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Winston
Grizzly Groomsmen III
by
Becca Fanning
Waking up to rain was usually one of Rosie's favorite things. The soft patter of the drops on the window, the promise that she had a reason not to leave the house that day-did you see the weather, no way I'm going out in that, I'll just stay in. But today was one of the few days that she'd been praying to wake up to anything but the sound of rain outside her bedroom, and, of course, that was what she'd gotten.
Rosie rolled over in her bed- it was unfamiliar, a too-sleek hotel-room deal, and she hadn't slept well anyway. As soon as the wind had started up earlier in the night, she'd found her rest disturbed, and struggled to push through the rest of the night without just getting up and watching the storm pull in. She'd begged out of the party the night before a little early, hoping to catch up on some of her jet lag, and she still remembered the potent look of disappointment on Dina's face.
"Are you sure? Can't tempt you to stay up a little longer?" Her brow creased, a small V forming between her eyes- Dina had always been the hostess with the mostest, and Rosie knew it was probably annoying her that she couldn't make her stick at the party a little bit longer. "This isn't about him, is it?"
"I'm sorry, I'm just knackered," Rosie yawned, a wave of tiredness causing all her muscles to sag. "I'll be up early to help with stuff tomorrow, though, yeah?"
"Sure," Dina beamed, the couple of glasses of champagne she'd been sipping on throughout the night clearly softening the blow. "See you at breakfast, right?"
"Yeah, see you then," Rosie leaned over to give her a hug- part of her really wanted to invite Dina back to her room, and stay up all night drinking and laughing and gossiping like they'd done back in the day, but she knew she needed rest.
She'd slid out of her fancy reception dress and into her pajamas, and fallen almost straight to sleep as soon as she pulled the covers up around her neck. She barely had time to think about everything that was coming over the next couple of days- the wedding, the parties, the dancing, the socializing. If Rosie was being honest with herself, she knew that this wasn't really her scene, but she would never have let Dina down. The two of them were cousins, the kind that grew up almost as close as sisters, and it wasn't in Rosie to disappoint her.
Rosie was an over thinker, if she was anything, and the thought that she might end up stuck on the island Dina had picked for her wedding had crossed her mind- but she tried to push it from her thoughts as she caught the private jet out to the gorgeous location. She had marveled at how well Dina had done for herself, to be able to afford a wedding this opulent and luxurious, but then, she'd moved to the city to make something of herself, and if this was how she wanted to spend her cash, who was Rosie to suggest anything different?
But then she'd woken up to the sound of a storm whipping through the island, and she'd known that it probably meant she'd be stuck there for at least an extra day or two. She turned back over in bed and pulled the pillow over her head, hoping that if she just shut out the noises outside she could pretend none of it was happening. It was still early-maybe five, six in the morning- and she could already imagine the state of panic that Dina was in now that the storm had begun. Rosie didn't envy her the stress, on top of everything else she was trying to hold together. Even still, Rosie couldn't help but feel a little bit resentful, knowing she was going to be stuck in the nexus of coupledom while she was painfully and totally single.
When she'd received that invitation- it must have been six months ago now- she had happily ticked the plus-one box without a second thought. Well, she'd been with Jacob for more than two years at that point-why should she think anything different? Maybe she should have spotted the look on his face when she mentioned the date, the flash of fear that crossed his eyes when she said the word "wedding". Ever since they'd moved in together, everyone had been nudging them towards answering the big question-when were they getting married? Where they thinking of settling down soon? Was he ever going to make an honest woman out of her? She had always laughed the question off, reminding the asker that they were both only twenty-four and certainly in no rush to hurry on the next bit of their relationship. And he'd always nodded and agreed and put his arm around her waist and made her think that he felt the same way. They would get there when they got there, and neither of them were in any rush. Deep down, Rosie had always thought he was the one- the big one. She'd known the chances of meeting her actual other half at her age were pretty slim, but hey, people got lucky, didn't they? Why couldn't she?
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 bon
es 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, al
ong 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.
Winston (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 3) Page 1
