Losing Romeo (23 page)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The last few weeks of summer flew by. Rosaline spent most her days helping Dad with his campaign—she really did want him to make a difference and believed he could. Then she’d spend time with Mom, doing all the things they used to do together. Mom’s progress was up and down, but with medication and sessions with a counselor, they were hopeful. Rosaline even had a few sessions with the counselor, too, and while the sadness over the way Juliet had chosen to follow her advice was still there, she’d learned to let go of the guilt.

The two rival families in Verona still had their problems, but things were gradually getting better. And when it all got to be too much, she would go spend time with Clara. She could always count on her best friend to cheer her up.

But she missed Bryson so much that her heart ached every time he crossed her mind. Which was constantly. She missed riding horses and motorcycles. She missed Dafne and Leanne, and even all those stupid trees. Most of all, she missed just being with her awesome boyfriend. Watching him work on his bikes, talking to him, the way he’d give her that amused smile when she made a joke, and how he just got her.

Then summer was over and school started.

The first week wasn’t even over and Rosaline wanted to be done with it. As she walked out of the school with Clara for lunch break, she mentally re-hashed the last phone call she’d had with Bryson. His knee was healing well—he was hopeful he’d be walking without the help of his cane after a few months of rehab—and they’d talked about everything and nothing for hours.

Man, his voice does something to me.
She pictured him in her mind, backwards hat on, big smile on his face, and she could feel her heart unraveling, one thread at a time.

Clara nudged her. “Hey. Are you back in Arkansas again?”

“Sorry,” Rosaline said, reluctantly forcing her mind back to the present. “As riveting as school is, I can’t keep my mind on it.”

“But we’re on lunch break now. Thirty whole minutes to enjoy freedom.” Clara spun in a circle, tipping her face to the sky. Then she stopped and faced Rosaline. “We need to make plans for after school and get you cheered up. You’ve been super mopey lately.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you can’t be with the person you love.”

“You’re starting to sound like Juliet again.”

Rosaline whipped her head toward Clara, mouth open.

Her best friend held up her hands. “I’m just saying. Sometimes it worries me, and that’s why I’m so determined to get you back into the swing of things.” She grabbed Rosaline’s arm and led her to their usual bench. “How about guy watching? That always used to cheer you up. You can help me find a boyfriend.”

Clara’s gaze drifted across the street. They came to this spot for lunch because a lot of cute college guys ate at the burger joint across the street around this time.

Rosaline leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees, and propped her chin on her fists, too depressed to look at cute guys—which was pretty freaking depressed.

Clara muttered about the boys she spotted, rating them on their potential. One had a big nose but dressed well. Another had nice arms. Rosaline didn’t even bother looking, keeping her eyes glued to a crack in the sidewalk.

Cracked like my heart.
She didn’t even care that she was being overly dramatic. This long-distance thing blew chunks.

“
Ooh
, that one might be yummy,” Clara said. “I can’t really see his face, though. He’s got long dark hair covering half of it. He’s turning…Okay, judging from the non-covered half, he’s a total hottie. Wait, he’s got a cane—not that that rules him out.”

Rosaline whipped up her head.

Clara squealed. “He’s coming toward us.”

Rosaline blinked, thinking the mirage would disappear. Because she swore Bryson Mercer was walking toward them. Every nerve in her body fired like crazy, and her heart hammered against her ribs. In a daze, she pushed herself to her feet. Slowly put one foot in front of another.

Bryson’s eyes stayed locked on hers, and that devastating smile she’d just been daydreaming about spread across his face.

Next thing she knew she was sprinting for him. She threw her arms around his neck, crashing into him. He anchored her in place with a strong arm around her waist.

Time stopped, and the rest of the world faded away into unimportant nothingness.

Then Bryson’s lips were against hers, where they should always be. She clung on to him, soaking in his heat, his familiar smell, his steady heartbeat. With a sigh, she parted her lips and fell into the kiss.

“So, this is Verona,” Bryson said when they came up for air. But he wasn’t looking around. He was staring at her. His fingers brushed the hem of her skirt and grazed her bare thigh. “I like it.”

All the butterflies, the longing and desire and tingly warmth—they hit her at once, overloading her system and giving her that happy, floaty sensation she’d missed ever since she and Bryson had been apart. She ran her hands up and down his arms—solid. Real. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. How long are you going to be in town?”

“Funny you bring that up. Lately I’ve had lots of time to think, and I got to thinking I could go to college almost anywhere…” He put his hand on her neck and ran his thumb along her jaw. “Being apart sucks, and I don’t want to do it anymore. Which is why I enrolled at Verona State.”

She barely restrained herself from jumping up and down. “Seriously?”

A loud throat-clearing caught Rosaline’s attention. Clara studied Bryson, one eyebrow cocked. “Bryson, I assume.”

“You must be Clara,” Bryson said. Rosaline introduced them, and Clara gave her a look she interpreted to mean
Why didn’t you tell me about the cane and the scar?
But she had the good grace to not say anything.

The warning bell sounded, and Rosaline glanced toward the school. Her gaze drifted back to Bryson, then she glanced at Clara. “If anyone asks…”

“I’ll tell them you got sick. Won’t mention it was lovesick.”

Rosaline smiled. “You’re the best.”

Clara nodded, walking backward a couple steps before turning and rushing back to school.

“I don’t want to get you in trouble,” Bryson said, but the mischief in his eyes told a different story.

“I’d get in more trouble if I went back. There’s no way I could sit still in class now.” Since she liked to think she’d learned from her mistakes, she sent a quick text to Mom, letting her know what was going on. Hopefully she’d earned enough brownie points the parents would let missing half a day of school slide.

Bryson grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and they started toward the boardwalk. Her heart soared with the knowledge that he actually loved her enough to move across the country to be with her. The bad luck and curses were over. The past was the past, and now they got to look forward to a long, happy future together.

For never was there a story of more joy, than of Rosaline and her super sexy Arkansas boy.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Malinda and Kika for being my first readers on this book. Thanks to Jeremy Leatham for doing the copyediting and April for holding the fort while he did. Huge shout out to Allie Brenan for my beautiful cover and another shout out to my TZWNDU girls, who keep me sane and laughing. Same goes to Amanda Price, Rachel Harris, Melissa West, and the rest of the CKM. Also big thanks to Kelly Oram for chatting with me one night in Phoenix (along with Ginger Scott, Anne Eliot, and Elizabeth Kelly) and convincing me to put this book out there. It gave me the push I needed to do it.

Love always to my family for being there when I need them and giving me time to work when I need that.

And lastly, thanks to everyone who’s read any of my books. You all are the best!

Author Bio

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA books
All the Broken Pieces, The Cipher Trilogy (Cipher, Rift, and Resolution), and Demons of the Sun,
and adult romances
Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, Resisting the Hero, An Officer and a Rebel, Second Chance Ranch, Cinderella Screwed Me Over,
and
Ready to Wed.

For more information, you can visit Cindi at
cindimadsen.com
. In order to find out about the third book in the Cipher series, or any of her other books, make sure you sign up for her newsletter.

Thanks for reading! If you get a moment, please leave a review! It’s a huge help to authors and I appreciate every single one.

Copyright © 2014 Cindi Madsen

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions

By payment of required fees, you have been granted the
non
-exclusive,
non
-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

Please Note

The reverse engineering, uploading, and/or distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

Interior format by The Killion Group

http://thekilliongroupinc.com

Thank you.