Page 11 of Honey Bee Library (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #7)

Maddie was taking a sip of her drink as she studied me over her mug.

Then she lowered it and sighed. “Girl’s a single mom.

She’s probably been doing things by herself for a long time now.

In my experience, the stress doesn’t start when the marriage ends.

Most times, it started a long time before.

” She shrugged. “Don’t take offense. If you want to get her to trust you, you first have to show her that you’re not going anywhere. ”

I studied her, chewing on her words. What she was saying made sense, but how did I do that?

“She’ll let you know,” Maddie said as if she’d read my mind. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Single moms, they’re a protective breed. They’ve been forced to be tough even if they don’t want to be. You need to be patient.”

I nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

Maddie yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m exhausted and heading to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yeah.” My mind was reeling from what she’d said.

“Great.” She started walking past me but then stopped. “Night, Cole.”

“Good night, Maddie.”

She disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

With no one around, I stared at the ground, processing what she’d said.

There was truth to her words. I needed to prove to Willow that she could trust me.

She’d been disappointed by people in the past. I needed to show her that, no matter how hard she pushed me, I wasn’t going to go anywhere.

My phone chimed, causing me to shift my weight so I could pull it from my back pocket. I glanced down to see it was a text from Brian, my floor manager at Obsidian. I headed over to the kitchen table and sat down so I could focus on his message.

I spent the next who knows how long, texting back and forth with Brian. Apparently, Nicole Harolson, the new breakout pop star, had shown up and caused quite a stir at the club. He was having to call in more security to keep her safe.

It wasn’t until Willow suddenly appeared in the kitchen, that I glanced at the clock and realized I’d been sitting at the table for forty-five minutes. Her eyes were wide when her gaze met mine.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she took a step backwards, drawing my attention to what she was wearing.

The dark-red satin pajama top fell over her curves, hinting to what was underneath. The shorts cut off mid-thigh, revealing her slim, sun-kissed legs. She was barefoot, her light-pink toenails contrasting against her skin. Her hair fell over her shoulders, framing her startled expression.

Realizing that I was staring, I snapped my gaze back to hers. From the look in her eyes, she knew, but she wasn’t moving to leave. It was like she was pinned to her spot like I was pinned to mine.

“Everything okay?” I asked as I forced myself to stand, pushing back my chair in the process. I walked toward her, not really sure what I was going to do when I got there, but I couldn’t stop my momentum.

She glanced back toward the master bedroom. “Yeah. Jasper’s asleep.” She glanced back at me. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just...” She swallowed. “Looking for some water.”

I was standing a foot away from her now. My heart was galloping in my chest as I studied her. Then, her request finally registered in my brain. “Oh,” I said as I opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. “Here.”

She hesitated before she raised her hand and slowly wrapped her fingers around the bottom of the bottle. “Thanks,” she whispered.

We stood in silence for a few seconds. I watched as she twisted the cap off, wrapped her beautiful lips around the bottle, and tipped it back. Never in my life had I been so mesmerized by someone drinking water.

When her gaze met mine, I came crashing back to reality. I cleared my throat and took a step backward, desperate to put some space between our bodies. I was slowly losing my mind, but all I wanted to do was give into the desire that had grown to an unmanageable level.

It must be because it had been so long since I’d been with a woman. That’s why I was reacting this way. I’d spent more time around Willow in the last few days than I’d spent around any other available woman in over a year. I didn’t have time to date. Between Gran and the club, I was busy.

Women were work. And in my experience, it didn’t matter how much work you put in, they always ended up cheating on you with your best friend.

I cleared my throat and forced my thoughts to the present. What was wrong with me? It was idiotic to think about Yasmin while standing in front of Willow. I needed to push my ex from my mind and never think about her again.

“I should?—”

“Do you want a glass of wine?” I wanted her to stick around. I wanted to prove to her that I was the kind of guy who would go the distance. I wanted her to trust me.

I moved to pull two wine glasses from the cupboard next to me. “I was going to get a glass before you walked in.” I studied her from over my shoulder.

“I…um…” She glanced toward her closed bedroom door.

“Jasper’s asleep,” I reminded her as I grabbed the bottle of 2015 Chateau Margaux from the wine fridge. I removed the cork and proceeded to fill a glass.

I could feel her gaze on me when I moved to fill the other glass.

I wasn’t sure if the bold move would ultimately dissuade her, but I was willing to take that chance.

I peeked up at her to see that she was chewing her bottom lip.

Her eyebrows were knit together as she stared at the space between us.

She wasn’t saying no, so I continued on like she was going to stay. Once both glasses were poured, I returned the cork and set the bottle down on the counter before I picked up the glass and handed it to her.

“It’s just one glass,” I said. I held her gaze and raised my eyebrows as if to ask her what she was going to do.

