Chapter 5
FIVE
As we pulled up to Cole’s house, my heart started to beat a heavy rhythm. My nerves raced in my chest, and I could feel my pulse all the way down to my fingertips. Cole looked over to me as he shifted the car into park. With a soft sigh, he nodded to the house. “Ready for this?”
“Of course,” I said, hoping the tone of my voice didn’t betray me. As much as Cole tried to comfort me on the way over, letting me know all about the people waiting for us, I couldn’t help but feel a little nauseous. These were the people closest to Cole, a good barometer to tell how others in his life would receive me. All I could hope was that this evening would go well, and I could go and hide back in my cabin until the next day.
My brother opened his door, but let me take my time exiting the vehicle. Stepping into the driveway, I took a look at Cole’s new home with clearer eyes. It was something out of a storybook, this sweet little cottage in the middle of the woods. Everything from the bright flowers that lined the siding to the brightly painted teal front door screamed home. There was only one other house in view, a dark red one that looked more like a farmhouse than anything else. From our earlier conversation, I could guess that was where Marta and Curt, their close friends and neighbors, lived. They also had a son who was staying with them, but he was taking care of their restaurant so they could give Alex and Cole all their attention over the next few days.
“Hey,” Cole called out. “We’re back.”
“Victoria?”
My shoulders tensed as my name rang out, the sound bringing flashbacks to my youth. My parents rounded the corner, greeting me with welcoming but tight smiles. I greeted them the same, hating that the last time we spoke, we were arguing about this very trip. My mom was upset that I wasn’t bringing Emilia, but I was steadfast in my choice. And as much as they didn’t like it, at least my parents agreed not to say anything until I was ready.
As I walked further into the foyer, my dad’s eyes met mine. My father, Sam Campbell, was an imposing man to those who didn’t know him. His stern, unflappable exterior was honed through years in the military, never letting anyone see his nerves. He rarely smiled, saving those primarily for my mother and us. While he was absent for most of my childhood, there was still a part of me that loved my father fiercely. On the nights he’d be out late working, I’d stay up long past my bedtime, waiting for a couple of moments with him after he got back from base, needing a least one hug before falling asleep. As an adult, as much as I tried to say I was above it, I craved his approval, wanting to see that twinkle of pride in his eyes.
While that twinkle might have died a little on the day I told him I was pregnant, my need for his approval had not. At that moment, our relationship had irreparably changed—his perception of me shifted from the little girl who always begged for bedtime stories to a flawed but adult woman who owned her choices.
However, even though we’d seen my future playing out in different ways, I knew without a doubt that he’d move worlds to keep me safe.
Standing under his arm, my mother, Julia, smiled at me, as if unsure how to proceed. If my father was our family’s rock, my mother was the sun, the person who always guided me home. Growing up, our home was always filled with her laughter, making it the most welcoming place in the neighborhood, but the years had stripped some of her joy, especially when Cole felt so lost to us.
My mother’s brown eyes softened as she looked at me, wanting to say more than this space would allow. I nodded, hoping they could read the unsaid apology in my expression.
I stepped forward, breaking the stalemate between us. My mother sunk into my embrace, and tears dusted my eyes when my father kissed the top of my head. Cole watched the whole exchange with a concerned frown, probably trying to understand the odd fracture between us.
No matter what happened, there was no doubt that my parents were good people. Even when they were disappointed in me, I never questioned how much they loved me. Emilia adored them, and they were the first ones to show up whenever she needed them. But they also had grown up in a different time and held onto some of those old-fashioned beliefs. My decision not to marry Cam when those two lines showed up would always be a point of contention between us, but I could put that aside for Cole’s sake.
“Is that her?” a feminine voice called out. “It’s so nice to— oh .”
I chuckled as my parents let me go, turning to face the new arrivals. Cole chuckled, pushing me over to greet them. “Hey, Marta and Curt, this is my baby sister, Tori. She just got in from Texas this afternoon. Tor, these are our next-door neighbors.”
Marta reached out first, vigorously shaking my hand. “We are so excited to meet you. Cole hasn’t stopped talking about you for weeks.”
“Likewise.” I smiled, shaking her hand and then turning toward Curt. “Cole said you’ve been so helpful with getting everything up and running at the Lodge.”
“Pssh,” Marta said, waving her hand through the air. “Curt’s picked up a couple of side projects, and I helped set up the kitchen. That’s nothing compared to what these kids have been up to.”
“Speaking of which,” Cole said, looking around her, “where is Alex?”
Everyone visibly flinched at the same time. Marta was the one actually to speak, though. “She felt bad about not helping with dinner, so she thought she’d make a cake for dessert.”
