Page 77 of Fall at Once

“Oh god, you know about that?”

“Kenzie,” I said gently. “Everyone knows about that. You weren’t exactly quiet the last time he came into the Confectionery.”

“Right. Great. Okay, maybe I will move to Colorado Springs with you,” she muttered. “When I get mad, I get loud. It’s like I just start yelling no matter who is around.”

Gigi held up a hand. “No one is moving anywhere. Not until we have a long talk.” She looked at both of us in turn. “I mean it. If I find out you have packed up and moved overnight, I’m going to hunt you down and drag you back.”

“I would never do that,” I promised. “No matter what is going on. I’ll always talk to you first.”

“Deep down, I know it. But it had to be said. Also, is something happening I should know about? What are you doing out here?”

“Cole got hurt tonight.” I exchanged a glance with Kenzie, warning her without words not to bring up the love stuff.

Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh my god!”

“He’s okay. He’ll be totally fine. I just came from the hospital. From what Tate said, he was in there more for precautionary measures. He might even be home now.”

“I’ll go over there tomorrow and bring him a chicken pot pie. He loves those.”

“Hey.” I grinned at her. “I love those. Bring me one, too,” I teased.

“Come over tomorrow, and we’ll make it together and bring it to Cole.”

“You’re always planning something, aren’t you?” I said as Ihugged her goodbye.

“I can’t seem to help myself. I do it because I love you and want you to be happy. Get upstairs, girls, and get some good sleep. Good night.”

“We love you too, Gigi.”

We said our goodbyes to Gigi and went upstairs to sleep for the rest of the night.

Chapter 25

Cole

Thanks to the painkillers, I woke up okay. My burn throbbed with a dull ache, but it was bearable.

I was alone but otherwise fine. Lonely, but I’d live through it, like usual.

Sherry was scheduled to pick up the kids from my parents’ place, so due to my injury, I had an unexpected day off from the station.

Maybe I’d stay in bed all day. I punched the pillow behind me and flicked on the TV. I was mindlessly watching whatever was on the screen as thoughts rattled around in my brain like ghosts to haunt me.

My arm, the burn, and how stupidly distracted I’d been last night when Iknew better.

Sherry’s harsh words about who I had chosen to spend my time with. Yeah, Madi was younger than me. But thirty wasn’tyoung. I had no idea why she took issue with it, and it pissed me off.

The hurt look on Madi’s face when she left the hospital last night, rushing through the emergency room like she couldn’t wait to get away from me. She heard everything, which had to be the cause, and I had no idea what, if anything, I could say to make her feel better. I couldn’t control Sherry or her opinions.

I should check on her. But I had no idea what to say when I had no idea what I wanted—other than to be with her as much as I could before she returned to Colorado Springs.

I was not in a place in my life to make any promises. Finding love had not been on my radar, but how else could I explain all these feelings I had for Madi? I was falling for her, and I had to stop it.

I didn’t want her to go home, but asking her to stay in Cozy Creek would be wrong. Part of me wanted to lay down my heart and beg her to be mine. But the adult part, the part that wasn’t selfish, needy, and desperate for her, knew she could do so much better than me.

I was the guy who’d married his high school sweetheart, a woman I had known forever and still couldn’t make her happy.

Getting to know Madi made me question everything I thought I knew about love, and I realized I knew nothing.

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