I lock my screen and hold my phone to my chest as I stare out into the darkness, listening to the sound of horses whinnying in the distance. There isn’t a single similarity between Cole and my ex.
Cole Wild scares the hell out of me because he is nothing like Jacob Evans...
And I know he could potentially be a real threat to my heart.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ELLA
Iwalk through the restaurant to the bar, my eyes doing their typical surveillance of the crowd, making sure there isn’t a familiar face I’ve been running from for years. It’s a habit I developed after I left Jacob and one I’ve been struggling to break.
I don’t think he would come looking for me, considering the way we ended things, but there’s always that fear lingering in the back of my mind.
What if one day he wakes up and decides to change his mind about Chloe?
I don’t think that Jacob would be a bad father, but at the same time, I don’t know who he is anymore. I didn’t feel like I even truly knew him when I left our marriage.
I walk over to Remi as she’s typing something into the computer screen for an order. “Hey.” I let out a breath while pulling my hair back into a bun. “It’s busy here tonight.”
Remi glances at me from the corner of her eye as a grin dances across her lips. “It is. One of your favorite customers is here this evening, too.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest at the possibility. “Cole is here?”
She turns her entire body to face me after logging out of the computer. “Yep,” she confirms, nodding her head to the right behind me. “He got here maybe five minutes ago. I told him I’d be with him shortly, but since you’re here, perhaps you can cover that side of the bar instead.”
“Sometimes you’re really a pain in the ass,” I mutter, sneaking a glance over my shoulder. Cole is sitting there on one of the barstools with his friend, Austin next to him. I haven’t spoken to him since I texted him and told him I wanted to go out some time.
Something inside still has its grip on me, holding me back from going through with my desires. My fears prove to be much greater and I want him to chase them away. I want him to wash away the thoughts that plague my brain. The thoughts that tell me I can’t possibly trust anyone.
It’s unfair to view Cole that way, especially when he hasn’t given me a reason not to trust or believe him.
The prospect of it all still scares the daylights out of me.
“You love me,” Remi argues as she flashes her perfect white teeth at me and winks. “Consider this like a personal favor. You like him, don’t you?”
My eyes widen slightly and my breath gets caught in my throat for a moment before I collect myself. “I don’t know about that.”
“Let me rephrase. You’re interested in him, no?” She shrugs, noncommittal. “You don’t have to commit to any feelings, but there’s a part of you that wants to explore the excitement he makes you feel, right?”
I mull over her words, playing them back to myself in my mind, letting them sink in a little deeper. She’s right. I can admit I have an attraction to him without declaring I have feelings for him. I’m allowed to appreciate the way he makes me feel and the way he looks without committing to anything deeper than that.
“Right.”
“This is Cole Wild, we’re talking about. Walking, talking green flag. The man who would give you the shirt off his back.” She looks over at him and back to me. “You’re safe with him. And if he does anything wrong, I’ll make sure he never walks again.”
I can’t help myself as the laughter bubbles up my throat and I shake my head at my best friend before looking her up and down. “Says the woman who is barely over five feet tall.”
Remi huffs, pushing her shoulders back as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Don’t underestimate the short people in the world. We have a lot more to prove and what we don’t have in height, we make up for in fierceness.”
She’s not lying. Remi may be the most take no crap person I’ve ever met. There isn’t a single fear in her body. She’d jump in front of a bullet for those she loves without a second thought.
My brain circles back to Cole and his friend, who are caught up in a conversation together. They’re patiently waiting for one of us to come over and take their order, never mind the rest of the patrons at the bar who most likely aren’t being as patient.
“What do I even say to him?”
“You could start by takin’ their order,” she offers with a laugh and starts to walk to the center of the bar. “Just go with whatever feels right, but don’t you dare let that man leave without making plans to see him again.”
“Why do I have to be the one to make plans with him?”
