Page 56 of Stealing Home

Cole nudges my shoulder to get me to move closer. I scoot over to him and lay my head on his shoulder. He lets me just be like he knows I need the silence for a moment. He just rubs his hand up and down my arm. I need to go change and lay down, but I don’t want to break this comforting moment either. Seeing Toby was a good thing because it made me realize I’m over him because none of those old feelings came back. All I felt was annoyance that he thought I would talk to him. Thinking of what he said about hearing him out one way or another puts me on edge, and I don’t want to be alone right now. I lift my head and look at Cole.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asks me.

I don’t answer him. Instead, I get up from the couch and grab his hand. He gets up and follows me as I lead him by the hand into the room Heather and I are sharing. I grab my clothes to change into for bed.

“Wait here.” I say as I leave the room to go change into the bathroom.

I know I said slow but I just need him right now. I need nothing more than him holding me, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stop my mind from going to a dark place enough to go to sleep. It seems as if Toby is a little obsessed at this point. I finish changing and head back into the room. I go to the side that Cole isn’t standing at and pull back the comforter and sit. He looks lost since he has no clue on what is going through my head.

“Will you sleep in here with me tonight?” I ask him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Cole

“What’s going on in your head, A?” I ask her.

I don’t want her to think that I don’t want to share a bed with her. I do, but I also don’t want her to feel pushed into this because she saw her ex. And I don’t know if I should be upset or okay with her request.

“You don’t have to.”

“I didn’t say no A. I just asked what’s going on in your head.”

“I want to tell you. I just need you to hold me while I do it and to be honest with me, is that okay?”

How the fuck do I say no to that? I take my sneakers and jeans off before pulling the comforter back on the bed. Laying down first, I put my arm out for Adriana to come to me. She sighs a breath of relief before joining me in bed and scooting over to cuddle into me.

“What’s going on, gorgeous?” I ask.

“Thank you. I know I said I wanted to go slow, and this probably seems to speak otherwise. I just need to feel safe right now.” she tells me.

What the fuck? Did this fucker hurt her?

“Babe, what do you mean by safe?” I question her, trying to sound calm.

“Remember when you saw me upset on opening day?”

“Yes.”

How could I forget? Seeing her cry made me want to go on a rampage to find who made her that upset. It was a first for me.

“Well, I had just gotten off the phone with Toby. I hadn’t spoken to him since the day I found him cheating on me with two floozies. I had blocked his number, but he called from another one. He told me how he was told I didn’t live at my apartment anymore because he went by when he couldn’t reach me. He was trying to see me to talk to me. Then to see him at a place he complained about going to and find out that he has been going there to ask around about me is freaking me out, especially with him saying I would hear him out one way or another. And now he knows I moved to New York. I don’t think he’d come there, but I just don’t know anymore. He seems desperate.” She finishes and I can feel her whole body shake.

This fucking asshole. I should have punched him when I had the chance. He really is a piece of work. I hate this asshole for making her scared. What a fucking fool to let her slip through his hands. He realized what he lost too late. I won’t make the same mistake he did.

“Hey. Hey look at me.” I tell her. She turns her head up to me from my shoulder.

“He’s the stupidest man on this Earth. He lost the best thing that ever happened to him and he knows it now. You don’t owe him anything, babe. We will do whatever you want to help you feel safe when we get home. If that means you move into Heather and Ty’s house instead of being over the garage or hell, if you wanted one of the guest bedrooms in mine, it’s yours. I know there are cameras all over the outside of the house and property, but we can talk to Heather and Ty and see what we all come up with, okay?” I say and place a kiss on her forehead.

“You really are a real-life, Casanova.” she whispers.

“Why do you say that?” I ask her.

“You know the right thing to say and when to say it.” she answers.

“I’m just being me. I want you to know that while this is new and we are going slow, I want to always be a safe space for you.”

“You are Cole. It’s why I felt comfortable asking you to sleep in here tonight with me. I hope I’m not sending you mixed signals.” She says.

---