Loving Rowan by Ariadne Wayne

cups on the coffee table, and grabbed the blanket that she joked belonged to me, she’d covered me with it enough times when I’d fallen asleep. Gently, I placed it over her. She must have been exhausted from crying. I kissed her on the forehead, and left, closing the door quietly behind me.
    “We’ll get this wedding out of the way, and those two can go to hell,” I muttered.

Chapter Fourteen
Kyle
    I was almost looking forward to the wedding. Once it was over and done with, I could be there to take care of Rowan. I was sure that she had moved on anyway, but it didn’t surprise me that she was hurting.
    Charlie had reappeared in her life, making overtures towards her to renew their friendship while she planned the wedding. Rowan was cautious, but soon got lost in the world of bridal magazines. It was good for her to have friends, but I knew she’d been hurt by them in the past. I didn’t resent her having another companion; I was annoyed at who it was.
    I’d broached the subject of the kiss several times the past month, but Rowan had been so pre-occupied with this damn wedding that she hadn’t wanted to talk about it.
    While they talked weddings, our evenings together all but disappeared, but Rowan was always happy to see me and would hug me hello as if nothing had happened. As far as I was concerned, that wedding couldn’t come soon enough.
    I guess it distracted her from work as well. Ross had gone from trying to undermine her to being downright unpleasant. Everything she touched was scrutinised by him and I knew she felt the pressure of being watched. For someone who was so sure of her skills, and rightfully so, it was a difficult situation. Dad knew how I felt, but he felt confident his man in charge would take care of things.
    It was time to move out and find a place of my own. Without Rowan around, I got to looking for my own apartment, and found a nice one not too far from her. I couldn’t help it; I needed to be near in case she needed me when it all fell apart.
    She turned up in my office a week before the wedding, watching me from the door while I worked, and it took a few minutes for me to realise she was there.
    “Hey,” she said, “long time no see.”
    “That’s not my fault.”
    “I’ve been a bad friend, and I’m sorry. I wondered if you were still up for going away with me this coming weekend?”
    I nodded. “You know I am. Any time you need me, I’ll be there.” She smiled shyly at me, and my stomach flipped as our eyes met. It didn’t matter that we hadn’t spent time together these past few weeks, the magic was still there.
    “Great. The wedding’s on Saturday, so I wondered if you wanted to take Friday off and stay two nights, come back Sunday.”
    “Sounds good.”
    “I thought we could drive down so I can show you the sights along the way. You can stay with me at Mum and Dad’s place.”
    I grinned, knowing how close she was to her parents. Getting on their good side would mean a lot if I wanted to get serious with her. Besides, I wanted to see this famous orchard that she’d described in such a way that I could almost see it. It was clear she loved it, and I was envious, having grown up in the city. We’d had a garden, but nothing like she’d had to play in. I would have given anything to have had a childhood like she described; instead, I’d dealt with Mum’s health declining and Dad barely coping.
    When she’d died, my presence had been the only thing that had kept Dad sane. I hated that I now felt further away from him than ever, thanks to this whole Ross thing.
    “I’ll come and pick you up on Friday morning,” I said, “I’m living not far from you now.”
    “You moved out from your father’s place? When did that happen? I feel awful that I didn’t know.”
    “I couldn’t stay there. We aren’t that close right now.”
    She came in, sitting on the seat opposite. “Is it because of me?”
    “Rowan, don’t.”
    “It is, then. This whole mess has