Chapter Two
Cole
Icouldn’t believe I was walking with Reed down the small main street of this town.
That he was here. That he lived right next door to my parents.
Or me, I guess. That we had just randomly reconnected last night.
It was crazy. And I couldn’t believe how insanely attractive Reed was in person.
He was a few inches shorter than I was, with those honey-brown eyes, dark-blond hair, and a long, lean dancer’s body.
I tried not to stare at him. I really did, but the shirt he was wearing clung to his chest like a second skin, and the jeans he wore did nothing to hide his muscled thighs.
People commented on hockey players’ thighs all the time, but from what I could tell, ballet dancers had some killer thighs.
And don’t even get me started on his calf muscles.
“Cole? Are you all right?” Reed was smiling at me as he held open the door outside a small strip mall.
I flushed under his gaze. “Uh, sorry. Just lost in thought.” I glanced up at the sign. “Is this your mom’s place?”
Reed nodded. “I just wanted to drop in and let her know what I was up to. It’ll be just a second if that’s all right? Then we can grab a coffee or something after.”
“Yeah, of course.” I followed him inside.
An older, dark-haired woman broke into a smile the moment she saw Reed. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug, then noticed me.
Reed pulled away and gestured toward me. “Mom, this is Cole Whitaker,”
“Beau’s son.” She nodded at me as I held out my hand. “We met briefly yesterday at the wedding. I hope you’ll tell your father we had a wonderful time and thank him again for inviting us.”
I nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”
Her eyes were narrowed only slightly, but I wasn’t sure why.
Had I already done or said something she didn’t like?
We had barely spoken yesterday. Just a small introduction from my dad before he whisked me away to meet someone else.
I hadn’t even had time to realize who she was or that Reed hadn’t been with her.
I smoothed down the front of my shirt as I tried to hold back my nerves.
“Oh, no. Please, call me Jillian,” she told me. “And didn’t you two use to communicate through social media or something when you were in high school?”
Reed nodded. “We did. It was a pen pal thing first that our English teachers had us do.”
“Right, I remember that. And didn’t you have a big crush on—”
“Mom, seriously!” Reed laughed nervously, and a blush crept up his neck and ears. “Don’t you have a class today?”
Wait a second. A crush? Did Reed have a crush on me?
I definitely had one on him before he stopped talking to me.
I had always assumed it was because we both had gotten busy during the summer, which he had confirmed last night.
I had gone off to hockey camp, met that jerk Bryant, who had promised me more, and then we sort of lost touch.
But had Reed liked me the way I had liked him?
I opened my mouth to ask him, but the bell above the door jingled to announce a new arrival. My eyes widened when I saw who it was.
“Saint, Asher, I’m so glad you made it,” Jillian gushed happily.
“Did you find the place okay? This is my son, Reed.” She wrapped an arm around him to pull him closer as I stared at the two men who had stepped into the dance studio.
What were the odds? “Sweetie, this is Saint Ripley and Asher Andrews. They’re here to look at the studio next to mine.
Saint is a yoga instructor looking to start his own business. ”
I could feel myself begin to sweat in the air-conditioned room. Asher and my father used to play together in Boston together, so I’d pretty much grown up around the man.
“Oh, hey, Mr. Andrews. It’s nice to see you both. Dad mentioned you were thinking about moving here. Reed and I bumped into one another last night, and he offered to show me around. We’re old friends.”
I mean, it wasn’t a lie, but I felt like Asher could read my mind as I stared at him. I bet Saint knew. He and Dean were pretty close. And why did I feel the need to explain all that to the two of them?
“How very welcoming of him.” Asher smirked, but his blue eyes danced with mischief.
Saint reached over to pinch his side. “It’s great you’re making friends so quickly, Cole. Everyone is pretty great here.”
“I literally know no one here expect friends of my dads, so it’s wicked cool of him.” I was thankful to have Saint on my side. “It’d be cool if you end up moving here, though. Like old times. My dads would love it.”
Jillian clapped her hands together. “The studio is this way if you’re ready. Reed, honey, can you and Cole just stay inside in case my students show up? I won’t be very long. You can start the class if you need to.”
That left us alone, and I turned to stare at Reed, who was trying his best to avoid looking at me. “So, a crush, huh?” His cheeks bloomed pink.
“Stop it.” He waved a hand at me. “We were sixteen, Cole. Just kids and you were...cute.”
I huffed out a laugh. “I was cute?”
Reed had been much more than that. The word beautiful came to mind. He still was.
“You know you were.”
“And what about you? You weren’t cute?”
Reed’s head shot up as he finally met my gaze. “Are you saying you thought I was cute, too?”
His cheeks burned red, and his teeth nibbled his bottom lip.
He was looking pretty damn cute right now.
The urge to kiss him hit me, and I had to stop myself from sealing our mouths together.
We had had so much fun messaging one another at all hours of the night.
I had a few rough morning practices because of that, but I had never regretted it.
