her over Charlotte. It was so Gemma to show up at that exact moment.
A few yards away from the tent was a playground and, beyond that, a makeshift parking lot. They reached the swing set and Cole stopped. “What is this about, Gemma?”
She sat down on a swing, and Cole’s mind wandered back to the day she told him she was pregnant. They’d only been dating three months, and sleeping with her had never been the plan. But Gemma could be very persuasive, and even though Cole tried to resist, his flesh was weak.
Somehow, her getting pregnant felt like a punishment he deserved. He’d never forget the moment she told him. His heart twisted into a ball of regret, followed by a healthy dose of fear. Because Cole was certain, that while he was a pretty great uncle, he wasn’t ready to be a dad.
It had never occurred to him to ask if the baby was his. Of course it was. Gemma wasn’t the type of girl to sleep around. So, he proposed. It was the right thing to do. They planned their wedding in record speed, as if that would stop people from talking, but three weeks after they got married, Gemma miscarried.
Cole got a call at work, and he rushed out without telling anyone where he was going. He arrived at the hospital in a matter of minutes, hurried in, and found her laying in a bed, covered with a sheet, staring off at the ceiling.
A nurse met him in the doorway. “Are you the husband?”
He nodded. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said quietly. “She lost the baby.”
Cole’s stomach sank.
The nurse squeezed his arm. “I think she’s in a little bit of shock.”
He nodded, holding back tears, then made his way to the side of Gemma’s bed. He pulled up a chair and took her hand. A tear streamed down her cheek, and she closed her eyes.
“Are you relieved?” she asked.
He frowned. “Why would I be relieved?”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him. “Because you never wanted this baby in the first place.”
“I wanted this baby,” he said. “It might’ve taken some getting used to, but you know I was all in. I still am.” It was true. He’d warmed to the idea, so much so that this miscarriage hurt.
They’d mourned together, promised each other they’d try again when the time was right, and that whole experience brought them closer. Maybe they wouldn’t have gotten married if it hadn’t been for her pregnancy, but Cole was committed to Gemma. He was convinced they could make it work.
Which was why her betrayal hurt so badly. He never would’ve cheated on her. It never would’ve even occurred to him. He’d given up everything for her, and she repaid him with a knife in his back.
Now, she took hold of the empty swing beside her and shook it. “Sit?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t stay.”
She looked up at him through fresh tears that seemed to keep coming. “Do you need to get back to your girlfriend?”
Cole leaned against the metal pole of the swing set. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
Gemma eyed him for several seconds, as if deciding whether or not to believe him. “But you like her.”
He wasn’t having this conversation with her. “What do you want, Gemma?”
She looked away. She planted her feet on the ground but pushed herself back and forth. “Will you sit down for a minute?”
He hesitated. He didn’t want to do anything she asked. He wanted to run and find Charlotte, apologize to her for leaving, then kiss her senseless the way he’d been thinking about doing for weeks now.
“Please, Cole?”
He sat, the sides of the swing digging into his thighs. “Can we make it quick?”
She looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”
His stomach turned. “Okay.”
“I need you to know that I know how wrong it was, what I did.” She wiped away the tears as they fell. Gemma had always been great at emoting. She was a master manipulator—could he even believe a word she said?
“I was so wrong.” She buried her face in her hands. “You were always so good and kind, and I was too stupid to see it.”
He’d prayed for this day, the day she finally realized what a terrible mistake she’d made—the day he got his revenge. He’d played it out in his mind, and it always ended with him spitting out some insult and walking away. Now that they were here, though, he couldn’t