Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Taylor
M y stomach rumbled, and I groaned. I should have brought my sandwich to the bunk, but I was so flustered and anxious to get away from him that I'd left it on the counter. Now, I was starving, and even though he was probably passed out by now, there was no way I was taking the chance that he might still be up.
My stomach rumbled again, this time louder, and I winced. I was pretty sure they could hear it on the moon. Cole had always been a heavy sleeper, so it wouldn't wake him even if my stomach was eating itself.
I could just run out and grab my sandwich. Actually, no, I made it over three hours ago. Groaning, I rolled to my side, facing the dark blue curtain that hid me from the rest of the bus.
"Taylor?" Cole's voice, rough with fatigue, filtered through the curtain.
I froze. It was Cole. Maybe if I just ignored him, he'd go away.
"Taylor?"
Nope.
I gripped the edge of my bunk, heart racing. "Cole?"
"We need to talk." His voice was low, controlled, but with an undercurrent of tension.
"Right now?" I scowled. The truth was I didn't think I could handle another round with him tonight or any night for that matter. It was obvious that he wanted to make me suffer. "It's pretty late."
Cole's voice was unexpectedly calm. "Were you sleeping?"
I hesitated, fingers twisting with the corner of the comforter. "Yes."
My curtain ripped open, and my eyes went wide. "If this is going to work, you aren't going to lie to me about anything. Not even something stupid."
My lips parted, and my face twisted with a mixture of confusion and shock, but I nodded. "What's going to work?"
Cole jerked his head towards the kitchen. "Let's talk in the kitchen." His footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway.
I slid out of the bed, my bare feet silent on the cold floor as I followed him.
He flicked on the light over the stove, the sudden brightness making me squint. The fridge door opened with a soft whoosh.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "What are you doing?"
Cole's head remained buried in the fridge, his voice muffled. "Making a sandwich."
My stomach growled, and I closed my eyes, but if he heard, he didn't pay it any mind. "So what are we talking about?" I shouldered the wall that led into the hallway where the bunks were.
"How do we make this work?" He didn't bother looking up as he worked on putting his sandwich together. "It's my tour, so I can't leave, and you apparently aren't leaving, so how do we make this work for the next two weeks?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure that's up to me. I think that's up to you."
Cole's jaw tightened. "If it were up to me, you'd be going home." He slammed the knife down on the counter. "Actually, you wouldn't be here at all." His gaze flicked up, blue eyes cold as ice meeting mine. He jerked his chin toward the chair. "Sit down and eat." He dropped the plate on the table.
My eyebrows shot up, gaze darting between Cole and the plate. "You made it for me?"
He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Your stomach is keeping me awake."
My lips curled into a grin because somewhere deep down, he still cared. I was hungry, and he knew it. "Thank you."
Cole's features hardened, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "Don't think more of it than it is." His eyes, cold as winter frost, bore into mine. "Even whores need to eat."
Heat rushed to my face, my fingernails digging half-moons into my palms. "That's enough." I clenched my jaw, my words coming out in a rush. "I get it. What I did was wrong, and I hurt you..."
"You didn't..."
"Save it," I growled, shoving my finger into his chest. "We both know I did," I lowered my tone, "and I'm truly sorry." I waited for him to ask me why or how or anything, but he didn't. "But we have to figure out a way to coexist for the next couple of weeks, and then I will go home to Bridgewater, and you will go back to Nashville, and we will never have to see each other again."
He blew out a heavy sigh, and my stomach growled again.
"Sit down," Cole ordered, his voice harsh. Then, almost reluctantly, he added in a softer tone, "Eat your food. I may not like you, but I don't want you to die of starvation on my bus. How would I swing that one to the press?" He slid into the table across from my food. "I can see the headlines now: Ex that married brother tortured by starvation."
I huffed out a laugh. It wasn't funny, but it kind of was. Cole's gaze lifted to meet mine, but there was no amusement in his face, only hurt in his deep blue eyes. "I am sorry, Cole." The words hung in the air between us, heavy and inadequate.
If forgiveness is what you're looking for, you won't find it." Each word was clipped, precise, like individual daggers.
I shook my head. "I know that I don't deserve forgiveness, but I do deserve human decency."
He sucked in a slow breath before releasing a heavy exhale as he sank back and threw an arm over the back of the seat. "Human decency would have been telling me you were in love with my brother in private and definitely before you decided to marry him."
