was probably for the best that my baby had died since being a teen mom and having a baby tying me down would have been really inconvenient. Plus, he probably never would have been into me if I’d had a kid.
And he’d apparently found my whole story so inconsequential since when he talked about my dreams about Harper on the live Q&A, he hadn’t even realized it was my daughter I’d been dreaming about.
I shook my head as I thought about the contrast between the two men who had been center stage in my life the past three years. How had I even thought for a second that I could be happy settling for someone like Chad and only ever being best friends with Cole?
My fears of Cole having the same reaction as Chad had really made me act like an idiot.
“You’re up already?” A deep voice startled me when I walked into the sunroom. And when I looked to where the sound had come from in the dark room, I found Cole’s silhouette seated in the corner of the white couch he had in front of the windows.
I put a hand to my chest where my heart was beating fast from the surprise. “You haven’t been up all night, have you?”
He shook his head. “I woke up about an hour ago and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I decided I might as well come out here to journal and read.” He patted the spot next to him. “Come and sit.”
I sat on the cushion beside him, and when he held his arm open for me to come closer, I curled up next to him.
With my head against his shoulder, I gazed out the huge windows. The curtains were drawn open to reveal a view of the quiet, early morning, with just a faint glow of sunlight peeking over the horizon through the trees in his backyard.
“This is such a beautiful view,” I said. “Do you watch the sun rise every morning in here?”
If I had a view like this to wake up to every day, I’d be a whole lot more likely to become a morning person.
“Not every morning,” he said. “But I do try to come out here early a few times a week.”
He put the journal and pen that had been on his lap onto the end table beside him and then lifted up the flannel quilt over his knees to drape over my legs as well.
“There,” he said. “It’s still a little chilly in here before the sun’s up.”
I smoothed my hands along the soft fabric of the quilt, liking how warm and cozy it was. Then, sitting up a little straighter, I said, “Sorry again that I was so out of it last night. I hope I didn’t say anything too embarrassing to Incognito.”
But when Cole fought a smile back, I knew my worst fears had happened.
“What did I say?” I asked. “Please tell me I didn’t act like a complete idiot.”
“You didn’t act like a complete idiot,” Cole said in a robotic voice as he repeated what I’d told him to say.
I smacked his arm gently. “Please, just tell me how bad it was. I didn’t completely fangirl over him, did I?”
“You didn’t fangirl over him…” his voice drifted off.
“But I fangirled over someone else?” I asked, confused at why he said it that way.
“Just a little.”
I frowned. “Was it his drummer?” I remember him being cute, but not cute enough that I’d mention it to anyone.
“It wasn’t his drummer.”
“The lead guitarist?”
He shook his head.
“The pianist?” My voice went up at the end, because while the pianist had been super amazing on the keyboard, he was definitely not my type.
“No,” he said, a wicked glint in his eye. “You were fangirling over me.”
“What?” I furrowed my brow.
And he just gave me the most contented grin before saying, “You told Incognito all about how rich and famous I am and how much you like my muscles and face and butt.”
My hand went to my mouth. “I did what?”
Cole laughed, clearly loving teasing me about it. “Hey, it’s okay. I know how overwhelming it must be to be in the same room as all of this.” He pointed at his face and his arms, and then the rest of his body. “It’s not every day that someone like me walks by.”
“Cole!” I smacked his shoulder. Hard.
“Hey, that hurts.” He laughed some more while trying to fend me off from smacking his muscled shoulder again.