46. Cole

On the wayto Bailey's apartment, we talked a little bit about the tests that my sister had gotten done and her conditions. I explained how she lost her husband when she was pregnant with the twins. Bailey reacted the way I'd expected her to. She felt horrible that we'd all been through all that we had. And she thought Sara was incredibly brave and resilient, and the kids were lucky to have us both.

I felt ridiculous for not opening up to her sooner. I'd been so worried about letting her into my life, so scared that it would ruin things when I should have known better. Bailey was the most empathetic, nurturing person I'd ever met.

When we turned onto her street, I felt the time I had with her slipping away, and I asked, "What about you? How have you been?"

"Do you want to come up?" she spoke at the same time I did.

Inside, I was doing an endzone victory dance, but I tried not to show my touchdown-level enthusiasm as I pulled into a parking space. "Yes. I do."

We were silent as we entered her building and walked inside the lobby. The air crackled around us as the elevator doors closed. I turned to speak to her, but they opened again, and a woman walked in with a dalmatian and a bright pink leash and collar.

It was the same woman who had let me in when I came to see Bailey a week and a half ago. Her eyes lit up when she saw that I was with Bailey, whom she'd known I was going to visit when I asked to be let in the building.

"Hello again."

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson." Bailey smiled, thinking Mrs. Johnson was speaking to her.

"Hi." I grinned as her dog came up and stuck her head into my hand. I scratched her behind her ears and asked, "What's your name?"

"Cruella," Mrs. Johnson informed me.

"Cruella." I smiled as I bent down to really give her some good scratches. "I love that. Hello, Cruella."

Cruella's tail wagged as she licked my face.

"Sorry," Mrs. Johnson apologized as she pulled her back.

"No worries. I love kisses." I glanced up at Bailey and saw her lips curl in a grin.

The doors opened, and I straightened as we said goodbye to Mrs. Johnson and Cruella. Just like it had on the first floor, as soon as the doors shut, the air between us thickened, and there was literally an atmospheric shift as we rode up to the eighth floor.

Being this close to Bailey in a confined space was wreaking havoc on me. I put my hands in my pockets because I didn't trust myself not to reach out and brush away the strands of hair that had fallen over her forehead. If I did that, I wouldn't trust myself not to kiss her. If I did that, I wouldn't trust myself not to pull the emergency exit and take her up against the wall.

Since I doubted the rest of the people in the building would appreciate that, I played it safe and kept my hands in my pockets.

When we got off the elevator, she stopped and turned halfway down her hall. For a split second, I thought she'd changed her mind. I was kicking myself for not kissing her when I had the chance, but then she placed her hand on my chest and smiled.

"I should warn you, there's someone in there that has really missed you."

I stared down at her, confused if she was talking about herself or not. If she was, it was a strange way to tell me.

"Whiskey found the sock you left, and she won't let it out of her sight. It's her favorite thing. She sleeps with it, cleans it, and rubs her head into it as she purrs. She has given up her normal napping spots and has only slept on the pillow you used and in the corner of the couch you sat on. And she's been very vocal about letting me know how much she misses you."

"Vocal? I thought Duke was the talker." The night I'd spent there, Duke had a lot to say, but Whiskey had been quiet.

"I guess this is the first reason she's had to speak." She smiled and turned back, continuing on to her apartment.

Before the door was even open, I could hear Whiskey's protest. She was meowing loudly as I walked in and saw her curled up in the corner of the couch with my sock. When she saw me, she stood and her back arched up, then she began kneading the sock and purring.

"See, I told you." Bailey motioned to the cat and my sock, that had seen better days.

I walked over and scratched her behind her ear. She nuzzled her face into my palm and purred loudly.

"She missed you," Bailey said.

I turned toward Bailey. "I missed you."

"I still can't believe Carly is—" Bailey spoke over me, but her words trailed off when she registered what I'd said.

We both stared at each other for a moment before her eyes sparkled as her lips curled in a grin. "You missed me?"

I nodded. "So much."

