Page 151 of When We Fall: Part One

“Don’t fucking question my love for her!” Cole stormed forward, but Enzo shoved him in the chest to slow him down.

“Knock it off, Cole. Fucking stop.” Enzo gripped his face tightly. He whispered something to him, which we couldn’t hear, but it did seem to calm him because Cole nodded and backed away when Enzo released him.

Without a word, Cole left the room.

“Where is he going?” Fox asked.

“He’s going upstairs to run a bath for Rosalie. He’s going to order dinner and spend the evening with her. I told him that she was all his tonight. I-I told him he can practice babymaking.”

Fox sighed and sat back in his seat. I followed, sitting in mine. Enzo poured us all a drink before taking his spot in his chair.

“I’m worried about him,” I muttered.

“We all are,” Enzo said. “But Cole loves hard. Rosalie is his entire world, and he’s protective of his future with her. We know that.”

“I think we should consider letting Anson join us,” I said, looking to Enzo and then to Fox.

“No,” Fox answered, his voice low.

I blinked in surprise at him. “Really? I thought you’d be on board with it. I thought you liked Anson.”

“I do like him, but my answer is no,” Fox said simply.

Enzo nodded. “My answer is always no and will always be no. I want her to choose, but we also get a say as well. That is my answer. If she’s ever with him, it’s because she’s told us to fuck off. And even then, I’m sure I’ll be able to convince Cole to help me kill him. She will never be with him. Ever.”

Fox shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. I didn’t press the subject. I didn’t like to think about Rosalie without us. She was everything I knew. Everything I wanted. There was no future in my mind without her. It’s why I continued to keep fighting for us. If I ever did anything that hurt her, I’d let her go, but there wasn’t shit in this world that would make my loyalty to her waver.

Ever.

I dared anyone to fucking try me.

FORTY-NINE

ROSALIE

Ihadn’t heard from Anson in a week. That’s how long it had been since we’d helped him when he was drunk. He hadn’t reached out, nor had I. I didn’t even know what I’d say if I did reach out to him. As far as I knew, he didn’t want to talk anymore, and things were back to how they had been before that night.

It hurt. I couldn’t change that. I thought he cared more than that, but then again, neither of us had any business caring in that way, so I accepted it was what it was.

I walked downstairs to find the house empty. The guys had been busier than usual lately, and sometimes, no one was home when I returned from classes. I wasn’t practicing a ton, but one or two days a week was better than anything I did before. Today was one of those days I had the practice room booked for the entire afternoon, something I hadn’t done in forever, but I had a new song plaguing me that I was desperate to work on.

Hearing voices coming from the office, I made my way over and stopped outside the door. I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I didn’t want to interrupt them if it was important. I needed to tell them I was going to leave to practice in case they’d forgotten I was going today.

“What the fuck are we supposed to do?” Fox demanded. “Huh?”

“I don’t know,” Enzo answered sourly. “But it’s happened, so the point is fucking moot.”

Fox let out a loud curse. I frowned. Something definitely wasn’t right. I tried to stay out of their business because I honestly didn’t want to know or worry more than I already did. I knew Enzo and the guys weren’t angels and did bad things. I tried not to dwell on it, opting to live in a bubble where they were perfect and never hurt or killed anyone. I never once thought they were bad. In my mind, they only killed and hurt those who wronged them or were a danger.

Dark knights, really.

It kept me from going nuts with worry.

“What’s Anthony saying?” Cole asked.

“He’s telling me to go on lockdown and head into hiding until we get leads, but I’m not doing that shit. I don’t fucking run and hide,” Enzo said.

“I’m not giving anyone my recipe. I don’t give a shit,” Ethan said defiantly. “It’s my fucking life’s work. It’s never happening.”