Page 51 of Roses for Rosie

I fortify my defenses against Mr. Charming and agree to listen to his reading. It seems like the quickest way to get him to leave and anyway, I always did enjoy a good Adam Smythe novel. That’s all he is to me now, I tell myself. Adam Smythe, famous author. My heart doesn’t quite believe me, but maybe someday, if I keep telling myself that story. the wound will heal.

Adam starts reading while I listen with half an ear. I just need to get through the next couple of minutes without losing myself to him again. I don’t need him. I don’t want him. I’m happy now. I’m moving on. I’m growing. This is positive. This is progress.

I am strong. I can resist him, and his sexy body, and his ice blue eyes and his low rumbling voice as he reads his work. As I place the final brick in my Adam-proof fortress though the beginning of a realization starts to dawn on me. The story he is reading is about me, it’s about us.

He wrote a book about our relationship. It’s a work of fiction but it mirrors the time we spent together too closely to be completely made up. It’s all probably a bunch of lies, I tell myself. It’s another one of his ploys to ensnare me in his world, to prove to himself that there is no woman he can’t have.

When he describes my trip to visit him in Florida my heart clenches. That is the part that makes me feel the most foolish. I let him parade me around like one of a hundred women before me, just another pretty face in a fancy dress. I’m not that naïve anymore though. That life with him was just a fantasy, a fantasy that crashed to the ground in spectacular flaming ruins.

As much as I want to hate him right now, I hear an edge of truth in his story. I listen to his descriptions of how much he missed me and I feel the echo of my own longing for him. He talks about the dreams he had for our future and I remember the long, earnest conversations we had about what was next for us. It didn’t sound fake then, I think. It doesn’t sound fake now.

The expression on his face is open, it’s hurt. He doesn’t look like he’s posing for a camera or trying to charm an interviewer into a positive review for a book. I know his fake smile, his Adam Smythe façade. This isn’t it. This is the real Adam, the one I got to know when it was just the two of us. This is the vulnerable Adam who wants to be understood, who feels as deeply as his best characters, who was forced to leave home as a teenager and fend for himself.

When he finally describes the scene with Scarlett my heart cracks open. The raw despair in his voice pierces my soul. The defenses I built so well crumble under the assault of his misery. When he explains Scarlett’s behavior, it makes sense. Maybe she is the villain here, not him. Maybe he and I are both just innocent victims in her cruel game. Maybe I should give him another chance.

“This is the part I need your help with,” he says, looking in my direction and getting down on one knee in front of me. He reads the last few sentences of the story while I hold my breath.

“My heart and my soul belong to you. No other woman has ever or will ever touch me the way you do. You are the yin to my yang, the sunrise to my sunset, the glue that holds me together,” Alex says to Roya. “Will you forgive me for this misunderstanding? Will you let me spend every day making it up to you? Will you allow me to stand by your side for the rest of your life? Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

“What do you think, Rosie?” he asks. “What does she say? How does the story end?”

What do I think? So many thoughts are warring for my attention that I don’t even know. Letting Adam spend the rest of his life doting on me sounds like the best apology I’ve ever had. I imagine him standing by my side through thick and thin, through new books and tropical vacations, through kids and family dinners, through my father’s inevitable outbursts and any other trials that come our way. That vision makes me feel safe, happy, loved.

I can do this on my own. I’ve proven that to myself and to everyone else. I have what it takes to stand up to my father, to strike out on my own, and to support both of us. Do I have to do it all on my own though? Do I even want to?

Adam is kneeling in front of me, offering me another way. It’s a path filled with love and laughter, a life in which we support each other and find our way together as a team. His story is one of hope and trust, of growing together and making each other whole. It’s tempting. He’s tempting.

Can I trust him though? Scarlett’s story was awfully convincing. What if she was telling the truth and she really is carrying Adam’s baby? Making an even bigger fool of myself than I did by falling for him once is not in my game plan. I don’t know if my heart can take the beating of losing him again.

I look into his ice blue eyes and test the idea of believing him, of trusting him. Trust me, he says. I see love and sincerity, hope and desire, fear and uncertainty written on his face, but I don’t see duplicity. I don’t see trickery. Either he’s telling the truth or he’s better at acting than Scarlett Smith is.

I glance at my friends. Vivian has tears in her eyes and is smiling from ear to ear. I guess she already made up her mind about what my answer is going to be. She’s a sucker for a good love story and this one obviously has her hooked. One vote for yes.

Joanne is sneaking glances at me and at Adam with a dreamy look on her face. It’s clear that she is dying for something like this to happen to her. The terrible relationship she had with her ex-husband hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm for love. She deserves to be swept off of her feet, I think. For now though, she is happy to live vicariously through me. Two votes for yes.

Susie is the toughest of our bunch. She is a straight talker and doesn’t take any shit from anyone. If any of us would see through Adam’s lies, it would be her. She is studying Adam with a shrewd look on her face, trying to pry his secrets from him through sheer force of will. She must not find anything, because when she looks at me her face softens and she gives a little nod. Adam is Susie-approved. Three votes for yes.

The most important vote though is mine. My friends would love to see me and Adam together. They want this to end in a happily ever after, but nobody makes decisions for me. I am my own woman and I’m in charge of my own life. I know my friends will support me either way.

I look past all of my doubts and fears, past my father’s threats, my limited experience, my comfort with being single. I dig deep inside my heart and I see nothing but love for Adam. I want to be with him forever, to grow old with him by my side, to weather life’s wins and losses together. Once I acknowledge those feelings, the answer becomes obvious. The answer is yes.

“The story doesn’t end, Adam,” I say. “This is just the beginning.”

His face breaks into a grin and he stands up pulling me with him. I am engulfed in his arms, inhaling his familiar scent, holding him tight while my heart pounds. My prince charming sweeps me off my feet and carries me out the door as my friends applaud. Happily ever after isn’t just for fairy tales, it happens in Jamesville too.

THE END