21. Madi

Chapter 21

Madi

Iwoke up alone. Well, not alone. I woke up with three cats in bed and no Cole—but I still felt him. I loved how he held me close after we made love and told me how much he wished he could stay with me all night. But Gigi and Kenzie were with his kids, and he had to get them.

I rolled to my side, holding my pillow against my naked body as I squinted into the early morning sunlight shining through my window. I’d slept late. I was usually up before dawn to walk Basil and get a head start in the Confectionery.

The text notification went off on my phone with an incoming text message. But it was muffled because Kenny was sitting on it. “Kenny! Move your fluffy booty.” Sage was on the pillow next to me. Watching as I flailed to the edge of the bed to reach for my phone while Victor was in his usual spot at the bottom, keeping my feet warm. “You guys, give me a break. What if it’s Cole? We like Cole. We like him a lot. Too much.”

Kenny hopped to the bed with a meow, and I snatched the phone, almost fumbling it in my haste to see who’d sent me a text. It was Cole. Yes!

COLE: Good morning, beautiful. I wish I could have woken up with you.

Tingles shot through my body. Head to toe. Oh my god.

MADI: Me too. I miss you. I started missing you the second you left.

COLE: I’ll see you later today.

I hugged the phone to my chest as if it were him that I was holding so close.

Damn it. I was falling for him. There was no what if about it now. I was invested. My heart was no longer entirely my own, and I knew it for a fact.

And not only was he amazing, but his kids were too.

I shoved thoughts of Cole out of my mind. I got up to shower and get the day started. I couldn’t think straight, not when every thought I had involved his hands on my body and his mouth on mine.

I had things to figure out.

I turned the water on and stepped into the shower, running through my routine by rote as endless thoughts tortured my mind.

I was here for two reasons: to get over my breakup and take care of Gigi. I was over my breakup—that was dead, buried, and gone. Now, all that was left was Gigi. She was the only reason I was here now. She had an appointment with her doctor this week, and let’s face it, her ankle was almost healed. Soon enough, I would have no excuse to stay.

I didn’t want to leave Cozy Creek. But I had responsibilities in Colorado Springs. I wrapped myself in a robe and padded out of the bathroom.

Ugh. Frustrated thoughts tortured me as I fed the cats and made coffee. Basil would have to be content with the backyard today. I had things to do.

I should call Kenzie. Although she was sometimes a bit out there, she was usually the most impartial if I asked her for advice.

The trouble was, I didn’t know quite what to ask.

Maybe I shouldn’t talk to her. She was firmly in the Madi should move to Cozy Creek camp, just like Gigi was. Who was I kidding? She could be impartial when it came to Cole—maybe. But not when it came to where I should live.

I needed to get out of this apartment. I couldn’t think in here, not when it was the best place I’d ever lived.

I threw on a purple legging and hoodie combo and some running shoes, styled my hair into a wet braid, and got the hell out of there to go for a walk. Or a pouty stomp. Or a stress-pacing session in the park. Whatever, I’d see how I felt when I got outside.

After locking it behind me, I stopped on the sidewalk outside my door and looked down the street. The weather was nothing but ideal autumn perfection today—because, of course, it was. Actual leaves were blowing in the perfectly crisp breeze—scarlet, gold, and orange.

What the heck was I doing?

This entire damn town was the best place I’d ever lived.

Freaking look at it. It was like the set decorator for Gilmore Girls had stopped by and did her thing. It was an ode to fall in all its glory, dang it.

“Ugh, damn, stupid, gorgeous town,” I muttered as I stomped toward the park—it looked like it would be a pouty stomp for the win! I directed my gaze to the sidewalk in front of me and kept on trucking. Stress pacing was up next, and I didn’t want to waste another minute. I had a lot of thinking to do.

“Hey. Madi, hey!”

I stopped as if someone had grabbed the back of my hoodie and given it a yank.

A quick spin around showed me that Cole was calling out my name. Tate, Pace, and Noah ran ahead, razzing Cole and wishing me a good morning after they spotted me.

He wore his favorite loose tank, shorts, and tight pants combo, with all the usual muscles on full display. But this time, I knew what they felt like beneath my hands, mouth, and all the other pertinent body parts. I knew what they could do—seeing him hit differently now. I bit my lip and tried not to moan out loud.

“Hi.” Should I hug him? Kiss him? Jump his bones right here. I mean, I wanted to do all three.

We’d had a bunch of sex last night, but that didn’t mean I was any less awkward. I would always be a weirdo. Awkward was my middle name. Okay, so it was Nicole, whatever.

“Baby, come here,” his sexy voice floated over the air toward me in the form of a low growl.

I went. “Are you headed to the park for a run?” I asked inanely as I stopped in front of him.

“Forget the park. Kiss me hello.”

“’Mmkay…”

I tilted my head back, waiting to see what he would do.

For a man who said he didn’t like being the center of attention, he sure hadn’t greeted me that way. I decided to let him take the lead.

Big arms wrapped around my waist as he placed a kiss right below my ear.

“You smell good,” he murmured and tightened his arms so he could dig his hands into my hips and haul me up against the tall, broad strength of his body. “I woke up thinking about you.”

His low, gravelly voice in my ear sent delicious awareness surging throughout my body. Blood raced straight from my heart to pound inside my brain, making my knees weak.

“I never stopped thinking about you,” I confessed, throwing my arms around his neck to hold on.

“Good.” His lips captured mine. Demanding, claiming, and hard, he forced my lips open with his thrusting tongue, and I loved every single moment of it.

I let him in and returned his kiss with reckless abandon.

This was a surprise, and I reveled in it. No one could mistake that he was into me, and I didn’t know how badly I needed him to show it—how badly I needed to feel wanted, special, and adored.

He broke the kiss. “Good morning.”

I stared at him, my lips still tingling, my heart racing out of control, and my mind a chaotic swirl of feelings. “It is now,” I finally said.

And it was. Somehow, he’d fixed the mood I had been drowning in when I left the apartment.

His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he smiled at me, soft and sweet. He drew the back of his hand down the side of my face, letting his palm rest on my neck. “Bad news. I’m on nights the rest of the week.”

“Oh.”

“I won’t be able to spend as much time with you as I want.”

My eyebrows raised as I perked up. “You want to spend more time with me?” I knew I was staring at him like a swooning, love-struck freak, but I couldn’t stop or even care. I wore my feelings all over my face, and I always had.

He huffed a laugh, smiling at me like he thought I was cute, and shook his head lightly as he traced a fingertip down my nose before dropping a kiss there. “Yeah, baby. I wish I could spend all my time with you. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I love that you feel that way. Because I do too.”

“Good,” he repeated and kissed me again. “I’m done with my run. I was headed back to the station. Are you going for a walk? Where’s Basil?”

“Yeah, um, he’s at Gigi’s. I got off to a late start today. I needed to clear my head. I—never mind.”

His eyebrows dropped in concern, and he pulled me close to whisper, “Are you okay? With you and me and last night? Please tell me if you aren’t, and we’ll talk it through, okay?”

“Oh, no. That isn’t it. I’m fine. Last night was amazing. It’s just, um, work stuff. That’s all.” It was some of the truth. He didn’t need to know all my feelings. Not yet, anyway.

“Okay. But if that changes, talk to me.” He flicked his wrist to check his watch. “I have to get to the station. I’ll text you whenever I can.”

“I’d like that.”

After one last kiss, he ran off up the street toward the station, and I shamelessly watched him until he was out of sight before continuing on my way to the park, no longer pouty stomping but floating along on a cloud of unprecedented feels.