Page 57 of Colt

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Ember

Colt was excited to have Jett and Jasmine coming over for the weekend before Christmas, so that’s why I was here on a Thursday night, making sure everything was just right. We were going to decorate the tree with the kids, but I still wanted the house to look festive when they got here.

Colt was working at the bar tonight since the manager called in sick. With the holidays, it was busy with tourists who wanted to visit a restaurant owned by a notorious biker gang. I rolled my eyes when he told me that, but I told him I had everything under control and sent him on his way. The fact that he trusted me with this task was huge and I was going to make doubly sure everything was perfect for their arrival.

Over the course of the past week, he’d painted both of their rooms. Jasmine’s was a light pink while Jett’s bedroom had a green accent wall to go with his baseball theme. Some of the guys came over the last couple of days and helped move in the furniture, so it was only a matter of putting finishing touches on everything tonight.

As I finished making Jasmine’s bed with a cute princess bedding set, I heard a loud knock at the door. When I peeked through the curtains, I was surprised to see Jenna on the other side.

“Where’s Colt?” she asked while pushing by me as I opened the door.

She looked around the house, taking in every feature. If she was looking for something to bitch about, she wasn’t going to find it. Colt had made sure the entire place was kid-friendly and safe.

“Colt’s at work. Is there something I can help you with?” I asked, trying to maintain my composure. What I really wanted to do was toss her fake ass out of the house.

She looked me up and down and then waved me off with a flick of her hand while her other hand held a folder. “I seriously doubt it.”

The first time we met, we were on neutral ground. But, now she was in Colt’s home, and I felt a little protective of this space. I wasn’t going to let her waltz in here and think she was in control. I walked back to the front door and opened it. “I guess you’ll be leaving then.”

“I have an offer for him,” she said, ignoring my not-so-subtle hint for her to leave. “I think he’ll be pleased with it and there won’t be any need for him to keep up with this fake relationship.”

What? How could she possibly know anything about that? Only a handful of people knew the truth and none of them would say anything to her. Unless Colt told her himself, but that didn’t make any sense to me. He’d been adamant about not telling her. She must have seen the confusion on my face, so she continued to explain.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. Like you didn’t know Colt was using you to help him look better in our custody battle. Anyway, he was in one of his moods the other night and explained that a judge might see it fit to grant him more time with his kids since he got his own place and was in a stable relationship.” She used air quotes when saying the word relationship, and my stomach dropped a little. “I came over here to let him know that I’ve thought about things and have come up with a custody agreement I think both of us will be happy with. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know he doesn’t have to continue with this farce.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t want to think there was any validity to what Jenna was saying, but why would he have told her our relationship was fake just a couple of days ago?

Was it possible he was keeping me around just to help him look better in front of a judge? Maybe he saw this as a way for me to pay him back for keeping me from being sent back to Reno. I knew his kids meant the world to him and he would do anything to keep them in his life. And this was a win-win for both of us.

A low-level buzz of panic began to grip me because it sounded legit. I had no reason to believe Jenna, but all my doubts about Colt and me suddenly flooded my mind at the same time. I could stay here all night and analyze Jenna’s words, but that wouldn’t do me any good. I needed to talk to Colt about it, but he wouldn’t be home for a few more hours.

I looked back at Jenna, who was making herself comfortable on the couch. Since it was clear she didn’t intend to leave any time soon, I made an excuse to get out of there. There was no way I could play nice with her, and I wasn’t about to get into a pissing match with her about who had a right to be in his home and who didn’t. Any authority I felt disappeared the minute she mentioned their talk the other night. I didn’t miss the triumphant smile she flashed in my direction as I walked out the door and called for an Uber.

As I waited for my ride, I looked around the nice neighborhood with wide sidewalks where Jett and Jasmine would probably learn to ride their bikes, Colt looking on and encouraging them.

Who would be by his side when that memory was made? I had a feeling it wouldn’t be me and why I ever thought that was possible seemed incredibly naive. When would I learn? Would I ever learn from past mistakes?

As my ride pulled up, I decided I would hear him out and not jump to conclusions. But more doubts crept in. I wasn’t fully part of his life, so Colt talking to Jenna without telling me shouldn’t have surprised me, but I was foolishly hurt by his omission of their conversation. Things had been good, even great, between us. It hadn’t felt like play-acting but I also knew people didn’t change overnight unless they had a reason to. And Colt had two very good reasons. A part of me was bracing for another harsh dose of reality, and the other half... was hoping I hadn’t fallen for the same trick twice.

When I made it back to the clubhouse, I was relieved to see Kate and Evelyn there. They beckoned me to join them at the bar, and I definitely needed a drink after dealing with Jenna.

I filled them both in on what went down.

“There is no way he’s using you, babe. Jenna is an evil bitch and no one around here likes her. This is probably just her way of trying to make Colt miserable. It’s what she does.”

I wanted nothing more than to believe Kate, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone used a relationship with me for their own gain. I was still playing the game with Torch and I didn’t think my heart could handle Colt using me too.

I ordered one too many drinks and could hardly keep my eyes open. I looked at my phone to see what time it was. Colt wouldn’t be off work for another hour. I wanted to wait up for him, but maybe it would be better if we talked tomorrow.

“I think I’m going to head up to my room,” I said as I hugged both of my girls.

I spent the last week falling asleep with Colt next to me, so I found it difficult tonight to drift off while I was alone. How did someone become so attached to another person in such a short amount of time? Unable to get comfortable, I decided to go to Colt’s room. Sleeping in his bed would be the next best thing if I couldn’t have him here with me.

I grabbed one of his t-shirts out of his dresser, thankful he hadn’t moved everything to the new house yet, and pulled it on. Snuggling up with his pillow that smelled like him relaxed me instantly and I was finally able to fall asleep.