“Do you guys want to come inside?”
Saylor sniffed and offered a few blinks and a feeble smile. Apparently, what she’d expected him to say hadn’t been that.
“If that’s okay,” she said.
He wiped away another tear. “I don’t have much by way of toys, but I’m sure we can conjure up some cartoons for the little guy while we talk.”
Saylor sniffled again and gave him a raw smile, one that appeared as though it took a lot of effort. She hurried to park her car in one of the available spaces across from Cole’s. He cut the ignition on his pickup and was there as soon as she did the same, opening the back door and helping Parker’s little feet sink into the snow. Together, the three of them made their way to the stairs.
Cole’s chest surged. He liked the feel of this, having her with him, having her son with him. It was almost like having a family of his own.
Outside of apartment 3B, he fumbled with the key, opening the lock and waiting for Saylor and Parker to enter his chic, clean living room first. Bubba Jones jingled his way to greet Cole at the door with a friendly meow, stopping at the sight of the newcomers.
“See, Bubba? I brought you some friends.”
“A kitty! A kitty!” Parker bolted toward it, scaring the thing but not caring in the slightest. The cat broke for Cole’s bedroom, one of the only two rooms in the unit, and Parker was hot on its heels.
“That’ll keep him entertained for a while,” said Saylor with a soft smile. “Are you okay with him exploring?”
“Of course,” said Cole. He took her coat and hung it in the closet by the door, then gestured for her to take a seat on his black leather couch. Cautiously, she did, sitting bolt-straight as though the loveseat was laced with spikes. Cole retrieved the remote from one of the hickory end tables, directed it to turn on the fire behind his glass fireplace, and sank beside her.
Thanks to the addition of the friendly orange flames, the room transformed from cold and formal to something a bit cozier. The heat emitting from the glass didn’t hurt things either.
“I’d love something like this. Just push a button, and you have a fire.” Saylor rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up. Cole’s hands tingled to warm them for her, but he hesitated. Not yet. He needed to hear her out first.
“I’m glad you came over. I was thinking about going back to your parents’ house, actually.”
“You were? Why?”
Honesty. Here goes. Cole wished he could convince his pulse to slow. “You mentioned something about your brother was bothering you. Will you tell me what it was?”
Saylor stared at her knees. Though her clothes from their date the night before were slightly rumpled, though her blonde hair was tangled, she was still beautiful. He wished she could relax. Open up to him. Trust him.
Cole wondered how to help her when she inhaled and rose from the couch to stand directly before the fireplace. She held her hands toward the heat.
“Do you remember me saying in a relationship I don’t let go easily?”
A bowling ball sank into his stomach. If she was referring to her warning beneath the mistletoe, this direction of conversation didn’t bode well. Cole did his best to lighten the mood. “Right before the best kiss of my life,” he said.
Her head cocked up. “Really?”
“Really. A kiss I wouldn’t mind repeating.”
The most delicious pink flooded her cheeks, but the smile he was hoping for didn’t make an appearance. She dipped her head, returning her attention to the fire. “That only makes this harder.”
He knew it. He’d known something was bothering her. Tension rippled through his muscles, the way it usually did when a person braced themselves for an attack. “Are you breaking up with me?”
She shrugged, still not looking at him. “You may want me to, once you hear what I have to say.”
Cole stood as well, unable to let her remain alone during what was clearly a difficult admission for her to make. “Let me decide that,” he said, rubbing her arms. He couldn’t help touching her. He wanted her to feel as comfortable as she could around him. She may want things to end, but he certainly didn’t, and he had to show her that in whatever way he could.
She flicked her brown eyes to his. Pain swam there, vulnerable and unfocused and fearful as a child in the dark. “I dated a boy named Caleb when I was a senior in high school. I thought he was the one, I thought we would get married the instant we graduated. He told me he loved me.”
She gave him a measured look, as if questioning whether she should continue. Cole offered what he hoped was an encouraging nod.
“I fell hard for him, Cole. So hard that when he broke up with me—” Another tear escaped from the corner of her eye.
Cole guided her to his chest, her pain becoming his. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too hard. It was a long time ago.”
Her hands slid up his back, and she rested her cheek against him. “I want to tell you. It will help you understand me, and the issue I have with my older brother. That’s who you saw. My brother, Greg, was a notorious drug addict. He would disappear at all hours, driving my parents sick with worry. They even got my uncle and cousin involved in trying to keep Greg in line.
“We were at a party when Caleb told me he intended to go into the military. He thought it would be best if we parted ways before we got too attached.” She
