Chapter 3
Willa
Dinner was delicious but exhausting. Lila had found an incredible person who treated her like a queen. And this lovely group of people celebrating their love together like this was wonderful. She deserved it. I couldn’t have been more pleased for her.
So why was I so out of sorts?
I’d begged off karaoke, opting for quiet time to think.
I walked for a while, enjoying the cool night air and taking in the sights and sounds of the Vegas strip before heading back to the Bellagio.
Out front, I sat on an ornate bench, watching the world-famous fountains, soaking in the peacefulness of the moment.
“Can I join you?”
Startled by the deep voice, I turned. Cole Hebert, of all people, stood behind the bench, hands stuffed in his pockets.
He was so damn tall I had to push my shoulders back in order to crane my neck far enough to look him in the eye.
His dress shirt was unbuttoned, and he’d rolled up the sleeves.
It was unfair how effortlessly handsome he was. Jackass.
“Sure.” I shrugged.
Cole and I had grown up in the same town and graduated together, but we’d barely said more than a few words to one another.
For many years, he’d dated my best friend.
Even so, I kept my distance. I’d had a front-row seat to their dysfunctional relationship, and while they were wrong for each other, I was ride or die for my bestie.
Plus, he was the epitome of an entitled jock, and I, well, I was me.
His large, strong hand caught my eye as he ran it through his hair, and a flash of color on his wrist caught my eye.
“What’s that?”
He held out his wrist so I could take in the two beaded friendship bracelets. They were made of crimson, white, and black beads, the color of the Lovewell Lynx, our town mascot.
“My team made them for me.” He shrugged. “I coach now.”
One read Coach, with hearts on each side.
I ran my fingers over the beads of the other, politely ignoring how close our bodies were. “What does this one say?”
“Lady Lynx.” He twisted it around so I could see the lettered beads. “I tried explaining to them that, as a species, lynx are not gendered and can be male or female.” He shrugged. “But if I’ve learned one thing in the last couple of months, it’s that there’s no reasoning with eight-year-old girls.”
I nodded, smiling. It was strangely endearing that he was wearing a suit and still rocking his friendship bracelets.
“You like kids.” It was a statement, not a question.
Lila had confided in me after their breakup that one point of contention for them was Cole wanted children someday and Lila did not. According to her, they both thought they would eventually change the other’s mind, but after several years, it became clear that would never happen.
He nodded. “Always have. I love coaching and sharing my love of the game.”
“And you’re an uncle.”
He smiled. “Best job ever. Merry is the coolest, and I can’t wait until Baby Thor and I can get into trouble together.” He laughed to himself. “And now Gus. That kid’s gonna be so serious. I’ll have to work extra hard to get laughs there, I’m sure.”
I smiled. This was a side of Cole Hebert I’d never seen before.
We stared at the fountain in silence for a few minutes, my mind spinning with thoughts about whether coming on this trip had been a mistake. I was too tired and stressed to enjoy myself, and I didn’t want to drag down my friends with me.
I was content to sit in silence like that, but then Cole put his elbows on his knees, hung his head, and in a soft voice, said, “That dinner was awkward.”
A dark chuckle rumbled out of me. “You don’t say.
” As much as I disliked him on principle—because he was Lila’s ex-boyfriend, of course—I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy.
His ex was engaged to his half-brother. His clean-cut, corporate, responsible, successful older brother.
I was an only child, but even I could see how that could sting.
Shaking his head, he sighed. “Not for the reasons you think.”
“Then start talking,” I said, shifting his way.
“I’m happy for Lila. She’s incredible, and she deserves all the good things.”
“Correct,” I said with a firm nod. Lila and Mags were my ride or die. Always had been. Honestly, my ability to refrain from throwing this giant asshole into the fountain was a testament to how evolved I was.
“I know, I know. And I agree. I’m not good enough for Lila. Owen is.”
My heart twisted a little at his resigned tone. They had been wrong for each other from the start, sure. They were fundamentally different people. But I hadn’t expected to see him like this.
“It’s just—while I’m grateful to be included in this with my brothers, it only underscores how far removed I am from them. I’ve always been the odd man out.”
Head tilted, I surveyed him. The entire town knew that Cole’s father had knocked up Cole’s mom—his secretary—and then left his wife and five sons. Cole, despite his innocence in the entire saga, had never quite fit in with the rest of the Hebert brothers.
