“We can’t control our family’s reactions. But we can control ours.”
I was a little uncomfortable with any talk of potential consequences. I had a feeling if Cole was confronted by someone in his family, he’d do what was best for him.
Silence fell for a few seconds before Cole got up and brushed off his jeans. “I almost forgot I got you something so you can stargaze at home.”
I stood and followed him to the truck where he lowered the tailgate. He grabbed a bag I hadn’t seen before and pulled out what looked like a child’s lantern.
“What’s this?” Izzy asked.
“What do you say first?” I reminded her.
“Thank you, Cole.”
Cole’s lips twitched. “You’re welcome. It’s a star lantern.” He turned the switch to show her how it lit up. “At home, you’ll see the stars projecting on your ceiling and walls, or you can use it as a night light.”
When he’d shown her all the settings, Izzy set it on the ground to play with it.
“That was really thoughtful of you,” I said to him, a little overcome with emotion over the small gift.
“I remembered that Addy and Ember have one in their rooms, and it went perfectly with the theme of the night.”
I bumped shoulders with him. “You don’t have to buy her things.”
Cole winced. “I know I don’t, and I’m not trying to buy anyone’s love. It was just something I wanted to do.”
“It was really sweet.” Especially when the men in Izzy’s life were family. Her father had never gifted her with anything outside of child support. When I reached out to Trent, he said he was too busy, and it wasn’t a good idea for him to get involved in our lives.
Any time I thought of Izzy’s father, I felt bereft. “We should get home. It’s getting late.”
I called Izzy over, and she placed her hands on her hips. “Five more minutes?”
I straightened my shoulders. “It’s already late. We need to get you into bed.”
“But it’s not a school night,” Izzy whined.
“You still get up early, and we have things to do tomorrow.”
“Ugh, fine.” Izzy dropped her hands and helped us gather the blankets.
Cole drove us back to Heath’s cabin where my van was parked.
Cole helped Izzy into the back, then shut the door. “I wish you could stay longer. Maybe even overnight.”
I glanced at Izzy in the back seat. “We’re not ready for that yet.”
He stepped closer. “I hope one day you will be. I want more days like this. Where we can spend time together, maybe even with my family.”
I stiffened. “Not everyone approves of us. You think Knox will say anything to Emmett or your aunt?”
Cole gave me a pointed look. “One day, we’re going to have to deal with our families.”
“We’ll deal with it when it happens.”
Cole looked like he was going to say something, but he merely nodded. “I’ll go ahead of you and open the gate. Just text me when you get home.”
“I can do that,” I said as he opened the driver’s side door, and I got in. I turned on the van and backed out.
Izzy was asleep before we hit the gate, and I drove home, feeling lonelier than I had before. I had a great time. I enjoyed hanging out with Cole’s cousins and stargazing at the end of the night.