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Cole eyed her carefully. “Did you plan this?”
She smacked him playfully on the shoulder. “Not at all.”
“Then I think it’s perfect. Let’s go to Cedar Springs.”
“Really?”
“Do you really think I’d say no?” He grinned and Amber stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Hell, I was ready to go to Toronto for you. I think I can go to Cedar Springs.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Besides, I’d like to meet your family.”
Meet her family.
The words echoed in her head as she thought of not only Chelsea, Cal, and Declan, but also of the two half-brothers she didn’t know. The ones who’d never wanted her in their lives. Until now.
“Me too,” she said with a shaky smile. “Me too.”
ChapterFifteen
Rememberingthe look on Josie’s face when he’d told her that they were leaving, Cole suggested a compromise. They’d go back to Crystal Creek for a few weeks and help Josie with as much work on the house as they could, before going to Cedar Springs in time for Christmas.
It was the perfect plan.
A word he was starting to get used to, even if he still did like teasing Amber about it.
The best part of the few weeks they spent in Crystal Creek with his little sister wasn’t catching up with Josie—although that part was fantastic and made him miss her even more. It wasn’t getting his hands dirty demolishing walls, ripping up more flooring, and putting fresh coats of paint on all the walls—although it was satisfying to see the transformation of the old house. It wasn’t even sleeping with Amber wrapped tight in his arms every night—but that was a very close second.
No, the best part of their time in Crystal Creek was watching Amber come alive. Despite the fact that her life had taken a very sharp and very unexpected turn, she seemed to blossom with the lack of structure to their days. She didn’t have to get up and go to an office, didn’t have to sit and crunch numbers all day—although she swore she loved that part—and for the first time in her life, didn’t have to follow some sort of grand master plan for her life.
For Cole, just watching the way she laughed more, smiled more easily, and danced through each day made him fall for her a little bit more. Not that he could fall much more. He was already completely lost to her. In fact, he was pretty sure that his heart had been completely hers from the moment she pressed her back up against the wall and wielded a remote control at him.
It was a revelation that was equal parts terrifying and exciting. Yes. He was definitely falling in love with her. But he wasn’t ready to share his feelings for her. Not yet.
He leaned against the door of his rental truck after making one last trip out to the car with Amber’s bags.
Why couldn’t he tell her?
It was a question that had been driving him crazy for days now, but he didn’t have any real answer. Not beyond the cop-out that he was waiting for her to say it first. He’d never been that kind of guy. If there was something he wanted, he went after it. If there was something that needed to be said, he said it.
Of course, he’d never felt the way he felt about Amber before. He’d never remotely felt as if he might be in love or falling in love or whatever it was that he was feeling. It scared the hell out of him.
And that was it. He was scared. Never in his life had he put himself out there the way he had with Amber.What if she rejected him? What if she changed her mind? What if…
It turned into forever?
He’d spent his whole adult life running from the life his parents wanted for him. The life they had.Nice enough.Hadn’t that been how he’d described it to Amber? Was he choosing that now? By giving up his life of freedom to put someone else’s needs before his own, was he turning into the very thing he’d been trying to prevent?
The thought slammed into him and Cole had to take a step back from the truck. He inhaled the crisp December air and forced himself to breathe slowly.
This was different.He was not turning into everything he’d been running from.
And so what if he was?
As Cole turned, he caught a glimpse of the object of his confused thoughts inside, giving Josie a hug. They were headed to the airport soon. This time for real. Flights were booked and it was time to move on. At least as far as Cedar Springs and Amber’s family. She hadn’t said much about how she was feeling about visiting her family but Cole could tell it was weighing on her. And how could it not? From what he understood, her two oldest half-brothers had never wanted anything to do with Amber or her sister until recently. They blamed the girls for their father’s betrayal.
Cole shook his head. The whole situation was screwed up. But from what he understood, the siblings had not only made peace with their parents’ decisions, but had actually formed a tight family bond. Not that super close families were really his thing, but Cole had a feeling that Amber would love it.
Once she got over her nerves about it all, that was.
“Are you ready?” The women appeared outside in the cold morning, their faces red from crying.
