He stared back at me, his blue eyes so sad. It made my breath catch in my chest.
“It was OK. Couldn’t wait for it to end so I could come home to you guys.”
“Mommy too?” Ellis asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, Ellie-gator. Mommy too,” Cole murmured, tearing his eyes away from me and smiling at Ellis.
“Where did you go today, Daddy?” Ellis asked.
Cole reached out and adjusted the little pink apron one of Enzo’s guys had brought back to the house last night for her.
“I had to work,” he said.
“Where do you work?” she asked. “Do you sing like my other daddies?”
“No, I don’t sing, at least not as well as Mommy and likely your other daddies. I’m a doctor at the hospital.”
“You save people who are hurt?” Ellis asked, staring at him like he was a miracle.
“I try to.” Cole smiled at her.
“I want to be like you and Mommy when I grow up!”
Cole’s smile widened, his eyes glittering with unshed tears. “You want to be more like Mommy than me.”
“I want to dance but be famous like Mommy and smart like you!”
Cole chuckled. “I know you will be.”
She wiggled in her seat and added more chocolate to the cookie batter.
“That’s a lot of chocolate chips,” Cole said, eyeing the batter.
“She insisted,” I said.
“I think they’ll be perfect.” Cole leaned down and kissed the top of Ellis’s head. “I’m going to grab a quick shower. Don’t eat any of those without me.”
Ellis giggled and grabbed a cookie scoop. She loved scooping cookies.
Cole cast me one final look that made my stomach twist before he left the room. I watched Ellis dole out the cookies. She was slow and careful as she worked. I smiled. She really did remind me of Cole.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see Ryder’s name on the screen.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey, Red. Checking in on you,” his deep voice greeted me.
“Thank you. I’m OK. We’re doing good. Making cookies,” I said, breathing out.
“Oh, man,” he said. “I love your cookies.”
“You can come get some. It would be nice to see a familiar face.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
