Chapter Eighteen

Owen sat on the roof of his building, leaning against the side of the low wall that ran around the edge. In between his outstretched legs, Rose lay back and rested her head on his chest. It was his favorite place to be at night when the air was cool, and the lights of the city seemed to stretch on forever. He’d been sneaking up here since he was kid. He’d never realized until now how much better it was when there was someone else.

“I can’t believe you can come up here whenever you want,” Rose said, gazing out at the view. “It’s perfect.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, letting his fingers play with her hair. Rose was right, the view was nice. But what made it perfect wasn’t the buildings or the lights or the darkness all around him. It was the woman he was sharing it with.

“I’m glad you came over today,” he said.

“Me, too.”

“I missed you after our texts.”

“It was the worst timing for a meeting,” she said. “Or maybe it’s just that you’re the worst for getting me all riled up like that. I thought I was going to die in Jason’s office.”

He liked hearing about her getting riled up for him. But even so, his arms involuntarily flinched. “Jason?” he asked, a surge of protectiveness rising up within him.

She put her hand on his forearm, stroking the hairs on his bare skin. The gesture alone made his heart rate stop climbing. “It was just a meeting,” she said.

“I know you have to work with him. I just don’t want him pulling any shit.”

“Actually, it wasn’t even shitty.”

“Oh?”

She shifted against him again.

“You can tell me,” he said.

“It’s a little weird.”

“You’re going to have to use these things called ‘words’ to explain.”

She laughed. “Well…he told me that after my work on the recent ads, I’m first in line from the assistants to be up for promotion.”

“Rose!” He went from lounging back to sitting straight up, hugging his arms tight around her. “Have you been sitting on this news all night?”

“I wanted your dad to like me—not meet me as CUBE’s PR girl.”

“Trust me, he likes you.”

“And I didn’t know if you’d be excited. For the same reason.”

He drew her head back so she was leaning against his shoulder again and kissed the side of her face. He hated realizing she thought that about him—that there were things she couldn’t tell him, things they couldn’t share.

“It’s a promotion,” he said. “That’s usually good news. Of course I’m excited for you. But Rose—are you excited?”

“Honestly?” she asked.

“Always honestly.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I think so? It’d come with a substantial raise, which I could use. And I’d get to do more interesting work. Have more of a say.”

“Even though it’s CUBE?”

“That’s the drawback. But maybe I could develop enough of a resume to look elsewhere. It’d be something to help me eventually get out.”

“Then it’s settled. You have to take it, even if you want to leave.”

“If they give it to me,” Rose said. “It’s not a done deal. One of the senior execs gave me this mini lecture about making sure I was ‘hungry’ for it—that was her word, I’m not even kidding. Like I have to make it clear I don’t have one foot out the door, because they’d rather groom someone else for the role.”

“What are you supposed to do—eat a footlong sub in their office to show how hungry you are?”

She laughed. “That’s what I’ll do on the day I want to get fired. It’s more like—I don’t know. We were wrapping up when she said she must have missed my name on the RSVP list for the company gala. I had to make something up on the spot.”

“Company gala?” That sounded like his idea of hell.

“It’s their big anniversary bash later this month. But can they really not promote me if I don’t show up at an optional event? That’s crazy.”

He let her hair cascade between his fingers. “Why wouldn’t you go?”

“It’s awkward.”

“You see Jason all the time. You just told me it was fine.”

“That’s at work. It’s different. This is a night out, and I’m sure he’ll have some hot, fabulous date with him. Probably the woman he was cheating on me with.”

“You’ll be hot and fabulous. Not even a question.”

“And I hate how they’re running the business,” she said, sidestepping his compliment. “I hate celebrating that.” She turned around in his lap. “Maybe I should quit.”

“What would you do instead?”

“I love how you didn’t tell me not to quit.”

He kissed her temple. “You should do what you want.”

“Tell that to my health insurance premiums, my student loans, my landlord…you know the drill.”

He sighed. “I’m probably not the right guy to ask about this sort of stuff. I just think you should do what makes you happy.”

