Chapter 15: Kate

The next morning
Cole woke up from the first time content and happy. He knew he had Harper to thank for that. His phone rang; he looked at the caller id; it was his friend-with-benefits Kate. They weren’t technically exclusive but he wasn’t sleeping with other women. He didn’t think she was either. They weren’t boyfriend/girlfriend either; after Harper, he refused to label anything anymore-it saved him the inevitable heartache. He smiled and answered, “Kate.” “Good morning. Did I wake you?” “No. I should be getting up now; I have a flight to catch.” “Back here?” “Yeah.” Before she could say anything, he got a text from Harper.
Harper: open the door
He sat up, “Hold on Kate, I think Harper’s here.”
Kate’s heart clenched. He was with his ex, the ex that he always seemed to mention and couldn’t get over. The ex that he shared a child with. That ex. He’d made it no secret to her that they weren’t dating by any means. She wasn’t blind; she could tell that he’d been hurt badly by his ex and now refused to commit. She could also see that he was a handsome, loyal man and any girl would be lucky to lock him down. She’d tried once and failed, yet her feelings for him continued to grow. But now he was with his ex, which meant she might want him back.
Cole opened the door. “Daddy!” Emerald said, coming in. He smiled, “Hey princess. Come on in Harper.” He moved out of the way so she could come in. She noticed the phone in his hand, “Oh, did I catch you at a bad time?” “No, Kate just called. You’ll meet her when we get to California.” “I see. You look like you just rolled out of bed.” “I did, in fact, just roll out of bed, thank you very much.” She grinned. “Daddy,” Emerald said impatiently. He looked down at her, “Yes?” “Up.” She pointed to the bed. He lifted her onto it, “Make yourself at home, both of you. I’m gonna change then we’ll be on our way, okay?” Harper nodded. “Kate?” he said. “Cole, sounds like you have company.” “Yeah, Harper and Em. We’ll be flying out in a couple of hours.” “I’ll let you go then. See you when you get back.” “Okay. Bye.” “Bye.” He hung up, tossed his phone onto the bed, then went to get a change of clothes.
 
6 hours later
Cole gently unbuckled a sleeping Emerald and carried her off of the plane. Harper followed him. They got their luggage and went to Cole’s car in the parking lot. He had a car seat already in the back. He strapped her in then got in. Harper climbed into the passenger seat then he backed out. Traffic at LAX was terrible as always but they made it through alive. “Where are you going to be staying?” he asked. “With Paige.” He nodded, “Everybody’s going to be happy to see you.” “I should hope so. I haven’t seen them in a long time!” Paige’s apartment was a 30-minute drive away. She’d moved out of her parents’ house a couple of months ago and now had her own two-bedroom apartment. “Here we are,” he said. She yawned, “I’m really tired; I didn’t get much sleep last night. Could you keep Emerald?” “Of course. I’ll meet you at the rehearsal.” “Sounds good. Thank you.” He nodded then she got out of the car. She left the bag with stuff for Emerald but took the suitcases.
Cole watched her go inside before pulling out. He went to his brothers’ house. They still shared the same mansion. He hadn’t been around lately so he was looking forward to seeing them again. He unbuckled Emerald and carried her up to the door. Ding dong. Conner opened the door, “Cole?!” “Hey little brother. Let me put this little peanut down before you tackle me.” Conner let him in. Cole grabbed a spare blanket then put Emerald down on the couch with the blanket tucked around her. “You’re a good dad,” Chase said. “I should hope so,” he said. He gave each of his brothers a hug. Just as he was pulling away from Caden, Kate came out of the kitchen. “Kate? What are you doing here?” “I figured this would be the first place you go.” “Second. I dropped Harp off at Paige’s.” “You and Harper good?” Conner asked. Cole grinned, “Yeah, we’re good.” He caught the flash of jealousy in Kate’s eye but chose to ignore it. As much as he liked her as a friend, he couldn’t see himself settling down with her. She was too wild for his taste and thought pregnancy would ruin her “killer” body, which was fine with him since he didn’t want kids with her anyways. Harper was the exact opposite. She was driven, raised a child at 17, and still had a killer body. He gave Kate a hug, letting it last a little longer than appropriate just to smooth her ruffled feathers. She kissed his lips, which, for the first time, he wished she hadn’t. Being with Harper again raised his standards. It was quite clear he needed to break things off with her before she got the idea to fight for his attention against Harper. Not that she would even stand a chance in the first place, but he didn’t need to cause Harper that undue stress. “How was your flight?” she asked. “Good. Quiet. Em,” he said turning to her, “slept most of the time.” Kate peered over at the sleeping child, “So this is Emerald.” “Emerald Sky. When she opens her eyes, you’ll see why.” Caden said, like a proud uncle. “Well, look who’s versed in the ins-and-outs of my kid,” Cole joked. Caden rolled his eyes, “I’m her favorite uncle.” “Bull,” Chase muttered. Cole laughed; it was refreshing to see his brothers, who were now 20, fight over who was the best uncle. Kate tugged his hand and he followed her into the kitchen. He knew the glint in her eye: she wanted to continue what she’d started in the living room. But every time he thought about it, it felt wrong, like he was cheating on Harper. So, instead of shooting her down, he gave her a seductive smile (promising of an escapade in bed later; a promise which he had no intention of fulfilling) then got a glass of water, taking his time gulping it down. “What were you cooking?” he asked when he finished. “Baked chicken. It should be ready in 15 minutes, just enough time for us-” “Uncle Chase!” Emerald’s sleepy voice came. Cole sighed with relief then headed back to the living room. Chase was tickling Em now and she was a fit of giggles. Cole couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Kate seemed to take the hint that he wasn’t in the mood because she returned to the kitchen with a huff. The rest of the day was uneventful but fun.