The recognition made her smile.
“What are you grinning at?” Cole asked.
“I just realized some things.” Things that helped her look at her situation differently, just as Cole needed to do the same. “Don’t let Jed’s feelings define you as a man or as a parent, Cole. Just be yourself. Our son or daughter will be lucky to have you.” She tightened her hand around his.
His dark eyes heated, and corresponding warmth settled in her chest.
“Speaking of the kid, do we want to know the sex?” he asked her, breaking the silent but charged moment.
“I thought I did, but now . . . I think I’d like to be surprised. You?”
“Whatever you want works fine for me.”
Erin nodded, wishing the rest of her life with him could be as easily decided.
• • •
Cole sensed Erin’s unease when she arrived at work on Monday. Cole didn’t blame her. After all her arguing about the shooting being a fluke, she’d finally been forced to accept that for some unknown reason, a crazy person was after her. Maybe two crazies. Cole hadn’t wrapped his mind around which.
Ballistics should come in today, giving them answers, or at least a lead. In the meantime, he settled into his chair outside her office door, satisfied with knowing he had a firsthand view of whoever went in to see her. Especially when that smarmy boss of hers arrived not too long after she did this morning.
Dressed in a suit and tie, his brown hair expensively cut, the man looked like he’d stepped out of a magazine ad. He was too slick, and Cole had disliked him on sight. Carmichael walked past him without a word, which just made Cole want to give him a hard time—because he could.
Rising, Cole placed his arm across the doorway and cleared his throat.
Carmichael turned. “What’s wrong, Sanders? Need to pat me down before I’m allowed entry?”
“Evan, come on in,” Erin called, interrupting.
Probably on purpose. Cole lifted his arm and Carmichael shot Cole a smug look before stepping inside.
“What can I do for you?” Erin asked, sounding pleased to see him.
Cole insisted she keep her door open, enabling him to hear whatever went on when her boss commanded an audience. In Cole’s opinion, based on Carmichael’s fake charm and the way he constantly self-promoted, the man was the consummate politician, a man wrapped up in appearances only.
“I just wanted to remind you about our date Saturday night.”
Cole stiffened—despite the fact that he had no claim on Erin and made no bones about his lack of intentions regarding marriage and the happily ever after he knew she wanted. And regardless of the fact that his own choices might push Erin into the arms of another man.
One day.
In the very distant future, if ever.
But not this bastard. And not while Erin was sleeping with Cole.
“Oh no,” Erin said, sounding truly upset. A riffling of papers followed. “I completely forgot. And it wasn’t a date date, it was me accompanying you to the annual Bar Association dinner.”
“Call it what you want, I’ve been looking forward to it. And you know it’s important that we’re seen at this, what with me planning to run for state attorney general and you the logical successor to my office.”
“Evan, I never said—”
“Hush,” he said in an affectionate tone that made Cole’s skin crawl.
He itched to storm in there, but knew there was only one way that would end—badly. So he held his anger and frustration in check, bit his tongue, and waited.
“We both know you’re the perfect choice to take my place. Together we’re a power couple in this town, or we could be.”
Damn the man. He obviously viewed Erin and her family connections in this town as the perfect way to take his next career step. They’d be a power couple over Cole’s dead body. She was pregnant with his baby, and he wondered how Mr. Family Values would take that bit of news.