I had liked him a lot. And was disappointed when he disappeared on me.
“I did.”
What was the point of lying? The moment I had seen him, I had wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to hold him in my arms. And more.
I had only kissed one boy since I had realized I was bi, and that had ended in heartbreak for me.
After that, it had been only girls. Not that they had been terrible, but I was wary of falling for someone again.
Bryant had opened my eyes to what it was like to be with a guy, but I was terrified of what would happen after that summer.
Reed’s face split into a smile. “I wish I had known back then. Things might have been different.”
“But we’re here now. That’s all that matters,” I assured him. “Now, I think you should show me some of your moves.”
His brows shot up. “My moves?”
“Yeah, your dance moves. Show me what you’ve got.” I suddenly wished he was wearing tights and a shorter top that showed off his body.
His mother stepped back through the front door before I could say anything else.
I wanted to ask him what he meant. How would they have been different? A couple of his mother’s students arrived then, and our conversation ended, but my mind kept whirling.
What did that mean? Did Reed have a boyfriend? Had he wanted more from me? And now I wanted to know exactly why he had stopped talking to me. I would ask him as soon as I had the chance.
“I LIKE IT HERE,” I commented as we stepped back outside.
I had hoped to watch Reed teach some of the class, to dance and show off his body, but unfortunately, Jillian had shown up and that didn’t happen.
I remembered some of the reels Reed had posted, the flawless way he moved.
He looked like he was made to dance, like he didn’t even have to think about it; he just did it.
Now was not the time for my dick to get hard.
“It’s quiet.”
Reed chuckled. “Yeah, you can say that again.”
“It’s nice, though. Growing up in Boston, I guess I’m just used to the city and all the cars and horns and people. Do you miss this? Now that you’re in New York, I mean?”
“I do. It took a little getting used to all the noise when I moved, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.”
I nodded. “Dad loves it. He was in Boston for so long, and now he can just relax.”
The sudden urge to call him hit me. He was on an airplane with his new husband, whom I loved dearly, and I just missed both of them. I was an adult now, though. I had to get used to being on my own.
“Are you okay?” Reed asked. His brows were pinched together.
I tried to swallow around the lump in my throat as my stomach twisted.
Maybe I should have eaten something other than the energy drink that was currently threatening to come back up.
Maybe I should have gone with my dads on their honeymoon.
They had invited me, but I thought that would have been weird.
But with school, I hadn’t spent that much time with them, and now. ..
“Hey, come on.”
Reed grabbed my hand and tugged me to the coffee shop, Bean on Main, at the end of the strip mall. The place looked closed, but when he pushed the door open, the bell announced our arrival and the smell inside was heavenly. All coffee, chocolate, and sweet.
“Oh, goodness, are you okay?” Tate Frost rushed over to us. “Sit, please. I’ll grab you some water.”
Reed smiled at me and patted my shoulder, then followed him. Moments later, they appeared next to me. Reed with a bottle of water and Tate with a chocolate croissant in his hand.
“Eat this,” Tate told me. “I just made them fresh this morning. You’ll feel much better.”
I took a bite, and chocolate exploded on my tongue. Once I swallowed, I smiled at my uncle. “This is good, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now drink some of that water, too.
” Tate grinned, then ducked back behind the counter.
His little coffee shop wasn’t officially open yet, but it was going to be insanely popular once the locals got wind of this place.
He was an amazing cook and baker. He would have a line out the door every single morning.
Reed slid into the chair next to mine. “Feel better?”
“Sorry about that,” I muttered. I wasn’t ready to spill my feelings yet. “And thanks.”
He nodded. “Of course. That’s what friends are for, Cole. And speaking of friends, some of mine are having a party this weekend. If you’re feeling up to it, we could go. You could meet some more people our age.”
“Sure.” But I didn’t want to meet anyone else but Reed. Right now, staring at him and looking at those chestnut brown eyes. I wanted to spend my entire summer getting to know Reed Kelly all over again. In every way imaginable. “Sounds great.”
Reed beamed happily. “What about tonight? Do you have plans? Silas has a race, and I was going to go. Would you like to come with me?”
“Silas.” I grunted out the name as I finished off the baked goodness Tate had given me. It was suddenly too dry in my mouth. Who the hell was Silas?
Reed nodded. “Yeah, he’s racing a late model at one of the dirt tracks. My parents will be there. You should come. It’ll be fun, and we can eat greasy track food.”
“I mean, if you want me to go...”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to go watch a race with Reed if he was that excited about another dude. And with his parents? They had to hate me. His mother hadn’t seemed that excited to see me earlier. What would she think if I showed up tonight to hang out with them? What if they treated me like crap?
Reed squeezed my arm. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t want you to come. And we’re going to have a great time tonight. Racing under the lights is something you really need to see in person.”
I didn’t care, as long as it meant I could spend more time with him and show Reed I was better than this Silas dude.