“It’s my own fault,” he continued, tugging at his hair in a way that was strangely endearing. “I keep fucking up and making things worse.”
“I wasn’t going to mention your arrest.” But I might as well now that he was alluding to it.
Cole’s antics were town lore at this point. He’d been acting out for attention since childhood. And he’d gotten plenty of attention for being a great hockey player. My psych training didn’t go beyond one rotation during my internship, but even I could see what was going on.
Head still bowed, he turned and quirked a brow. It was unfair how handsome he was. Darker and taller than his brothers, he carried his big frame with the grace of a ballerina. “Why? The whole town knows. No sense in ignoring the obvious.”
Giving in to my curiosity, I asked, “Why’d you do it?”
“Wish I knew. I was drunk, high, and lashing out. I was mad at myself and my father. And I threw a tantrum like a fucking child.”
Despite the topic, a trickle of appreciation ran through me.
This man was far more emotionally honest and self-aware than I had expected.
As a person who carried around a lot of anger at herself, I felt for him.
I put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to imbue a little comfort.
“We all fuck up. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself. ”
Focused on the ground in front of him, he shook his head. “Not true. You don’t fuck up.”
I scoffed. “Of course I do.”
He sat up, dark brows tugged down dubiously. He didn’t want my pity. That was clear. But for a man I had pegged as an emotionally constipated jock, Cole Hebert was full of surprises.
“Sure, Willa.”
My hackles rose at his tone. “You don’t know me. I’ve had my share of fuck-ups.”
“Really? Oh no. Did you once get an A-minus on a test?”
He gasped and fanned himself like he was going to faint.
“No.” Shaking his head, he shifted to face me. “No, I’ve got it. You wore white after Labor Day? You once threw away a plastic bottle instead of recycling it?” He was chuckling now.
While I was annoyed that he saw me as an uptight goody-goody, it was nice to see his morose demeanor lighten up a bit.
I rolled my eyes. “You done?”
He laughed. “You know you’re cute when you’re annoyed.”
Cheeks heating, I turned and faced the fountain. The last thing I wanted was to be on the receiving end of any of this man’s flirtation, so why was I overwhelmed with the sudden urge to flirt back?
I didn’t like Cole. Not a bit. He was not a good person. And even if he was, he was my best friend’s ex.
Unsure of how to respond to his comment and seriously considering running back to my hotel room, I kept my mouth shut and my focus set on the lights and water shooting from the ground.
“You gonna tell me why you’re here, staring vacantly at the fountain and not partying with your friends?” he asked, low and deep. “Or are you just gonna sit there while I die of shame beside you?”
Relief washed through me. He was letting me off the hook. I couldn’t begin to articulate all the reasons I was anchored to this bench right now.
Finally looking at him, I lifted my chin. “No one has ever died of shame.”
“You sure about that?” His dark eyes twinkled.
The Hebert blue eyes were famous in our town. Cole was the only brother with brown eyes. And in this light, they weren’t just brown, but gold and a little gray. Beautiful and strangely complex.
“I am a physician,” I said, leaning into an annoyed tone. “I’ve read a lot of medical journals, and I’ve never once come across a peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of shame-related deaths.”
He threw his hands up and let out a huff, then he nudged me with his giant shoulder. “Fine. You got me there, Doc. So why so glum? I shared my story.”
The spark that ignited inside me when his shoulder bumped mine should have sent me on my way.
I should have been hightailing it back to my room so I could read and get a good night’s sleep.
Instead, I opened my mouth and let my honest thoughts spill out.
Must have been the exhaustion. Or maybe the alcohol my friends had been forcing on me since I arrived.
“Just trying to reset. It’s been a rough few months.”
Cole’s lips turned down. “I’m sorry about your dad. He’s been my doctor since birth, and he’s always been kind to me. He saw me a lot as a kid. I was always dealing with broken bones and various childhood injuries from trying to keep up with my brothers.”
My heart clenched. My dad was one in a million. The town was filled with stories like Cole’s. “Thank you.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Better.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“A lot better. He and my mom are headed to a rehab facility in Portland after Christmas. He’ll get intensive physical and occupational therapy while he’s there.
” Licking my lips, I ducked my head. “We’re lucky he’s alive, but you know my dad.
He wants to come back from this stronger than ever, and regaining what he lost will be hard. ”