She hesitated before she wrapped her fingers around the stem. “Okay,” she whispered.

I couldn’t help the smile that emerged. Embarrassed that I was so excited for this win, I motioned toward the small peninsula on the other side of the kitchen. I got to the barstools before Willow, so I pulled out one for her before doing the same for myself.

We sat side by side, sipping on the wine and staring forward. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to ask her questions and get to know her, but I wasn’t sure if she wanted to share, and I didn’t want to come across as pushy. I’d already pushed my luck with the wine.

“You don’t have to do that,” she finally said, her voice barely a whisper.

I glanced over at her. “Do what?”

She hesitated before she met my gaze. “Buy Jasper things.” She dropped her focus down to the countertop, where she traced the cool marble with the tip of her finger.

I frowned. “Didn’t you lose everything in the fire?” I took another sip of the wine. When she didn’t answer right away, I glanced over to assess what her silence meant.

“Yes, but I’m his mom. I can take care of him. I don’t want to owe anyone…” She paused as she looked over at me. “Anything.”

Maddie’s words rang in my mind, Single moms, they’re a protective breed. They’ve been forced to be tough even if they don’t want to be. Was that what Willow was doing? Forcing herself to be tough?

“You don’t owe me anything,” I said as I ran my finger along the bottom of the glass.

“You’re right, because we’re not taking the toys or the clothes.”

She must have found the dresser and closet that Maddie had filled for Jasper. I turned to look at her once more, parting my lips to protest.

She raised her hand. “I don’t think it’s good for us to mix business and…pleasure.” She said the last word with hesitation, like it held more weight than she wanted it to.

I didn’t expect the rush of electricity that pulsed through my body at that word. For a moment, I wondered if she’d had the same reaction. Then I forced that thought to a far corner of my mind to rot. It was obvious that I was the only one confused by our connection.

“I just wanted to help.” And that was the truth.

Willow nodded. “I know, but I think it’s best for us to keep things professional.”

I frowned as I leaned back against the barstool and crossed my arms. “Then why did you come with me tonight?” Earlier this evening, she’d been so adamant. Why had she run after me and knocked on my car window?

Willow was back to focusing on the countertop.

She was quiet for a moment before she let out a resigned sigh.

“Jasper thought we weren’t staying here because he’d done something wrong.

My ex…” She paused. “Jasper blames himself for his dad leaving. Says if he hadn’t been bad, his dad wouldn’t have walked away.

” Her voice grew softer with each word until eventually it was barely a whisper.

A desire to protect Willow and her son rose up inside of me, and I fisted the hand resting on my thigh.

What kind of idiot walked out on his wife and kid?

Didn’t he understand the kind of damage that did to people?

I wanted to say something. I wanted to act.

But I recognized Willow’s rounded shoulders and resigned expression.

She was hurting, and a big reaction from me would only hurt her more.

“My mom left me when I was six. She went out for milk and never came back.” I chuckled at my joke.

Truth was, Dad never really talked about Mom’s last day. The only memory I had was her being there one moment and gone the next. I wished I could pinpoint the exact day in my mind. Perhaps then I could make sense of why she left.

Willow was watching me when I brought my gaze back to her.

The look in her eyes was softer, more understanding.

It thrilled me and scared me at the same time.

I’d revealed a part of myself to her without realizing it.

In two short sentences, I’d broken my resolve to keep my past a secret.

I never wanted people to know my history. I didn’t want their pity.

But with Willow it was different.

I took a long sip of wine before setting the glass down on the marble with a soft tink . “So I know what he’s going through,” I added with the hope that she wouldn’t ask me any questions.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Willow’s voice was so full of compassion that it made my body itch.

I wanted to lean into it. I wanted her to care.

But at the same time, I knew what my physical reaction meant.

It was the same reaction I got when any woman tried to get close to me after Yasmin.

I wanted to run. I needed to break things off before she could break my heart.

I pushed down my feelings. There was a kid involved. A kid who reminded me of myself. And if I could protect him like I hadn’t been? Then I was going to. Even if it meant distancing myself from his mother.

I drained the rest of the wine from my glass and then slid off the barstool.

“Yeah, well, such is life,” I said as I rounded the peninsula and headed over to the sink to flip the faucet on.

After rinsing out the glass, I set it in the sink for Nicole to wash when she came tomorrow.

“I’m tired,” I announced as I shut off the water and flicked the water droplets off my fingers and into the sink. “I’m headed to bed.”

I didn’t wait for her to speak. I kept walking, heading straight to my room. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against the ornate wood. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before I slowly let it out.

My conversation with Willow had been a mistake. I should have never asked her to join me for a glass of wine. I should have never sat down next to her.

Now I knew the truth—about her past and Jasper’s. And when the time came to walk away from Harmony for good, that truth would make it that much harder.