26. Cole

"Nine o'clock,"I said aloud to myself as I checked the time. Again.

It wasn't that late. So why was I pacing the floor like a 1950s father whose teenage daughter was out after curfew?

I glanced down at my phone and saw that Bailey still hadn't responded to my text. Well, she had, sort of. I'd messaged her, asking if she wanted to meet for dinner, to which she said she was working through dinner. I'd responded that I was going to order something to the room, and I'd get her something she could eat when she got back. She'd ‘liked' my text. That was three hours ago.

In fairness to me, my anxiety was not totally unfounded. An hour ago, there'd been a knock on my door. When I opened it, three of Simon's groomsmen were on the other side. They asked if I'd seen Simon. Apparently, he'd gone MIA the night before his wedding.

Simon was missing. Bailey still wasn't back. It was none of my business if they were together, but it felt like it was. Which was insane. I felt like I was going crazy.

I'd been away from home for a day, but it felt like a year. It wasn't just Bailey on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking of the kids and Sara. I hadn't had any updates from them today, and I knew I wouldn't sleep until I knew they were okay.

I grabbed my phone and prayed my sister wasn't already asleep. She answered on the first ring, so I knew I hadn't woken her up.

"Hey, how's it going?" my sister asked.

"It's going well. How are you guys doing?"

"It's quiet here. Carly is at Michelle's, and the twins wore themselves out at sports day today at school. They crashed out half an hour ago."

"Carly isn't home?" My chest tightened, seized with alarm, as I considered going home. It's not like Carly was an adult, but she was old enough that if something happened, she could handle an emergency. The twins weren't.

"It's Michelle's birthday sleepover. It's been planned for months."

I didn't care how long it had been planned for. If I had known Carly was going to spend the night with her friends, I wouldn't have left for the weekend. Which was probably why my niece and sister had kept it from me.

"We're fine. I'm fine. I have my alert bracelet on, and Arthur has been checking in," Sara assured me.

My mind was still weighing my options. It was nine. If I left now, I could be home by eleven, eleven thirty. The wedding wasn't until tomorrow evening, so I could definitely be back in time for it.

"Do not make me regret telling you the truth. If you do, I will start lying to you," my sister threatened.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have to trust me when I say I'm fine. It means you better not come back here. It means you need to stay there and enjoy yourself. You deserve it." Sara sighed. "And, actually, it's nice to have a little alone time here."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. As much as I wished I had privacy, Sara must want it too. I needed to find us a bigger place—something with more than one bathroom where we weren't right on top of each other.

She was quiet for a beat before asking, "Are you? Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Bailey's working, and I'm…I don't really know what to do with myself."

"Can't you just relax?"

"Apparently not." I'd been in survival mode, always having someone, or multiple someones, depending on me and demanding my time. Without those pressures, I was at loose ends with nothing to tether myself to. Maybe that was part of the anxiety I was feeling. Maybe it wasn't the thought of Bailey being with Simon that was making me feel like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. "Tell me about your day. Did you get much rest?"

Sara was quiet, which was not like her, and I knew something was wrong.

"What? What happened?!" My mind was already flipping through everything that might have occurred and how much it would cost me. Had she used the Cadillac, and it broke down? Had the boys been destructive and flushed more toys down the toilet, and she'd had to call in a plumber because I wasn't home? Had Carly left the fridge door open again last night, and we'd lost hundreds of dollars worth of groceries?

"I wasn't going to tell you until you got home, but?—"

"What? What is it? Do I need to come?—"

"No, no, it's nothing bad! It's just that, I was picking up the boys today from school, and we stopped by Dino's to get a pizza for dinner and…"

I knew what she was going to say before she said it. She'd seen Lindsay. Dino's pizza had always been Lindsay's favorite.

She continued, "…I saw Lindsay. She moved back home."

"I know."

"You know?!" she exclaimed.

"Eric told me a couple weeks ago that Danny ran into her."

"That's who she was with! Danny."

That didn't surprise me.

"Why didn't you tell me she was back?!" Sara demanded.

"Why do you sound mad?"

"Because I've just spent the last five hours stressing over how I was going to tell you. If I should wait until after you got back or if you'd feel like that was a betrayal."

"A betrayal? We broke up three years ago." Sometimes I felt like I was the only one who had actually moved on from our relationship.

"I know, but you know, you were Cole and Lindsay."

"That's exactly what Finn said," I mumbled more to myself than Sara. "We broke up three years ago," I reiterated.

