19. Cole

Chapter 19

Cole

I sat on the plush, rarely used sofa in the great foyer, my two suitcases stacked by the door. My driver was less than ten minutes away, and then it would be another forty minutes until I was at the airport with everyone else, including Dana.

Fuck, I wanted to see her.

A key turned in the lock and I sat up, watching as the door opened. A cleaned-up version of the Bobby that had moved in with me over a month ago stepped through, his button-up shirt pristine, slacks neatly pressed. His hair hung around his shoulders, combed back and freshly washed. I was proud of him, he seemed to be doing better and better every day that I saw him, making friends and taking care of himself. I wondered if he thought I was doing the same or if he knew how badly I'd spiraled just a week ago.

"Hey, man," Bobby said, dropping his keys on the tall, thin table by the door. "Didn't think I'd see you before you left."

I shrugged and stood, crossing the empty space to give him a one-armed hug. "Driver's running behind. I feel like I haven't seen you in days," I laughed. "Where've you been, man?"

He grinned up at me. He smelled familiar, maybe he'd bought the same cologne I'd been using. "I was out in Denver for the weekend with some new friends. You should come along sometime, I think you'd like them."

"Yeah, maybe after I get back."

"Had a rough night a couple of nights back," he said candidly, shrugging against my arm. "Almost fell back into it."

That took me back a little, he'd been doing so well from what I could tell. Still, it made me feel a little better to know that I wasn't alone in that. "I did too. You should have called me."

"Yeah, I should have," he said.

"We help each other," I insisted. "Remember that. If you need me while I'm gone, you can call me."

"Same to you, man. But you've got Dana, so…"

I chuckled. "Just because I've got something going on with Dana doesn't mean I don't have time for you."

He leaned back against the little table, his grin unmatched. "But it's going well, yeah? Between you two?"

"I think so. I guess we'll see how the trip goes and who knows, maybe I'll come back with something official," I laughed. "But she's got a kid, so I'm not hedging my bets that she'll change her mind about not wanting a proper relationship with me right away."

Something glinted in his eyes as his grin faded, his entire demeanor changing. "You sure you want to get involved in that? Kids are another level, man."

I thought over his words for a moment, a little put off by the stilted nature of the conversation. Before I could dwell on it, my phone buzzed, notifying me of the arrival of my driver. "I've got to go," I sighed. "But please, Bobby, don't hesitate to reach out. And don't forget to go to meetings while I'm gone."

"Yeah, man. I won't."

————

By the time I'd arrived at the airport, nearly everyone had already boarded, leaving me to check in alone in the lobby and hand off my bags to the staff. I just wanted to see her, even if my nerves were firing overtime knowing that Drew would be there, too.

I climbed the steps up to the door of the jet and stepped through. Almost every seat inside my private jet was filled save for the section at the back that sat four, I'd opted to have Dana and I sit there in case Drew's carry-on necessities needed extra space. The moment I locked eyes with her and the little bundle giggling in her lap, every overworked nerve had settled.

Clearing my throat, I said my hellos to the executives and managers I'd opted to have join me on my personal flight as I made my way down the aisle toward her. I didn't give a fuck about them, didn't care for a single one of them at that moment. I just wanted to sit down with her, meet him, and pretend no one else was there.

I almost wished I'd told them all to fly commercial. At least then I wouldn't have to hold back around her.

The closer I got, the more at ease I began to feel, and as I finally reached the last four seats and the door to the plane shut, I couldn't help but laugh as she took Drew's arm in her hand and made him wave at me.

I waved back.

"Nice of you to finally show up," she chuckled, her smirk crowding my senses as I sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry I'm late." I glanced at the five rows of people ahead of us, making sure none were paying attention before pressing the smallest kiss against her cheek. "My driver hit traffic."

The engine roared to life as the pilots came over the speakers, going over the safety information I'd heard a million times before. I fished between our bodies for her seatbelt and passed it over, slipping it behind Drew's body so it sat flush against her lap.

"You'll need to hold him during takeoff, landing, and any turbulence," I said, trying not to cross any boundaries by accidentally touching him as I buckled her in. "Any other time you can have him in the car seat or… whatever else you do with babies."

She chuckled, her cheeks warming from how close I was as I tightened the belt around her. Drew watched me in fascination, his wide green eyes boring a hole into mine. "Do you not know a lot about babies?"