“Fuck,” Cole hissed under his breath, earning a whack in the arm from our mother. “Please tell me you checked the fire extinguisher.”
“Of course,” Curt chuckled. “And don’t worry, Marta supervised. Seemed like everything was going well, but she’s refusing to leave the kitchen until it’s done. Afraid she’s going to burn the damn thing.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Marta chuckled.
“I’ll go grab her,” Cole chuckled, moving toward the kitchen. “Get settled in the dining room, and we’ll bring everything in.”
We walked to the other side of the house, settling into a dining room attached to the kitchen. I immediately smiled when I saw Alex perched in front of the oven, her hands on her hips, staring at the cake as if it had personally offended her. Cole came in through the other entrance, placing his hands on her shoulders and loosening some of the tension there with his thumbs. She scowled up at him for a moment but softened as soon as he bent down and kissed her forehead.
As she spotted the rest of us coming into the room, she dusted her hands on her jeans and turned out of Cole’s embrace. She beelined immediately for me, her bright blue eyes crinkled with delight. “So you must be Victoria. I have to say, I was starting to have my doubts that you were real.”
My face fell, and I could feel the color draining from my face. Words failed me as I stared at Alex. Even though she was a couple of inches shorter than me, my hands shook as I tried to form words. But just as I was debating darting out of the house, Alex’s lips curved into a slow smile. “Sorry, that probably was a shitty thing to say. What I meant was, I’m really happy you’re here. It means a lot to both me and Cole.”
“Oh,” I chuckled, holding my hand to my heart. “I…Yeah, I’m thrilled to be here too. This town is beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she beamed. “It’s not as flashy as most cities, but it’s home. We like it.”
With that, she ushered me into my seat across from my mother. Curt and Marta sat on either side while my dad and Cole took opposing heads of the table. Alex sat on Cole’s left, leaving a space between me and her. I looked down at the empty chair, hoping it was for the one person I’d been dying to see tonight. “Are you expecting anyone else?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“Adam’s supposed to be here,” Cole shrugged. “But he’s running late. He should be here before dessert. ”
Disappointment settled in my gut, and I hated that all it took was one conversation for my childhood crush to turn into full-blown lust. Truth be told, no one, and I mean no one, knew that I’d thought Adam was the most handsome man in the world when I was younger. I guarded that secret like my own field of gold, not wanting to be ridiculed for my attraction to the much older boy.
My crush had faded over time, and I’d forgotten about him outside of his work in movies. By then, he was just another handsome actor, attractive but unattainable.
But seeing him earlier made something snap inside me, a feeling I’d long buried since breaking up with Cam. Seeing him so close? Smelling the lingering cologne on his skin? Well, that made me feel more desire than I had in years.
Glancing at my brother, I knew it was a mistake even to entertain these thoughts. Adam was his best friend, more his sibling than me at the moment. To think anything different was a mistake, mainly when we lived in such very different worlds. At the end of this week, I’d go back to Texas, go back to my life of laundry, cleaning, and trying to wrangle Emilia. Adam would go back to the glistening lights of Hollywood, probably to whatever model or actress was warming his bed at the moment.
“So, Victoria,” Marta said as she passed me the salad bowl. “Your mom says you’re studying business?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded. “I’m enrolled in online classes right now, but I’m hoping to start my MBA next year.”
“That’s exciting,” she beamed back. Something about Marta made my panic subside. She was genuine and warm, similar to my own mother in many ways, but without the disappointment that lurked underneath. “Do you know what type of business you’d like to go into? ”
“My best friend and I have this dream of opening a daycare center,” I answered, trying not to shift under the weight of the whole table’s stares. “She’s studying to be an early childhood teacher, so between our skill sets, we should be a great team. And there’s a drastic need for quality childcare, especially in more rural areas. We’re hoping to fill that gap.”
“Good career,” Curt agreed, patting his wife on the arm. “Hard work, but meaningful.”
“Yes, sir.”
As if a timer had gone off in her mind, my mother suddenly sat up straighter. “Marta, did you and Alex talk about those floral arrangements Calla dropped off?”
As the conversation veered back to the wedding, I exhaled slowly, using the opportunity to take a breather. Leaving the dining room, I walked across the foyer and into a quaint living room. One of the walls was lined with bookcases, hand-carved with sunflowers in the moldings. I smiled as I ran my fingers over the surface. Even after all these years, I recognized my brother’s handiwork. In school, he’d taken every shop and woodworking class he could. Whittling had become a favorite hobby of his, and you could always find him chiseling some scrap of wood left over from one of Dad’s projects. My room at home still had some of his carvings, from the early ones that resembled lumps more than animals to the horses he made later on that looked like they’d start galloping off the shelf.
