“Yeah. Yeah, sure. Wait here.” He turned, and walked toward the door.
Angel looked over at the group near the door, who were about fifty yards away. There were about half a dozen guys standing around near the door. She thought she recognized Cole by his blonde hair. He had his back to her, and his arm around a girl.
Angel watched as Crash approached him. Crash said something to him, and then she saw Cole turn to look over in her direction. He stared for a long moment, and then his arm came away from the girl, and he headed toward her. The girl started to follow him, until he stopped, and turned back to her. He said something to her, and Angel could see him point back towards the door.
He turned, and walked toward Angel again.
She recognized the way he walked. It was him. He was dressed pretty much the same as the last time she’d seen him. The cut, a tee shirt under it, pair of jeans. He was smoking a cigarette. As he got closer, she could start to see the features of his face. He still had the soft, golden facial hair along his jaw and around his mouth.
He got to within twenty feet of her, and tossed the cigarette to the ground. She saw his eyes travel over her and the vehicle, but she didn’t think he recognized her.
Stopping a few feet from her, Cole looked her up and down. Then he looked over at the prospects, and jerked his head. “Beat it.”
They walked away.
He turned back to her, looking her over. Crash had to be wrong. This couldn’t be Angel. Then she reached up, and pulled her sunglasses off, and he was looking into those emerald green eyes he remembered so well. He stood motionless, stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After all these years, here she was, standing there, looking stunning. “Angel?” he whispered.
“Cole.” She smiled.
“You look gorgeous,” he breathed.
They stared at each other.
“How have you been?” she asked.
“Okay.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t think what to say. All the old feelings came rushing back. Including how it had torn him up when she’d left. After all her talk of him not knowing what she needed. When the fact was, she’d run. All the way back to Daddy. He’d put money on it.
“It’s been a long time, I know.” She looked down.
“Three years. But who’s counting.”
Her head snapped up. He had a smile on his face, but it didn’t’ reach his eyes. His eyes seemed cold.
Angel looked over his shoulder. The girl he’d had his arm around was walking up.
“Cole, who’s this?” the girl asked.
Angel noticed she was a pretty thing with long dark hair that hung to her waist.
Cole looked back at the girl, and pointed back at the door. “I told you to get the fuck inside,” he yelled.
The girl retreated.
Angel flinched. Somehow this wasn’t the Cole she remembered. Or maybe she’d just built him up in her head.
The sound of crying filled the air. It snapped Angel out of it.
Cole looked back, startled. Realizing the sound was coming from inside the SUV.
“Now look what you’ve done!” she snapped. She turned, and stepped over to the driver’s side window. Leaning her head in, she said, “There, there, Honey-Bear. Mommy’s right here. It’s okay.”
Mommy? Cole walked over to the rear door, and jerked it open. He looked in at the child strapped in the car seat on the other side. A stunned look crossed his face. He studied the child’s face, his blonde hair, his big blue eyes.
Angel stepped over, and tried to push him back.
He wasn’t having it. He grabbed her arm, and twisted.
“You’re hurting me,” she said, glaring into his eyes. Their faces were a couple of inches apart.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, and desire ricocheted through him like a bolt of lightning. He let go of her, as quickly as if she’d burned him. “Why’d you come here?” he asked harshly.
He could try his best, but she wasn’t going to be scared off. Not when she had so much to loose. “I need to talk to you.”
“We’ve got nothing to talk about.” He raised his eyebrows in a smirk. “Did you come here to tell me that’s my kid?”
She shook her head. “No. This isn’t about him.”
A knife went through him. He realized in a split second just how badly he’d wanted it to be true.