Breakwater: Hyde (BBW Bad Boy Space Bear Shifter Romance) (Star Bears Book 4) (8 page)

And then, of course, came the big revelation, the big reveal, the curtain-drop moment. When Jacob had been in the shower one afternoon- just a normal afternoon, the two of them kicking round the flat separately- his phone had buzzed and, without thinking, Rosie had grabbed it to check who was texting. And instead of a sweet message from his mom checking in, or one of his friends organizing a night out, she found…well, it made her go red and angry and all sorts of things just to think about it, but it wasn't the kind of thing any woman should be sending her live-in boyfriend. And just like that, her entire life collapsed around her in one swift motion. She'd heard about things like this happening to other women- women who weren't her, women in magazines and sitcoms and romance novels- but she had honestly felt her entire world tilt on it's axis as soon as she saw that photograph.
 
She'd sat, holding his phone limply in her hand, until he came back through and gave her that look. It was as if he knew, straightaway, without question, what she had seen- sometimes Rosie wondered if he had intended for her to see it, just to save himself the bother of breaking up with her himself.
 

What came next was both painfully hard and oddly simple- he left, moved everything out of the apartment, and left her with a giant, gaping hole in her life. He never apologized- part of her knew that he blamed her for what had happened, just the way she blamed herself. If she'd just been a little more attentive, tried a little harder, none of this would have happened.
 

So she'd had to go about telling everyone what had happened, as he'd left too abruptly to inform any of their friends or family what had gone down. One of the first people she'd called had been Dina- partly because she knew the practicalities of planning a wedding would require her to know about any changes of plan as soon as they happened, and partly because she knew that Dina would find some way to comfort her and make it all seem a little bit easier. Even though they lived at opposite sides of the country, there was an unspoken agreement between them that nothing would really change, nor ever would. Dina had immediately told her that she didn't need to come if she didn't want to, but Rosie knew the dress was already fitted and paid for, and she wasn't about to put her cousin through the stress of finding a new bridesmaid at the last minute. She would just have to suck up the relatives asking where her boyfriend was, and all the lovey dovey be-with-you-forever shit, and then she could go home.

But, of course, the weather had other plans. After a few more minutes lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, Rosie dragged herself upright, stretching out and feeling all her bones crack in the process. Ever since Jacob had gone, she'd slept in a tight little ball most of the time, and she always woke up aching and sore. Slipping in to a shower, she thanked God for good hotel water pressure, and threw on the pair of cigarette trousers that she'd packed precisely for this day. Just because she was an eternal single trapped in the seventh circle of relationship hell didn't mean she'd completely given up on looking good.
 

She wandered downstairs just as dawn was breaking, watching with wonder as the first light broke across the stormy sea outside. In some ways, there was nowhere she'd rather be- she had always been a traveller at heart, even if Jacob had always found some way to wriggle out of all the little trips and visits she had planned. At reception, she found Dina looking frazzled, clutching what Rosie seriously hoped was just an orange juice.

"Everything okay?" She yawned, looking around. She was the first of the guests up, by the looks of it- not that it surprised her. Everyone else had looked as if they were going pretty hard the night before, and Rosie assumed they were all trying to sleep through the worst of their hangovers before they emerged for the opulent breakfast the hotel had laid on for them.

"Fuck no," Dina shook her head. "We're probably going to be stuck here for at least the next few days. The airstrip's closed while the storm passes over, and no-one knows when it's going to be done."

"Oh, Deen, I'm sorry," Rosie put a hand on her shoulder, doing her best to comfort her while cursing her bad luck. At least another few days- that was longer than she had anticipated.
 

"Not your fault. Are you doing okay?"

That was typical of Dina- even in times of crazy crisis, she would find a way to make sure everyone around her was dealing with their own little disasters too.

"Yeah, course, why wouldn’t I be?" Rosie grinned, trying to put on a convincing game face. But her cousin knew her well enough to tell when she was lying through her teeth. Dina observed her for a moment, and offered her a supportive smile.
 

