“Mm,” Devon says with narrowed eyes. “She is hot. Complicated, but hot.”
“Aren’t they all?” Cole says with a laugh, which then goes sour. He totally forgot about Jess. Cade told him in passing that she had died while he was waiting to give his ex-wife the divorce papers. “Uhm,” he adds and looks at Devon with pity.
“What?” Devon asks suspiciously. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Jess,” Cole says quietly. “I’m sorry that you lost her. I should have stuck around a bit longer to be there for you.”
Devon shrugs. “It’s no biggie. I’m over it.”
“Are you, though?” Cole asks. “She was your charge.”
“You know I never had a bond to her. Losing Lizzie was far more traumatic for me than losing Jess,” Devon says.
“How are you coping with that?” Cole asks. He doesn’t really want to know, but he feels he must ask.
“Better now,” Devon says. “Things with her are different, but good. We are close again now. Very close.”
“Yeah,” Cole says and turns his back. He has no interest in how close they are.
“I am still going ahead with my plan,” Devon says carefully.
“Well, I hope it works out for you,” he says stiffly.
“Gee, how sincere,” Devon drawls sarcastically. “Thought you would be happy for me.”
“What do you want me to say, man?” Cole snaps at him. “I hope you two live happily ever after?”
“If you claim that you have nothing to do with her anymore, why are you getting so pissed off?” Devon asks him suddenly and it hits him hard in the gut.
“I still love her,” he croaks out. “I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to.” He crumples to the floor, gripping his t-shirt hard so that he doesn’t break down into tears. That would be the humiliation to end all humiliations.
“I know you do,” Devon says quietly. “And she still loves you. That’s why I came here to warn you.”
Cole takes that in and gets himself under control. He won’t lose it over that woman again. He looks up with a solid resolve and says to Devon. “You know what? I do hope you live happily ever after.” Cole gets to his feet and Devon is gaping at him.
“Oh?” he asks.
“I hope that you and Elizabeth get married and that she actually chooses you. In fact, better yet, go to her and make her choose you,” Cole says, throwing his t-shirt into the suitcase in a show of nonchalance. What better way to get over the love of his life than to pretend he doesn’t care?
“Why are you doing this?” Devon asks him.
Cole gives in. He throws in the towel once and for all. He is never going back there and now he has to be a man and move on. “Because of all the men in her life, you are the only one she should be with,” Cole says. “You are a good man and you love her, and she loves you. You should be together.”
He has finally gotten closure, he wants to make sure that she ends up happy, and that Devon does as well.
“I am not her goddamn destiny!” Devon yells at him. “I am not even on the short list.”
“Says who? We were all a part of her destiny. Just because she didn’t turn you on Holy ground doesn’t make it any less true,” Cole points out.
He sees that gives Devon pause. “What about all the others?” he asks, sounding as unsure of himself as Cole has ever heard him.
“Forget them,” Cole says with a shrug. “Speak to her. That is the only way this will get figured out.”
“I still don’t know why you are doing this, but thanks,” Devon says. “I guess I had resigned myself to just being the tagalong husband.”
“Well, rather you than that bastard anyway,” Cole says with a smile.
Devon laughs at the unexpected humor. “That is not saying much,” he says.