Chapter 27 Cole
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
COLE
I'm in the kitchen when I hear her soft feet coming down the hallway.
Turning around, I wipe my hands on the apron I found hanging in the mudroom and find a sleepy little Chloe standing in the doorway.
She has a stuffed elephant tucked under one arm and the other has a soft pink blanket draped over it with more than half of it dragging on the floor.
“Hey Clo,” I say softly, a smile breaking out across my face.
I walk over to her, crouching down to her level.
Her blonde hair is a tangled mess on top of her head and she raises one fist to rub at her left eye.
She looks like she could go back to sleep still and I can tell there's a touch of confusion in her expression.
“Your mommy had to go see Aunt Remi, but she'll be back later today. You and I are going to hangout and do some fun stuff.”
I don't bother telling her where Ella actually went.
At her age, she won't understand and the last thing I want to do is cause any anxiety or for her to get worked up at all.
Chloe doesn't say anything and nods, her eyes assessing me like she isn't sure whether or not she's okay with it.
I don't want her to freak out and I know I'm still a little bit of a stranger to her, so I need to find a way to ease into this to make her feel comfortable with me.
This isn't exactly how Ella or I planned on me getting to know Chloe, but I couldn't leave her hanging this morning.
Ella needed to go make sure Iris is okay and be there for her friend.
I didn't hesitate to jump in and help and it made my heart soar when Ella agreed to it.
It was a leap of trust I wasn't sure she was ready to grant me.
“Do you like pancakes?” I ask Chloe.
I already know she does, but this is a way for me to get my foot in the door with this tough little critic.
Chloe nods her head, half craning her neck to see what I have going on at the stove.
“Have you ever made pancakes before?”
She purses her lips and nods her head. “Momma wets me help.”
“Well, since she isn't here, do you think you can help me? I don't know if I'm doing it right.”
Chloe's face cracks the slightest and a smile breaks through as she moves past me, walking over to the dining room table.
I watch her as she grabs one of the chairs and the sound of the legs scraping against the floor echoes in the house as she pushes it over to the oven.
I walk over, trying to help her, but she gives me a look that is exactly like one her mother would give if she didn't ask for help.
I can't help but smile as a chuckle rumbles in my chest. She climbs up onto it and I move over to her, making sure I'm there to catch her if she needs any help.
She hands me her blanket and stuffed animal and I set them on an empty part of the counter before standing by the stove with her.
Chloe picks up the spatula and tries to replicate what she's seen her mother do.
She doesn't fully know what she's doing but her confidence is admirable.
She's reluctant to accept my assistance, but by the third botched pancake, I have her accepting my help.
We work together and end up with a hefty stack of pancakes on a plate.
Chloe climbs down from her chair and I carry it over to the dining room table before setting everything else out for breakfast. I help her into her seat and give her a smile before putting a pancake on her plate.
“Thank you for your help, Chloe,” I smile at her and put some food on my own plate.
“You welcome,” she says in her soft little kid voice, offering me a kind smile.
I laugh at her words and she gives me another look before she starts to eat.
She doesn't dare tell me how good they are, but I don't think they would taste as good as they do if I wouldn't have had her help.
She's like a mini Ella who encapsulates all the good pieces of her.
She told me she wanted to raise her daughter to be strong and fierce and I think it's safe to say she is succeeding.
After breakfast, I help Chloe get into the outfit she picked out and we head into the bathroom for her to finish getting ready.
She's extremely independent and insists she can brush her teeth herself.
I stand in the doorway, watching her as she proves herself right and manages to get it all done independently.
The only thing she asks me for help with is to get the lid off the toothpaste and to squeeze the perfect amount onto the bristles for her.
Chloe grabs a brush and attempts to get through her tangled locks. I can see the frustration on her face as she tries to stretch her arms to get the back of her head. She misses a few of the knots and the defeat hangs in her shoulders before she turns to look at me. “Co, help!”
Her question catches me off guard while simultaneously making my heart constrict in my chest. “Of course. Let me see the brush.”
She hands it to me and comes to stand in front of me to brush her hair.
I try to do it as gently as possible and it takes a little longer than it should, but we manage to brush through all the knots and then I end up trying to pull her hair back into a pony tail so it's out of her face.
It's the first time I've ever done it, but I don't think it looks too bad.
Chloe looks in the mirror, turning her head from side to side. “My momma do it he-uh,” she tells me, pointing up toward the top part of the back of her head. “Dis okay.”
“I can try and fix it.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “All done.”
I smile at her, accepting it as it is and we head out of the bathroom to the living room. I glance at the watch on my wrist, internally cursing when I realize what time it is. I had a mile long to-do list for today and am supposed to meet with one of the owners of the mares I’ve been training.
My phone is sitting on the coffee table and I pick it up, noticing I have three missed calls and a few text messages. I forgot to call him earlier in the whirlwind of Ella leaving.
