CHAPTER FOURTEEN Cole
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cole
T he drive home from the airport in Lexington is too quiet. My mind is racing and won’t fucking settle. How could I let this happen? I have a daughter to raise, a new position I just started. The uptight old betties in this town will have my nuts in a vise for this faster than I can blink. As will my deputy sheriff if he ever finds out.
But even though it was wrong, last night plays on repeat in my mind and I feel like I’m spiraling. I thought of nothing else during the silent plane ride home with Ginger beside me. For four fucking hours, I laid my head back in my seat with my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep with my headphones on. Pretending the feel of her so close to me was doing nothing to me. Pretending that burying myself deep inside her hadn’t felt like finding the Holy fucking Grail.
Turning into Silver Pines now to pick up Mabel, the gravel drive spits the occasional rock from my tires as I take in the evening sun. There are horses loose in the paddock, and one of the maintenance crew is cutting the lawn with a ride-on mower. I breathe deep as the smell of fresh-cut grass fills my senses. No matter what is happening in my life, no matter what challenges I face, the rolling hills of Silver Pines and Sugarland Mountain bring me a settled kind of peace. One I’ll never find anywhere else on earth.
“Sir Peanut Butter Cups!!” Mabel calls when I come through the big house’s door. I smile and put on my best brave face.
“How was your weekend, Half Pint?!” I ask as I squeeze her tight, kissing her squishy little cheek in a million places as she giggles. The smells of the old wooden cabin walls and my mother’s meatloaf fill the air. Breathing them in and holding Mabel instantly centers me.
She puts her chubby hands at both sides of my face. “Me and Nana watched movies and fed the horses and Harley ran away after a bunny, and I ate four chocolate chip cookies …” She continues her stories as I gather all her things and thank my mama for looking after her with a hug. I’m about to head out the door when Nash and CeCe come through it, rambling on about a list of photographers Mama’s compiled for them.
“Auntie, come and see the princess dresses Nana saved for me on her computer!” Mabel tells CeCe. My sister envelops her in a little side-hug.
“You’re going to be the cutest flower girl ever,” she says, ruffling Mabel’s hair and following her to the den.
Nash smiles after them. “You look wrecked, bud,” he says, rolling his sleeve up and heading for the bar. “What a fucking weekend. And now it’s only five weeks until the big day. I can’t believe it.”
I nod. “You can say that again.”
He motions to pour me a bourbon. I shake my head, the thought of drinking any more alcohol turning my stomach. I just want to get home, relax, and sleep for twelve hours straight.
“Have a little too much last night?” he queries, taking a sip of his drink.
I fiddle with my hat and then turn it backward while I finish packing Mabel’s crayons into a container.
“Yep,” I answer.
“Heard Ginger did too. CeCe said she drank all night and danced at the Chandelier. Funny thing is, I can’t see her going there alone, so someone must have been with her.” He rubs his jaw as though he’s a goddamn detective. “Can’t imagine it was Chris since she shot him down, and Cory said Liv was with them all night—”
“What do you want from me?” I look over at him. He’s leaning back in his chair like the cocky all-knowing prick he can be.
He leans forward. “Look, I get it. There’s something between you two. If you think I don’t know you’ve been fighting this for years—” I scoff, interrupting him. He pauses before continuing. “But just know what you’re getting yourself into. If I was a betting man, I’d say something happened this weekend.”
“And why would you say that?”
“Because I missed your usual fucked-up foreplay banter all the way home. It was awfully quiet up there in seats 4A and 4B. The kind of quiet that follows a night of unplanned sex.”
“Don’t you have a wedding to plan?” I ask tersely.
“Yeah, I do, one where I want to keep the bride happy and focused. Not in the middle of some drama between her best friend and her brother. Capeesh?”
I sit down across from him. Fucking guy knows me too well. I take my hat off and rest it on my knee.
“I’ve got everything under control,” I say. Nash narrows his eyes at me as CeCe comes back into the room.
Grateful for the distraction, I stand, and let Mabel say her goodbyes. I say my quick goodbyes too. I need to get the fuck away from my family. I need some space to sort this shit out.
