Chapter 37

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Rose

WITH EACH PASSING DAY, Alex and I were growing closer. This was all so new and exciting to me and at the same time scary. I tried to keep Aunt Kate’s advice in the back of my mind when I’d feel myself falling a little deeper, but it was hard. The days turned into weeks and in those weeks, my feelings were turning into so much more. We never came out and said anything to our coworkers, but I was pretty certain most of them had guessed it but were keeping quiet about it. The only people who were bold enough to ask were Lucy and Marisa, and I couldn’t be anything but honest with them about it.

William was still hanging in there, and Audra was making frequent trips up to visit, which made my heart happy. He finally seemed at peace, like the part of him that had been missing for so long was finally found, and I was so happy to have been a part of that discovery.

I had a big night ahead. In addition to it being my birthday, my parents had flown in to celebrate with me, and Alex was going to be meeting them for the first time. I wasn’t sure why I was such a bundle of nerves over it. I knew without a doubt, they’d approve of him. After all, he was the first guy I’d ever been with that they were meeting. That alone earned him some points. After getting myself together, I ventured to the other guest bedroom in my aunt’s place that my mom and dad were staying in.

“Hey.” I tapped lightly on the door, watching my mother as she dabbed some powder on her nose.

“How do I look?” my father asked.

I stood on my tippy toes and adjusted his tie.

“Handsome as ever.”

He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. “And you look beautiful, my darling daughter.”

“Charles, you promised no work calls this weekend,” my mother scolded when my father’s phone began to ring.

“I know, this will only be a second.” He ran out of the room with his phone in hand before my mother could protest.

“Nice to see things haven’t changed since I’ve been gone.” I smiled at my mother.

She waved her hand, dismissing my father’s workaholic attitude she’d grown so accustomed to. “I wish I could do something with this hair,” she complained as she ran a brush through her shoulder-length locks.

“Want some help?” I asked.

“That would be wonderful!”

I bent over and plugged in her curling iron. She took a seat on the bed, and I sat down next to her as we waited for it to heat up.

“I’m really excited to meet this special guy in your life.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty excited for you guys to meet him too.”

“My beautiful girl is finally in love.” She smiled and took my hand.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Wishful thinking, I guess.” She shrugged.

“I like him a lot, I really do, oddly enough, if you could have seen how much we hated each other when we first met.” I laughed and shook my head, remembering all the times Alex and I would go at it, but maybe that was a defense mechanism on both our parts to mask how we were really feeling about each other.

“They’re the best kind of love stories. Like anything in life, it’s more special when you work for it, especially when it comes to love, because then you’ll appreciate what you have together even more.”

I stood up and tapped the curling iron with my fingertip. “Did you have to work for Daddy’s love?” I asked as I wrapped a strand of her hair around the barrel.

She let out a loud laugh. “No, quite the opposite. He had to work for me.”

“Really?” I looked down at her and grinned.

“That’s not to say we didn’t have to work for each other after we were married.”

“What do you mean?” I removed the curling iron from her hair and backed away in alarm. The thought of my parents having anything less than a perfect marriage scared me half to death.

“Nothing of concern, Rose. Just normal things married couples go through, but it only made us stronger and where we are today.”

I couldn’t help but think of Alex’s mother and the confession she had made to me about her husband’s affair. What if my dad had cheated on my mom, and I never knew about it? I’d be devastated. Could that have been one of the things they’d gone through in their marriage? “Are you sure?” My voice cracked with emotion just thinking about it.

“Rose, honey, you’re getting yourself upset over nothing. I promise you, our marriage is rock-solid. Now will you please finish doing my hair?”

I nodded, and our eyes caught each other’s. She flashed me a caring smile, the kind she’d displayed my whole life whenever she knew I was worried over something, the kind that would let me know everything was going to be all right. Funny how when you’re eight years old such a tiny facial expression could put your mind at ease—at twenty-five years old not so much.

***

My heart fluttered when I caught a glimpse of Alex and his uncle entering the restaurant. I glanced at Aunt Kate and her reaction seemed to be the same as mine. “Hey there!” I greeted as they stepped into the bar area where we were waiting.

“Henry! So good to see you!” My father stood up and pulled Mr. Andrews into an embrace while patting him on the back.

“You, too, my friend,” he replied, then leaned over and greeted my mother with a kiss on her cheek.

I gripped Alex’s hand in preparation for the big introduction. I had never been so nervous in my life. “Mom, Dad…this is Alex.”

My mother was grinning from ear to ear, looking like she almost wanted to cry from happiness.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Alex.” My father greeted Alex with a firm handshake.

“And you as well, Mr. Perkins,” Alex responded.

“Please call me Charles.”

“Hi, Alex, I’m Linda.”

“Hello.” Alex smiled and gently took my mother’s hand.

I smiled inwardly after catching the peck on the cheek Mr. Andrews had given to my aunt. Alex squeezed my hand and shook his head, somehow reading my thoughts.

“What can I get you two gentlemen to drink?” my father asked.

After a few pre-dinner cocktails we took our seats at the table.

“No, Dad.” I redirected him just as he was about to take the empty seat next to Aunt Kate that I had purposely left vacant for Mr. Andrews. He looked at me strangely, taking the seat on the other side of my mother instead.

“So, Alex, how has your father been? I haven’t seen him in years,” my father asked.

I creased my eyebrows in confusion. I knew my father was good friends with Alex’s uncle, but not his father.

“He’s doing well,” Alex responded.

“Dad, I didn’t know you knew Alex’s father.”

“Yeah, we all go way back,” Mr. Andrews replied.

That was good to know. Maybe my parents could provide some insight into the history between Mr. Andrews and my aunt.

“I’m surprised you didn’t follow in your old man’s footsteps and practice law,” my father remarked as he looked over the menu.

Alex’s posture stiffened at my father’s words.

“Yeah, well, not everyone has it in them to be as cutthroat as my brother.” Mr. Andrews rushed to Alex’s defense, obviously sensing his discomfort over the topic.

“He’s damn good at what he does, that’s for sure,” my father replied.

“That he is,” Mr. Andrews muttered.

My father raised his glass. “To old friends, to Rose’s new friend, and to a very happy birthday to my little girl.”

I went along with the toast but was wishing they would stop making such a big fuss over Alex and me. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel like he was being pushed into something neither of us may have been ready for. He reached for my hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze, erasing all my doubts but fueling a new set of worries. For the first time ever, I felt like I was in a real relationship, and I was scared to death of losing my heart if it ended badly.