Page 33 of A Not So Merry Ex-Mas

“Yes,” I say after a moment of her not speaking. My heart is banging around inside my chest.

“I almost called you,” she says so softly I have to strain to hear her above my pounding heart.

“You almost called me?” I ask, my mouth dry.

She nods. “So many times…”

“Why didn’t you?” To think that we could’ve avoided all of this if she had picked up the phone. “When everything was happening, you were the one I wanted to talk to.”

“I just couldn’t,” she rubs her hand on her face. “I didn’t even call Mel.”

“I almost called you, but I wanted to respect your wishes.” Her eyes whip to mine, and every nerve ending in my body comes to life. “Noelle…”

Fear stops me in my tracks. What if I say this, and she pushes me away again? What if…

No! I’m not living in the what-ifs this time. I did that when I should’ve called her.

“Noelle,” I start again. This time, there is no hesitation. “Letting you push me away was, is, my biggest regret. I had every intention of changing that at Mike and Mel’s wedding, but then I saw you with Dean…”

Chapter Fifteen

Noelle

My heart hesitates amoment before pounding so hard that I feel a pulse throughout my body. My eyes feel like they might pop out of my head, and I’ve lost the ability to form thoughts.

Did Cole just say he wanted me after I completely shut him out? Are those the words my brain is attempting to process?

Cole pins me with his gaze, holding my body and heart captive.

What did I do? How did I ever think that walking away from this man was a good idea?

His reaction when I saw him at the wedding makes perfect sense now. Why would he not tell me to moveon after seeing me with Dean? How could he know Dean was a placeholder? A placeholder I foolishly married.

“Cole…” His name falls from my lips in the softest whisper, years of pain and heartache behind it.

He lifts his hand toward my face but then hesitates, a question in his eyes.

My mouth falls open, and I slowly exhale. I reach up, touch his wrist, and lean toward him. His hand gently cups my face, and a sigh falls from my lips.

A myriad of emotions run through his eyes so fast I can’t keep pace, but the one that grabs me is the love that is so glaringly obvious.

“I’ve missed you so much, Bug.” The corner of his lip tugs as his eyes roam my face.

“I’ve missed you,” I say, pushing past the thickness in my throat. “So much. I’m so sorry—”

Darkness surrounds us, and I hear Cole chuckle. “Sorry that you made the power go out?”

A giggle pops out of me, and I close my eyes for a second, enjoying the feeling of him touching me again. The tenderness that comes from the simple touch leaves me breathless.

“The generator should be kicking in any minute…”

Just then, a wail comes from the teapot, and I roll my eyes. Seriously? Is it possible for us to have any more distractions?

First, the power, and now the teapot?

“I should get that,” I say, not moving.

“Yeah, it’s pretty annoying,” Cole responds, humor radiating through his voice but not pulling his hand away from my face.

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