I grab Mabel’s hand. “Let’s go have some dinner, my little best friend.”
She smiles up at me. “Okay, Daddy. Pizza?”
“Sure, buddy, anything you want.”
I smile down at her, hoping I can get my shit together and be a good example for her. ’Cause, fuck, right now I don’t feel like one. You know, considering she has a new stepmom she doesn’t know about. A new stepmom I’m having a real hard time getting out of my head.
Once we’re home, I unpack Mabel’s weekend bag, prepare her dinner, throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, and pack her a new bag ready for the ranch tomorrow. It’s where she’ll be while I work. I make a note to do a search for summer camps, or play groups to keep Mabel entertained.
My job is so much more demanding now as sheriff. Between managing the deputies and my new town obligations, I’m feeling stretched to the max. I should be working with the community, and spending time listening to the public about their concerns. But instead, all my energy is going into keeping the local office and my deputies running. I could work twelve hours a day and still never have all my tasks complete. Now that school is out, keeping Mabel entertained on the ranch all day won’t be easy, and nor is it fair to have my almost sixty-year-old mother have to spend all day every day doing so.
VIXEN
So are you contemplating your life choices like I am tonight, Sheriff?
I see her name and message light up the screen. I lean forward on the sofa and pick up my phone. If I’m trying to forget what her tight little body felt like pressed up against mine, I should probably avoid talking to her, but it’s Ginger so it’s hard to do that.
VIXEN
Too soon?
This isn’t funny Ginger.
VIXEN
I assume you didn’t tell my new stepdaughter about me?
When I don’t reply after a minute, another text comes through.
VIXEN
Listen, if I don’t laugh, I’ll think about all the ways my father is going to murder me if he finds out, and how the town will come after you with shovels and pitchforks.
Do you think Brent will be leading the pack, with Gemma screaming “off with his head”?
I smirk. Somehow even this doesn’t seem so bad when Ginger is in it with me. So, I decide to give in and play along. It’s better than stressing myself out all fucking night.
Yep. Told Mabel I found her a new mommy who loves housework and wants to come over and do all this goddamn laundry after a weekend away for me.
I huff out a breath. Never thought I’d use Ginger and mommy in the same sentence in relation to Mabel. I pick a fluffy white towel out of the overflowing basket and start folding, snapping a photo to send to her in the process.
VIXEN
That’s a lot of towels.
Is it weird that seeing you do domestic things like laundry is doing it for me?
Just the thought of “doing it” for her makes my cock wake up.
Enough to want to come help fold?
I breathe out a sigh of relief as we fall back into our usual back-and-forth like nothing has changed.
VIXEN
That depends.
On what?
VIXEN
The way you fold your towels.
Quarters or thirds?
Careful if you get it wrong, I will be forced to divorce you.
I chuckle and scrub my face. The insanity of this situation momentarily consumes me, and I start to laugh.
Quarters. And if I got it wrong, we had a good run.
VIXEN
True. Because we’re done. It has to be thirds. Serves me right for getting married before I’ve ever had a real date.
You’ve never had a date?
VIXEN
Nope. Picked some real winners didn’t I?
It’s okay, they always said it wouldn’t last.
I watch as text bubbles pop up, then disappear, then pop up again.
VIXEN
But seriously, thank you, Cole.
For what?
VIXEN
Sorting all this out. If I had to accidentally marry anyone, I’m glad it was you. PICs still?
Always, Vixen
I finish folding my laundry and try to figure out how she’s never been on a date—she always seemed to have a boyfriend. But they were short-term and, like she said, they weren’t exactly banner choices, and fuck, now we’ve gone and gotten married? How could I let this happen? I set my phone down, breathing out a sigh. I lean back against the sofa and close my eyes. Exhausted doesn’t even cover how I feel right now after the last two days.
Tomorrow I’ll get the process started. Tomorrow everything will go back to normal. Tomorrow I can stop thinking about the way her silky skin felt under my hands.
But tonight? I just want to remember.