Chapter 36 Cole
COLE
As predicted, with a packet of treats in her bag, Freya made friends with every single dog we passed. And I didn’t care one bit that our walk kept stopping and starting because the smile on her face every time she saw a pooch was totally worth it.
I knew I’d missed her while I was on the road, but it wasn’t until I was watching her sitting on her haunches, chatting to a King Charles Spaniel called Stan, that it really hit me just how much I’d missed her.
Everything about her is just easy. The way she makes everyone around her feel relaxed. The way she makes them smile just because of who she is. The way she makes me smile without even trying. No one else on the planet can make me do that.
But Freya, she’s…I don’t even know. Special. Really special.
“Really?” She sighs down at her phone as I drive us home.
I’m hot and incredibly sweaty after our walk. My skin is prickling and tight from the sun. I haven’t looked in a mirror, but I’m pretty sure my face is red and glowing.
In contrast, Freya sits in my passenger seat looking like a sun-kissed goddess.
You’d never know she’d been walking around in this heat.
Her hair is perfect, her cheeks are glowing in the right kind of way, and her skin has a nice, bronzed color to it.
She’d already pointed out that she’s wearing sunscreen, while I went out unprotected. I’m going to be paying for it later.
Images of Freya rubbing after sun on my shoulders pop into my head, and I shift in the driver’s seat as the thought hits a little too hard.
“Nope. He’s not interested,” Freya’s mom says on speakerphone.
“We could come into the city, go somewhere different,” Freya encourages.
I glance over, taking her in as she rests her head back and closes her eyes for a beat.
“I tried. He just wants a night at home with your cooking.”
Freya inhales a deep breath. “Okay,” she says. “His birthday, his rules.”
“Do you know what would really make his day?” Amanda says.
“No, what?”
“Do you think there is any chance Cole could come?”
Silence fills the car.
“I’m…um…I’m sure he’s probably too busy for that, Mom,” Freya stutters, trying to cover for me.
“I can be there,” I confirm, alerting her that I’m listening.
“Oh, gosh. Cole. Hi. I didn’t know that you were here, too.”
“We’re in the car together,” Freya explains. “We’ve been for a walk at Runyon Canyon Park.”
“It was more of a petting zoo experience,” I deadpan.
Freya’s mom laughs knowingly.
“What time would you like us to come tomorrow, Mrs. Price?”
“Please, Cole. Call me Amanda. That depends on our chef, really.”
I glance over at Freya.
“I…um…”
“I’m off tomorrow. It would be an honor to be there to celebrate with you, if you’ll have me.”
More silence follows. The only thing I can hear for a good few seconds is the engine rumbling around me.
“You don’t have to,” Freya says softly.
“I know that,” I assure her. “But I want to.”
“Cole, you are going to make his entire year,” Amanda sings down the line. I can hear the smile and gratitude in her voice.
“It’s nothing, really. It’ll stop me from sitting at home alone.” Amanda laughs as if I’m lying. But Freya glances over, more than aware that it’s true. If she’s gone for the night, there’s every chance that I’ll be watching TV by myself and going to bed early.
“Well, as long as you’re sure. I’d hate to ruin whatever exciting plans you might have.”
“You’re all good, Amanda. I’ll be there.”
I fall quiet as I allow Freya and Amanda to make plans for tomorrow night and the dishes Freya is going to be cooking. By the end of the call, they’ve agreed that we’ll go over late afternoon so Freya can get organized and so that we can surprise Brian when he gets home from work.
“Are you sure about this?” Freya asks the second the call has disconnected.
“Of course, I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t serious.”
“I know. But…do you really want to spend time with me and my parents when you could be—”
“Sitting at home watching TV?”
“Just tell me if you change your mind. We won’t tell Dad, so he won’t know you were ever meant to come.”
“I won’t,” I state firmly. “It’ll be a good evening.”
“Yeah,” she muses, her eyes gazing out the window as she wrings her hands on her lap. “It will.”
“Freya?” I question.
“Uh huh?”
“Are you…nervous?”
She chews on her bottom lip. “The last time I took a guy home…” She blows out a long breath. “My parents begged me not to go with him. They told me I was making a mistake. And I was.”
“Are you suggesting they’ll say the same about me? Because I’m not sure if you heard all of that, but it was actually your mom who invited me.”
“Yeah, no. I know. I just…I’m being silly.”
“No,” I say firmly as my arm takes on a life of its own and reaches across the center console, my hand squeezing hers. “You’re not. I’m not him, Freya. I’ll never be him.” But I want to be someone.
