“So we’re ok?” he asked.
I smiled. “We are.”
Inside I wasn’t. I wanted a replay. I wanted another last night. I wanted to pull Cole back to bed and never let him go.
But maybe I wasn’t lucky like that. If this trip had taught me anything it should be that I was pretty freaking unlucky lately.
“I have to get work. But I’ll see you?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek. Cole paused at the door. “For the record, it was a fucking amazing night.”
I smiled sadly. “It was.”
13
Cole
I had to keep my head on my work. I needed to focus on repairs and finances. Because if I stopped for a single fucking minute, I’d think about Kaitlyn. I’d hear my name on her lips. I’d remember how her skin felt. What it felt like inside her. How her body quivered when she came.
My cock twitched and I slammed my hand into the wall. I had to stop.
She was my best friend’s sister. And he was like a brother. We graduated together. Played baseball together. We fought and survived in the desert together.
That came before anything. It had to.
There was a pile of bills on the desk. I took a sip of coffee and sat down to face the inevitable.
I had work to do if I was going to keep the Dunes running.
Last night was the first time I had actually put in words what this place meant to me. What I wanted it to mean for Grayson. If he grew up and hated it, he could sell it. He’d make millions. But I wanted him to have that choice. I wanted him to be the one to decide his future.
I checked my phone. I didn’t have anything from Amber.
I called her, waiting for her to answer.
“Do you know what time it is?”
“I called to say hi to my son.”
She put Grayson on the phone without an explanation. “Hi.”
His voice was small.
“Hey little man. How are you?”
“Watch Thomas.” He giggled.
“Thomas the Train?” I asked.
“Yep.”
I wished he was here or I was there. I hated splitting time with Amber. I liked the sticky Cheerios and the trains he left all over the place. Becoming a father was the most unexpected best mistake of my life.
I never would have volunteered to have a child with Amber, but Grayson was such a part of my life. The kid was my heart. I couldn’t imagine not having him. I wouldn’t undo that decision if I had the choice. He was here for a reason, even if it meant I had to face up to my sins and work to be a better man.
“I can’t wait to see you next week. I just wanted to say hi.”