My Ex’s Dad is Coming to Town (Bringing Home Trouble)

11. Winter

CHAPTER 11

WINTER

I woke up to the tickle of Cole’s beard between my thighs. He seemed to enjoy giving just as much as receiving. As I came on his tongue, I couldn’t help but think I was the luckiest woman alive. After rolling around in the gingerbread print flannel sheets for way too long, I peeled myself away from him so I could take a shower before we hit the road.

“You’re going to wear me out so much that I won’t have enough energy to help my mom bake cookies for the bazaar,” I teased.

“If it means spending more time with my cock buried inside you, I’ll buy enough cookies to satisfy the whole state of Texas, Baby Girl.” He twined his fingers with mine, unwilling to let me go.

I sighed. If only it would be that easy. Over the past couple of days, I’d fallen for him.

Hard.

But that wasn’t real life. We’d carved out a special place for the two of us, but it couldn’t last. He was old enough to be my father. Even though he didn’t act like it and definitely didn’t look like it, he would always be more than twenty years older. Maybe it wouldn’t matter if he was eighty, and I was sixty, but at twenty-four years old, an age gap that large felt like a big deal.

I leaned over and squished his cheeks until his lips puckered. Then I gave him a quick kiss that left me aching for more before I climbed off the bed to head to the bathroom.

Tonight I’d be sleeping at my parents’ house in the pink and white bedroom I’d grown up in. There was no place in my life for a man like Cole, no matter how much I might wish for it. We’d had our fun, and I’d remember our holiday road trip for the rest of my life, but it couldn’t be my reality. Or could it?

I soaped myself up in the shower and let the warm water chase away all my inhibitions. Would it be possible to keep things going with Cole? What if he got tired of me? What if his opinion of me changed just like Ryan’s had? Even though Cole made me feel confident, would that feeling last once we started spending more time outside the bedroom?

I didn’t know. The guys I’d dated in the past always wanted more than what I’d been able to give them. None of them were content with me just being me. They always tried to change me in one way or another until I ended up feeling like a totally different person who’d lost touch with her true self.

Cole seemed like the perfect match, but even if I overlooked the age difference, he’d always be my ex’s dad. Ryan would never be okay with us being together, and Cole probably wouldn’t either. It would be best to enjoy the limited amount of time we had left and let it go. But maybe… maybe there was a way it could work. We were both adults. I just needed to find out if Cole felt the same way. If he did, it wouldn’t matter what Ryan or my parents or the rest of the world thought about us.

Convinced that having a conversation with the man was what I needed to do, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The door to the bathroom was cracked open, and I could hear Cole talking to someone in a low tone. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but if he wanted privacy, he could have stepped outside. So I didn’t think twice when I exited the bathroom wrapped in red, one towel holding my hair on top of my head and another barely covering the rest of me.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The voice came from the phone in Cole’s hand. A voice I recognized.

My heart lurched, then came to a complete stop as I peered over Cole’s huge shoulder and glanced at the phone. Ryan’s bright red face stared up at me from the screen.

“What the hell is she doing there?” he yelled.

I ducked back into the bathroom and locked the door. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. I sagged against the back of the door and dug my nails into my palms.

Cole continued to speak in an even tone, though I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying. It didn’t matter. He’d never be able to explain what I was doing in his hotel room in nothing but a towel.

A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded on the door. “Winter, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I took in a deep breath and pulled myself together before I flipped the lock.

Cole slowly pushed the door open and poked his head into the bathroom. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to put you in that kind of position.”

“It’s okay.” I tightened my grip on the towel, suddenly feeling too exposed.

“It’s not okay.” He reached for me and I let him pull me into his arms. “It’s my job to protect you, and I failed. I’m sorry, Baby Girl.”

I rested my cheek on his chest, savoring the feel of being so close to him. “What did he say?”

“I need to tell you something, but it’s going to hurt.” Cole pulled back just enough to meet my gaze. His brows knit together in concern. “Do you want to get dressed first?”

“Just tell me.” I bit down on the inside of my cheek, expecting the worst.

“The reason Ryan called was to share some news. He proposed to Steph, and she said yes. They’re engaged.” Cole winced like it physically hurt him to utter the words out loud. “I’m sorry, Winter.”

I waited for a tidal wave of sorrow to tumble over me, but I felt nothing but numb. How was I supposed to feel? My brain couldn’t wrap around the fact that a man I’d dated for two years hadn’t loved me enough to propose, yet he was willing to commit to forever with a woman he’d only known for a few months.

“Are you alright?” Cole squeezed my shoulders, the crease between his brows deepening.

“I’m fine.” Honestly, I didn’t know what I was, but “fine” sure wasn’t the word to describe it. “I’m going to get dressed so we can get on the road.”

Cole stepped aside so I could leave the bathroom. I went through the motions of pulling on my clothes and shoving the rest of my stuff into my bag. I’d been fooling myself. There was no way Cole and I could be together. The web between us was too tangled and twisted to undo. We’d had a good time, but he’d never be content with his son’s sloppy seconds.

The best thing for me to do would be to head home with my tail between my legs and beg my parents to let me move in for a bit so I could get back on my feet.

“Winter…” Cole called my name from where he stood in the doorway to the bathroom. “I’m so sorry he hurt you. I tried to raise him better than that. He doesn’t know what he gave up when he let you go.”

“Please stop.” I put my hand up, palm out, unwilling to let Cole blame himself for the asshole his son turned out to be.

“What can I do, Baby Girl?” His eyes filled with emotion. I wanted to reach up and skim my palm across his cheek to offer comfort. He looked more broken up about the news than I did, and I was the one who’d been dumped and replaced.

“Just take me home.” I couldn’t wait to curl up in a ball on my soft pink bedspread and hide from the cruel dose of reality I’d just received.

He didn’t move for a few long beats. Then he let out a huge sigh and grabbed both of our bags.