I’m not sure I’ve ever attended a family meal before that I actually wanted to be at. Fletch’s team meals don’t count because our Vipers family is different. Freya and her parents are a real family, and I have no idea how one of those really works.
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just weird. Maybe one day I won’t keep getting hit with memories of times gone by.”
“They’ll lessen,” I say confidently. I should know; I’ve got more than enough memories that should keep me up at night. Thankfully, they do fade, along with the pain that comes with them.
“Looking forward to that,” she whispers, and I finally pull my hand away. Coldness rushes through me the second I do, and when she looks over, her eyes wide, I can’t help but wonder if she feels the same.
When we get back to the apartment, we both shower and change.
And, after applying my own aloe vera because I’m too much of a pussy to brazenly walk up to her and ask her to do it for me, Freya makes us the most incredible meal before the two of us settle on the couch.
She mumbled something about going home, but I quickly put an end to it.
The truth is, I want her here. I love being in her company.
I love the way she makes me feel when she’s in the room.
We don’t need to be talking; she just needs to be there.
As always, conversation flows easily between us, and before I know it, I’m yawning and ready for my bed.
Despite not looking half as tired as I feel, Freya also tidies up and heads to her bedroom.
“I’ll see you in the morning then,” I state from my bedroom door.
She stands opposite me, her notebook clutched to her chest and a glass of water in her other hand. Her face is clear of makeup, her cheeks sun-kissed, and her hair pulled back in a braid. She’s perfect.
“Yep. See you in the morning. Sleep well.”
She turns away and slips into her room, leaving me standing there with her sweet scent filling my nose and desire thumping through my veins.
I crawl into bed a few minutes later, desperately trying to hear sounds of her moving around. It’s pathetic, but for a man who craved living alone for so many years, now all I want to know is if she’s happy on the other side of the hall.
I lie there for the longest time despite the exhaustion that tugs at my muscles. But eventually, I drift off, knowing that I’ll get to spend another day with her tomorrow.
All days spent with Freya are good days.
“Are you sure you’ve got enough stuff?” I ask the next afternoon as we do our second trip down to the car with Brian’s gifts and half-prepped food.
“Um…” Freya thinks, taking my question seriously. “Oh! I forgot the cake.”
“You forgot the cake? For a birthday party?”
“Yes,” she agrees. “Don’t judge me, okay?”
I can’t help but laugh as I follow her to the elevator for our third trip of the afternoon.
“This will be the last time, I promise,” she says as the doors close us in.
It’s okay. I’ll follow you anywhere.
Twenty minutes later, Freya is confident we have everything, and we’re on our way.
She insisted we take her car so her dad isn’t suspicious when he comes home from work, but she made me drive.
I don’t mind, but something tells me that she’s going to look hot as hell behind the wheel, and it’s something I really need to see for myself.
Amanda is already buzzing around the house, getting it clean and tidy, when we arrive. She looks a little frantic when she answers the front door; it’s a look I recognize from Freya.
“Come in, come in,” she says, moving aside to allow me into their home.
I’ve been to the house next door numerous times since I signed my contract with the Vipers, but I can honestly say I’ve never paid much attention to who lived on either side of Coach.
Well, until his team BBQ at the beginning of the season.
That was the first time I ever saw Freya. And well, she was hot.
I’ve since discovered that this house is a much more modest size than James Watson’s, and I’m barely over the threshold when Amanda nervously lets me know she’s aware of it too.
“Sorry, it’s a little small in here. I’m sure it’s nothing like what you’re used to.”
“It’s perfect, Amanda.” She preens when I use her first name. “You have a lovely home.”
I couldn’t give a shit about the size of anyone’s home. The only thing that matters is the people who live in it.
“I’ll make us all a coffee,” she says, rushing to what I assume is the kitchen. “How do you like it, Cole?”
“Black, please. I’m going to help Freya with everything.”
“Oh, goodness. I didn’t think—”
“It’s okay, Mom. You make the coffee. We’ve got this.”
Amanda nods before rushing into the kitchen. There’s a crash before she curses under her breath.
“You know, you and your mom are a lot alike.” I laugh as I follow Freya back out of the house.
“I’m not sure if that’s meant to be a compliment or not.”
“Well, I like you a lot, so…”
She freezes as she leans into the trunk.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I add.
Freya stands, her hands still empty, and turns to me.
“I like you a lot too, Cole,” she says. “Thank you for coming today. Dad is going to lose his mind.”
“I’m glad I can help make his day special.” Although the truth is, the only person I’m here for is the one standing in front of me in a pretty summer dress that has been driving me wild since the moment she walked out of her bedroom.