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Climbing gingerly on the bed, l lie down and grab a pillow, clutching it to my chest as I try to regulate my breathing.
We can figure this out.
But what if we can’t? I try to ignore the little voice, but it only grows, getting so loud I screw my eyes shut and try to block it out.
I don’t hear the door open or Cole enter the room until he’s looming over me like a dark storm cloud.
“Dove?” he chokes out, and I open my eyes. “What the fuck just happened?”
“I... nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, just don’t. Not after everything.” Hurt flashes across his face.
“I’m freaking out,” I admit.
“Okay.” His brows crinkle as he sits on the edge of the bed.
“You have a bright future ahead of you, Cole. If things go well with Colton U, that could be your ticket out of here. Your ticket to something better. You don’t need me and—”
“Stop,” he grits out.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to go without us.” Well, I would, but I can’t tell him that. “This is my problem, not yo—“
“Hadley, I said stop.” His eyes turn black as he pins me to the bed with a hard stare.
“B-but—”
“You really think I’d abandon you like that?”
“I-I don’t know. This could be the start of everything for you. You don’t want me and a baby holding you back.”
“I need you, Dove.” The words are simple, so pure, and relief washes over me.
“You do?” I sit up, bringing my face to his.
“Yeah, I do. I thought you might have figured it out by now.”
“Figured what out?” I say, because I need to be sure.
“I love you, Hadley. I don’t know how or when it happened, but I fucking love you. And when I think about going off to college and playing ball, it scares the shit out of me.” He slides his hand to my neck. “I can’t do this, I can’t do any of it without you by my side. So yeah, I need you, Dove. I need you so much that the idea of not having you with me makes it feel like I can’t breathe.”
“But the baby...” I say, because I need time to process everything he’s just said to me.
Cole loves me.
He. Loves. Me.
“We’ll figure it out. Once I know what Colton U has to say, I’ll talk to James. He’ll help, I know he will.”
“You hate James.”
“Yeah, but I’ll do this for you.” Cole lowers his face, brushing his mouth over mine. “There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cole
“Pack your stuff up,” I say, my forehead resting against Hadley’s.
