She collected my hands in hers. ‘Rosie, why are you freaking out about this?’
I shot to my feet, dislodging her hands, my heart crashing against my chest in an unsteady rhythm. ‘Because you’re going tofuckingleave me.’
Silence reigned. The only sound came from the crackling of the fire. Fallon’s face collapsed, bottom lip quivering.
‘Rosie.’ George’s voice reverberated through the night air. My head jerked in his direction. Oliver’s face turned to granite.
A million tiny ants started crawling up my spine as everyone’s eyes locked onto me.
A laugh that sounded like sandpaper scraped up my throat. ‘Too much tequila,’ I whispered.
‘Babe.’ Fallon stood up. I could feel that traitorous prickle of hot tears build behind my eyes. I forced a weak smile to my face and threw my arms around her neck, dragging her close for a brief hug.
I pulled back. ‘I’m tired. I’m gonna head to bed.’
‘I’ll come with you—’ she started.
Shaking my head, I squeezed her hand. ‘No, it’s alright. I’m fine, promise. Just need some sleep.’
She didn’t look convinced, but right then, I was seconds away from losing my shit. Roxy abandoned her bone, dancing around my feet, a throaty whine sounding.
I mumbled a quick goodnight to the guys, making a concerted effort to not look at George. His gaze drilled into my back as I walked up the steps and wordlessly slipped into the cabin, Roxy hot on my heels.
27
Panic clawedup my throat as I shut the door to my room. My suitcase sat on the bottom of my bed. Roxy circled my legs, feeling the shift in my energy. I crouched down to comfort her. A tidal wave of emotion threatening to crash over me.
Everyone leaves.
Rationally, I knew that was bullshit. Fallon was still here—for how much longer?—that toxic thought came in and embedded itself in my head. I crouched down, burying my fingers into Roxy’s fur, the softness doing little to calm my erratic breathing. It was unbelievably selfish to keep someone back and not want them to start building a life of their own. But for so many years, the only thing I had was her. She’d stayed through my parents’ divorce and through my mum dealing with her grief in the weirdest way possible. She’d clung onto my side through everything and never let me go through anything alone.
Now she had Oliver. Where did that leave me now?
The door to my room opened. I didn’t need to turn myhead to know it was him. I felt his presence like a living creature.
‘Roxy, out.’ He clicked his fingers. Roxy’s ears pricked at hearing his commanding voice.
I got to my feet, turning around. About to yell at him to leave me alone. The furious look he wore nearly took my breath away.
‘What are you doing?’ I croaked.
He clicked his fingers at Roxy, whose head darted between us, as if deciding who she should listen to.
When her feet scrambled on the hardwood floor in her efforts to obey George, that scab I’d been picking at all evening opened, turning to a full-blown wound.
He closed the door behind her and strode across the room towards me. I took a few steps back, not quickly enough because one hand threaded through the base of my skull, holding me in place as he towered over my small frame.
‘You want to tell me what happened down there?’ His tone held an edge of violence I’d never heard from him.
‘I drank too much tequila.’
He shook his head. ‘You had four shots. For you, not enough to even get you that tipsy.’
He’d been watching me drink? Taking note of how much… my thoughts jumped from one thing to the next. He also seemed to know how much it took to get me drunk.
‘You don’t know that.’
‘Yes I do. I know more about you than you think, Rosie Grange.’
