My heart soared so high I lost my breath. I’d known from the beginning he was my one. To hear him say the words changed me on a molecular level.
Cole made love to me one last time, kissing the tears from my cheeks, and when we fell, tangled, into slumber, I knew my life would never be the same.
I woke, a heavy weight in my gut, an angry warning in my chest.
“I don’t understand. How could this happen?” Cole’s gruff voice came from my kitchen.
I stretched my sore limbs, headed naked to the bathroom and, unable to tame my rattling nerves, hurried through my morning routine.
Ten minutes later, I found Cole on my couch, elbows to knees, head resting in his hands.
Dear Lord, he was beautiful, wearing nothing but boxers, his muscles taught, hair a rumpled mess.
“Good morning,” came out raspy and breathy. I stepped close and roughed my fingers through his gorgeous mane.
He didn’t look up but gripped my hips and nuzzled my belly, releasing a long sigh.
My heart dropped to my toes. “Hey. What is it?”
Cole’s chest heaved. He snaked his trembling arms around my waist and pulled me tighter against his frame.
“You’re scaring me. What happened?”
“She’s pregnant,” he said to my feet.
“Who?” I asked, although the answer was obvious.
“Victoria. She’s been calling all weekend. I called her back this morning. She’s pregnant.”
“But.” I shoved away, stumbling backward. “How? I mean”—my stomach churned—“you said you hadn’t been with her in months.”
Face pale, gaze vacant, he whispered, “Vegas. She said we fucked in Vegas. When I was drunk. I don’t fucking remember doing it, but I remember the next morning, and she was pissed, had bruises on her arms. Said I got rough with her.” Worried eyes lifted to mine. “I’ve never been rough with any woman, Natalie. I’ve never been too drunk to remember fucking either.”
My body deflated, a slow, pathetic leak, my future, my happy, my Cole, slipping away with every thump of my groggy heart.
“So that’s it.” I didn’t recognize my voice. “I got you for a weekend. One perfect, beautiful weekend.” I fell into the chair behind me.
“Natalie.” Cole shook his head, his voice weak, strained, lacking fight. “Natalie, I don’t…” He dropped his head. Tugged on his hair. “I don’t fucking know what to do.”
“You go to her. She’s having your baby. You go to her. Marry her. Be a family.” Impressive, the calm in my voice. “There’s no other way to do this, Cole. You were in love with her. You don’t just shut that off. You still love her, or you wouldn’t be struggling right now.”
“But the things she did to you. How can…?” His voice broke.
Oh, God. The pain in my chest. I was seconds from crumbling under the hurt and anger. The vile rage. If he came close, I would hurt him with fists, teeth, and razor blades if I had them.
He was torn. I was one solid piece of fleshy resolve. Even if Cole chose me, I refused to live a life—share a life or a child—with Victoria. She’d ruined me for the last time.
I couldn’t hurt Cole with my fists, so I used words. “This weekend was great, Cole, but let’s be honest. That’s all it was. Great sex. You sowed your wild oats, and now you can go settle down with the love of your life.”
The broken man opened his mouth to speak. Looked over my shoulder. Scratched the stubble on his jaw. Steely eyes met mine. He nodded. Pushed to stand. “You don’t mean that.”
“Get out.” I couldn’t look at him. I’d break. I’d beg him to choose me. I stared out the window, teeth grinding. Letting him go was the right thing to do, no matter how painful.
“I need to talk to her. I’ll be back.”
“No, you won’t.” She’ll win. She always wins, I left unsaid. “I’m not the right decision, and you know that.”
Cole stormed to my bedroom. Came out minutes later, fully dressed, though still disheveled. I hadn’t moved.
He stood in front of me. I stared at his stomach.
Cole dropped to his knees and cupped my wet cheeks. When I was brave enough to meet his eyes, they were liquid, too.
“Before I go, you need to hear this one thing, and know that I mean it from the depths of my soul.”
I couldn’t speak, or nod, or breathe.
“You are, and always will be, the love of my life.” He dropped a kiss to my forehead. Stepped away. “I’m going to talk to Victoria. Then I’m coming back.”
He wouldn’t return. He would do the right thing for his family. For their future. He was that kind of man. Who was I to stand in the way?
“Go home,” I mumbled to the floor, setting him free. “Don’t come back.”
A heavy sigh. “Natalie.”
I was seconds from shattering. “Get out!” I yelled, my outburst cowardly, my intentions self-preserving.
I sat paralyzed while Cole let himself out. Prisoner to the devastating pain, my soul wept on that godforsaken chair while shadows moved across the room, time moving on as if my hopes hadn’t been crushed by wretched sorrow. Two boxes of tissues later, I made the biggest decision of my life.
Cole
Ten minutes into the reception, and Martin was drunk. No surprise. He’d been an ass since the moment Victoria and I announced our impromptu wedding. He’d arrived fucked out of his brains to the bachelor party and had refused to stand at my side during the ceremony.
“Congratulations, brother.” A heavy hand clapped my back. A sloppy voice mumbled in my ear, “You landed a queen, didn’t you?”
I watched Victoria sway across the dance floor in the arms of my father, a regal beauty in her white gown. She caught my eyes and flashed me a knee-buckling smile. Dad had never looked so proud.
I wondered what Natalie was doing at
