Liam: Kids are at Esther’s until Sunday evening.
Rosalie: Starting tonight?
Liam: Yeah. Want to talk?
Rosalie: I’m not ready.
I thought she’d say that.
Liam: Tomorrow then? I took off work.
Rosalie: I guess so. My schedule’s pretty open, too.
Three dots pop up right after that, and she quickly sends a follow-up.
Rosalie: That sounded passive-aggressive. Sorry. It’s not like you need to consult me when you change their schedule.
My heart sinks. I completely upended her weekend plans and then sprung it on her. Rosalie lives by her schedule as much as I do. My phone dings again.
Rosalie: You know what? Call me. That sounded passive-aggressive too.
Rosalie: But give me a minute because I need to hide from Kam. She’s totally giving me side-eye.
Only Rosalie would fear being rude more than she fears a confrontation with me. I rub my eyes. I was hoping she’d realize that by sending the kids to Esther’s, it was a sign that I want to see her in person with no limits on our time, just the two of us figuring things out. A phone call is better than text, but not by much. I’ll still take it.
She calls me before I can call her.
“Hi, Rosie.”
“Hi.” Just hearing her voice calms me a little bit, even if that one word is filled with exasperation.
“Where should I start with my apology?”
“I don’t want you to apologize, Liam.”
“Why not?”
“You shouldn’t be sorry for getting caught up in the moment or the choices you’re making as a dad or a son. I think I just need to readjust my expectations, and then we need to stay in our lanes and not confuse each other again. I should probably apologize, too.”
“So, we’ll be ships passing in the night. I won’t look at you, and you won’t look at me.”
“Yeah,” she says defensively. She clearly doesn’t like my playful tone when she’s decided to be serious and pragmatic about the fact that we made out in front of my parents’ house before she took off in her car. Our attitudes are a role reversal, but a necessary one. I know she’s trying to smooth things over, but that’s not what we need.
“I don’t want that.”
“Since when? Since tonight?”
It’s a fair jab. I take in a deep breath, gathering courage. There’s no need to hold back anymore, even if she doesn’t like this version of me. It’s going to be okay. Everything I know of her tells me it will be. “You said I shouldn’t be sorry for getting caught up in the moment.”
“I did.”
“You think I’m not ready to admit I love you?”
She can’t hide the hitch in her throat at my words. I can’t believe I said them, but the relief I feel, and the burst of adrenalin that comes with it, feels like magic.
Until she hangs up on me.
Chapter 31 – A Flood of Memories