"I know it wasn't long ago, is all," She replied carefully, as if worried Rosie might suddenly burst into tears on her shoulder if she said the wrong thing. "And it sucks to be cheated on. I know."

"Yeah, I remember Freddy," Rosie reminded her flippantly. "I just hope- you know. That I'll find something like what you and Tom have."

"You will," Dina smiled, speaking with the kind of authority that only people a day away from their wedding can have. Rosie felt a sudden lump in her throat and, horrified, turned away, praying she wouldn't burst into tears right there and then. To her relief, she saw a couple of the other bridesmaids wandering downstairs, and quickly deferred Dina's interest on to them. She hurried over to the window, gulping down a couple of big breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

"You okay?"
 

A voice from behind her took Rosie by surprise. She took another moment to compose herself, and then turned around, plastering a big grin on her face and praying that whoever it was wouldn't bestow her with the awful sympathy she'd been getting from everyone since she arrived. That was the worst part- people talking to her as if she'd been through some life-altering tragedy. That made it worse.

"Yeah, thanks," she nodded, barely taking the time to register who was talking to her before she spoke. When she made eye contact, she found herself squinting in recognition- who the fuck was this guy again? He was slim, with a waist that tapered out into broad shoulders and glittering blue eyes flecked with gold. His shirt was buttoned incorrectly, as if he'd just thrown on whatever he could find and dashed downstairs. Oh, yeah- the groomsmen, he was one of Tom's groomsmen. Dina had pointed him out to her last night with a glint in her eye, but Rosie really hadn't been in the mood for matchmaking.

"I heard what you were saying over there," he gestured back over to Dina. "I wasn't trying to earwig or anything, I just- I get it. I was there pretty recently myself."

"It fucking sucks, right?" Rosie raised her eyebrows. "I don't know how people are meant to get through weddings after crap like that happens."

"Yeah, you got me," he shrugged, then thrust his hand out in her direction. "I'm Win, by the way."

"Win?" She put her hand in his.
 

"Short for Winston." He pulled a face. "My parents were big into British history."

"That's actually kind of neat," she laughed, feeling the lump in her throat finally begin to retreat. "I'm Rosie."

"You're Dina's cousin, aren't you?" He cocked his head at her, and Rosie nodded.
 

"Yeah, that's me."

"I'm glad there's someone else in the wedding party who isn't all delirious on love like everyone else here," he noted cynically, and she couldn't help giggling.
 

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure a couple of the bridesmaids and groomsmen are already hooking up."

"Wouldn't surprise me," he laughed and shook his head. "So, wanna be my partner in single-hood crime this weekend? Or however long we're stuck here."

"Sounds good," she nodded, and he offered her his arm.
 

"I think we've got a meeting to go to in the breakfast room," he pulled a face. "Want to accompany me?"

"As soon as you get that shirt sorted out," jibed Rosie, and he glanced down and rolled his eyes.

"Shit, I knew I got ready too fast this morning," he shook his head, and turned away from her. "I'm going to head upstairs and get changed."

"I'll join you," she blurted out before she had a chance to think about what she was saying. She didn't want to get abandoned down with all the couples by herself, so she would deal with his surprised reaction and raised eyebrow.

"If you insist," he shrugged. "I'm on the top floor."

They strolled up in companionable silence, both of them avoiding the chaos that seemed to be erupting around the hotel as guests figured out that they weekend plans might be taking a dramatic change.
 

"So, who was he?" Win asked quietly as they made their way up the stairs.

"Boyfriend, you know, live-in, the whole deal," She shook her head. "Piece of shit."

"Well, at least you're firmly past the stage of still thinking he didn't do anything wrong," he grinned, and she smiled back, feeling that weight bear down on her chest once again.
 

"What about you?" She quickly replied, trying to distract herself.

