Page 57 of The Love Comeback
I shake my head. “I don’t know. All I know is, I can’t let myself get swept up in another romance again. I have to stay strong for Colton.”
“You’re a good mom, Ella. Always putting Colton first.” She pauses, as if choosing her words carefully before continuing. “But don’t forget about yourself in all of this. You deserve to be happy, too. And it’s pretty clear you still have feelings for Kade…”
I roll my lips against each other, mulling it over. Iknowdeep down, there’s real feelings there. I wouldn’t have kissed Kade if there wasn’t. But given everything that transpired afterward, I’m not really sure how to move forward. And as a mother, it’s not justmyfeelings I need to think about anymore.
Ugh.
“I think you should talk to Kade—without Colton there.” Valerie gives me this painfully sympathetic look. “Why don’t you call him and figure out a time to meet up, and then I can watch Colton while the two of you talk this out like adults?”
I swallow hard, my eyes flickering to my cell phone, resting on the corner of my desk. In all this time, I haven’t done much reaching out to Kade. And considering how I acted the last time we spoke, he’s probably hurt.
At the very least, I could apologize for overreacting.
“Yeah, I’ll call him and set something up.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kade
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as I sit in Ella’s driveway, waiting for her to come out of the house. There’s a big part of me that wants to run to her door and play the role of the perfect gentleman, but I already know in my gut that this isnota date.
In fact, this whole thing feels like the dreadedwe need to talkspiel—and that’s almost always loaded with nothing but heartbreak.
The radio plays softly in the background, and I take a deep breath, hating the choice of song. “When We Were Young”fills the cab, and I sometimes wonder if the man upstairs gets a laugh out of torturing me with irony. Regardless, I can’t bring myself to actually turn it down or off. No, I listen to every lyric, all the while wondering if Ella Smart is going to ghost me.Again.
But then—Ella steps out of her front door, looking lethal in a pair of dark wash jeans and a cream-colored sweater. I can’t stop staring at her.
And every second just makes the ache in my chest hurt a little more.
I hop out of the truck and jog around to the passenger side, beating Ella to the door.
“Hey,” I breathe out, sounding like I just ran a half-marathon. “I was starting to think you weren’t gonna come out.”
She doesn’t meet my gaze. “Sorry. I was just trying to find the right shoes.”
I glance down at her Converse. She can wear whatever she wants, and it still looks good. “You look great, El.” My voice comes out way softer than I intend, and she peers up at me.
“Thanks,” she says before looking away and hopping into the car.
I shut the door and then rub my forehead as I make my way back around to my side. My heart flutters in my chest, and I have those unwanted first-date vibes flowing through my body. And the irony of it all is…
Ellawasmy first date.
“Where do you want to go?” I ask as I situate myself in my seat. “Have you eaten?”
“Yeah,” she answers weakly. “I don’t think I want to have this conversation over food.”
So that means it really is a bad one.
Great.
“Well, we could go sit by the river. It’s not that far from here. There’s a couple of good lookout points. We don’t have to get out of the truck either, if you’re worried about safety.”
She makes a face. “I think you’re probably one of the biggest men in the city. I don’t think I’ve ever felt unsafe with you.” She pauses, a bittersweet smile stretching across her face. “I’ve never felt like I even have to pay attention to my surroundings when we’re together.”
The admission makes my chest soar with pride. “I’m glad I make you feel secure. I hope that never changes.”
Her eyes dart away at that, and she tugs on her seatbelt. “Yeah, we can just go sit at the river.”
