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“That doesn’t make sense.”
“But it does,” Amber continued. “Being here in Cedar Springs makes me feel like I’m home for the first time since…well, ever. And Cole…”
“He doesn’t want to stay?”
She hadn’t asked. But she didn’t need to. “Cole doesn’t want this, Josie. He’s never wanted this. I can’t ask him to—”
“Why not?”
“Because, I…”
“Do you care about him, Amber?”
She nodded and then remembered Josie couldn’t see her. “I do.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“Do you love him?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” The word came out on a whisper. “But I can’t give up on myself now, Josie,” she added. “I just can’t. These last few months, I’ve learned so much about myself. About what I want, and what I don’t want out of life. I have to be true to myself.”
“Of course you do,” Josie said matter-of-factly. “But can I ask you a question?”
Again she nodded before she caught herself. “Of course.”
“Have you ever considered that the reason you feel at home in Cedar Springs has something to do with the man you’re there with? Has it occurred to you thatColemight be your home?”
Her friend’s question took the air from her lungs.No.She hadn’t considered that.
Tears slipped unchecked down her cheeks.
“He loves you, Amber. I’ve never seen my brother like he is with you. Not ever.”
“I don’t know if he—”
“Of course he does!” Josie was almost yelling into the phone.
Amber choked back a sob. It was all too much. She wanted to believe her friend’s words more than anything else in the world. But it wasn’t enough to hear them from Josie. She needed to hear them from Cole. And even if she did…would love be enough to keep them together?
ChapterTwenty
After the party,where he’d managed to pull his thoughts together long enough to rejoin the group for a few hours before collecting Amber and escaping back to their spare bedroom where they’d made love and fallen asleep in each other’s arms, he’d barely been able to sleep.
As connected as they’d been the night before, he couldn’t help but feel as if something had shifted between them. Amber had seemed distracted, deep in thought, and when he’d asked her about it, she hadn’t wanted to talk. Instead, she’d kissed him. As much as he loved kissing her, Cole couldn’t help but feel as though she were using sex to distract him from whatever it was that was bothering her. It felt different. More intense.
Amber had fallen asleep tucked up against his chest and Cole had spent most of the next few hours stroking her hair, dropping soft kisses on her head, and pulling her even closer, as if she could slip away at any moment.
Maybe she could?He wouldn’t let it happen.
Hecouldn’t.Because without a doubt in his mind, he was in love with Amber McCormick. And the thought of losing her, or not being enough for her, scared the hell out of him. But despite that fear, Cole knew that the only thing worse then losing her would be losing her without fighting for her. And for a woman like Amber, fighting for her meant telling her exactly how he felt about her.
And that’s exactly what he was going to do.
Which was why he’d slipped out of the bed before she’d woken up.
Cole hadn’t needed either of the talks with Cal and Mitch for him to come to his own conclusions about how he felt about Amber, but maybe it had given the push he needed to do something about it. Either way, it didn’t matter.
He’d spent far too long running away from something hethoughthe didn’t want, but the truth was, in all his running, he hadn’tknownwhat he wanted. Maybe he hadn’t known until it presented itself in the form of a gorgeous blonde with a tight French braid and a penchant for planning.
The thought of that version of Amber made his lips curl up into a smile as he walked down the main street of Cedar Springs right before he stopped in front of the store he’d been looking for.
