Page 109 of Coldhearted King

Mom strokes my hair. “You’ll always be my snuggle bug. And besides, it’s not like I’ve ruled out meeting someone. I’m just not putting any pressure on myself. If it happens, it happens.”

I let out a breath. “I’m glad I came home.”

“I’m always glad to have you home. You know that,” Mom says. “But make sure it’s because you want to be here, not because you’re scared. Be brave. Choose to live your life despite the people who might try to drag you down.”

“I will, Mom. I have some time to think about what I want to do, and I have that meeting with Anderson-Bennet next week. I’ll see how that goes, and then I can make a choice.”

“That’s all I ask. Don’t give up your dreams because of a man.”

“I won’t.” I hug her tightly, and she holds me close. Then I let out a breath and lean back against the couch, taking another sip of peppermint tea. I think about what I just said, and I wonder if my dreams might have changed. Going back to working so hard and never letting myself go enough to really enjoy life doesn’t sound so appealing anymore. I guess if Cole has given me anything, he’s given me a new perspective. I want to make Mom happy, but I know she won’t want me to do it at the expense of my own happiness.

“Come on,” I say. “We didn’t get to finish our Buffy marathon last time I was here. Now we’ll have plenty of time.”

She settles back in the seat next to me as I get the episode queued up. No matter how my heart has been broken, I’ll always have Mom.

I rest my head on her shoulder again, and she reaches for my hand, holding it tight.

* * *

“So,you’re currently working in New York.” The elegant, dark-haired woman looks over the top of her glasses at me. “Can you tell me why you’re considering leaving?”

I cross my legs and glance at the three partners of Anderson-Bennet. “I’ve loved working with Elite over the last year, but I realized how much I miss being near family. I guess I just got homesick.”

She smiles warmly. “I know that feeling. I worked in New York for two years before moving home. It can be a big, lonely city.”

Something pinches in my chest. “Yes, it can.”

She nods and looks back at my résumé. “Honestly, everything I see here is perfect. We’d be foolish not to take you on, particularly considering your recent work with the King Group. We don’t have many people with your qualifications and experience knocking down our door.”

“Thank you.”

She taps a fingernail on the desk. “You only need to consider whether you’ll really be happy downscaling your work. We don’t have a lot of billion-dollar companies on our books, and there’s a chance you might get bored. Take some time to think about it, maybe two weeks, and then call us back with your decision.”

I smile and nod. “Thank you, I’ll do that.”

After saying our farewells, I leave the office and get in my rental. If I move back here, I’ll have to buy a car. I curl my fingers around the steering wheel and take a deep breath. I’m so conflicted. I love working in New York, but I miss Mom, and with everything that’s happened with Paul and Cole, the comfort of home is pulling at my heart now.

I have three more weeks of leave after this one, so at least I’ll have time to think about it before I make a decision. Hopefully when my heart has healed a little and my head is clearer.

Though I’ve got a horrible feeling it will take more than three weeks for the pain in my heart to ease.

I shift the car into gear and head home.

CHAPTERFORTY-TWO

COLE

Ilean on the balcony railing with a whiskey in my hand. Just like the night Roman called with news about Dad’s arrest, my eyes are drawn to King Plaza, visible in the distance from my penthouse the way it was from the hotel. And the same as that night, the lights are on in Roman’s office. My fingers tighten around the cut-crystal glass as the weight of my thoughts presses down on me.

Is any of it worth it? The late nights, the drive to succeed, the constant pursuit of wealth and power. Is this really all there is? My brothers and I may have the best of everything, but does that make it a life worth living?

Ice cubes clink against the glass as I sip the whiskey, closing my eyes so I can focus on the smooth burn as it goes down rather than the hollow that resides in my chest—the one that’s been there since the day I walked away from Delilah.

“Cole?” Jessica’s voice interrupts my thoughts, and I grit my teeth. Giving her a key to my apartment was a mistake, but it was the compromise I made after she threw a tantrum when I refused to let her move in. I’d told her that could wait until after the wedding. A smirk tugs at my lips as I remember the look on her face when I said I was a traditionalist and didn’t believe in living in sin.

She was not happy.

Still, her having a key is almost worse since I can never predict when she’ll make an appearance.

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