Page 158 of Saltwater Cowboy

I couldn’t help but smile as I placed a soft kiss on her forehead and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her a little closer. “Already done.”

Her face lit up, and her voice softened, teasing. “Gosh, I love you.” Then, her eyes widened, and she scrambled to correct herself, her words stumbling over each other. “I mean—I love that you ordered pizza.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t hide my grin. “My pleasure. I ordered you a vegetable one.”

Rose snuggled closer to me, the warmth of her body easing some of the tension in mine. “You know me so well.”

The doorbell rang just as I was about to say something, and I shot up from the couch to grab the pizza. I quickly paid the driver and brought the boxes back to the living room, the smell of warm pizza filling the air. Rose’s eyes lit up when she saw the boxes, and she slid off the couch to help me set everything up on the coffee table.

I opened the vegetable pizza for her and the supreme one for me, both of us settling back into the couch with our plates in hand. I hit play on the movie, the soft hum of the opening credits filling the space between us.

Rose was curled up beside me, and for a while, we didn’t say anything. We just ate, laughed, and shared quiet moments of contentment. I kept stealing glances at her, trying to enjoy the way her hair framed her face, how her lips curled into that relaxed smile when she found something funny. Every second felt precious, but also, like it was slipping through my fingers too fast.

The movie played, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Marie and that damn phone call. Every time I looked at Rose, I felt that same twist of guilt in my gut. But there was something else, too—something heavier. It wasn’t just the guilt. It was the fear that I might lose what I had with Rose, that I might ruin something perfect.

I tried to focus on the movie, but every time I glanced at Rose, my heart softened. She was just so easy to love. She didn’t have to try. She was real, and that’s what I needed.

“Are you enjoying the movie?” Rose asked, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts. She was looking up at me, her expression soft and a little concerned.

“Yeah,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if I meant it. “It’s good. Just thinking.”

Her eyes searched mine, but before she could ask anything else, I dropped my gaze to my pizza. “Nothing important.”

Rose leaned her head against my shoulder, her fingers lightly brushing mine. “You sure? You’ve been quiet today.”

I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure what I was doing—whether I was trying to pretend everything was fine, or whether I was hoping the guilt would just go away. “Just some stuff with the farm. You know how it is.”

She nodded, though I could tell she wasn’t fully convinced. I didn’t blame her. I was barely convincing myself.

We sat in silence, the soft glow of the TV flickering across the room, and I couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that time was running out. The movie ended, the credits rolling, and Rose stifled a yawn. She shifted, climbed onto my lap, and gave me a mischievous look, waggling her eyebrows before leaning in to kiss me.

“Wanna head upstairs and do fun things?” she asked, her voice low and playful.

“Not tonight,” I said flatly, my voice too sharp, too distant.

Rose tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly as she pressed a hand to my forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“Seeing if you’re feeling okay,” she said, her fingers gently tracing my skin. “You’ve never turned down my advances.”

I let out a long, deep sigh. “I’m fine.”

She gave me a skeptical look before trailing her lips down my neck, her breath warm against my skin. “Oh, you’re grumpy,” she teased. “I can help with that.”

I shifted uncomfortably, not ready for that kind of closeness tonight. “Not now,” I muttered.

Rose pulled away, frowning. “Is it because Granger is right there?” She pointed to the dog curled up at the foot of the couch.

I shook my head, but the guilt gnawed at me. “No.”

She raised an eyebrow, a half-smile forming on her lips. “Man, a bug must’ve crawled up your ass…” she said, her voice dripping with mock concern.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, even though I didn’t feel like it. But the tension was still there, hanging between us like a cloud that I couldn’t shake. I had to come clean about Marie, but the words felt too heavy, too difficult to say.

“Can we talk?” I finally managed to say, the words coming out slower than I intended.

“Are you hitting me with a ‘can we talk,’ Calloway?” Rose’s voice held a playful edge, but I could see the hint of concern in her eyes.