Page 50 of Fall at Once

“Come here.” He pulled me in for a hug and whispered in my ear, “Do you want me to get you out of here? I can drive you home if you like.”

“Yes, please. I can feel everyone’s eyes on us. I’ve never been the center of attention like this before, and I don’t think I like it too much.”

“I have. But at least this time, it’s for something I wanted.”

Chapter 16

Cole

That kiss.

That fucking kiss was everything I knew it would be from the moment I first laid eyes on her.

But I should not have taken it that far. No matter what she said, it was not okay. No matter how much I wanted to do it again and again, I couldn’t.

I wanted to be there for her like no one had been there for me the night I saw my wife and my best friend together as a couple for the first time and lost my mind.

My intention was pure, but I allowed myself to get carried away, and I owed Madi an apology.

“I should check on my sisters.” She turned to the window where the scene in the parking lot seemed to have calmed down.They were talking by Riley’s car, and Hanna and Ross were gone.

“I don’t know what to think about any of this, what he did, and why he did it here. But you know what? It’s over and done with, right?”

“Yes. You don’t have to think about him ever again.” I wished I could never think about Sherry again, but having kids with her made that impossible.

“I was finished with him when I got here, and I won’t let him destroy my peace of mind. I want zero thoughts in my head, like when we were kissing. Let’s get out of here. I can feel everyone watching me, and I can’t stand it.”

“Absolutely.” Apologies could come later; now was not the time to make it about me. I took her hand and led her outside, where we met her sisters.

“I’m so sorry, Madi.” Abigail threw herself into Madi’s arms and burst into tears. “I never would have started drinking if I knew he was planning to show up tonight. I ruined everything.”

Madi rubbed circles around Abigail’s back as she soothed her. “Shh, I know you wouldn’t have. Riley told me what you two had planned, and it would have been fun, okay? You were trying to make this easy for me. You didn’t ruin anything, I swear.”

“Really?” She sniffled and pulled out of Madi’s arms.

“Are you the one who cheated on me? Are you a selfish, lying jackass? No, you aren’t. That is who Ross is. I thought I had broken his heart. I felt terrible for leaving him like I’d been asking too much of him or putting pressure on him to do something he wasn’t ready for. Can you believe that?”

“He was good at pretending to be sweet,” Abigail said. “We all loved him. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Men are sneaky like that, and it sucks,” Riley added.

“Of course, they weren’t talking about you, Cole.” Madi smiled reassuringly at me. “You’ve always been an open book with me, and Gigi loves you. Gigi is never wrong.”

“Of course not.” I chuckled. “I think there are people who cheat and people who would rather die than cause that kind of pain, and when they end up together, it always gets ugly before it blows up. Relationships are complicated because you never know what type you will get.”

“The collateral damage is real and far-reaching, isn’t it?” Riley’s voice was sad as she agreed with me.

“Yup. Then the cheaters go on their merry way and leave the rest of us to clean up their messes.” I knew Riley was divorced, but I hadn’t realized we had this much in common.

“This is getting way too real for me,” she stated. “I feel l need to go home and crawl into bed. I’m having flashbacks from my divorce.”

“Go home, it’s okay.” Madi hugged her. “Take Abigail with you, and you two get some rest. I’ll be fine.”

“There is no way you are fine, my selfless sister.” Riley kissed Madi’s cheek and smiled at her in sympathy. “Tonight was horrific. We should start a club or a support group. Cheated On Anonymous or something.”

“That’s not a bad idea. But I really am fine, I promise you. I was holding on to some guilt for having so manyexpectations of Ross. He killed all those feelings tonight. I’m embarrassed about how it all came out. But I also feel free.”

“You should feel free, I’m glad. I’m sorry we ever introduced you to him in the first place.”

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