"Honestly? No. I'm learning as I go," I grinned. "But we've got nine hours in the air for you to fill me in."

————

In the spare two seats across from us, Drew slept peacefully in his foldable bassinet. He'd only kicked off once so far, and to be fair, I always wanted to do the same during takeoff when my ears ached and popped, so I didn't blame him one bit.

Dana leaned her back against my chest, no longer worried about anyone ahead of us asking questions. Whether that was her own choice or if it was a result of me leveling glares at anyone who dared look back at us was beyond me, but I was happy to be close to her, nonetheless.

"I like him," I said softly, my fingers drifting up and down her arm as she watched him breathe. The more I knew about him, the longer I watched him, the more I felt at peace with him. If there was even the slightest possibility of a long-term thing with her, I could handle a child being involved in that. At least, in theory.

Her sleepy grin as she tilted her head back at me warmed my heart. "Me too."

I chuckled quietly, careful not to make too much noise in case I woke him.

A silence settled over us as she opened her mouth but quickly closed it, deciding against whatever it was she'd wanted to say. Instead, she sank further into me, her hand fiddling with the fabric that covered my calf. "Can I ask you something?"

I buried my nose into the top of her head, drinking in the scent of her, memorizing the berries, hibiscus and vanilla. "Anything."

"How… how can you afford this?" she asked, waving her hand, gesturing at the entire plane. "The private jet, the company retreat, the house. I know Pearson Beers brings in a lot of revenue, that's clear, but this much?"

"A combination of the success of Pearson Beers and being born into wealth," I sighed. "My… family, if you want to call them that, comes from old money."

She went silent again, returning to fiddling with the fabric of my slacks before speaking. "Why do you say family like?—"

A cry broke through from the bassinet, startling Dana into action, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew where her question was going, and I didn't want to go down that road with her, at least not yet. She didn't need that weighing on her along with everything else.

She plucked Drew from where he lay, his toothless mouth open and his eyes squinted shut as he let out another cry. "I know that cry," she said, rolling her eyes as she leaned over to the massive bag of baby things she'd brought with her. She fumbled for whatever it was she was looking for, grunting in frustration, before sitting back up empty-handed. "Can you hold him?"

"What?"

"I can't reach the cooler his milk is in," she said nonchalantly as if it made perfect sense and wasn't at all weird for her to be holding Drew out toward me.

I don't know why I froze. I'd had no problem taking Brody when he was given to me and had no problem in general with babies, but the longer I looked at him the more it felt like there was something that couldn't be changed after touching him. "Dana, I?—"

"It's okay," she insisted. "It's just for a second."

Reluctantly, I grasped him under his little arms and took him from her gently, his wails beginning to calm. Damp eyes blinked open, that flash of green meeting mine, and I knew I was right—this couldn't be changed.

Quickly, Dana unbuckled her seatbelt and got up, fishing through the bag with a newfound determination. She glanced at us as she pulled out the mini cooler.

He wiggled in my arms, the threat of another cry on his lips. "Hey, hey," I cooed, setting him down on my lap and letting him wrap his stubby little fingers around one of mine. "Calm down, bud. It's coming."

Drew made a little noise that sounded like a hiccup as his head tilted back to look up at me. I winced as he shoved my finger in his mouth, his gums chomping down.

"Uh, Dana?"

Clumsily, he pushed my finger to the side, up against his cheek until he seemed satisfied with the placement. He bit down again, his other hand playfully grabbing for my shirt as he seemed to calm down.

Dana stood with a bottle in her hand, her brows knitted together as she watched. "Is this normal?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"He doesn't normally bite your finger?"

She shook her head again.

Before I understood what was happening, she dropped the bottle on the seat and fished around in her bag for something else. Drew stared up at me, his little giggle far cuter than Brody's. Something about him tugged at my heartstrings—the look on his face, the light in his eyes, the way his little nose wiggled.

I only realized what it all meant when Dana sat back down beside me, a plastic, squishy giraffe in her hand, and coaxed my finger from his mouth before passing him the toy. Almost immediately it was in his mouth, its head being chomped on by the tiny baby in my lap.

"Of course, he'd choose now to start teething," she groaned, her forehead falling in defeat against my shoulder.