Chapter 9
Lacey
Two weeks. That’s how long it has been since my first scan, and when I saw Cole’s face drop when I called him uncle.
I could have kicked myself the second I said it and saw the look in his eyes.
Ever since then, he’s been offish with me, not awful, just distant.
He has, however, brought me a fruit that matches the size of the baby each new week, always with a sweet little note.
It’s become the thing I look forward to most.
In the past week, I’ve only seen him once, when he brought me a kiwi fruit.
He told me that his company has started on a new site, and so he’s been busy there most nights.
I’ve grown accustomed to our quiet nights in together, watching TV or playing board games.
I guess I’ve taken him for granted in that respect.
An idea strikes me. I open my phone and text the girls.
Me
Ladies, what kind of thank you gift can I get Cole?
Hayls
Do you want me to answer that? *egg plant emoji* *water droplet emoji*
Emmy
*eye roll emoji* Hayleigh, don’t be rude! Lacey, why are you getting him a thank you gift?
Me
I just feel like I’ve been taking him for granted lately and I want to show him how much he means to me
Hayls
*tongue emoji* *water droplet emoji* *water droplet emoji* *water droplet emoji*
Emmy
Hayleigh!!! Ok, how about a nice home-cooked meal?
Me
Huh, that simple?
Hayls
Steak and a blow-job go well together *wink face emoji*
Emmy
I give up! Yes, Lacey, really that simple! Gotta go, Scruff just ate one of Cas’s shoes. He’s been really naughty lately!
Me
Okay, thank you! Love ya both xx
I notice the time and almost drop my phone. I have less than fifteen minutes to get to work. I’m giving a tour to some schoolchildren around the Aquarium this morning, and I need to be on my A-game. Luckily, I’m only in for half a day today, and this afternoon I plan on doing a food shop.
**********
My feet are aching to the bone. Those kids could talk for England, and they weren’t shy either. I’m going to need to do some foot exercises before this baby comes, because I am out of shape.
I drag myself to the staff room, gather my things, and check my phone to see if there are any new messages from Cole, but there are none.
My stupid eyes start to sting, but I don’t give them the time of day.
Instead, I swipe at my face and storm out of the doors, but I stop short when I see him standing lazily against his truck, holding a crisp green apple.
He smiles at me and holds it out, but I cross my arms and raise a brow. “Is that a peace offering for avoiding me?”
He winces and, at least, has the decency to look ashamed. “If I say yes, will you forgive me?”
I roll my eyes. He can be so dramatic for a serious person. “Give me the damned apple, Cole.” I take it from his outstretched hand.
“Can I take you out for lunch?”
“Free food? I’m in. This is the first week where I haven’t had any morning sickness, so give me all of the food.” I smile at him when he shakes his head.
He opens the truck door for me, and I climb in. When he gets in, he asks, “Do you want to go to Denny’s?” My stomach immediately sinks when I realise that Denny’s, our favourite burger place, is actually in Brimcrest.
“Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Cole.”
His brow creases. “Why?”
“That’s where Ted is from. I don’t want to risk running into him.”
“Fuck Ted. If he’s there, he has to get past me to get to you. Denny’s is our favourite, and he isn’t taking that away from you.” He puts the truck into drive, and suddenly it isn’t just my heart fluttering at confident, take-charge Cole.
**********
We pull up outside Denny’s, and Cole turns off his truck.
Then, he reaches over to my side and flips down the glove box.
I catch the smell of his hair, freshly showered and washed, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
I must be losing my mind because the thought of Cole, naked in the shower, has me heating up.
What I wouldn’t give to watch the water droplets fall from his body.
I wonder what he looks like completely naked?
Just as I imagine tracing one of the water droplets down his chest with my tongue, I hear him clear his throat.
My cheeks heat when I turn to look at him and see him smirking at me.
“Take a picture; it lasts longer.” I’m snarky, but he doesn’t bite.
Instead, he hands me the little package he took from the glove box.
I take the square gift box, no bigger than a phone, from him.
The box itself is white, with pink and blue flowers decorating it all around.
“Open it.” He sounds nervous, so I put him out of his misery and open it. When I do, my hand flies to my mouth, and tears pool in my eyes.
“Oh my god, Cole. This is beautiful.” My voice is barely a whisper.
Inside is a half-pink, half-blue photo frame surrounded by balloons and bears, and inside the frame is Peanut’s scan picture. I trace my finger over the image, still in awe that this little Peanut is growing inside of me.
“Is it okay?”
“Cole, it’s beautiful and thoughtful. I love it so much.” My watery smile wavers. I feel myself starting to fall for this man even more. The love I have for him has grown into something…more. Something I can’t fully put into words. If only he felt the same.
He gets out of his truck, oblivious to my internal monologue, and helps me out.
I look around nervously, expecting to see Ted, but then I remind myself that Brimcrest is a big town and he won't necessarily be at the same place as I am. So we head into the diner and take a seat at our usual spot.
Like the little creep I am, I watch Cole instead of looking at the menu.
We do this every time we come here. I sit and wait impatiently for Cole to decide he’s going to get the same thing he always gets.
He likes to browse the menu in case he changes his mind.
The thought makes me snort out loud, and Cole’s head snaps up.
“Something funny, Wild Cat?” The way he uses my old nickname makes my stomach flutter.
“I was just thinking that it’s funny how you sit there and browse the menu when you already know…” I trail off when I notice who just walked through the door. Ted.
Cole turns around, his brow creasing before he looks back at me. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shake my head. I did not want this to happen. I did not want Cole to meet Ted; that realisation crashes into me. Ted is the walking, talking, very real person I made a baby with, and now he’s about to crash into this non-date I have with my best friend.