Alongside all genres of books were pictures, mainly of Alex and Cole. In all of them, they looked so happy, it made my chest ache. There were images of others, the family Cole had created away from ours. As much as it dug a deep hole in my chest, I couldn’t help but be happy for him. It was the kind of life I’d always imagined for myself, one filled with laughter and love. Knowing Cole had come so far and found it for himself gave me a new sense of hope.
As I turned out of the living room, I headed down the corridor instead of going back into the dining room. When I reached the rear kitchen entrance, my feet faltered as I took in the sight in front of me. My brother was holding Alex, brushing his lips across her forehead. They swayed together as if there was a secret melody between them, one the rest of us couldn’t hear.
I started to step back, not wanting to interrupt their moment, but no matter what I told myself, I couldn’t force myself to look away. Even from this distance, the love was clear between them. There was a time when I thought Cam and I had that, but time and space had taught me that I’d always love Cam as family, nothing more. We never looked at each other like Alex and Cole. What we had was young love, the kind shaped by excitement and new experiences. They had the kind of love that knocked the wind out of your lungs, that made it impossible to see anyone else in the room.
I crossed my arms around my chest and stared down at my shoes. So many nights, I ached for that kind of love, and I was almost sure it was out of my reach. I had too much going on, and there wasn’t a lot of room in my life for new people. But as much as I wanted to be a strong, independent woman for my daughter to look up to, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a partner, someone to ease some of my burdens, some of my loneliness.
But then, there were nights when Emilia would crawl into bed with me, and all those doubts and lingering loneliness crept away as her tiny body molded against mine. She was my everything; all my love was poured into my precious girl. She was my entire world, and that was enough for me. She deserved my whole heart.
I turned to shift back into the living room when I smacked into someone standing behind me. Before I could even look up, I knew who it was. My hands landed on his sculpted chest, the soft smell of cedar crowding my senses.
Adam.
I cursed myself for making a fool of myself in front of him. Again . Earlier, it had been his fault, almost knocking me down because I was too busy staring at him to move away. But this time, it was all me.
His blue eyes twinkled as he looked down at me, the same smirk I’d grown up with now aimed at me. As a kid, Adam was always larger than life, the person you couldn’t help but gravitate toward. He was the prom king and the debate club president. He rocked the football field and the drama stage. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, yet he was fiercely loyal to my brother.
“We gotta stop running into each other like this,” he chuckled as he helped me straighten.
My skin immediately prickled under his touch, coming to life with the simple gesture. It was wild how affected I was by his presence. There was no universe where I should share the same breath as Adam Rice, much less the thoughts that had plagued my mind since I saw him earlier. God, his movies did not do him justice. The years had been way too kind to him. While he still had that same old twinkle in his eye, everything else had improved with age. It made it hard to remember I’d grown up with him. He was still the same guy who would show up with lilies every Sunday for my mother, all because he knew she loved how they brightened up the room. The kid who would pass me his blueberry pie because he knew it was my favorite and my dad would never let me have more than one piece.
But staring up at him now, it was like the past and present versions of him had merged into the man of my dreams. He was chiseled, his aura radiating confidence and swagger, but he was still holding on to that boyish charm that knocked everyone off their feet.
I cleared my throat, realizing I’d been staring at Adam for far too long. “I’m so sorry,” I said as I pushed back toward the wall. “I don’t know what’s going on with me today.”
“It’s been a big day,” Adam said. “You don’t have to explain if you’re feeling a little off-kilter.”
I nodded, hating that he could see how overwhelmed I felt. But being hidden in the nook with him, it was like the stress of the day melted away, swept away in the ocean of his eyes.
But just as my heart rate started to steady, Cole stepped into the room, his eyes narrowing at the two of us. “Tor, you good?”
I nodded, taking a step out of Adam’s orbit. “Yeah, just needed a breather. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mom so excited.”
“Yeah,” Cole chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “Alex and I were saying the same thing. While I love Mom and Dad’s visits, I’m ready to have some time alone with my wife.”
“Future wife,” she corrected with a smirk.
“Close enough,” Cole answered back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And I can’t help it, sweetheart. I like the way it sounds.”
I glanced at Adam with a sly smile. “Are they always like this? ”
“You should have seen them when they first met.” Adam shuddered. “I was pretty sure they were going to kill each other.”
Alex rolled her eyes at the comment and stepped toward me. “Trust me, you make a much better first impression than your brother.” She reached out like she wanted to hug me but paused before I could get any closer. I hesitated for a second then moved closer, wrapping my arms around her petite frame.
“Thank you for taking care of Cole,” I whispered in her ear so my brother couldn’t hear.
“That was all him,” she chuckled, squeezing me a little tighter. “Thank you for coming. It means more than you even know.”