“Ten dollars,” Marlene told Paige, who quickly pulled a few bills from her purse.
“Done,” she said, slapping them on the table, then stalking toward Cole. “You should try harder.”
“Tell me how.”
She gave a small shake of her head, curls bouncing. “You don’t deserve to know. I told you she needed someone in her corner.”
“I know you did.” Cole swiped a hand across his eyes, sweat beginning to bead along his forehead despite the cool breeze whirling across the fairgrounds. “I should have been that person.”
“But you weren’t.” Paige yelled the words despite the fact that she was standing right next to the dunk tank. “You broke her heart. You hurt her. Do you know that she almost—?”
“Paige.”
The tiny woman clasped a hand over her mouth and turned as Sienna walked out of the crowd.
“Almost what?” Cole asked, leaning forward. He sucked in a breath as Sienna moved toward the dunk tank. She wore a red floral shirt with lace detailing around the neckline and slim denim jeans that molded over her curves in a way that made his mouth go dry. Her long hair was down, casually curling over her shoulders. She looked so beautiful, happy and at peace in a way he hadn’t seen before.
Then she met his gaze and the pain in her eyes was like a gunshot to his heart because he knew he’d put it there.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, her gaze gentling as she looped an arm around Paige’s shoulder. “As much as I appreciate it—”
“I have pent-up aggression,” Paige muttered, darting a glare toward Shep. “And I can’t take it out on the brother holding the kid. Cole’s an easier target.”
“Literally,” Cole said, then shrugged when both women turned to him. “I’m stuck in this cage and half the town has some sort of bizarre need to defend your honor.”
“I’m heading to the beer tent,” Paige said, giving Sienna a quick hug. “Meet me there.”
Sienna nodded, then tipped up her chin as she focused on Cole once again. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can,” he whispered, loving how color flooded her cheeks even as she glared at him. Loving everything about her. Offering up a thousand silent prayers that she’d give him another chance—one he wouldn’t squander.
“I almost left Crimson,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s what Paige was about to tell you. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t think I could stand to stay and risk running into you and pretend like things were right between us.”
“I want us to be right.”
She shifted to look back at the crowd of people watching them. His brother. Her brother and Emily. Declan. Marlene. A dozen other people he knew in some capacity. His most colossal mistake on display for everyone to witness, and he still had no idea how to make it better.
He met his brother’s dark gaze, watching Shep’s eyes widen as he inclined his head toward Sienna like he was trying to tell Cole something. Shep raised a hand and pointed a finger toward his eye then lowered it to his chest and finally leveled it at Cole.
Eye. Heart. You.
I love you.
Cole still hadn’t said the words out loud, although he’d replayed them in his head countless times over the past week.
“Sienna.”
She swiped a hand across her cheek. “I can’t do this now,” she said softly and took a step away.
“Wait.” He leaned forward so fast he almost slipped off the platform. “Don’t go. Please. I need to talk to you. I need to tell you I love you.”
A chorus of cheers went up from the people watching, and Sienna froze. Cole waited for what seemed like an eternity until she finally lifted an arm, as if she were holding out her hand to him. Instead she reached forward and casually pressed the dunk tank lever.
* * *
Sienna watched Cole drop into the tank with a splash, droplets of frigid water hitting her face and shoulders.
He surfaced a moment later, sputtering and wiping water from his eyes.
