I blinked in confusion at the gesture.
“Call her.” He nodded to the phone. “If she answers and wants to speak to you, I’ll consider your promises.”
“If she doesn’t?”
“Then I suppose you’ll just have to beg me harder.” He got to his feet. “I’ll give you a few minutes to plead your case to her. If she answers.”
He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
I stared down at my phone for all of a second before I pulled her name up and called her.
It rang and rang.
“Come on, Rosalie,” I whispered, desperation washing over me. “Please fucking pick up. I need you to pick up…”
“Hello?” Her soft voice came over the line.
A tear squeezed from my eye.
“Rosalie,” I choked out.
She was quiet on the other end.
“Please,” I continued softly. “You don’t need to speak. I only have a few minutes. I need to tell you I’m sorry.” I slid off my chair and went to my knees. “I am on my knees begging for your forgiveness. If not for me, then please, for Cole. He did nothing wrong. He loves you and Ellis. He needs you. Please. Come get him out of here?—”
My phone buzzed as she requested a video call. Immediately, I accepted it.
“Rosalie,” I sobbed softly. “Please.”
Fuck, she looked beautiful sitting on her bed. Lavender sundress. Red curls cascading around her. But her face.
She was crying.
“I’ll do anything?—”
“Why would you give Cole freedom when you have a son who needs you?” she asked.
“I-I…” I paused and steadied my breathing. “Because I know Cole will take Laz and raise him for me. That he will be cared for. Just, Rosalie, please. Even if you won’t free him?—”
“You hurt me. All of you. You didn’t believe in me enough to understand. Ethan, it was me. I always stood by you. That’s what hurt me. Not that you have a son. That you lied and didn’t trust me!”
“I know. I know it.” I wiped at my eyes. “But you are a liar too. You hurt me just as much.”
I thought she’d fight me on it. Instead, she stared back at me through the screen, hugging herself.
“Lying about Fox. Do you have any idea what his death did to me? Then, to find out, I agonized over it for half a decade, only for him to be alive and living his best life with my girl? Fuck, Rosalie. I don’t know who is worse. You and him, or me and the guys.”
“I know. I understand the guys kept your secrets for the same reason I kept Fox’s. Love.”
I cried softly and looked at the floor, still on my knees. When I looked up, Fox had taken the phone from Rosalie and was staring back at me, his sunglasses on.
“Fox,” I choked out. “You son of a bitch.”
“Hey, E,” he said softly.
“Don’t fuckinghey, Eme. What the fuck, man? Seriously?What the fuck!” I sobbed harder. I hadn’t spent a lot of time dwelling on him. In fact, I was so angry at his lies that I’d pushed him entirely out of my head.
But damn, did I miss him.
