CHAPTER 14 #2
“You think I don’t know that?” His voice dropped so low it lit every nerve. “That I don’t live with that every damn day?” He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the ends. “Blaire, I?—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I cut him off, raising a hand between us. “It was a long time ago, and it’s not—” I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “It’s not something I want to remember or talk about.”
He pushed off the counter, each step toward me, stealing my breath until the heat of his body radiated against mine. I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.
“Of course it matters,” he said, his eyes flicking to my mouth. “Of course it—” He caught himself, chest rising with a deep breath.
I shifted back, my body humming with awareness, every nerve alive and screaming his name.
“We’re adults, Blaire.” He repeated his words from earlier as if he needed to hear them again. “This isn’t complicated. You need a place to stay, and I’ve got a house with an extra room. We can be cordial. We don’t have to do whatever the hell this is.”
My heart thundered as he took another half-step closer, close enough that I could feel his breath warm against my lips as he said, “And when June’s house is fixed, we can both pretend this whole thing never happened.”
I parted my lips to argue, but nothing came out but a shaky exhale that made his pupils dilate.
“Unpack your bag.” He swallowed hard and a shiver ran down my spine. “Eat the damn dinner I cooked, and for both our sakes…” His gaze lowered to my lips again. “Let’s not make this any harder than it already is.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but footsteps thundered down the hallway behind him.
“Daddy, she’s here! She’s here!” Ruby ran into the room and beelined for me. She was about to slam into me when Colt bent and intercepted her. He scooped her up with one arm and spun her around as she laughed.
I let myself be grateful for the distraction, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the way his arms flexed around her small body, couldn’t stop the way my breath hitched as he buried his face in her neck and blew raspberries against her skin until she squealed.
Colt lowered Ruby back to the floor, and she darted to my side, small fingers wrapping around mine as she pulled me forward. There were damp patches on her shoulders from her wet hair, and her pajamas were covered in tiny pink and purple unicorns.
“Come see your room!” She yanked me down the hallway, and I had to move my suitcase out of the way so she wouldn’t trip over it.
I glanced back at Colt and caught him watching us with a look that set a low burn across my skin. His gaze dropped to where Ruby’s small fingers were wrapped around mine, then slowly traveled back up to meet my eyes with a flash of longing so intense it sent electricity crackling down my spine.
Ruby and I moved down the hall, and she stopped at the first door and pushed the door wide open.
“Oh wow,” I said, and Ruby beamed.
“This is my room.” She did a twirl in the doorway before she pointed out every single detail she could.
Her comforter was covered in every Disney princess you could imagine, and the bed itself was a fortress of stuffed animals.
Bunnies, unicorns, cats, and bears lined her pillows, and I wondered where Ruby slept.
Her walls were covered with hand-drawn rainbows and construction paper hearts, and she had a collection of painted rocks neatly lined up on her windowsill, each one done up with glitter and googly eyes.
She had princess dresses exploding out of her closet, and a fairy village constructed from Popsicle sticks on one of her nightstands.
There were toys everywhere, organized in a system that felt a bit chaotic, but she moved from one object to the next, telling me all of her favorite things and the names of her dolls.
It was a mess of a happy childhood crammed into one small room, and I couldn’t help but stare at the photo on her dresser which stood out among the tiaras and necklaces she had piled there.
There was a giant snowman in the background, and all of the Calloways—Hunter, McCoy, Lou, Mr. Calloway, and Colt—were huddled together in front of it, all of them grinning.
Ruby was perched on Colt’s shoulders, her tiny, gloved hands thrown up in the air.
They all looked so happy it made my stomach ache.
Ruby took a quick breath and darted across the room, pulling open the doors of a pink canopy in the corner to show off her “secret fort” inside.
She climbed in ahead of me, sitting cross-legged on a pile of blankets and pillows she’d stashed in the back, and gestured for me to join her.
I crouched awkwardly in the doorway, peering inside, and I noticed my Duke sweatshirt I’d let her borrow tucked in the corner.
“You can try my fort,” she said. “Daddy says even adults can use it if they need to get away from stuff.”
I gave her a shaky smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Let’s go see your room!” She crawled out of her fort and past me before she climbed to her feet, and I followed.
Ruby skipped ahead of me down the hallway, stopping at a door right down from hers.
“This is your room.” She twisted and pointed to the door directly across the narrow space.
“And that’s Daddy’s. My bathroom is down there.
” She pointed to the last door at the very end of the hall.
“You can share with me, so you don’t have to go in Daddy’s room. ”
“Perfect,” I said, trying to ignore the way my stomach tightened at the thought.
She flung the door open to the room where I’d be staying, and as Colt promised, the bed was half buried in stuffed animals just like hers.
There were more drawings taped unevenly across the walls, and I stared at the one right above the bed that had two stick figures that looked more like giant circles with arms and legs.
Both mine and Ruby’s names were written across the top.
“It’s not boring in here anymore.” Ruby quickly climbed on the bed and threw herself down on the pile of animals. “You can sleep with my stuffies, but if you get scared, you can come to my room.”
I smiled and moved my suitcase to the end of the bed. “Thank you.”
She rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows as she watched me take in the room.
The bed was queen-sized with a thick white comforter, and there was a dresser along one wall.
There was a window near the bed, and when I looked out, I could see the lake glimmering in the last of the evening sun.
“Dinner’s ready!” Colt’s deep voice echoed down the hall.
I jumped, but Ruby was already tumbling off the bed.
“Hurry! Daddy made spaghetti. It’s my favorite.” She darted for the door, but I hesitated. “Come on!”
Ruby waved me forward with both hands, and I swallowed hard before trailing after her, toward the smell of garlic and the soft clink of plates as Colt moved around the kitchen, bracing myself for whatever came next.
I pulled out my phone as I followed Ruby and quickly texted Maggie. We had talked on my way over here. She had offered to share her full-size bed with me, but I’d still come here.
I wasn’t backing out after telling Ruby I would.
Maggie had only teased me when I told her that. “Oh, for sure. It’s definitely all about Ruby. I’m sure seeing the cowboy half naked in his own home has no appeal at all.”
I opened my text messages, and there was one waiting from her.
Maggie: Well?!?!
I shook my head, smiling, and typed.
Blaire: I made it. He opened the door in gray sweatpants.
Maggie: I’ll be praying for you.
Maggie: Godspeed, cowgirl. Make sure you hydrate. Mustache burn is REAL.