"Where is Jasper?" I asked my son with a small frown, knowing it was stupid. Even if Jasper had decided to come back to Milan, this would be the last place he would show up. At the engagement party of his former lover's ex-husband.
But Jacob pointed at the same spot where a group of unfamiliar people were standing near the well-lit driveway.
"There."
I sighed, feeling sad all over again. Jasper hadn't been online last night. Friday night. It hurt so much because it was the first time he hadn't waited for me to call. Maybe that was the reason he had shown me whom he was dating. To send a message once and for all.
"Jasper," Jacob said again as though it was his new favourite word and smiled at me.
Shaking my head, I cast one last look towards the spot he was fixated on and blinked when I saw something amongst the shifting bodies. Saw someone. I stopped breathing for a few seconds. It wasn't possible. My mind was playing tricks on me.
The people were moving again and I couldn't see anything clearly. Picking Jacob up, I walked over to where Skye was standing talking to Armaan's girlfriend. They'd met a few times when Armaan had visited us or invited us over for weekend lunches.
I reached her, smiled a greeting at Layla and asked Skye if she could take Jacob.
"Here," I said, pressing a key into her hand. She looked at it with a puzzled expression.
"Armaan gave us a key to one of the guest bedrooms. In case you need to put Jacob to bed," I explained and she nodded and took Jacob from my arms. He'd been especially moody tonight and hadn't wanted to be left with a babysitter so we had decided to bring him with us.
"You okay?" Skye studied my face as our son wrapped his arms around her neck, laying his head on her shoulder.
"Yeah. I just need to speak to someone. I'll be back soon," I told her, giving them both a kiss and heading away.
The party was held outdoors in the vast lawns of Armaan's premises in Pavia. Strung-up lights, tents, buffet tables and rows of chairs surrounded us giving a picturesque effect. I ignored it all, my gaze focused on the spot Jacob had pointed out to me.
It couldn't be possible but my heart wasn't going to rest until I had made sure.
....
Jasper
"This was a bad idea," I said to Jasmine as we stood at the edge of the crowd near the driveway and watched all the other guests. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
"You're not very reassuring at the moment, Jasper," she drawled. "You're here for moral support, remember? Act like it."
I let out a breath, looking at her in exasperation. "I'm only now realising what your husband will think when he sees you are here with me," I told her.
Jasmine waved a hand. "Doesn't matter what he thinks," she replied. "Bros before hoes, okay."
Sometimes, when she spoke this way, I didn't know whether to laugh or roll my eyes or look shocked. My expression must have reflected my thoughts because Jasmine winked at me as if she was amused.
"Relax, Jasper. I can handle my husband," she said confidently, so far removed from the girl she had been last weekend when she was crying her eyes out after getting those divorce papers.
I frowned at her in suspicion. "You're not here to make trouble, are you?" I questioned her. She had a weird way of dealing with tough situations. Sort of like me. Instead of trying to fix things, we just made it worse.
Jasmine glanced over at me innocently. "Never," she whispered dramatically and then her eyes widened a little and she swallowed hard.
"What?" I asked in confusion but she didn't reply as she stared over my shoulder. I felt a hand clamp on it and turned quickly to see who it was.
I think the world stopped for a moment. At least, that's what it felt like. Everything around me simply went mute when our eyes met. I heard no sounds. I wasn't even at a party anymore. Just existing on a different plane where time and space didn't even matter. All that mattered was him.
Cole.
Cole was here.
How had he found me amongst a crowd of over a hundred people almost as soon as I had set foot on the premises?
He was standing right in front of me, looking at me in disbelief, lights from all around reflecting off his glasses. My body had gone rigid with shock even if a part of me had expected him to be here at his friend's engagement. But...I hadn't been prepared to see him so soon. I hadn't allowed myself to imagine-
His other hand came up as well to touch my other shoulder. We stood there facing each other and words escaped us. My fists were clenched, my muscles tight with the effort it took me not to crush him to myself. Why wasn't I doing it? Every instinct in me was screaming for me to do it. He was Cole.
And then he was just a blur. I couldn't see his face at all. I only felt him sliding his arms around my stiff shoulders and pressing his body to mine, every hard plane of his moulding with mine like it was meant to be there. We were meant to fit together like this. I didn't even know when I had started crying. His hands on my shirt tightened so much that I could feel his fingers digging into my flesh.
"Cole," I said and it came out sounding all choked up and heavy. I opened my mouth to say something again but