"I think it's just that, since you haven't really dated anyone since, everyone still thinks of you two as a pair. You were pretty inseparable."

Yeah. We were. And I'd thought we always would be, but life didn't turn out like that, and I really wished people would just fucking move on.

"She asked about you." Sara's voice was quiet, the way it got when she was walking on emotional eggshells.

"Oh."

"I think she wants to see you."

"Oh."

"Do you want to see her?"

"Not really."

"Not even for closure?"

I sighed at the same time I heard the door being unlocked. "Bailey's back. I gotta go."

"Oh, um, okay."

"Call me if you need anything," I told her, even though I doubted she would. She talked about trust, but that went both ways.

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too." I disconnected the call as Bailey walked in.

"Sorry." Bailey slinked in sheepishly as the door shut. "I didn't mean to interrupt your call."

The woman truly did apologize for everything. I would have pointed it out, but when I saw the dark circles under her eyes, I decided not to. She looked tired. Exhausted.

"I was just checking in on my sister," I explained, but then caught my mistake. She had no idea that Sara had health issues. I quickly recovered, "To see how my nephew is doing."

"Oh, how is he?"

"Good."

Her head tilted to the side. "You look upset. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah." I wasn't about to tell her that I'd been pacing the floor thinking that she might be with her ex or that I'd missed her all day. Or that I didn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't holding everything and everyone together. That seemed like a lot. Instead, I figured I'd change the subject. "Did you eat?"

She yawned as she shook her head. "No. I've been working."

"Working? I thought you were a guest here."

"Oh, no, not for this wedding. A venue canceled on one of my September weddings, and I've been on the phone for the past six hours trying to call in favors to get somewhere else booked."

"Did you find somewhere?"

A small grin lifted on her perfect, plump lips. "Yeah. I did. Otherwise, I'd still be on the phone."

"Do you want me to order you something from room service?" I asked.

"No, I got something." She dug through her bag, and her shoulders dropped.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Billie ordered me a sandwich, but I must have left it in their room."

"I'll go get it," I told her.

"No. You don't have to do that. I'm fine; I don't need it."

"What room are they in?" My tone was final. This wasn't up for debate.

"Fourteen-oh-one. It's just down past the gym by the tasting room."

"Got it. I'll be right back."

On my way out, unable to stop myself, I leaned down and kissed her. It was just a quick peck. I just needed to establish our connection again. To feel her soft, supple lips against mine.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, and for a second, I thought I might have crossed a line.

"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"I missed you."

The smile that spread on her face told me I hadn't fucked up. Before the door closed, I glanced back and saw Bailey slipping off her shoes, a yawn claimed her as she rubbed her eyes. The sight made my chest constrict for a different reason than anxiety. Sleepy Bailey might just be the most adorable thing on the planet.

The walk to Billie and Birdie's only took a few minutes. It was on the north side of the vineyard. I may or may not have an extra pep in my step since I knew that Simon going AWOL had nothing to do with Bailey. Or, if it did, at least they weren't together. She'd been working. Not hooking up with her ex. That made me much happier than it probably should have.

When I reached room 1401, I knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, Billie answered with the sandwich in hand. "I knew you'd be ba?—"

"Hey." I smiled.

Billie's brows drew together. "Is everything okay? Where's Bailey?" she demanded protectively.

"She's in the room. She looked tired, so I told her I'd come get the sandwich."

Her eyes narrowed. "You came to get her sandwich."

I wasn't sure if she was just stating facts out loud or if it was a rhetorical question. "Yes."

"Because she looked tired."

Again, I was unclear about what to say. "Yes."

She stared at me for a few beats, as if she was trying to suss out what my angle was, before relenting and handing me the bag.

"Thanks. Night."

The walk back to our room took less time than the walk there. This time, the pep in my step was being fueled by knowing that Bailey was waiting for me. I hadn't been lying when I said I missed her. I did. More than was probably healthy, considering our circumstances.

But that didn't stop me from grinning from ear to ear as I opened the door, excited to spend the evening downloading about our day and then making more memories of the adult variety. The grin was still in place when I walked around the corner of the entryway and found Bailey lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was wide open, and she was quietly sawing logs. Even the sound of her snoring was cute.

I set the sandwich down, pulled the comforter over her, and kissed her forehead. Tonight might not have gone as I planned, but just her being here was enough. All of the anxiety I'd been suffering from was gone. I felt calm. I felt at peace. My world, which had been off its axis, righted itself. She righted it.

That was a problem, one I didn't have a solution for.