Page 68 of Solitude

“Married?!”

I spin around to see Betty Rigby and Cole Fletcher slinging the front door open, and it takes everything inside my body not to crumble to the floor or run away and hide. Because Mrs. Betty is staring at me with a smile to rivalthe one she wore whenever she won best strawberry pie at the state fair last year, and it scares me.

She’s too happy.

Cole hasn’t said a word, by contrast. In fact, his brows are pulled together as he stares at me like he’s not sure who I am. Like I’m a stranger. It hurts, but at the same time, I think I understand.

I hope I understand.

Gwen opens her mouth and closes then cuts her eyes to me, gesturing like I should be the one to say something considering it’s my big news.

Beck is going to kill me. That’s for sure.

We’d agreed to keep it a secret until he was drafted. Then we figured we’d share the news with his family at the same time he announced his new team. It made sense in our heads at the time. We wanted to protect our peace from the nosy old coots in town, and it worked for a few months.

If there’s one thing Betty will do, it’s spread gossip like wildfire.

“I…”

Mrs. Betty waddles into the shop, glowing in her excitement. “I knew it! I knew you and that Hale boy would get married and have babies.”

I blanch.

Gwen laughs.

Cole continues to stare at me from the open door.

Blinking at him, I frown. “Are you going to say anything?”

He rolls his lips together, finally looks away and outside at…who knows what, then meets my gaze again. “It’s true.”

It’s not a question, but it is. He knows it’s true. I haven’t denied it once since they overhead. He just wants to hear it. He wants to hear me say the words from my own mouth before he reacts.

So I nod. “It’s true. Beck and I got married.”

Cole swallows and points toward my face. “Then why do you look like someone died?”

“Is that necessary? You don’t have to be an asshole,” I chuckle, wiping at my face self-consciously.

But Cole doesn’t smile. He just blinks at me. “Why do you look like you’ve spent the morning crying, Win?”

“Because I have.”

“Why?”

“If you’re trying to insinuate it’s because of Beck, you can stop.”

Cole arches a brow. “So I don’t need to track him down and lose my badge in the process?”

Dammit. Fresh tears gather in my eyes.

I didn’t think Cole would care about my wellbeing this much, which is insane now that I think about it. Cole has always been in my corner. He’s been the one to give me a place to vent, to live, to feel needed, to feel safe. Cole’s been as much of a constant in my life as Gwen.

Honestly, more so.

I step around Mrs. Betty with an apologetic grin thenshuffle over to Cole and wrap my arms around his middle, hugging him tightly as my tears spill over once again.

Gwen whispers something behind me, and I hear her tugging her grandmother into the backroom just as Cole lifts his arms and wraps me in his embrace. He pets my hair, rubs my back, lays his cheek on the top of my head, and he lets me cry.

---