41. Chapter Forty One
Chapter Forty One
Cole
The house is quiet. Too quiet.
It’s massive, filled with high ceilings and expensive furniture, but right now, it feels empty. Hollow.
I sit in my office, the glow from my desk lamp casting shadows across the room. My laptop is open in front of me, a spreadsheet pulled up on the screen, but I haven’t typed a damn thing in over an hour. I can’t focus.
Because Annie still isn’t home.
I glance at the time on my watch. It’s late. Too late.
I exhale sharply, leaning back in my chair and rubbing a hand over my jaw. Robbie went to bed hours ago. I sat with him for a while, listening to him talk about dinosaurs and his newest book before he finally fell asleep. And now, here I am, waiting.
Waiting for her.
I don’t like it.
I shouldn’t care this much. I shouldn’t be checking the clock every five damn minutes, wondering where she is. But I do.
I push back from my desk, stand, and walk toward the built-in bar across the room. I grab a glass, pour myself a drink, and take a slow sip, letting the burn settle in my chest.
Where the hell is she?
I know she’s with Noah. That much I do know.
And that alone is enough to piss me off.
I close my eyes briefly, inhaling through my nose. It’s fine. She told me she was going. She made plans with him before… before everything. I have no right to be mad about it.
And yet, I am.
I scowl down at my drink, rolling the glass between my fingers.
I’d done a lot better with this before I saw the guy. Before I had to stand there and watch Annie walk out the damn door with him.
Noah is everything I’m not.
Blond hair, blue eyes.
The same age as Annie.
Easygoing. Happy-go-lucky.
They fit.
They look like they belong together.
Like two peas in a damn pod.
I take another sip, the burn sharper this time.
And me?
I work too much. I probably drink too much.
I scowl down at the glass in my hand and set it on the mantel with a definite click.
I’m cold. Closed off. I don’t give people pieces of me easily. Hell, I barely know how to let someone in at all.
And worst of all?
I’m twenty years her senior.
This was never supposed to happen.
Annie was never supposed to happen.
And now, she’s carrying my child.
I rake a hand through my hair, exhaling hard.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I’m not usually the jealous type. I take a step back and take a deep breath. I just need to get a grip.
Yes, Annie works for me, and yes, she’s pregnant with my child, but I don’t own her. She’s free to have dinner with whomever she wants.
And I know there’s nothing going on between them. Annie isn’t like that. I haven’t been in a relationship with her, not really. Hell, I haven’t even gone on a date with her. But if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Annie is a one-man type of woman.
I can trust that.
I look at my watch again.
She should be home by now.
Doesn’t she know she needs her rest?
I glance toward the door, my jaw clenching. I could call her. Ask where she is.
But I don’t.
Damn it!
I check my watch. Again.
I tell myself I’m not pissed. That would be ridiculous. She’s not my wife, not my girlfriend, not obligated to report to me.
I rake a hand through my hair and exhale sharply.
I should go to bed. She’s a grown woman. If she wants to stay out all night, that’s her decision. I have no right to care.
And yet, I do.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I glance toward the office door—and that’s when I hear it.
Soft footsteps. Light, careful.
I take a seat in the armchair next to the fireplace and wait.
A moment later, Annie appears in the doorway .
She pauses, one hand resting on the frame, her head tilting slightly when she sees me. Her hair isn’t in the ponytail anymore but flowing loose around her shoulders. She looks tired but relaxed—completely at ease, like she hasn’t been out driving me insane for the past few hours.
“Wow,” she muses, stepping inside. “You’re still awake?”
I lean back in my chair, schooling my expression. “Obviously.”
She grins a little. “Were you waiting up for me?”
“No.”
She makes a humming sound, stepping farther into the room, glancing at the drink in my hand. “Right. You just decided to sit here in the dark, brooding like some kind of gothic novel hero.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” I give her a pointed look.
Obviously remembering her first night here, she flushes.
“And I wasn’t brooding.”
She gives me a look. “You so were.”
I exhale through my nose, setting my glass down with a little too much force. “You’re late.”
Her brows lift. “Didn’t realize I had a curfew.”
I narrow my eyes. “You don’t. But you need rest.”
“I’ll rest when I’m tired.”
“You look exhausted. ”
She puts a hand over her chest, feigning offense. “Gee, thanks. That’s what every woman wants to hear.”
I scowl. “You are beautiful. And tired.”
She grins again, and I know damn well she’s enjoying this.
I fold my arms across my chest, watching her, my voice dropping lower. “How was dinner?”
