despising the man who owned your heart but ran, completely blocking you out of his life.

“If you’re this conflicted over a fucking ring, Rose, then surely that should be a sign to walk the fuck away and move on,” Peter snarls as he walks our way, dropping the cleaning cloth on the counter.

I go still at not just his words but also with how close he is to me.

Suddenly, I wish I had stood behind the counter to fill the shakers.

Natalie snorts, then snaps, “And let me guess, she should move on with you?”

Peter crosses his arms over his chest and says, “Yeah, she fucking should. I’ve been by her side for two years, giving her my whole fucking attention. I’ve been the one to help her with her coursework. I’ve been the one ensuring his fucking songs aren’t played in the diner. I’ve been the one eating dinner with her when the shifts run later than normal….”

I slowly stand from my chair, vaguely hearing the bell above the door over my anger.

I snap, “Because you were my friend, Peter!” He looks at me sharply, but I ignore it and growl, “I have told you since day one I cannot and will not offer more than friendship. I didn’t stop in this town looking for a rebound or another relationship. I didn’t stop to move on from him, but to survive the heartbreak. My heart, my body, heck, even my soul has always and will always belong to Noah, whether we’re together or not, and no, that is not because we had a child together or because we didn’t get closure.”

I scoff at him. “I fell in love with Noah Scott when I was thirteen years old, I went anywhere and everywhere with him, unable to be away from him. He was my first and only kiss; he was my first and last everything, Peter. I don’t want you; I don’t want any other guy; I only want him. Why else do you think I couldn’t listen to his music or read up on him? It hurt, Peter. It hurt so much being away from him.” I shake my head as Peter takes a step back, his face pale, but I don’t stop to analyze it as I admit, “I’m not struggling over a ring, Peter, I’m struggling trying to compare and connect the two guys that bought both rings. One from high school, who wouldn’t let me walk out of class unless I was holding his hand, the one who would walk around town with me just talking about our days and holding me tightly, and one from the guy who left me and allowed women to hang off his arm for PR, refusing to hear the truth but is now fighting for what he loves.”

Peter clears his throat while Natalie bounces on her toes, and I know I don’t need to turn around to wonder why.

Now that my anger has calmed a little, I can feel his presence, but there is a little one I don’t feel—or more like hear—right about now. Diego would be squealing in delight to get to me.

I smile and ask, “And where exactly is our son, Noah Scott?”

I feel his body heat. He’s close but not close enough for me to lean back, otherwise, I’d land on my butt, and he knows it, too.

Jackass.

“He’s with my mom and dad. They arrived an hour ago and stole him, much to Cameron’s dismay,” he admits with a bite in his tone.

I snort, ignoring his anger that’s most likely boiling over toward Peter.

I tilt my head at a pale Peter and ask, “Is that it now? Are you finally going to stop? Because I can promise you now, with or without Noah in the picture, we will never happen, because my heart wouldn’t allow someone else in.”

Peter sniffs hard, his jaw ticking, but he nods and turns, walking toward the kitchen without another word.

Natalie sighs. “This reminds me of his high school girlfriend who dumped his ass after he became clingy and controlling. I think he needs to date a man, maybe he’ll calm down then.”

I laugh as she winks my way, and walks to the storage closet to grab the vacuum.

As soon as she disappears, I feel Noah stand closer to me before he reaches around me to grab my hands.

Slowly, he links our fingers as he pulls my back to his front, resting his chin on my shoulder. I feel his lips skim my neck as he lifts my right hand and turns it to show the ring.

He croaks, “It’s a start….” I close my eyes, dropping my head his as he whispers, “You putting this ring on shows that you’re not just trying but you want to try, and when you finally decide to wear the other one, you’ll realize that I’m the same guy who bought both rings; the only who only wants you.” My eyes tear up. “You’ll realize, Petal, that I’m not different, because you kept me grounded despite two years apart. Heck, I even stopped smoking….”

I can’t help the grin that forms, and I scoff playfully, “Honey, I smelled the smoke on your breath from a mile away on your birthday.”

I feel him grin against my neck as Natalie walks back in the room with the vacuum, and Noah defends, “You had just run from me, Petal. It was either have a smoke—or five—or hit the bitch who threw herself at me.”

I snort and reply, “You should have hit the bitch.”

Natalie laughs but coughs to cover it as Noah’s body shakes. I turn in his arms, and my eyes go to the ink on his neck that wasn’t there this morning.

This man….

I smile as I gently bring my finger to the outline of our son’s name, ensuring I don’t touch the new tattoo. It’s not very big and doesn’t take up the whole side. It sits just under his ear, and has his date of birth under it.

“I thought I better keep it small because my plan, after we’re married, of course, is to keep you knocked up,” he admits as he gently traces circles on my lower back. He knows my back usually hurts after a long shit, and the slight pressure he’s providing feels wonderful.

Oh, the joys of pregnancy and childbirth.

I look into his dark blue eyes, shining back at me with happiness, and I can’t help my words as I whisper, “I love you, Noah….”

He smiles and leans forward, rubbing his nose along mine, and returns, “I love you, too, Rose.”

I smile as Natalie murmurs, “Damn, that was so sweet.”

Noah grins and says, “We’re going to be okay.”

He says it several times a day, hoping that if he says it enough, I’ll believe it. I think I’m starting to, or at least I hope I am.

Kissing my lips gently, he murmurs, “Why don’t I help you finish your clean-up, and then you and I can go for a ride to the lake? We both know Mom won’t give up Diego for hours.”

I smile, wrapping my fingers around his neck before playing with his hair at its base. I whisper, “I think that would be awesome.”

He smiles and leans forward again, kissing my lips, and then my cheek, forehead, and nose, making me giggle, and shove him away.

He laughs, takes a seat next to me, grabs the pepper empties, and helps me finish the rest of my shift.

Things aren’t always going to be easy, and I still don’t trust him. Yes, there are times I think we’re making a mistake, but then he’ll look at me, and I know. I can’t live without him, and I know we have to do this.

We need to try, not just for Diego, but also for ourselves. Because, like Noah said, we belong together. Now, I need to see if I can return to him fully, or if we’re better off co-parenting.