Page 45 of Colt

“I did. He was a wonderful friend. And he was there for me when I needed him.”

Ember had been honest with me about everything up to this point, so if she referred to him as a friend, I had to believe that’s all they were. I did feel guilty about him being the one there for her. It should have been me.

I continued to hold her in my arms, not wanting to disrupt our peaceful moment, but I had another question for her. “Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going or have one of us drive you?”

“It sounds stupid now, but I wanted to surprise you all and make dinner tonight, as a thank you for everything you guys have done for me. All of my cookbooks are still here, so I called an Uber to come pick me up. I didn’t think I’d be gone that long. Are you mad?”

“No, I’m not mad, but I was worried about you,” I said. “There are too many unknowns right now. I can’t have you disappearing like that. At least text me if you’re going somewhere. Actually, where’s your phone? I’ve been trying to call you.”

She looked around. “I think it’s in the kitchen.”

I moved her off of my lap so I could get up and retrieve it for her. When I picked it up, I noticed she’d switched it to silent. No wonder she didn’t answer when I called. I handed her the phone, and she startled a bit when she saw the time.

“I didn’t realize it was so late. Guess I won’t be making dinner tonight.”

I could see the tears start to form in her eyes again. “Don’t worry, babe,” I said, grinning. “I’ll let you make me dinner anytime.”

She rolled her eyes at me, which is exactly what I’d intended by my comment, and pushed herself up from the floor.

“You ready to head out?” I asked.

“Yeah. While looking for the cookbooks, I found a few things I want to keep at the clubhouse. I know I can’t store everything there, but do you think we could bring the truck over soon to grab some of my stuff?”

“That’s not a problem. We can do it tomorrow after I pick you up from work.”

Before I knew what she was doing, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“Thank you. Who knew you could be so sweet?”

I surely didn’t.