She propped her chin on her hand, tilting her head to the side to study me with serious, dark eyes.
My lungs seized.
I knew that move. I knew that jawline. I saw it in the mirror every damn morning.
The room spun. I looked back at Ava. Her hand was gripping the tablecloth, her knuckles white. She wasn't just shocked to see me. She was terrified.
Math, my brain screamed.Do the math, Cole.
Six years ago. One night.
The air left the room.
“That’s the best man, sweetie,” Ava said, her voice brittle. “Uncle Luke’s friend.”
“Okay.” The girl grinned—my grin—and waved. “Hi. I’m Maisie.”
Maisie.The name hit me in the chest.
“Hi, Maisie.” My voice was a wreck, rough like gravel. I pulled out the chair next to Ava. She flinched, her body angling instinctively to shield the child.
My child.
I wanted to claim her. But I needed to talk to Ava first. “You can call me Cole.”
I sat down, close enough to smell the apple scent I’d dreamed about for half a decade. I looked at Ava, and I let her see the truth in my eyes. I let her see the shock, the anger, and the absolute, unyielding possession taking root in my chest.
If she thought I’d play the stranger, pretend I didn’t recognize her, or know who Maisie was to me, she was wrong.
Fate had brought Ava and I back together. And this time, I wasn’t walking away.
Chapter 3
AVA
I laid a sleepingMaisie on the bed. The excitement of the day had finally caught up with her, and she had fallen asleep halfway between the restaurant and our hotel room.
My car keys burned a hole in my pocket, telling me to take Maisie and run, but I couldn’t do that to my sister.
I paced the length of the room, my breath coming in harsh gasps. How could Luke’s best friend, the man they described as the total package, be the same guy who left me all those years ago? The Cole I remembered was an unapologetic player. The kind of guy I doubted would show up for a kid, even if he knew he had one.
Was I wrong to think that?
I was surprised he recognized me, but the shock on his face when he saw me made me certain he did. And the way he looked at Maisie told me he’d figured out the truth. I always knew she resembled him, but seeing them so close made it obvious.
At least he said nothing in front of everyone. Maybe he would continue to pretend we’d never met before. That would be the easiest for all of us. I didn’t trust him with Maisie, and I refused to let her get hurt by a father who was there one day and gone thenext. We’d managed just fine on our own all these years. Things were tight, sure, but we had everything we needed.
A knock on the door had me jumping. My heart raced. Cole didn’t know our room number, but he could probably find out. I glanced over at Maisie, still sound asleep, before walking to the door. I paused, hand on the knob, wondering what I would do if it was him.
“Ava?” My sister’s quiet voice calmed my racing nerves, and I opened the door for her. She stepped inside, brow furrowed. “Where’s Maisie?”
“She’s sleeping.”
“Good.” Becky hesitated a moment before her words came out in a rush. “What was that downstairs? You and Cole both looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
Of course she picked up on that. I wasn’t lucky enough to get away with hiding it. I thought about brushing her off, making up an excuse that he looked familiar, but Becky and I were more than just sisters. We were best friends.
I peeked at Maisie, confirming she was still out and unable to hear us. Then I took a few deep breaths, preparing for her reaction. “Cole is the guy I had the one-night stand with on spring break six years ago.”
