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My heart is in my throat. Is she canceling the festival?

As if he read my mind, Gabe looks at me.

“She’s probably just double-checking about the generators. I’ll be right back.”

Gabe disappears into the back and Cole gets closer, pinning me against the door from behind. It’s not sexual, though; he’s just standing there. Close. Warm.

“Marcus will be fine.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. He’s tougher than a hurricane, trust me.”

I turn around to face him, and he lets me, putting his hands on my hips.

“Tell me how you know.”

Cole smiles. “You want stories about me and Marcus?”

“At least one.”

“The blizzard. It was the night Belle left me.”

“The night your wife left?”

“Ex-wife,” he reminds me flatly, green eyes unreadable as he looks down at me.

I swallow. “Yes. Ex-wife.”

“I didn’t call anyone. Just went to a dive bar and drank all the liquor they’d sell me. Which was a lot.” He laughs but there’s no mirth in it. “I don’t remember it, but apparently I sent Marcus a text. He tracked me down.”

“In a blizzard?”

“They were trying to throw me out in it,” he admits. “In their defense, I was belligerent. Marcus pulled up just as they were giving me the bum’s rush.”

“So you didn’t want her to go?”

He swallows visibly. “Is it pathetic to admit I didn’t?”

I frown. “No. Not at all. What happened? Why’d she leave?”

He looks away. “A lot of reasons.”

“Give me one.”

I reach up and cup his face with one hand.

After a long moment, he meets my eyes.

“She didn’t love me. It’s that simple.”

My frown deepens as he stiffens like he’s about to pull away.

“Don’t run. Don’t run from me, Cole.”

“I’m not.”

But he is. I can feel it. I can feel him pulling away from me emotionally if not physically.