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Cole wraps his arm around me. "Hey, it'll be okay. And we have the hotel design to look forward to.”
I blow out a stream of breath. “I know.”
He squeezes me.
“I had a thought. We could build something beautiful here to honor our moms. A memorial garden with a fountain, benches, trees…. Anything we want. We’ll have it on the ground floor of the hotel, in the center. Maybe it’ll have a reflection pond."
"And rose bushes!" I add. "Pink ones for your mom, yellow for mine."
Cole smiles. "I love that idea. We'll plant them side by side. Then you and I can come by anytime we’re missing our moms. And there will be a quiet spot to contemplate."
I can picture it now. The yellow and pink roses intertwining as they bloom every spring. A thoughtful tribute.
“Well, my mom would hate the quiet spot bit. But she’d like a rose garden that was named after her,” I say.
For some reason, that makes me laugh. Which in turn brings me to tears.
Cole notices my tears and pulls me close.
"It's okay to feel sad and miss her," he says. "And it’s also okay to admit that you don’t love everything about someone even if they are dead. Your mom was great, except this huge chip she built on your shoulder about showing your real feelings. You can feel any way you want to about that. It doesn't make you any less warm and bright."
I cling to him, beyond grateful for his steadying presence.
"I want to photos of your mom. I know they are at La Villa Coralle. But you have to promise that you’ll bring them home next time you’re there." I ask. "I want to know the woman who raised such an incredible son."
Cole chuckles. "All right. It’s a promise.” He hesitates, then adds, “I have to give Sarah some credit too. Without her, I think my whole family would’ve toppled like dominos."
I smile up at him, touching his face.
“We should do something nice for Sarah soon.”
His lips twitch. “I didn’t agree to all that.”
“You just wait. I’ll have you two confessing your love for each other soon enough. It’s practically my whole life’s goal at this point.”
He snorts. “Let’s just get through the building of the hotel first. Then we can talk about family shit.”
Cole's phone buzzes, interrupting our moment. He checks it and sighs heavily.
"Let me guess. Is it Holly again?" I ask.
"Yep. She’s texting me now. Hold on.”
Two seconds later, he scowls at his phone and hisses.
“What the hell? She's backing out of taking Charlie to Atlanta this weekend." He shoves a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I'm so tired of her disappointing him like this."
I rub Cole's back. I wish I could make it better. But Holly is still an uncomfortable subject for me. I haven’t figured out how to act around her. And any attention Cole pays her makes me crazy with jealousy.
Still, I say, "I'm sorry. I know how hard this is on both of you. That completely sucks."
Cole's jaw clenches, old hurts rising to the surface. "She always does this. Gets his hopes up and then bails. It kills me to see how much it hurts him."
"You're a wonderful father," I assure him. "We'll figure something out for Charlie. He knows how much you love him."
Cole manages a small smile, covering my hand with his. But as we drive on, his anger simmers just below the surface. I wish I could ease his pain, but all I can do is listen.
“I just hate that I’m the one with custody, so I have to break the bad news to my kid. I really hate her for this.”
