I used to tell myself it didn’t matter, that having a place of my own wasn’t important. But now, every time I see Kenna and think about what we lost, what I lost, I want to change. I want to offer her more than this—a life still tied to my mom’s house.
I can’t even explain it, but the idea of her seeing me stuck here, in the same place I was before prison, makes me feel small. Like I’m not the man I want to be, the man I need to be for her, the man she deserves.
My phone buzzes, pulling me out of my thoughts. I grab it, blinking at the screen as I see my girl’s name.
That name. It still lights something within me. Hope, maybe. Maybe a little pain.
I’ve been waiting for this, wondering if she’ll even want to talk to me after last night.
Me
Hey, Kenna. I was thinking…if you’re free on Friday night, maybe we could do something? Just the two of us?
I stare at the screen, unsure. What if she doesn’t want to spend time with me? What if I’m pushing too hard? But I hit send anyway.
I don’t expect her response to come so quickly, but my phone buzzes again almost immediately.
Sunshine
Friday sounds good. We’ll figure something out.
I stare at the message for a second. There’s no yes, so it’s not a definite answer. But she didn’t say no, and that’s enough for me.
That one message feels like oxygen. Like maybe the door’s not locked after all.
I close my eyes for a moment, leaning back on my bed. A part of me feels like I’m getting through to her again, and the other part feels like I’m just stumbling through everything, hoping it all works out.
I think about what I’ll do when Friday rolls around. Where will we go? What will we do? And then it hits me: It’s not about the place, Cole. It’s about showing her you care. Showing her you’re here. That’s all she needs.
I push those thoughts to the back of my mind. There’s no need to stress about it yet. She’s agreed to see me, and that’s a good thing. The rest will work itself out.
For now, though, I can’t stop thinking about her. About howI couldn’t stand to see her uncomfortable last night. I hate I wasn’t there to protect her sooner.
Lying back on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, there’s a promise to prove that the person who left is not the same one now. A determination to show she can trust again.
And maybe, just maybe, there’s still hope for us. Maybe this is the first step back to what we had.
But for now, I’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll show up for her. I’ll be the man she needs, whether she knows it or not.
Because I will always protect Kenna Feely.
That much, I know for sure.
Chapter Nine
ZOO-PER DAY
KENNA-PRESENT
I feela knot in my stomach as I walk through the front door.
I didn’t know what to expect this morning, but seeing Cole sitting in his car outside my house all night shocked me. He looked…tired. Like he hadn’t slept a wink, his eyes were heavy with something I couldn’t read.
But what really knocked the wind out of me wasn’t the fact that he stayed outside. It was the way my heart skipped when he caught me looking at him.
His face softened in a way I didn’t know I still wanted to see, and that damn protective instinct of his was still there. He didn’t want me to be alone after what happened at the bar last night.
I’m not sure what to think about any of this. He’s been gone for years, but now he’s back in my life, stepping in like he never left. And I’m not sure I know how to handle it.
