AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leah allowed the waters to run through her fingers at her beloved fountain. She poured her heart out to Cole and ran. She meant it. She loved him with every fiber of her being.
At seventeen, she assumed Seth would be the love of her life. Not too long ago, she longed for Brian to propose to her. Now, her heart only skittered for one man. Her confidence not only grew in herself, but she trusted her relationship with Cole. Then her phone buzzed in her cross-body purse.
“Where are you?” Gemma asked.
“At the fountain. Sorry, I had to leave, but I caught a ride with Mrs. Hartley.”
“You can’t leave me. I’m pregnant and I need my best friend. Chase is watching me like a hawk. So what, I’ve had almost five cookies. I’m carrying his kid.”
“I needed to get away for a while.”
“What happened? Cole was looking for you.”
Leah’s bottom lip trembled. “I told Cole I loved him.”
“What? When?”
“At the festival. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s too soon.”
“Why? He loves you too, Leah,” Gemma said. “Even I know that.”
Leah rubbed her forehead. “It came out so naturally but… he said nothing. He looked shocked. I panicked and then Seth walked inside the barn. April wanted pictures of Cole. I had to get out.”
“Can you blame him? Your relationship with him is new. He’s carried a torch for you since high school but you were in love with Seth. To tell Cole you love him, I’d be shocked too,” Gemma said.
“How do you know all this?”
“I’m observant.”
Leah ran a hand over her face. “Can you tell everyone I had to leave?”
Gemma sighed. “Okay.”
“Thanks.”
Leah returned her cell to her purse. Blowing out her cheeks, she rubbed her forearms. Was Gemma right?
****
Cole parked his truck in front of his studio, wasting no time to unclick his seatbelt. He stopped mid-stride pacing the sidewalk to the fountain. Then he spotted Leah. The light wind made her hair from her ponytail float. The silver moon, like a new-stamped coin, streaked through clouds illuminating her.
He inched closer, staring as she ran her fingers through the water and gazed into the fountain. Did she wish for love as the others did according to the legend? While he never took the fable seriously, he wouldn’t mind giving it a go, if it meant spending the rest of his life with the woman who stole his heart. The notion made him breathe like a sea at rest.
Chapter 30
“You left before I could say it back,” a deep voice said.
Leah jerked her head around to find Cole standing only a few feet away. Like a mirage, vague, dimly seen at first, she blinked her eyes. Perhaps she ate too many of her mother’s cookies at the festival. Yet, her skin tingled in his presence. A fluttery feeling in her belly increased.
She gazed into his eyes. With his expression beaming, her heart flooded with joy. Cole’s eye contact with her remained strong. With little blinking, he drew closer. Heat pooled inside her, and she unconsciously parted her lips. Then she fiddled with her hands in her lap.
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you left before I had the chance to say it back.”
“Say what?”
He inched closer and kneeled before her. Reaching for her hands, he clasped them with his. He then ran his fingers over her smooth skin. “That I’m in love with you too.”
