Page 91 of Love Me Gently

My parents. Ashley and Robbie. The girls. Even Cole and his parents. Maybe it’d all been too much too soon. Maybe I was rushing things, because now everything seemed to be running full speed ahead and I was on the train platform, racing to catch up.

“That man would jump in front of a bullet for you, Trina. All you have to do is reach out and take hold of him.”

“That’s only one of the things that scares me.”

“Then buckle up and tell him to throw on a vest. With Jonathan in town, who knows what’s about to happen.”

What a lovely thought.

“Maybe he’ll slip on snow and fall down the mountain and get buried in an avalanche.”

Valerie laughed. “A girl can only dream.”

Tell me about it.

A knockon my door tugged me out of the final dredges of sleep. It hadn’t come easily last night, and I spent most of the night tossing and turning. Twice I jerked awake, fear rattling my chest and the need to slink through the house to make sure Cole and his girls were okay.

I didn’t, but I’d wanted to, so while it had to be early since there was only darkness peeking through the blinds, I’d been half-awake for quite a while.

Relief slipped over me as Cole opened the door. I scooted up on the bed, bringing the duvet and blankets with me.

“Hey,” I muttered, wiping sleep away from my eyes and my face. “What’s up?”

“You have something to tell me?”

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. Dressed in green-and-navy flannel plaid pajama pants and a navy long-sleeve T-shirt, he was casual, not angry. Relaxed, but definitely curious.

Handsome as always.

“What?”

“You forget to tell me something last night when you were hiding away in here?”

“I wasn’t hiding.”

His brows arched, and a smirk curled his lips, barely visible beneath his unshaven scruff.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“There’s a man at my front door. Three of them, actually. Say they’re here for you.”

“What?” I blinked. Men? Oh… “I called Val last night. She said Kip wanted to send men up here.”

“Yeah. Got that.” He jerked his chin toward the playroom and stairs. “Would have been nice to know that though so I could prepare the girls.”

Damn. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking that when she said he was thinking of sending some men that he was going to overnight them.”

Of course Val would. They were probably on the way before we talked.

Cole chuckled and stepped back. “Get dressed and don’t take too long. They want to meet you, so you know who they are. They said they’ll be mostly invisible, but close to you at all times.”

“Great.”

Cole turned to leave, but I called his name, and he stopped. “I’m sorry. About not warning you.”

“I’m not mad, Trina. Just wished you’d trust me enough to let me in a little bit is all.”

He left, leaving a lead weight sinking into my gut.

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