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Angel reached across the island, laying her hand over Shannon’s. “Don’t give up on him. Cole came this close to giving up on me.” She held her hand up, her fingers an inch apart. “And I thank God every night that he didn’t.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t. You were being one stubborn woman, babe.” Cole paused with the fork halfway to his mouth and winked at her.
“I’m very lucky, baby.” Angel smiled back at him.
Cole set his plate in the sink and walked over to her. He put his hand on her head and bent to kiss the top of her head. Then he dipped his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Maybe later tonight you can get naked and show me just how appreciative you are.”
Her hand slid to the side of his face, and she turned her head to kiss his check. “It’s a date, honey.” She yanked his arm and pulled him down to the chair next to her. “Now sit down, and tell us what Crash said.”
“Babe, isn’t this girl-talk. You don’t need me.”
“Yes, we do. Please tell me what he said,” Shannon begged.
Cole blew out a breath and sat back, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this without at least a couple minutes of chick talk. “He really didn’t want to talk about it, but he’s hurting. It’s not all you. Losing his family and all-”
Shannon interrupted. “Wait, what?”
Cole and Angel simultaneously turned to each other and asked, “You didn’t tell her?”
Then simultaneously responded, “When would I have told her?”
Shannon looked between them. “One of you tell me.”
Cole looked at Angel and jerked his head toward Shannon. “Babe?”
Angel took a deep breath and looked at her. “You know his brother died in Afghanistan last fall, right?”
Shannon’s eyes moved between them. “Yes, he told me. He said he didn’t like to talk about it, though.”
Angel nodded. “Yes, he was pretty broken up about it. They were close.”
Shannon nodded, waiting.
“Well, not long after you broke up…” Angel looked down at the table, toying with her fork. “Umm. Well, he got a call.”
“Yes?”
“His grandmother and sister were killed,” Cole finished for her.
“What?” Shannon breathed out in barely a whisper, leaning back. “How?”
“There was a house fire.”
“Oh, my God.” Shannon’s eyes filled with tears.
“That was all the family he had left. And without you, well, he’s been a mess, babe,” Cole finished.
Shannon looked up at Cole with blurry eyes. “I need to see him, Cole.”
“Sweetheart, he doesn’t want to see you. I talked to him after you left.”
“What did he say?”
Cole just gave her a sad expression.
“Tell me, please, Cole.”
He leaned his folded arms on the granite island. “Sweetheart, I tried to talk him into giving it a second chance.”
