Page 61 of Sneak Attack

“And maybe, I cleaned up everything else before you got here because I wanted to impress you.”

Oh.Ohhh. “I’m not sure what you want me to say to that.”

“Don’t have to say a thing.” He pointed a finger at my face. “That blush says enough.”

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed the water bottle. He didn’t take his eyes off me while I opened it and took a swallow and once I was done, he chuckled again.

“Come sit with me. And I’ll give you the full Selma saga.”

“Sounds thrilling.”

“If you enjoy horror movies, sure.” He shrugged.

I laughed. Probably shouldn’t have, given shewasthe mother of his son, but it was Selma.

She’d always reminded me of the Wicked Witch.

* * *

He led me toward the living room, and I’d been right about the couch. It was a massive sectional, soft, cream microfiber material that had chaise lounges on both ends. In the middle, was a matching ottoman that closed off the entire space between the lounges making the couch turn into what could be a bed that could easily sleep four adults.

I attempted toignorethat thought, especially while he splayed out on the chaise lounge far from me, bare feet kicked up and crossed at the ankles, the muscles of his legs and lower thighs on display beneath his athletic shorts and simple white T-shirt. He’d showered again, probably after practice, and his dark hair was neatly cut, swept to the side and his beard and scruff was perfection.

Cole had started growing facial hair before I knew him and while he hadn’t had a lot back then, those two times we’d kissed, the scrape of the hair at his upper lip had always sent a delightful little shiver through me as it scraped across my lips.

I cleared my throat and tore my gaze off him before my face could tell him what I was thinking.

He took a sip of his water, easily held the neck of it in between two fingers and tossed his other arm over the back of the couch. He was staring at his gas fireplace, currently turned off, and the blank television screen in front of him, but I once again found my eyes glued to him as he started speaking.

“I’ve suspected, and am probably right, although it doesn’t really matter and doesn’t mean anything, that Selma knew exactly what she was doing the night she called me.”

“You already implied this morning she wanted to seduce you.”

“Yeah. But I don’t mean just that. A girl who’d claimed to be on birth control since she was fourteen for her period cramps, who took it religiously as far as I knew back then, and then all of a sudden thatone nightand she ends up pregnant?” He twisted his neck and met my eyes.

“It happens, Cole.” As much as I didn’t want to admit it, that happened to girls all the time.

“Yeah, sure it does. But when it happens, when it’s a complete shock and surprise, do most girls start talking about getting married five minutes after they shove a pregnancy stick in the guy’s face?”

“Um.” He had me there. I mean, I doubted that’s whatIwould do. “Maybe she was scared.”

“Or maybe, considering it wasn’t the first time she’d tried to hang out with me since we went away to school, but I’d only seen her a few times over the summer after our freshman year, the crying act she gave was all just that. An act and she planned it. Like I said, I can’t prove it, but Selma’s always had a way to get what she wanted, and I think a couple years had gone by…Hilary’s parents had moved…she saw the success and attention I was getting at Vanderbilt, and she took her shot.”

It’d sound arrogant and cocky of him, but the only person who didn’t think Selma would take a shot at Cole if Hilary wasn’t around was Hilary herself. Ironic, and hypocritical coming from me, but it didn’t make it less true.

I tucked my feet up to my backside and twisted so I was resting against the back of the couch, facing Cole. “What’d you do? Or say? I mean…did you consider it?”

“Not for a second, and I think the fact I laughed in her face and told her no way in hell we were getting married really set her off. I mean, she gotpissed. Screamed at me that I’d done this to her, ruined her, like she was some noble living in the eighteen hundreds. I promised her I’d be there, that I’d help take care of our child, but I swore up and down I’d never marry her.”

“How’d she take that?”

“I was worried for a while she’d end the pregnancy just to spite me, to be honest, and that would have been her choice and all, but she knew I wanted that baby.” He closed his eyes, and I imagined him reliving those moments, that time, and he swiped his hand down his face.

“The day she shoved that test in my face, right after I asked her if it was really her test and I swore she almost slapped me, that was when I finally started getting my act together. I had somethingbiggerthan me to fight for. I didn’t even need Jasper to be born yet, and already I was figuring out the kind of Dad I wanted to be.”

He was a great one. Probably. I hadn’t quite seen him in action, but the home and the photos couldn’t be faked, and besides, he was a Buchanan. They were good people.

“I’m glad you have him.”

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