Page 46 of Colt

21

Ember

After my emotional breakdown a couple days ago, Colt told me Jenna wanted to meet up today. To say I was nervous would be a huge understatement. Not because I was intimidated by Jenna. I knew how to handle myself when it came to other women. My concern was doing something that could adversely affect Colt and his ability to spend time with his kids. Things had shifted between us the night at my old place and I felt invested in helping him any way I could.

Screwing the top back on my mascara bottle, I looked up as Colt walked into my room, uninvited… again. We had an agreement on when we entered each other’s space, in that, we let each other know beforehand or pre-planned it, say, after a party so it looked natural when we went up together. Or, even simpler, freaking knock and wait to be allowed in. Lately, Colt was just barging in whenever he felt like it.

“Are you ever going to learn to knock?” I asked while rolling my eyes at the man standing in front of me.

“Nah. If I knock, I’ll never get the chance to see you wrapped in a towel again.”

I tilted my head and studied the wolfish grin that accompanied his words. Was he flirting with me? It didn’t escape my attention he called me ‘baby’ the other night, but I chalked that up to him trying to comfort me. The past couple of weeks had gone smoothly between us, but we were both keenly aware of our roles and why we were playing out this charade. With everything going on with Torch and still dealing with Fitz’s death, his kids and his personal feelings, I knew he was trying. But on occasion, I couldn’t read him. Like now, when he was playful or whatever.

Deciding to ignore his odd behavior for now, I walked to the closet and pulled out a pair of boots. “So you never told me where we were meeting up today. Is my outfit okay?”

He looked me up and down, taking in every inch of me. I was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a loose, white long sleeve top. There was nothing sexy about my outfit, but my skin burned under his gaze as he perused my entire body.

“You look good, but don’t forget this,” he said when he handed me the patch I was supposed to wear.

“Isn’t this going to piss Jenna off?” I asked, slipping my arms into the garment that I could reluctantly admit to myself I liked wearing.

“Probably.” I heard him laugh as he turned around to walk out.

We reached his bike, and I couldn’t wait to get on. Riding was one of my favorite things, and the rides to and from work just weren’t enough. Sitting behind Colt was a bonus. It was during those rides I let my mind drift off and wonder how it would feel if we were really together.

As we pulled up to the park where Jenna was waiting, I could feel Colt tense under my arms. I turned my head to look in the same direction he was and knew right away why he was upset. He’d asked Jenna to keep the meeting between the three of us, but there she was with two little ones who looked very much like the man in front of me.

Colt was worried about Jett and Jasmine getting to know me, seeing as our situation was only temporary. It made sense to me, and I agreed with his need to set boundaries when it came to his children. It was clear Jenna didn’t give a shit about his wishes.

Colt hadn’t told me much about his kids other than their names, ages, and a story or two that slipped out before he stopped himself. On the rare occasion he mentioned them, he got all soft and warm. It was clear he loved his son and daughter and their relationship was sacred.

However, he had told me all about Jenna. Their history, her past, how they met, when she’d cheated on him, as much as he could tell me without getting angry. Through all that, the hurt of what she did was still there. After all this time, he was still feeling her betrayal, and who can hurt you but the ones you loved dearly?

“Fuck,” I heard him grumble under his breath.

I climbed off the bike, removed my helmet, and placed my hand on his arm. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I said with more conviction than I felt. “Why don’t you go take Jett and Jasmine over to the playground, and I’ll go talk to Jenna?”

I was a little surprised when he didn’t pull away from me right away, but he was probably too distracted by his children to notice. Instead, he nodded at my suggestion.

“That’s a good idea.” He hopped off his bike and started walking over to his kids.

I hung back and watched as both his son and daughter ran over to him and gave him the biggest hug their tiny bodies could manage. If I found Colt attractive before, it didn’t compare to how I felt when I saw him interact with his children.

After a brief word with Jenna, which I couldn’t hear, but assumed wasn’t a cheerful greeting since Colt didn’t look happy, he took Jett and Jasmine by the hand and led them to the playground.

I waited a moment longer then made my approach. “Hi Jenna. I’m Ember.”

I stuck my hand out to shake hers, but she ignored it. Instead, she looked me over and scowled when she saw Colt’s patch. “So, Colt went with the typical club slut type this time around. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

I was shocked by her open hostility even though Colt warned me she wasn’t a pleasant person. I wanted to respond equally as rude, but I remembered Colt had a lot riding on this. Instead, I sat down on the bench across from her and braced myself for whatever she dished out. I’d had to deal with a lot of abrasive personalities for a long time. First Torch and then Colt—so whatever this woman said, I knew I could handle it. Everyone knew that Jenna held all the power and could make things difficult for him, so it would be best to play nice. Even if it killed me.

“I’m curious, how did you manage to get Colt to give up all his other girls and settle down with you?”

It looked like she was going to continue with her cattiness. Honestly, I wasn’t sure Colt had given up his man-whore ways. I knew he wouldn’t want anyone to think he was a cheater, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have something on the side he was keeping quiet. After all, we weren’t a couple and he didn’t owe me his loyalty or an explanation.

“If you’re that concerned, you should probably ask him about it,” I told her with a smile.

I wasn’t interested in discussing our relationship or any other details with Jenna. If she wanted to get to know me under the assumption I would be spending time with her children, that was fine. But, I wouldn’t be discussing Colt’s sex life.