“You as well.”
The call disconnected, and I settled back against the cushions.
Cole seemed changed. I was hoping this would lead to good things. Given how E reacted to finding out I was alive, I hope I didn’t lose Cole, too, and screw up Ellis’s relationship with him. Or Rosalie’s.
I closed my eyes, sending out a silent prayer that everything would happen as it was meant to.
46
COLE
“Hey,” I greeted Rosalie the morning after I’d spoken to Evan on the phone. As much as I wanted to hang out with Rosalie, her bath went on for a long time, and I got the distinct impression she did it to avoid me, so, not wanting to be a chump, I’d left her room after kissing Ellis’s forehead and went to my room.
There, I lay in bed, going over my conversation with Evan.
Overall, he didn’t seem like a bad guy. He seemed to have his shit together. He was the Hollywood type, so I guess it made sense that he fit in with Rosalie and the guys.
What the fuck did I have to bring to the table? Five years ago, I was the cool guy. Handsome. Rich. Smart. Funny. Now?
Fuck.
I wasn’t much compared to them. To make matters worse, they’d had her longer than I had.
They knew more about her. They’d been through so many things with her.
“Hey,” Rosalie greeted me as she came into the kitchen with her crutches.
“No Ellis?”
“She’s still asleep. I didn’t want to wake her.”
I went back to making pancakes and grumbled as I flipped them, only to find they were burned.
“Damnit,” I muttered. I wasn’t a cook. You needed business handled, and I was your guy. Needed someone killed. Call me. But fucking pancakes? Nope.
All I knew was that I wanted to make breakfast for my family.
I didn’t even realize Rosalie had gotten up until she was at my side.
“What are you doing?”
“Sit. I’ll do this.”
“Your ankle?—”
“Sit, Cole.”
I sat, staring at her. She was still in her pink pajama shorts and tiny top. Her red curls were wild and untamed.
She looked damn good.
I wish I could remember our night together. Five years of jerking off with the guys, and I’d ended the streak by fucking the most beautiful woman in the world, only to not remember it.
Figured.
“I talked to Evan last night,” I said.
“He told me.” She didn’t bother looking at me as she worked on fixing my pancake mess. She threw away my runny batter and remade it. I watched, smiling, as she added chocolate chips. She knew my heart.
