Rose doesn’t say anything, but she must give Wesley a scary look, because he adds on, “For real this time. We just left the motel. All of her stuff is in the back of my truck.”
Rose hums. “What are your intentions with my Ivy?” she asks.
“Rose,” I growl, my face immediately flaming red.
“Hush.” She waves her hand at me, not bothering to turn her head in my direction.
A soft smile plays across Wesley’s lips, and he rubs his palm over the scruff of his jaw. “Only good intentions ma’am.”
“You’re together?” Rose asks.
Wesley’s eyes slice to mine. “Yes,” he replies.
My stomach drops out, and I have to hold back a nervous giggle.
“Just because I’m eighty-two doesn’t mean I can’t ruin a man’s life. You hear me? If you hurt her, I will off myself just to haunt you. Your DNA is already in this house. I will leave a note that says ‘Wes Cooper did it.’”
I widen my eyes in horror. “Rose,” I scold a little louder now.
“Yes ma’am,” Wesley replies, with a dimple inducing smile.
“Good.” Rose seems satisfied. I am not. That was so embarrassing I’d wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole, but strangely I’m not surprised by her behavior in the slightest.
“I like your daughter. You’re doing a great job with her,” Rose adds.
Now she likes him? I roll my eyes at how fast she switched gears.
“Thank you ma’am.”
“You are disgustingly handsome.”
Wesley throws his head back and barks out a laugh.
Rose continues, putting the final nail in the coffin of my embarrassment. “Ivy was right. You’re like a Greek god.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” I say, and stand. They both ignore me.
“She came home that day after you hired her, and would not shut her damn trap about how handsome her boss was. I knew your mama and daddy were lookers, but boy are you a sight.”
I cover my face with my hands and groan.
“Well, uh, thank you ma’am,” Wesley replies with a nervous chuckle.
I drop my hands and look at Wesley, and to my absolute mortification, he’s already grinning at me with the most mischievous gleam in his eye. It feels like he’s staring straight into my soul. It’s so intense it makes my stomach clench and a wave of arousal rip through me.
“Alright kids, get the hell out of here. I need to be horizontal,” Rose announces.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, worried.
“I’m fine. Tara will be here soon to give me my pain meds.”
We offer our goodbyes to Rose, and I make plans with her for when to come back. She also told me not to come back if I don’t have Delilah with me. I slid her Roberts number, and she eyed it skeptically, before snatching and shoving it into her bra. God, I wonder what else is in there. Apparently she and Robert know each other well. I make a mental note to inquire further about that.
The weight that left my shoulders when I realized Rose and I were going to be okay was astronomical. The knot in my chest I’ve felt since I moved out, finally loosened. We’re okay. She’s okay. She’s still here.
On top of all of that relief, was the amusement, and if I’m being honest, horror of watching Rose talk to Wesley. When she asked him if we were together, and he said yes, I almost fainted right then and there. We’ve come such a long way from his refusal to get close to me. After all the distance, the hesitation, the walls, it finally feels like he’s letting me in.
Wesley opens the truck door for me, and I hop in. When he gets in himself, he grips my upper thigh with a calloused, tattooed hand, gently squeezing and massaging the muscle.
