“Believe it, Rosie. You are special,” he kissed her lips softly, “very special.”

She tilted her head with that intense feeling inside that only he could make her feel even stronger now. “Oh yeah? So tell me why am I so special?”

“I think you were born that way, and anyone that doesn’t see it is insane and not worth your time.” He moved her wet hair away from her face. He hadn’t said it, but she knew what he meant—her mother. “I want you to know something, Rose. I’ve never tried so hard in my life to change, to prove to myself or to anyone that I’m better than this, not until I met you. It’s not just because I don’t wanna chance getting in trouble and not be able to see you. That would be reason enough, but there’s an even bigger reason. The most important reason is I want to…for you. I wanna be worthy of you.”

Rose shook her head ready to protest. He was worthy of her—completely. But before she could he went on with conviction. “You deserve better, Rose, not some lowlife thug, selling drugs and tagging up walls.”

“But you’re not that guy anymore.”

“Only because of you. Yeah, I’d started to make an effort before I met you, but obviously not a big enough one.” He pulled her closer as if her body already pressing against his wasn’t close enough. Raising his eyebrows and looking very serious again, he asked, “Wanna know why I love you?”

She nodded, already feeling the lump in her throat.

“Before you my future didn’t matter to me. I’d never given it much thought at all.” He shrugged. “I’d get a job somewhere or continue to work at the factory with my dad. I’d play it by ear. Who cared? Ever since I met you, all that’s changed. All I ever think about is my future now—our future, and I’m excited about it. You inspire me, Rosie. Inspire me to shoot for more—so much more, to be that man you deserve.” The conviction in his eyes suddenly fell, and he looked troubled again. “I just worry, you know?”

“About what?” She thought she’d seen the worry and felt it in the car on their drive home. Now he was confirming it. “You have nothing to worry about, Vincent. I promise you.”

“I trust you, Rose. I do. But I don’t trust myself.”

She pulled back, not understanding exactly what he was saying, but hoping she was missing something here. “What do you mean you trust me but not yourself?”

Vince pulled her back. “No, not like that. God, not like that.” He hugged her with so much emotion it made her nervous. Then he pulled back and stared straight in her eyes. “What I felt today, Rose, just seeing you with your friend Ben…the disgusting way he looked at you, groaning like an animal, and the disrespectful way he spoke to you…” He squeezed his eyes shut. “And then he wanted to touch you? I wanted to rip him apart.”

Exhaling in relief, Rose nodded, “I know.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You don’t know. You have no idea. If it weren’t for the fact that I don’t wanna screw everything up, I would’ve beaten his f**king head into the ground. I was so close to blowing it—too close.”

That should’ve scared her. Instead it made her feel for him. She’d known he’d been upset, but she hadn’t realized how bad. She ran her hand up and down his arm. It seemed each time she saw him, his arms got even bigger and harder. “But you didn’t because you’re not that guy anymore, remember? You don’t do stuff like that anymore. Nothing’s worth it.”

“You’re worth it.”

Shaking her head again, she stopped her hand on his forearm and squeezed. “I’m worth going to jail for? What good would that do if we couldn’t be together anymore?” He didn’t respond, and now she was eternally grateful to Ben for realizing the picture thing on her wall was a shitty thing to do. “I believe in you, Vincent. If you believe in me and trust that I would never let anything happen that would make you crazy, then you have nothing to worry about.”

Staring at her for a moment, his body finally eased up, and he pressed it against hers, kissing her until they heard the backdoor open.

CHAPTER NINE

Vince

A week before school ended, Vince sat in the back of his Chemistry class. Forrest Gump was on the television in the front of the classroom. Not one person was paying attention, and the teacher couldn’t have cared less. She was busy packing up what was left in the cabinets. This was such a joke. If it weren’t because he could almost taste Rose’s kisses and knew that would be a daily thing for him in just a week when he went back to La Jolla for the summer, he wouldn’t even have shown up this last week.

The last time Vince had seen Rose was just a few weeks ago. Incredibly the La Jolla Morenos had actually waited a few months after Sal and Grace’s baby was born to celebrate having him home. Rose had already mentioned babysitting for them. They’d get a lot of alone time when Sal and Grace needed her to watch the baby while they went out. Vince wasn’t about to blow this.

He could do this. It was boring as shit, and he’d much rather be at the beach like he knew most of the other seniors would be, spending this week there instead of showing up to class, but Rose was totally worth it.

They’d even started talking about doing it. Rose actually said she wanted to but not until the summer when she wouldn’t have to wait weeks to see him again. The anticipation made his pants tighten in an instant every time he thought about it. Things had gotten pretty heavy between them lately. Knowing he’d been her first kiss and being mindful that everything else they’d done was a first for her, too, he’d always been extremely gentle. He was actually a little nervous about it. Since he’d started seeing Rose last year, he hadn’t done it either of course. He wondered if he’d be rusty.