“I don’t have something that makes me happy—not the way that you do. You have this business, you have commissions, you have work that you love. CUBE isn’t like that for me. But I don’t know what would be better. There’s no calling, some clear-cut thing I’ve always known I wanted to do.”

“You should count yourself lucky,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because then your heart isn’t broken if it doesn’t work out.”

“That’s depressing,” she said.

“The truth sucks sometimes.”

“That’s like saying that it’s better never to fall in love, because then you’ll never get hurt.”

The silence hung heavy for a beat between them.

He swallowed. “There’s a certain truth to that, you know,” he said quietly.

“I should just forget it,” she said, and for a second, he thought she meant forget about falling in love. Maybe even with him.

Until she said, “I should stay home that night. It was bad enough seeing Jason’s girlfriend naked. It’s not like I care about them anymore. But that doesn’t mean I want to stand around awkwardly while they show off for everyone.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said immediately.

Maybe it was the word “love.” Maybe it was the thought of Rose showing up alone and insecure. Or, worse, of Rose not showing up at all. He couldn’t stand the thought of her backing away from anything.

She laughed in his face.

“Ouch,” he said.

This time, she turned all the way around in his arms, so she was facing him instead of the skyline. Her eyes scanned his. He wished he could tell what she was searching for. And if she found it when she looked at him.

“Sorry, I thought you were kidding,” she said.

He shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow.

He raised an eyebrow back.

“So—not kidding?” she asked.

“Why would I be kidding?”

“It’s at the Frick,” she said.

“The art museum? Rose, I love art.”

“I know that. Looking at your workshop, of course I know that. I just mean—”

“You don’t want people to think I’m your boyfriend.”

She punched his shoulder playfully. “Don’t say stupid things. I should probably be begging you to come so Jason doesn’t get too gleeful thinking you dumped me.”

He laughed. As if there was any chance of him doing that. “Then it’s because you can’t picture me cavorting with the enemy,” he said.

Now it was her turn to laugh. “Actually, I was going to say I know you’d hate wearing tux.”

“Wait. It’s that kind of event?”

Maybe he should rescind his offer. If there was one thing Owen’s closet did not, never had, and probably never would contain, it was a penguin suit.

On the other hand…this was Rose he was talking about. Rose who needed him. Just being near her changed everything. It certainly changed what he was and wasn’t willing to do.

“It’s a gala,” she reiterated. “Fancy-pantsy.”

“So, you in a ballgown?” He couldn’t stop from grinning.

“It’s just a work event.”

“I repeat: you in a ballgown. I’ll have you know that I can eat canapés with the best of them.”

It wasn’t fair that Jason could do whatever he wanted while Rose quietly stepped back and took herself out of the running. Especially when there were actual consequences to her career.

He pulled her back, so she was lying spooned in his arms like she’d been before. “I’m serious. Let’s go together. Let’s go and have a good time.”

He kissed her cheek. “What do you say?” he asked. “Is it a date? I promise to be on my best behavior and not punch Jason in the nose. No matter how much I want to.”

“You have my permission to give him a small punch,” she said. “If he deserves it.”

He laughed. “I’m going to remember that. But I’m serious, Rose. This is how business works. You have to show up just to be in the running.”

She turned her head and gave him an appraising look. “Since when do you know all about how business works?”

“You spend enough time on the outside looking in, you figure out pretty quickly how the games are played.”

“Wow,” she said.

“And to think you only dig me for my beard and muscles.”

She burst out laughing. A real laugh, light and full, making her whole face glow under the stars. “Then I’ll put you down as my plus one,” she said.

“And the other thing?” he asked. “The promotion?”

“I guess I’d better go into work tomorrow and make sure they know it’s mine.”

It shouldn’t have felt so good to hear it. But somehow, lying on the roof with her, looking out at the lights, he couldn’t help thinking how everything felt right. His job, and Rose’s. His family, and his heart. The warmth inside him that came not just from sex, but from holding her.

Maybe everything really was possible. Under the stars, with Rose in his arms, it felt like all of it—everything—was his.