Cole sucked in a breath, exhaled slowly and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He hated to do this, but he was tired of being the one to carry everyone else’s load when times got tough. His life wasn’t exactly easy, and quite frankly, he was fucking tired of being sent out on the road while Sierra and Luke were getting to spend time with their daughter. Without him. Cole wanted to be home. With Hannah.
“One month,” he began. “I’m giving you one month to find a replacement. I’ll go to Austin with Nate and Jake, but I’m only staying a week. If at that point they can’t handle it, I’m done. I’ll come back here and help out until the month is up.”
Alex merely nodded his head, and Cole fought the urge to react, to grip Alex’s shoulders and shake him until he came to his senses. Instead, he continued to face off with him, his hands flexing at his sides.
“Travis is expecting you. I’ve explained what we need to get started. He’s willing to give Nate and Jake a chance. I’m comfortable with them going. Thanks for helping me out on this one.”
Cole didn’t hear an ounce of sincerity in Alex’s tone and he knew without a doubt, there were problems. It wasn’t a secret that Dylan was drinking heavily, refusing anyone’s help who attempted to offer, including Alex’s and Ashleigh’s. The wedding was supposedly still on hold indefinitely, and as Cole stood there, looking back at him, it was clear Alex wasn’t handling it well. Not that Cole could blame him. The only problem was, Cole was tired of trying to fix everyone else’s problems.
“Travis needs them down there in the next couple of days. He’s been a little touchy, and I need him settled down. The four of you can figure it out from there. I’ll be out of town myself, at a book signing with Ashleigh in Dallas.”
A book signing? What the hell?
Here Alex was, asking Cole to leave Sierra and Luke, and their two month old daughter for a fucking week and Alex was running off to a book signing. How the fuck was that more important?
Reining in his temper was getting harder and harder with each passing second, so Cole turned abruptly, taking with him the information Alex had just shared. This was it. His last trip for Alex.
He hated the travelling, hated leaving Hannah, and he hated that he wasn’t getting to spend enough time with Luke and Sierra. He never signed on to travel, and this was getting ridiculous. He’d seen the concern in Sierra’s eyes before the last trip he took. He knew they weren’t happy with it any more than he was. Not to mention, his own insecurities started rearing their ugly heads lately, and being away from them wasn’t going to help.
Chapter Seventeen
Sierra was at home making dinner for herself when Cole walked in the front door. She wasn’t big on cooking, but she had been making an effort to eat something more than soup out of a can lately and with Luke at the club until late, she figured Cole might join him, but obviously he had other plans. As soon as he stepped foot in the kitchen she smiled up at him, but the firm set of his jaw and the lack of emotion in his beautiful eyes had the smile falling immediately. He wasn’t happy.
“Hi,” she greeted hesitantly, continuing to cut up vegetables to toss into the pan, wondering whether she should let him be for a few minutes or if she should push him to talk. Her curiosity won out. “Everything all right?”
“Hey.” Cole’s deep voice vibrated through her as he leaned in close and kissed her on the neck briefly. Every time he did that she wanted to nuzzle up against him and tell him not to stop.
“How was work?”
Cole didn’t immediately answer, and Sierra glanced up after tossing a handful of carrots into the pan, trying to pretend she wasn’t worried. Something was wrong, she could feel it, and she could see it in the firm line of his mouth, the wrinkle in his forehead.
She knew asking about work was the fastest way to set him off, but Cole had told her he had to go to a meeting with Alex, which meant only one thing.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Cole answered, moving to the refrigerator and grabbing a beer. “Is Hannah asleep?”
“Yeah, she’s been awake for several hours, so I figured I’d let her get a short nap in before I tried to wake her up again.”
Cole nodded.
Sierra got the feeling that Cole was beginning to close himself off more than was usual, and her gut told her she shouldn’t let that happen. Before Hannah was born, she had to admit, she was a little worried about the relationship between Cole and Luke, specifically as it pertained to Hannah. Knowing that Cole was the father, she worried that Luke would find a way to drive a wedge between them. There’d been a few bumps in the road, but nothing they hadn’t managed to handle.