He answers on the second ring. “Holly?”
“Come back,” I blurt. “Come back to my place. Now. Please.”
Silence, and I bite my lip.
“I’m on my way,” he says.
Relief floods through me. “Okay. Good.”
“I need to tell Jesse. Give me a few minutes.”
He hangs up.
I pace. My house feels too small, too empty, too quiet. The radiator clanks and hisses, but the cold has nothing to do with temperature.
Eight minutes later, Jesse’s truck pulls up. Cole gets out, waves to Jesse, and walks toward my porch. I open the door before he can knock. “Come in.”
He steps inside, and I close the door behind him. We stand in my tiny entryway, too close and not close enough.
“I’m glad you called,” he says.
“I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to see you.”
“Same. I…” He stops. “I’m sorry.”
“You already said that.”
“I know. But I don’t think I said it right. I don’t think you heard what I was really trying to say.”
“Then say it now.”
He’s quiet as if struggling. “I apologized for panicking. For hurting you. But I didn’t apologize for the real thing.”
“Which is?”
“For making you feel like you’re not worth the risk.” His voice cracks. “For making you feel like loving you comes with conditions. Like I want you in private but not where it costs me something.”
“Cole—”
“And I’m sorry for that. Not just sorry I hurt you. Sorry that I’ve been so wrapped up in my own fear that I didn’t see I was doing to you exactly what Mark did. Exactly what you were terrified of.”
My vision blurs at finally being seen.
“You called me back because you knew that conversation wasn’t done. That we needed more than surface apologies and promises about tomorrow. And you were right.”
A lump burns in my throat. “I was scared you’d leave and I’d never see you again.”
“I was scared, too. Scared I’d lost you. But I’ll show you.”
“How?”
“When we have breakfast out, I won’t hide or shut down. I’ll pick you where everyone can see.”
I swallow. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah. I would. Because you’re right. You deserve to be seen. Not just in private. And I’m done being a coward about it.”
Tears prick hot behind my eyes. “What changed?”