Swallowing hard, I nodded, dropping my gaze to the table. It was hard to tell someone something that wasn't real. "You would have tried to change my mind." My voice dropped to a whisper. "And I didn't want you to."
"And what are you hoping for now, Taylor?" My gaze lifted, meeting his, and my brow furrowed. "He's dead, and you're alone."
"What?" My face contorted with confusion.
"If you're hoping for a second chance?—"
"Cole, no," I cut him off. "I mean..." I pressed my lips into a thin line while I quickly collected myself and pulled my word vomit together. "I'm going to be honest because I think transparency is important right now. I knew the day Caleb announced our engagement that you would never be able to forgive me, and I don't blame you, but I don't regret it." His jaw flexed, and his fist clenched. "But not for the reasons you think. I'm so proud of everything you've done and all your success, but if you think I'm back here for a second chance, you're wrong. I really wanted to help. I knew the day we told you that I'd lost you forever. I've accepted that."
Cole crossed his arms over his broad chest, head cocking to one side. One eyebrow arched skeptically. "So you have nothing to gain from this?"
I dropped my gaze to the floor, shoulders sagging. There was no point in lying. It would all come out in the end, plus maybe honesty would gain me some points. My voice came out barely above a whisper. "I'm losing my parent's land." I swallowed hard. "It's a few months away from starting the foreclosure process."
"Ah," Cole drawled, a bitter smirk playing on his lips. "So, if you keep me in line, my label will pay you enough to keep the land." He punctuated each word with a tap on the table. I nodded, and so did he as he leaned forward, propping himself up on the table on his forearms. "If I pay off your parent's land right now, will you go home?"
"No." I shook my head. "Because if I do, everything will have been for nothing. I have to stay, or your label will drop you, and Kylie will file for full custody. Even though the money helps, it's not just about the money."
His eyes narrowed, and my stomach growled again. "Please, eat the damn sandwich." He pushed the plate closer to me. "I'll go to bed so you can eat."
I raised my eyes to meet his, hope flickering faintly. "So, are we calling a truce?"
Cole leaned forward, the table creaking under his weight. His eyes bored into mine, unblinking. "I want to be very clear." He paused, jaw clenching. "I'm not your friend. I don't want to hang out with you or catch up." He exhaled slowly, as if reining in his temper. "But for the next two weeks, I will refrain from calling you names and telling everyone you fucked my brother behind my back."
I wanted to correct him and tell him I'd never slept with his brother, but I didn't want to cause another argument because I knew he wasn't going to believe me. "Okay."
"I will tolerate you being in my space and on my bus, but after the two weeks, you and I will go back to Bridgewater together." My brows pulled together. "You'll help me get my family back, and then you'll go away, and we'll never see each other again."
"Your family?"
He nodded. "Yes, you'll help me convince Kylie that I've changed."
"Are you going to change?"
"Yes." His expression was so serious that I believed him.
"Okay. I can do that."
He nodded to my food. "Eat." He twisted to leave.
"Are you and Kylie a thing?" The question slipped out, barely louder than the hum of the bus engine before I could stop it.
He stopped, turning back to me. "That's not really your business, is it?" Cole's words came out sharp, his eyes flashing with barely contained anger.
"No." I shook my head. "It's just Kylie seems to think..."
"That I'm still in love with you," he cut me off, finishing my sentence. My heart lodged in my throat, but I nodded. Even though I knew better. He was about to cut me in half. I would never say it out loud, but I never stopped loving Cole.
He huffed out a laugh. "Kylie is the mother of my daughter. She is my family. She was there for me when you... well, you know what you did. Taylor, I stopped loving you a long time ago." Even though I knew it, his words hit me like a physical blow. He paused for a moment. His tongue swept across his bottom lip as his eyes sized me up like he was deciding just how deep he wanted to cut me. "I need you to hear me. I do not love you anymore, Taylor."
I'd known that, but hearing him say it felt like a million tiny shards of glass cutting through my heart. I guess a small part of me hoped that maybe he did. "Got it." I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. After a long pause, I added quietly, "I told her that, but..."
"I'm going to bed." He paused at the doorway, his back to me. "Please eat the damn sandwich."
He disappeared, and my gaze dropped to the sandwich on the plate in front of me. My stomach curled and growled at the same time. Groaning, I shoved the plate away from me as I dropped my head to the table.
"You can do this, Taylor," I whispered, gripping the edge of the table. I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "It's only two weeks."