Twelve of Roses

“I’m offering you a muffin. Pick one.”

“Banana,” I answered as calmly as I could, making it a point to focus on the pattern in my breakfast bar.

The bag rustled, followed by the tearing of a paper towel. A muffin appeared in front of me, a familiar ring beside it.

How did he get this back? I’d left it attached to the severed finger in my freezer, eventually coming clean to Reynolds about it.

“You look so beautiful, Rosie,” Con murmured quietly. He placed the muffin down beside me and ran a gentle hand through my hair. “Please don’t be scared. I’m not here to hurt you. I’ll never hurt you again.”

I wasn’t buying that for a second. And why was he so close to me? Darcy could come back at any second.

“Why Darcy?” I continued to speak low, listening for the sound of the toilet flushing or running water.

“That’s the only way I could stay close to you, through your closest friend. We won’t need her anymore after tonight. I—”

I jerked, hopping off my stool to get away from him.

He’d removed his sunglasses. I could now see the blue eyes that haunted me every night.

“No, not her. You can’t hurt her.”

He looked at me quizzically. “I’m not going to hurt anyone unless they get in my way of being with you.”

“You just said—”

“You see your wedding ring, don’t you? I’m simply here to take make things right between us. What kind of man would I be to let the woman I love raise our son all alone and not give him the chance to have a family?”

Him. He knew I was having a boy? I stepped backward, taking one step and then another until my back hit the counter.

“Do you hear yourself right now? You’re engaged to my best friend. And family? Have you forgotten what you’ve done? I’m sure Molly hasn’t.”

He took a bite of a chocolate chip muffin and nodded in agreement.

“You’re right,” he said after swallowing. “I fucked up, which is why I’m here to make things better. You don’t have to worry about a thing, Rosie. I’ve got it all figure out.”

“And Darcy?”

He smiled at me. “Our friends will be here soon to help sort everything out.”

Our friends?

I swallowed, feeling as if the room were about to tilt.

“Hey.” He sat his muffin down and circled around the breakfast bar, approaching me slowly.

I slid away from him, eyeing the butcher’s block at the opposite end of the counter.

“There’s no need to worry. I promise I have everything worked out for the best this time. You and our baby will live a good life.”

He stepped right in front of me and gently took hold of my left hand, sliding the halo ring onto my finger.

“Don’t get worked up. It’s not good for the baby. Neither is violence.”

I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down, drawing the familiar scent of him into my lungs.

“This will never work. Please. Just go.”

“Why would I go now that you’ve let me in? You gave me the green light to walk right through your door. I’m not going anywhere ever again. You’re stuck with me till we’re laying side by side in a grave, Rosie.”

Before I could conjure up a reply, I heard a car pulling into the driveway as well as the water running in my bathroom. Con grabbed hold of me, handling my body as if it were made of glass as he positioned me against his front, removing his gun.

“What are you doing? You said you wouldn’t hurt her!”

“Calm the fuck down or I’ll lock you upstairs in your bedroom. We’re going to have a family meeting, that’s it. You remember those, don’t you? I won’t hurt her.”

Family meetings were always bloody. He may have been promising not to hurt her, that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t. Between him speaking of friends and family, I couldn’t tell you who he was referring to.

“Who’s here? Who did you call?”

He didn’t answer. Whoever it was didn’t bother knocking or ringing the doorbell. As the front door opened and closed, Con’s grip on me tightened, but he was careful not to put any pressure on my stomach.

Multiple footsteps came from my right as Darcy entered from the left, oblivious to what was happening until it was too late. She looked away from her cell, stumbling in place.

Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out until Vicky and Justin walked into the kitchen.

No way.

No fucking way.

Where had she come from? Why wasn’t he still locked away? They were the equivalent of the devil’s underlings here to do his bidding. I curled my hands into fists, struggling to keep my breathing even.

“Rose,” she greeted me enthusiastically. “You look great, girl.”

“Let Darcy go,” I said to Con, ignoring Vicky entirely.

“Shh,” he hushed in my ear, placing a kiss on my cheek.