I had my Elise back, and I’d be damned if I ever let her go.
Chapter 25
ELISE
“You two are being awfully quiet.”
At the sound of Ava’s voice from the kitchen, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I’d pretty much forgotten she was there. Honestly, I’d pretty much forgotten everything but the feel of Cole’s hand and the force of his gaze.
Only a minute had passed. Or maybe it was an hour. How was I supposed to know? I was pretty sure I was hypnotized.
I moved to release Cole’s hand and return to the kitchen to help Ava, but his grip tightened around mine.
“No,” he said softly. It wasn’t a plea or a command, but something in between. Something I could not ignore. Somehow, in the time we’d sat together here in his living room, Cole and I had created a little bubble of space and time. A world all our own. I could see in his eyes he didn’t want to leave it.
I didn’t either. But…
“We can’t ignore her,” I whispered.
“Fine,” Cole whispered back with the slightest shrug. “But I’m not done holding your hand.”
My smile was a force of nature. As unstoppable as an avalanche or an earthquake. “O-kay,” I laughed gently.
“And now you’re laughing,” Ava narrated from the kitchen. I covered my face with my free hand, torn between amusement and mortification. If she saw us like this, she’d start singing that damn song again.
“We’re enjoying each other’s company,” Cole said, looking back at her over his shoulder and grinning.
I glanced back at Ava too, just in time to see a sly smile form on her lips before she gave us her back and moved to one of the cabinets.
“Coffee’s ready,” she said. “Elise, how do you take yours?”
“Cream and sugar,” I answered.
“A lot of sugar, if memory serves,” Cole added.
I frowned at him. “What makes you say that?”
The devil himself couldn’t have managed a naughtier smile. “Elise, don’t try to deny it. You’ve always had a sweet tooth.”
I tried to scoff. I really did. But then I remembered trick-or-treating with him and Ava. The Great Candy Swap of 1998.
“I don’t remember you skipping dessert when we were kids either,” I teased. “How do you takeyourcoffee?”
He dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, and I was certain this was to keep his smile under control. The way the muscles in his cheeks firmed could have meant nothing else. But the sight of his teeth on the flesh of that lip was entirely too distracting. I almost reached up to free it to get some relief.
“Just a little cream,” he said finally.
“No sugar? Then what’s the point?”
Cole tipped his head back and laughed recklessly. I swear, it felt like a shower of good fortune. His hand pivoted over mine, and he interlaced our fingers, squeezing mine as he did.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you,” he said.
His words knocked me off balance because they mirrored my exact thoughts.
I squeezed his hand back, unable to do anything else. And then Ava came to my rescue, setting down a tray of coffee and brownies.
Cole released my hand, but he edged closer to me.