[Rosalie’s POV]“Now.”Chanel’s voice echoes around us as her hands grip my wrists, pulling me down on the bed beside her. Although I was extremely happy to see her, since she was one of the few friends that I actually had, I was also nervous about having to explain to her what happened.Would she still see me as a friend if she knew of my cowardice in the face of Diego’s mother, or would she understand? After all, Anthrose basically did the same thing as me when Diego’s father banished him, and she still accepted him.“What the hell happened?” She continues, snapping me out of my head.There it was. The very question I knew was to come.“I’m a chicken.” I sigh, slumping forward. “Instead of trusting that someone would help me, I ran away.”“Help you.” Chanel repeats, raising a brow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”“That…” I begin, wondering if Diego would be fine with me telling Chanel about what happened. “Diego’s mother found my mom.” I continue, deciding it was fine. If
[Diego’s POV]I stare into my son’s eyes, finding myself getting lost in them due to just how much they look like mine, down to the distrust that sparkles in them.Dammit. I hate that he is looking at me that way, but in the end, it was my fault. I didn’t do a good enough job of protecting his mother, and that was why any of this was even happening.“Just name it, and I’ll do it.” I continue when he doesn’t speak. “You have my word, man to man.”“Anything?” Geo asks, the little wheels in his head beginning to turn. “Even if I asked you to leave us alone?”“Anything but that.” I respond. “I left the two of you alone for five years, and I don’t intend to do that again.”“But you said anything.” Geo points out. “Are you going against your word?”“I think.” Rosalie announces as I try to come up with a response. “Tension is way too high because of everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Maybe it would be best for us to do something to unwind and then come back to this t
[Rosalie’s POV]I stare straight ahead, watching while Diego lifts Landon and Geo so they glide over the waves that crash around him. The sight does something to me. Who would have known such a cold and ruthless man could have such a gentle side? It was easy to tell that he was truly enjoying himself from the sparkle in his eyes and the small smile on his lips.“Did you fall in love all over again?” Chanel asks, throwing herself against me and squeezing me close. “I know I would have.”“Who is in love?” I ask, feeling my cheeks flush. “I don’t…”“It is written all over your face.” She giggles, coming to stand beside me. “And honestly, I can’t blame you; when he’s like that, it is hard not to.”Frowning, I turn my gaze to Chanel and find myself wondering if this was the side of Diego that she always knew. Since they were close friends, I was sure that this was nothing new, but did that mean she at one point loved him?“Don’t worry,” Chanel sighs, as if reading my thoughts. “There has o
[Rosalie’s POV]The rest of the day is spent easily alternating between enjoying the ocean and lounging on the beach. At the end of it, we grab a quick dinner on the boardwalk and head back to Diego’s condo, where we go our separate ways.By the time my head hits the pillow, I’m so exhausted from essentially playing all day that I fall straight to sleep, and when my eyes open again, the sun is already shining.Yawning, I sit up and sniff the air as the scent of bacon and eggs reaches me. Instantly, my stomach begins to rumble, urging me out of bed, and when I exit my room, I hear the sound of easy chatter.When I reach the kitchen, I find that Chanel and Anthrose, along with the kids, are already at the table, eating, while Diego stands by the stove, flipping some bacon on a pan.Turning, he meets my gaze, and for a moment I’m left utterly in shock over the sight of him doing something so normal. Honestly, since our reunion, I was seeing a lot of different sides of him that I never tr
[Rosalie’s POV]I shove my phone into my pocket and turn to Chanel to give her a smile.“Sorry,” I say, beginning to move. “Did you need something?”“Dress,” she says slowly as her gaze takes me in.“Dress.” I repeat in confusion. “What do you mean?”“You and I,” she continues, moving forward and grabbing my wrist so she can start to pull me behind her. “We are going to go dress shopping so we can find the perfect dresses for the midnight ball.”“Oh, right.”She was right. We did need dresses, but was it necessary to find the perfect one? We were only going to kidnap someone and then head out. But I knew, even if I said that, it wouldn’t sit well with Chanel.“What about the kids?” I ask instead, knowing that Geo would want to go with me. “What will they do while we shop?”“Spend time with Diego.” Chanel giggles. “I’m sure he’d appreciate having some time alone with his long-lost son.”Flinching, I don’t say anything.“Come on.” Chanel sighs after a long pause. “Don’t you dare start m
[Rosalie’s POV]I stare in disbelief as Diego continues to keep me pinned. Why was he here, and where the hell did Chanel go?‘A set up.’ Hana giggles. ‘They put one over on you.’Eyes widening, I feel a slight sense of betrayal, but I realize that even if Chanel did go along with this, it was because she thought it was for my own good. However, I couldn’t let myself get lost in a romance when there was something so important to be done.“I’m an adult and can wear what I want.” I say, gently touching Diego’s chest and pushing him so he moves. “And this is the dress I chose for myself.”As I speak, Diego’s gaze darkens, and I’m sure he wants to argue, but to my surprise, he remains silent.“Right,” he says, though it is clear that it hurts him. “You are an adult and are free to do what you want.”“Did you just,” I gasp, unable to believe what just happened. “Did you just agree with me?”“Is there a problem?”Biting back on the laugh that wants to escape, I simply shake my head before n
[Diego’s POV]I watch Rosalie as she disappears in the same direction that Annemarie went, wondering if this was the smartest of ideas. Although Annemarie and Bernard didn’t seem to find Rosalie to be much of a threat to whatever the fuck was going on between them, I knew if my sister was aware I was around, things would be different.“Fuck,” I growl, running a hand through my hair. “What is this woman planning?”Sighing, I get up and head in the direction of the bathrooms. When I reach, I extend my senses, finding that both Rosalie and Annemarie are, in fact, in the ladies room.Wondering what the hell I was even doing when I already had a perfect plan in place, I lean against the wall and wait until I hear a commotion from the bathroom, and when Rosalie appears, I move, grabbing her and steadying her as she does a beautiful job of pretending to be sick.“Oh,” she gasps, clinging to me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”As she speaks, Annemarie emerges from the restroom looking frantic, and
[Rosalie’s POV]When we return to Diego’s condo, Geo rushes toward me, throwing his arms around my leg and shooting Diego a glare.“That was a dirty trick.” He hisses, his gaze narrowing. “I knew you weren’t a good person.”At his words, Chanel lets out a laugh from her place on the couch, where she watches some drama with Giddeon.“You tell him, Geo.” She calls, giving me a wink. “He’s horrible to invade my time with your mother and make me come back here so that he could have her all to himself.”As she speaks, Diego’s gaze darkens, and he lets a low rumble of a growl escape him, but he doesn’t say a word; instead, he heads to the kitchen.“Oh,” Giddeon chirps, following Diego with his gaze. “Are you the chef this evening?”“Not for you.” Diego responds. “Only for my family.”“But I thought we were your family.” Giddeon pouts. “How could you be so mean to us?”“Could the both of you shut up?” Anthrose huffs from his place across from them. “What kind of example are you setting for t