"Engaged. We were meant to be getting married last month, actually," he answered, and there was a slight wistfulness to his voice.
 

"Fuck," Rosie murmured, " Sorry."

And she thought her one had been bad. Even if she had thought they had something more serious than just boyfriend-girlfriend, she had never had a ring on her finger- no promises were made.
 

"That was months ago now," he waved his hand in the air as they arrived in front of his hotel room. "You know how it is. Gets easier."

"So I'm told," she mumbled as he unlocked the door and stepped inside.
 

“’’Scuse me," he turned his back to her and began unbuttoning his shirt, chucking it on to his bed. "I didn't want to strip off in front of the whole reception. Figured they're already pissed enough without me waggling my nakedness at them."

Rosie giggled again. She couldn't help but notice that she was alone, in a man's bedroom, and that he had his shirt off. Yeah, she'd just met him, and they'd spent most of their time together talking about their failed relationships, but it felt good not to be immediately suspicious of any guy who showed an interest in her. It made her realize just how badly Jacob had fucked her up. She glanced over slyly at Win, and found herself resisting the urge to run her fingers down his naked, muscular back. Smirking to herself, she quickly looked away, and waited for him to get dressed.

"We should probably head back down," he gestured to the door, a t-shirt now preserving his modesty.
 

"Yeah, for sure," Rosie nodded, feeling a tiny bit dazed as he grabbed his keys and hurried out the door.
 

By the time they got downstairs, it was thronged with guests, all of whom seemed to be determined to get an answer about a leaving date at that very instant. Dina had vanished off to the breakfast room, along with the rest of the wedding party, and Win and Rosie slid in late, hoping no-one would notice. Rosie grabbed a croissant and some jam. She was rarely up early enough to get breakfast, and she wasn't about to miss the opportunity to gorge herself.

The conversation buzzed around the table- the short-haired bridesmaid, Lorne, was desperately trying to calm Dina and Tom down, while everyone else looked frazzled, tired, or hungover. The storm outside rattled the long windows of the hotel, and Rosie exchanged a look with Win. He smiled at her- a simple, sweet, honest smile that took her by surprise. It cut through the chaos in an instant, and Rosie found herself smiling back.

Before she could make any more of the gesture, the entire room flipped on a dime- it was as if someone had waved a wand and made everyone as uncomfortable as possible. One of the bridesmaids stood up, and hurried Dina outside- all the bridesmaids exchanged confused looks, and Rosie furrowed her brow. This was more than just worry over where they were going to put the guests for those extra days, she could tell.
 

Sliding up the communal bench, she leant over to Win to see if he knew anything she didn't.

"Do you know what the hell is going on here?" She gestured around the room, and he shook his head.
 

"I think- I don't know, but-" he turned to confer with one of the groomsmen, and the two of them stood up suddenly. "I have to go. I'll be back soon, I promise."

He turned his back on her and stormed out of the room, leaving Rosie sitting by herself, staring at the spot he had just been in. What the hell was that all about? She leant back in her seat, taking a defiant bite of her croissant, and narrowed her eyes. This whole thing was freaking her out. She didn't like not knowing what was going on. The door clicked open, and Dina walked back in, looking as if she'd been slapped in the face. Rosie hurriedly stood up and scurried up to her.

"Dina?" She asked, taking her hand and squeezing it tight. "Is everything okay?"

"What?" Dina looked up, as if she was waking up from a long sleep. "Oh, Rosie. Sorry. I just-"

She paused and took a long, deep breath, like she was struggling to get her head around what she'd just found out.

"Freddy's here."

"Huh?" Rosie narrowed her eyes. She remembered Freddy- the lying, cheating, possessive piece of shit Dina had been dating before she'd met Tom. They'd only been together a few months, but he'd grown pretty obsessed with her. When they'd split, it had been ugly- the kind of break-up you pull horrified faces over at cocktails afterwards. But surely he wouldn't have come all the way out here, would he? What was there to gain?