“Oh, I tried. But I don’t think anyone believes me. They all assumed I was watching porn.”
“Oh, dear.”
“Yeah, I’m never living it down. But if it happened to anyone else on the crew, I’d razz them about it for the rest of their life, so I respect that.”
I’m glad he’s so good-natured about the entire ordeal. If that happened to me at the library, I might actually have to quit and move away.
“Then Ryan pulled me into the barn, and we had a weird conversation.”
“Weird how?”
He sighs. “For one, he noticed I borrowed the hay bales.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him I put them back, but between that and the audio porn he kinda lost his mind.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? It’s not your fault.”
“I mean, the audiobooks are my fault.”
“I’m the idiot who didn’t charge my headphones overnight.”
“Well, I’m sorry if that caused problems between you and your brother.”
“It was probably needed. Even though most of what he said wastotal BS, he was right about a few things.” He shakes his head. “But enough of that. When do I get to read this book of yours?”
“I’m not sure.” I am still on the fence about letting him, or anyone, read it. “It’s not done and when it is, I’m not sure it’ll be good enough to publish.”
“Nonsense. I’m sure it’s incredible.”
“You’re just saying that.”
He turns on his side to meet my gaze. “Rosalie, you are the smartest person I know. You read, all the time. Hell, you love reading so much you made it your job. Whatever you write is going to be incredible, because how could it not be?”
His compliments are so earnest and full of sincerity, I can’t argue with them. In general, I’m uncomfortable being the center of praise, but I push that feeling to the side and do my best not to immediately reject his words.
“Maybe.” I hug a pillow to my chest. “It’ll be a miracle if I ever finish it. I’ve been working on the story for more than a decade.”
“Before you had your son?” His brows rise. “I think it’s understandable you’ve been a little busy, what with raising him and running the library.”
“Yeah, but it’s more than that, I think. The story holds mixed feelings for me. I started it when I was with Edward’s father.”
He nods and waits instead of filling the silence. It’s not the first time he’s left space in a conversation for me to expand. Usually, I don’t take the opportunity to share something personal, but tonight I want to. I want him to understand. I want him to see this part of me—even if it’s messy.
“I was doing my master’s program, and Beckett was one of my professors. A creative writing class I took to fill my schedule for my library science degree.”
“Oh, shit.” Understanding dawns on his face. “I’m sorry, Rosalie.”
“It gets worse. He was married.” I shake my head. “Is married.”
“Does she know? His wife?”
“About me and Edward? No. And she never will because I signed an NDA. I shouldn’t even be telling you this.”
“It’s in the vault.”
