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Cole was not on board with my plan.
A week later, and he was texting me daily, wanting the opportunity to tell me how much I meant to him. If I heard his words of remorse, I wouldn’t be able to leave him again.
Eventually, the pain in our pasts would catch us, and he’d leave me. I had to set boundaries for my mental health. Losing Cole felt like losing a limb. Losing a limb was terrible, but losing my heart would be horrific.
It had already happened once, and I couldn’t do it again. I wouldn’t survive.
I’d spent the last two nights at my sister’s house to avoid Cole. We still had location sharing on our phones, so when I’d checked in on him like a psycho ex-lover, his location was camped out at my apartment.
He was there again tonight, and I really wanted to go home after I fixed a glitch in the code for Madyson at The Artistic Edge. I wanted to sleep in my bed this weekend, so I texted.
Me: I can see you at my apartment and I’m notcoming home
I waited, seeing the three dots appear and disappear for a couple minutes before his response pinged.
Daddy: I’m leaving
Daddy: I was going to turn off my location but I don’t want you to think I’m going to ambush you
Daddy: I hope you’ll talk to me again. Someday
I had to change his name. Previously, I’d entered it as Daddy on a whim since it was our thing. Today, in an effort to avoid pain, I thought about deleting his contact. That was a lie.
I was a Cole Branson addict, and I wanted every single thing he sent, even if I was determined to detox off him.
Turning off my work computer, I mentally prepared for the combo work and social night I’d planned. Madyson was hosting a few friends and potential buyers at The Artistic Edge for wine and cheese, and while I was there, I’d promised to look at her computer program.
I actually liked her and Alec, and they didn’t seem to mind my random word vomits. Too bad they were friends with Cole. We needed a clean break, and his friends weren’t mine to keep.
I pushed through the gallery doors and stopped short. Madyson had transformed the space, so the dim-colored lighting contrasted the bright lights positioned on the art. It was edgy, ethereal, and magical.
My heart swelled at the sight of all the people wandering around and admiring her installations. She worked with ceramics and glass but displayed a variety of paintings and sculptures of metal, marble, and clay.
“Hey, stranger.” Madyson waved me over to her group, which included Alec. “This is my husband, Jayce. Jayce, this morsel is Shane, the genius who helped with our new operating system.”
Jayce shook my hand with a fervent appraisal that thrilled and terrified me. He was over six feet of extremely fit man—a retired hockey player. Madyson teased me about her attraction, but Jayce...he was another level of intense. My nerves kicked in, and I was afraid I’d word vomit.
I swept my arm wide and said to Madyson. “This is incredible. How did you do all this?”
“Thank you, darling.” She air-kissed me from two feet away. “Haven’t you learned? I’m a genius.”
“You definitely are,” I agreed.
“That means a lot coming from a certified genius,” Alec quipped.
“Certified, huh?” Madyson held back her giggle.
“Yes, it’s stamped on my ass, otherwise I’d show you,” I deadpanned.
“Oh, Shane, don’t issue me a challenge. I’ll see that fine ass of yours yet.” She winked and sashayed over to another group with her arm looped through her husband’s.
“Wait,” I called, “I don’t see the laptop with the POS system on the counter.”
Madyson shook her head, and her laugh sounded like bells.
“Is that how she got you here?” Alec asked.
“You’re saying she lied to get me here? Why?” I glanced around, fearing Cole was going to materialize from behind a piece of art.