Again he shook his head and looked down. “I don’t know. I guess he…felt you were a threat somehow.”
“A threat to what? The club?” she scoffed.
“No. I think he was afraid. I think he thought you could pull me away,” he explained, looking in her eyes.
She shook her head and looked away.
“There was probably some truth to that fear,” he admitted.
She looked back at him. “You had feelings for me?” she asked disbelieving.
He nodded. “Yeah. I did. I still do.” He could admit it now, even if he couldn’t then. He heard her small intake of breath.
She looked over at her son, asleep in the far bed.
He followed her eyes and looked at the child. “I don’t need any test to tell me that boy’s mine.” He looked back at her. “I should have been there with you. Through all of it. I’m sorry I wasn’t. I’m sorry you had to go through this alone.”
Her eyes started to fill with tears.
Cole stood and pulled her into his arms. “Come here, baby.” She melted against him, and he wrapped his arms around her, running his hands over her hair. “Shh. Shh. It’s gonna be okay.”
She had had to be the strong one for so long. It felt so good to have someone hold her. To have someone to lean on, to tell her everything would be okay, even though she knew that wasn’t a promise he could make. No one could promise her this would all be okay.
“Hey.” He moved his hands to the sides of her face and tilted it up. He looked down into her eyes. “I’m here for you.” He shook his head. “Whatever you need. Understand?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
She looked so fragile. Everything inside him ached for her. Every feeling he thought he’d buried came rushing back. He pulled her back up against him, one arm across her back, the other across her shoulders. His hand slid up the back of her head, his fist closing over a handful of her hair, feeling its silky softness. He rubbed his jaw against the top of her head and breathed in the scent. His eyes drifted closed, and he felt a tightening in his throat as the ice around his heart melted a little.
With her face pressed into his chest, Angel felt the warm softness of his t-shirt contrasting with the cool roughness of his leather cut. Her hand ran over the leather. It still carried the horizontal scratch she had cut into it that night in the desert.
Cole looked down and watched her fingers run across it. “You put your mark on me, babe. In more ways than that.”
“Do you remember that night?” she asked softly.
He grinned. “Yeah. You tried to kill me twice that night.”
She smiled, embarrassed. “I did, didn’t I?”
He nodded. “Yeah. But I remember the rest, too. All of it. Every second of the time we were together.” He was quiet for a few moments, and then he swallowed and spoke again. “That last night we were together? I know I said a lot of cruel shit. Shit I didn’t mean. I was trying to push you away, and then…when you were gone, really gone, and I’d realized what I’d done…”
She looked up at him, brushing her fingers across his lips. “Shh. It’s okay.”
He pulled her hand away gently and shook his head. “No. It’s not. Let me say this. I need to say this.”
“All right.”
“I’m so sorry, Angel. I have so much to be sorry for. I’ve missed you so much.” His hand came up and cupped the side of her face, tilting her head back. His thumb brushed over her lips, and then his mouth descended to hers.
The kiss was soft, gentle, exploratory. Two lovers coming together after what felt like a lifetime apart. And yet, at the same time it felt like they’d never been apart. She clung to him, never wanting the kiss to end. Surrendering to his mouth, silently letting him know she wanted more.
He felt her reaction, picked up on her silent cues the way males had read females since the beginning of time. His arms pulled her closer as his mouth delved deeper. He felt her body press against him. Soft curvy female against hard taught muscles. She felt so good in his arms. Too good, and the bed was too close. Another minute and he’d have her pushed down on it. He raised his head, pulling away from her mouth reluctantly and leaned his forehead against hers. He took a shaky breath and looked down into her eyes. “I should probably go. Okay?”
Angel pulled back. “Yes. Of course.”
He walked over to the bed TJ was lying on and leaned over him, kissing him on the forehead, and then he stood looking down at him. “This test I need?”
“Yes?”
“Where do I go?” he asked, looking back at her.
She smiled and turned to pull the paperwork out of her bag. She handed it to him. “Just call that number and tell them you want to be tested for that case. All Melissa’s information is on it.”
Cole took it and nodded. He stepped toward the door and opened it.
Angel followed him.
He paused in the doorway and looked back at her. Reaching up, he touched her cheek and said, “That morning, when you woke up alone…I should have never left your side.” Then he leaned down and kissed her softly.
When he lifted his head, Angel looked up into his eyes a moment.
And then he turned and left.
***
Three days later, Angel was back at home when she got the call. She clutched the receiver to her ear as she heard the news. The hospital in California had confirmed Cole was a match.
Angel put her hand to her mouth, sank to her knees, and burst into tears.
TJ, who was playing on the floor with his cars, came running over when he saw his momma crying. “Momma, what’s wrong? What’s wrong, Momma?”
She couldn’t speak. She just shook her head, pulled him into her arms, and rocked him.