“Let’s go somewhere else,” I practically beg Cole, but he isn’t moving a muscle. He only nods once.
“Don’t worry about it.” Four words, that’s all he says to me.
Ted reaches our booth, his eyes narrowing as they look down at me. He gives Cole a haughty once-over before turning his hateful eyes on me. “You have got to be kidding me. I thought I told you that I wasn’t interested?”
Usually, the Wild Cat would scratch and bite his head off, but lately, I’m more House Cat. So I sit there not saying a thing, my cheeks flaming as shame courses through me. He carries on talking, but I can’t hear the words as I block them out, before I realise what’s happening.
Cole is standing outside the booth and towering over Ted. He grips the front of his shirt and yanks him forward as he says something low in his ear.
My ears are ringing as the room starts to spin. Sweat beads on the back of my neck, and my hands begin to tingle. That’s when I hear it.
“She’s obsessed with me!”
“Say that again, I beg you.” Cole’s voice is low and dangerous. Something I have never heard from him before.
Ted must sense the change and shift in power because he immediately backs down and starts to tap Cole on his shoulders. “Yeah, it’s all good, bro. Don’t worry, my mistake.”
“I’m not your fucking bro.” Cole lets go of him, and he scurries off in the opposite direction. I don’t realise I’m crying till he leans down and gently swipes my tears away with his thumb. Taking my hand, he helps me up, and we leave.
He doesn’t talk to me as he helps me in the truck and buckles me in. He storms around the other side and gets in himself, puts on his belt and starts it up.
“Cole?” I want to make sure he’s OK, because right now he looks livid.
“Lace, please, just give me a minute. I’m not mad at you, but if I have to see your face fall like it did in there, I’m going to go back into Denny’s, find that prick, and rip his fucking head off.” His knuckles turn white on the steering wheel, and I chance putting my hand over the top of his.
“I’m okay, Cole, I promise you.” Something in my voice must click within him, and he releases his grip ever so slightly.
“Do you still want all of the food?” He cracks a smile when he looks at me, and I nod. “Okay. I discovered a place this week that I think you will love. Do you feel up to a bit of a drive?”
“So long as I can pick the music.” Before he can say no, I’m already switching the music to my playlist, and as the tune of Grease fills the car.
I realise that at this moment in time, I have never been happier.
**********
When Cole said this was a ‘bit’ of a drive, he was definitely under-explaining it.
We’ve driven for a full hour when finally, he turns off the country lane we’re on and down a much more narrow one.
It’s lined with trees on either side that bend over one another, creating a long, tunnel-like space.
There are signs every so often that warn you to watch out for the Red Squirrels; I don’t know if that means they’re aggressive squirrels or simply squirrels that jump in front of cars.
The tunnel opens up into a wide driveway in front of what appears to be a small castle.
The windows are stained glass, and they remind me of the place where Emmy and Cas got married.
Two towers, draped in ivy, stand on either side of an arched doorway.
A single black lantern hangs over the front of the door.
The gravel crunches underneath our tyres as Cole parks up.
As we climb out of the truck, a peacock walks past me as if it’s just a typical day for him. I look over at Cole and point at the peacock, not wanting to scare him off. He nods at me and laughs.
“Did you see that?” My laughter dies off when we walk through the doors, and I feel magically transported to another time. It looks like the set of a period drama could be filmed here.
There is no hostess in sight, but Cole takes my hand and starts to move easily through the tables and into the back of the building. We end up in a room called the Sun Room. The windows in here are beautiful, and the rays of sun that filter through them cast an ethereal glow around the room.
“I hope you like it.” Cole’s voice is low into my ear; it doesn’t make me jump. Instead, I feel it straight into my core.
“Uhh…ye…yes.” I don’t have much else to say because I can’t concentrate with him this close.
He straightens back up and clears his throat. “It’s afternoon tea. I know you’ve always wanted to find a nice place, and nowhere near home has one…Anyway, I found this place, and the reviews say they have the best pastries in the world.”
“You bet your pretty little backside we have the best pastries in the world. Well, I say we have the best pastries; actually, it’s just me. I don’t make them here; I sell them here. There isn’t a great kitchen here, so I have to make them at home and then…shoot, I didn’t even say hello!”
I burst out laughing at the beautiful girl rambling in front of us. She’s carrying a basket of pastries that I can’t help but salivate at the smell of.
“I’m Darla. Just take a seat, and I’ll be out with the rest of your afternoon tea.” She hurries off, and Cole pulls out one of the seats for me to sit in.
“Cole, this place is beautiful. How did you find it?”
“I found it last year when Cas and I got sent out to that job site that didn’t exist. We were on our way there, and he took the wrong turn, and we ended up here…I thought of you straight away.” He looks away, and I smile at how sweet he is.
“Well, I’m glad you took a wrong turn because this place is beautiful.” I grab a pastry from the basket, and as I bite into it, the buttery goodness melts on my tongue, causing me to moan. “Oh my god…they need these in Roselake.”
I look up to find Cole staring at my lips; either he wants to kiss me, or I have a million crumbs on my face right now.
“Cole, do I have something on my face?” I wipe at my mouth, but he’s still staring. “Cole?”
“Huh?” He must realise he was staring because he shakes his head, mumbles something I can’t hear, and grabs a pastry and tucks in.
Was he thinking about kissing me? No, he couldn’t have been, and what the hell is wrong with me? I’m having another man's baby, who doesn’t want anything to do with them or me, and lusting over my best friend.
I swear it’s the hormones.