AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Carmella continued to read, her eyes blurry as she sped through her mother’s devastating autumn, all the way to the news that she was pregnant with Colton.
Carmella cried openly as she read about her mother’s new pregnancy, which she called “a fresh start” for the Remington Family.
“I don’t know what to do about the past, nor about how much it still pains me,” Tina wrote. “But I know that this new baby is a beautiful gift. And perhaps, if God brings Neal a little boy, he will find a way to love me again, and we can finally be happy.”
Carmella crawled into bed after that, shivering as Cody turned toward her and kissed her on the forehead. In her heart of hearts, she understood Colton’s death within the context of her mother’s life. She’d thought Colton had been a fresh start, but instead, he’d been an avenue toward more heartache. Perhaps, Tina had thought Colton’s death had been her payment for her affair. She’d stepped out of her marriage, and therefore, she deserved losing a child. It was all too devastating to bear.
“Did you learn how the affair played out?” he asked sleepily.
Carmella sniffed and kissed him again, unsure she wanted to express her mother’s trauma aloud. It felt too heavy. Slowly, she and Cody fell into the impossible beauty of sleep, resting for the new dawn— a dawn that Carmella knew she didn’t deserve but would love with her full heart, anyway.
ChapterThirteen
Afew minutes before midnight, the door to the room in the bed and breakfast creaked open, and Cole’s shadow rushed through the light of the moonlight on the floor. Aria shifted up, watching him as he removed his shirt and changed into a sleeping shirt, his skin flashing like fish beneath the water's surface. When he turned to find Aria watching him, he started, his hand over his chest.
“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t wake you up,” Cole said.
Aria’s heart thudded. “I didn’t think you’d make it back.”
Cole frowned and sat at the edge of the bed. “Why not?”
Aria shrugged, remembering the way Julia had looked at him at the bar.
“Did you think I was interested in that woman?” Cole asked, incredulous.
Aria crossed her arms, her cheeks burning with shame. “She was interested in you.”
Cole shrugged. “I didn’t come to Savannah to pick up girls.”
“Why did you come to Savannah, then?”
Cole dropped back on the bed and placed his hand over the comforter right where Aria’s ankle was. The weight of his hand was a comfort. “I came to help you crack the case of the weird letter you received in the mail, remember?”
“It’s a long trip for such a stupid reason,” Aria said.
Cole gave her a look. “I like going on adventures with you,” he added finally. “I thought it would be fun to get away from the Vineyard for a while together. And it has been.”
Aria felt the words she wanted to say heavy in her throat. She wanted to ask Cole if he felt what she felt between them. If he thought of her the way she did, endlessly and with a passion that nearly knocked her to her knees.
Instead, she heard herself say, “Yeah. It’s been really fun. I mean, you’re my best friend.”
Cole laughed. “You’re my best friend, too.”
Aria winced at how small this sounded when compared to the enormity of her feelings.
Cole stuck his hand out, and Aria shook it.
“Best friends for life,” Cole said.
“Best friends for life,” Aria repeated, feeling the words like a sword through her belly.
Cole raised his head and placed it on his hand, propping himself up with his elbow. “Who do you think sent you that newspaper clipping, anyway? Do you think it was your professor? Judah Heskew?”
Aria frowned, considering this. “He could have just written it in an email.”
“Yeah. True.”
“Plus, there’s the fact that he could have mentioned his friendship with my mother at any time during the three years I was a student here. He never did.”