Annie shrugs. “Good. We caught up.”
I wait, expecting her to elaborate. She doesn’t.
“That’s it?”
She tilts her head. “Do you want a transcript?”
I can’t tell if she’s messing with me or if she genuinely doesn’t realize how much I’ve been thinking about this all night.
I grind my teeth, watching her closely. “He’s in love with you, you know.”
That gets her attention. Her mouth parts slightly, but then she laughs. “What?”
“Noah,” I say flatly. “He’s in love with you.”
She shakes her head, still amused. “Cole, no, he’s not.”
I arch a brow. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she says firmly. “Noah and I have been friends for years. If he had feelings for me, don’t you think he would’ve said something by now?”
“Maybe he’s waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to wake up and realize you belong with him.”
She snorts, shaking her head. “You are so dramatic.”
I say nothing. Just stare.
Her teasing expression softens slightly, and after a beat, she exhales, stepping closer to my chair. “Noah and I are just friends, Cole. That’s it. I swear.”
I should let it go. I should say okay and move on.
Instead, I keep pushing. “He’s your type.”
She raises a brow. “Oh? And what’s my type?”
“Younger,” I say without hesitation. “Not twenty years older than you.”
She blinks at me. Then, to my absolute irritation, she grins. “Oh my God. You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” I say immediately.
She laughs. Actually laughs.
“Cole Wagner, are you seriously sitting here stewing over my friendship with Noah?”
I scowl. “I’m not stewing.”
She crosses her arms, still smirking. “Mmm. You are. I think you really are. ”
I exhale sharply and rub a hand over my jaw. “You should get some sleep.”
She sighs. “Yeah, yeah.” But she doesn’t move.
She watches me for a long moment, her smirk fading into something quieter. Her blue eyes search mine, and for once, I let her. Let her see the truth I won’t say out loud.
After a moment, Annie shakes her head and walks over to me. “You’re ridiculous,” she says with a sigh before sitting in my lap.
I my drink down on the table next to me and wrap my arms around her, holding her close.
I arch a brow. “Because I care?”
“No.” Her lips twitch. “Because you won’t admit that you care.”
I hold her gaze. “I think you already know the answer to that.”
Something flickers across her face—slight amusement. Like she’s got me pegged. Well, I’ll show her.
I take a slow breath. “Annie.”
She tilts her head. “Cole.”
I exhale through my nose, watching her.
Then, before I can talk myself out of it, I say the words I’ve been thinking all evening.
“Go on a date with me.”
Her lips part slightly, and she leans back, her brows raising in surprise. “What?”
“An official date,” I clarify and pull her close again. “You and me. No work, no stress. Out of the house. Just us.”
She stares at me, like she’s not sure she heard me right. Like she’s waiting for me to take it back.
I don’t.
Her lips part slightly, her blue eyes scanning my face, searching for something—doubt, hesitation, anything that might tell her I didn’t mean it. But she won’t find it.
Because I do.
I want this. I want her.
And I want to take her on a damn date.
Annie exhales a small, disbelieving laugh, her hands resting against my chest. “You’re serious.”
I arch a brow. “Have you ever known me to joke?”
She bites her bottom lip, her fingers curling slightly against my shirt like she’s considering it.
“I mean, you did just spend the past ten minutes brooding and scowling like a man who thinks his baby mama is about to run off with a younger, happier man—”
I squeeze her hip, making her squeak.
“Say yes, Annie.” My voice is quieter now, lower.
She tilts her head. “And if I say no?”
My grip tightens on her waist. “Not an option.”
She grins, shaking her head at me, but something in her face softens. The teasing fades just a little, and when she finally exhales, it’s like she’s been holding onto her answer this whole time.
“Yes,” she says, her voice softer now. “I’ll go on a date with you.”
Satisfaction curls in my chest, and I tighten my arms around her. “Good.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “You don’t even have a plan yet, do you?”
I smirk. “Not yet. But I will.”
She narrows her eyes at me playfully. “I’m holding you to that.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
I pull her to me and kiss her, soft and tender. She makes a sound of pleasure deep in her throat and wraps her arms around me, settling into the kiss, opening her mouth for my seeking tongue.
She sighs when I pull back and press my forehead to hers.
For a long moment, we just sit there. Her body pressed against mine, her fingers resting lightly against my chest .
My hand trailing slow circles against her hip. It’s easy. Comfortable. Like we’ve done this a thousand times before.
She exhales. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”
I tighten my hold on her. “Yeah, Annie. We are.”