The missed calls are all from Cade so I quickly call him back, letting him know that I got tied up at Ella’s but will be at the ranch soon and that Chloe’s tagging along. There’s a text from Wyatt, saying he tried to get ahold of Ella to tell her he’s on his way to the hospital.
I quickly text him back to let him know that I’ll text her. When I text Ella, she quickly responds, letting me know she already talked to him. She sends another thank you after I let her know Chloe’s going to the ranch with me.
“Okay, Chloe, we need to find your shoes so we can go do some fun stuff.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “Wike what?”
I didn't really think this through.
“Do you want to go see some horses?”
Her face lights up and she nods eagerly.
I don't know if she really knows what she's agreeing to, but she doesn't give me any issues as we find a pair of little boots and she slides her feet into them. I check my phone to read three more messages I missed before we leave the house. There’s one from Cade, saying he got the owners to reschedule and there's two from Ella.
Ella
Thank you again for watching Chloe. I hope she is being good and I left her car seat on the front porch in case you need to go anywhere.
She'll tell you what she needs and doesn't need, but let me know if you have any issues.
She usually takes a nap around two, but she's been fighting it a lot lately.
Also, Iris is doing really well, so I can come home whenever you need me to.
I smile, reading over her messages twice. I ask Chloe if she has a bag she takes along and she nods before walking over to the front door and grabs a backpack. I open it up, finding some snacks packed inside, along with extra clothes and anything else she might need.
Is there anything we need, other than what is in the backpack?
And take your time, please. We're going to the ranch for a little bit, but I will make sure to have her home for nap time.
Ella
The backpack should have everything.
Thank you, Cole. You're amazing and I seriously owe you.
Cole
I'll see you when you get home.
Chloe's little hand is in mine and we walk along the field, her eyes moving back and forth as she looks at the horses that come to greet us by the fence. She raises her other arm, pointing at the big bay mare who reaches her nose towards us.
“She’s a big horse, isn't she, Clo?” I ask her, scooping her into my arms.
“So big!” She exclaims, her infectious smile spreading across her lips. I take her hand in mine, holding it out with her fingers protected.
“Here, let her smell you first,” I say as the mare reaches towards us, inhaling the scent of Chloe’s hand before blowing out a breath through her nostrils.
Cade comes walking from somewhere behind the horses, raising an eyebrow as he sees me holding Chloe in my arms. “Since when do you have a kid?”
“You didn’t know about her?” I joke, chuckling and rolling my eyes at my brother. “This is Chloe, Ella's daughter.”
“Oh, shit,” he laughs, a smile drifting across his lips. “I mean shoot. Well, hello Miss Chloe.”
“Chloe, this is my brother, Cade.”
“Hi Cade.”
Cade chuckles, giving her a soft, tender smile. “It is so nice to meet you.” He looks back at me. “What exactly are you doin’ with her here?”
“I brought her to come see the horses,” I say with a shrug. I wasn’t really needed for anything today, since I was giving the horses the day off and Cade got the owners to reschedule. “We're going to head to the lake to collect some rocks after we're done here.”
Cade stares at me for a moment before walking up to the mare and pulling her away from the fence. He slides the rope halter over her head and leads her through the gate with the leadrope. I walk over to him with Chloe, letting her pet the mare.
Chloe’s fingers dance through the mare’s mane and she giggles as the horse turns her head, blowing a soft breath against Chloe’s cheek.
“I think she likes you, Clo,” I smile, watching carefully as the mare nuzzles Chloe’s neck. It’s a tender moment between a massive animal and the smallest little girl.
I keep my eye on her like a hawk, just in case. I have faith and trust the horses, but you never know. All it takes is one little thing…
Moving away from the mare, I adjust Chloe against my side, tucking her close to my body. She looks over my shoulder, pointing out to the pasture as she watches one of the other horses rolling in the dirt.
“You know, I never imagined you with kids, Cole,” Cade says quietly as Chloe pays no attention to us. “But now I think I can.”
“I never put much thought into them and honestly, I'm not even sure I need my own,” I say, adjusting Chloe in my arms. “I'd be perfectly content with having the two of them in my life.”
“You’re fallin’ for her, aren’t you?”
I stare at my brother for a moment and let out a deep breath. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. I swallow roughly, over the lump lodged inside my throat.
I don’t know how or when it happened. All I know is it happened fast–faster than I thought was possible–and I know there’s nothing I can do to change the way I feel about her now. She’s nestled herself in my chest beneath my ribcage. She took my heart and made it a home.
“I think I am.”
A smile lifts his lips. “You deserve to be happy.”
I turn to look out at the mountains in the distance. “So does she,” I say softly, not only telling him but also myself.
Ella deserves everything good that there possibly is, whether I'm the one who gives it to her or not.
Although, I do hope she'll let it be me...