“I’mgonnatake care of you.”
“No you aren’t.”
“We’re not done, you and me.”
“Yes…we…are.”
He got as close as he dared.
And he put it out there.
“I fell for you when you were Shy’s and if you think thatnow, when you need me most, now, when I finally, fuckin’finallygot aclear shot, I’mgivin’ up, think again, Rosie.You’rehurt and you’re pissed and I get that.But I’m notgivin’you up.I don’t care what way Igottatake you, asmine or justhavin’ you in my life in a way you’d letme be there, but however that is, I’m notgivin’ up.Not ever, Rosalie.I’m notgivin’youup.You’regonnabe in my life and I’mgonnabe in yours.Bank on it.”
He gave her that because he had to and she had to have it.
But he didn’t push her further.
He reached up, kissed her forehead, straightened, grabbedhis book…
And walked away.
For now.
Chapter One
Atone
Rosalie
I stood staring at myself in my mother’sbathroom mirror.
I was going to have scars.Three of them.
Men with scars on their face were considered interesting,like they lived adventurous lives or were tough guys.
Women with them were looked on as pathetic, like sometraumatic life event happened to them that they didn’t survive without beingmarked and because of that were objects of sympathy.
Another discrepancy between the sexes which was absolutelynot fair.
Like the difference in physical strength.
I wastopheavy.Slender, longlegs, slim hips, thin arms, but I had big boobs in a way they looked fake.
They weren’t.
My mother had given me a number of good things, includingher thick dark hair.
And her big tits.
My father had lamented this.
“Already hard enough to keep the men off you, gorgeous,”he’d say to my mom.“And you got my ring on your finger and it’s sat there foryears.Now I got my baby girl to worry about.”
Man.
I missed my dad.
I stopped thinking about my dad and stared at my torso inthe mirror.
