But recently, Cole seemed to be gone more than he was home and when he was home, he chose to spend most of his time with Hannah. It was almost like Cole and Luke had switched personalities. Not that either man was ever fond of opening up and sharing their feelings, but it seemed that as of late, Cole wasn’t sharing much of himself with any of them.
Not only was he trying to shut himself down, he was also growing agitated which worried her even more. As Luke began working on smiling more, it was as though Cole was trying to smile less. She knew that Alex played a crucial part in Cole’s frustration, sending him out of town often, but Cole never quite explained why.
“If you need to talk, I’m always here.” Sierra grabbed the glass of wine she had been sipping on and went to stand closer to where Cole now sat at the breakfast bar.
“Thanks.”
The way he responded told her that he wasn’t intending to share anything with her now. She had learned a long time ago that with Cole and Luke, she couldn’t let them off the hook easy. They didn’t open up much, and when they did, it was because she had pried it out of them.
She moved up close to his side, placing a kiss to his big, warm bicep before resting her cheek in the same place. With Cole sitting on the bar stool, Sierra barely came to his chin. Just when she thought he might say something, Hannah’s little baby coo came across the baby monitor sitting on the kitchen counter, and Cole abruptly moved from his seat.
“I’ll get her while you finish making your dinner,” he said and walked out of the room without a backward glance.
Sierra felt the tingle in her nose and the prickle of tears behind her eyelids as she watched him walk away. In just a matter of a few days, Cole had grown incredibly distant. Ever since they had surprised Luke at his office, he hadn’t been the same. She had searched her memory, trying desperately to see where things might have gone wrong, but she couldn’t seem to find the piece that would put the puzzle together. That day had been explosive, just as it always was when the three of them came together.
Granted, she knew that, for the last week, they hadn’t been together except that one time. At least not all of them. She and Luke had managed to steal an hour one morning when Cole was out of town, but since he’d been back, their timing didn’t seem to work out. And she knew that unless Cole and Luke were finding time during the day, they weren’t getting intimate either because they were off doing their own separate things most of the time.
Sierra made her way back to the stove, stirring the vegetables and tossing in a handful of precooked chicken. Cole’s voice came over the monitor as he talked to Hannah. She couldn’t help but smile as she always did when she heard either of them talk to Hannah. The way they were with their daughter was the sweetest thing she had ever witnessed. No matter how hard or stubborn the two of them were, when it came to Hannah, their guards came down entirely.
For the next ten minutes, Sierra picked at her food and listened to Cole talk to his daughter. The way he spoke to her brought tears to her eyes several times. Not only what he said, but the way he said it. Cole was one of the most sensitive men she had ever met, although most people never saw that side of him. Because he was so shy, only the people closest to him ever really got to know him. Sierra was truly blessed that he had given her that opportunity.
After cleaning the kitchen and taking a shower, Sierra checked in on Hannah to find that she wasn’t in her bed. When she went to the living room, she found Cole laying on the couch watching television with Hannah perched on his chest. Her heart tipped over.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his beautiful cobalt eyes meeting hers from across the room.
“For what?” she asked as she moved closer.
“For being an ass. It’s just been one of those days.”
“Want to talk about it?”
~~*~~
Cole eased over on the couch, careful not to wake Hannah, offering Sierra enough room so she could perch beside them. He patted the cushion and waited for her to sit down. With his hand protectively on Hannah’s back, he looked up at Sierra.
“Alex wants me to go to Austin.”
“What’s in Austin?”
“Alluring Indulgence,” he told her.
“How does that affect you? I thought it wasn’t even built yet.”
“It’s not. He wants me to go talk to Travis and convince him to let Jake and Nate take over as their security. I think he’s expecting them to prove to Travis that they can handle this.”
“Why can’t he go?”
“He didn’t say.” Cole hated lying to her, but he also didn’t want to share Alex’s business. That was one thing about him, he wasn’t the gossiping type, and even now, knowing that this was his family, it still felt like a betrayal.