Her cheeks flushed, and her smile widened. "I missed you, too."

That was my in. That was the crack in the door, and I needed to kick it down. There was so much I needed to tell her, but I didn't know where to start. A good rule of thumb is usually at the beginning, but I decided to Memento it instead and start at the end.

"I'm not going to moonlight anymore as a plus one."

"You're not?" She looked surprised by my statement.

"No. I was only doing it to help my sister with bills, medications and the kids. But Sara got a grant from Fostering the Future that is going to take care of all that. I just found out about it today."

"Fostering the Future—isn't that Sadie's husband, Alex Vaughn's charity?"

"Yeah, it is."

"That's amazing."

"It is." I took a breath. "I know you think I'm too young?—"

"No, I don't. I mean, yes, you're young, but I don't care about that anymore."

"You don't?"

"No."

I knew that wasn't the only obstacle that we had. And as much as I wanted so badly to close the distance between us and kiss her, I knew before I touched her, that we needed to get everything out in the open.

"I love you, Bailey."

She opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her.

"Can I just say what I need to say before you say anything?"

She nodded.

"I love you," I repeated. "I think I might have fallen in love with you the first time I saw you. But, after spending the weekend at the vineyard with you, I know you are the one for me. You're it. If I had a ring and I thought there was even the slightest chance you'd say yes, I'd be on my knee right now. I wanted to tell you how I felt the morning we had our talk. But I held back because I was sleeping on my sister's couch and working as a plus one so we could afford the medications that insurance doesn't cover. The money she got is going to help with that. Hopefully, I won't be sleeping on a couch for long. But you need to know that the kids and my sister will always be a priority to me. I'm not just their uncle or brother. I'm responsible for them, and I'm grateful I can be. Sara adopted me when I was twelve; if she hadn't, I don't know what my teen years would have been like in the system. If this money hadn't come through, or if it went away, I would still do everything in my power to take care of them. You have to know that nothing will ever change that. But if you let me, you will be just as much a priority to me. I know you don't think I'm the right man for you, but I think I am. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to take care of you, protect you, and love you."

My pulse raced wildly, and nerves were swarming in my stomach like bees around a hive as I stared at her, waiting for her response. I knew it was a lot to take in. She might need time to process the things I'd just told her. So I waited.

After a few moments, she asked, "Can I speak now?"

"Oh, yeah," I chuckled. "Sorry, yes. Please."

Before she said a single word, her eyes began to water, and I braced myself, for the second time today, for devastating news.

A single tear slid down her face as she took a deep breath. "I know you think that your commitment to and love for your family is baggage that you come with; that anyone you are with would have to accept. But it's not. Life is the baggage. Illness, bills, cheerleading, MRIs, tiny apartments, sleeping on couches—that is the baggage. You selflessly showing up every day, caring for, protecting, and providing for your family, just shows me how capable a man you are to carry that baggage. The way you love your family shows me that you are the right man for me. Any woman would be lucky to have you love them. I love you, Cole. And being with you would mean that there is no ‘your baggage' or ‘my baggage' anymore. It's ours. I would be so honored to be the person by your side, carrying our baggage together."

I wasn't a crier. I never had been. But hearing Bailey say that not only was my sister and the kids not an issue, they were actually what made her know that I was the right man for her, cracked something open inside of me. Tears started falling down my face.

Not able to hold back any longer, I cupped her jaw and claimed her mouth in a soul-binding kiss. Her hands ran up and down my back as she melted against me. She broke the kiss and stared up at me. "And if you ever do get a ring and ask that question, the answer would be yes."

My heart slammed into my chest. "Seriously?"

She nodded, and my heart exploded with happiness.

"Are you saying that because you want to marry me, or is it because you've always wanted to be a kick-ass aunt?" I teased.

Her shoulder lifted in a shrug as her nose wrinkled. "I mean…both?"

I reached down and lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom as she giggled. After laying her down, I stripped her out of her clothes and kissed every inch of her body, telling her and showing her just how much I loved her. And I planned on telling her and showing her every day for the rest of our lives.