by Summers, MJ
As soon as she started to move, Cole rushed to her, wrapping her up in his arms and lifting her off her feet. He kissed her full on the mouth. Claire reached for his face and held it in both of her hands as she kissed him back. His skin was cold to the touch against hers. Their embrace expressed everything they felt for each other - the longing, the love, the regret, the passion.
Cole gently set her back down on the ground, mouths never parting as she wrapped her arms around his neck, shivering with the cold. He pulled back from her a little.
"You're freezing, let's get you inside," He brushed some snow off of her hair gently as he smiled at her, his eyes shining with love.
"Oh I'll be fine now that I have my gloves back. But you seem chilly," she said as they turned back to the house. Claire reached into her clutch and found the keys. They made their way up the steps slowly, stopping to kiss along the way. Cole picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. When they reached the door, Claire put the key in and started to unlock it while Cole stood behind her, with his body pressed against her back and his arms around her waist. As she let the door swing open, she swivelled around to face him. Their lips met, with quick, passionate kisses. Cole backed her into the house with his hands on her hips and then hooked his foot around the door and swung it shut behind him.
He brushed his lips along her neck, leaving tender kisses from her ear to her collar. "Merry Christmas, Claire," he murmured.
"Merry Christmas, Cole," she whispered. Suddenly pulled back into reality, Claire moved her face away from him, "I still don't know how you ended up here, Cole. What happened?"
Cole looked down at her, "It's a long story. Can we curl up together while I tell you everything?"
"Of course, I'll put the kettle on for some hot chocolate. Hang up your coat and turn on the fireplace."
A few minutes later, the two were snuggled up under a warm blanket on the rug in front of the fireplace, sipping cocoa while Cole told Claire all the details of the last six weeks of his life. Claire listened quietly. Her heart broke for his loss of the little boy he believed was his son and for how he had been betrayed by Gabriela and Trey. His face wore a pained expression when he spoke of little Tomas and then anger as he described how things would never again be the same between himself and his cousin.
"I'm so sorry, Claire. I should have listened to you from the start instead of being so stubborn. I thought you were just being insecure, instead of logical. You were looking out for me the whole time and I couldn't see it. And I'm so sorry for that text. It was a rotten thing to do, but I hope you know that in my own stupid way, I was trying to help you."
Claire stared at him for a second before replying, "Misguided, maybe, not stupid. I was devastated at first, but after I was angry enough to try to move on, so in a way, it worked as you intended it to. It was still shitty though."
Cole pulled her to him and held her against his chest, "I know it was and I feel like a total asshole, Claire. I wish you could know how much I regret all of it. These past weeks, thinking that I would have to spend the rest of my life without you has been the worst time of my life. I don't ever want to be apart from you again."
They sat quietly for a long time, watching the fire as Cole held her and ran his fingertips up and down her arm. He whispered in her ear, "Are you sure you can give us another chance?"
Claire looked up at him, "I am. Just tell me one thing first - do you have any ex-girlfriends who might show up with children of yours?"
Cole laughed and kissed her, "God, I hope not. If you want, I can make a list and get a hold of each of them to make sure."
"Is it a long list?"
"Not really. It wouldn't take that long but it would be a little awkward."
Claire grinned, "Let me think about it."
Cole gave her a long kiss, "I should probably go check in at my hotel. I don't want your sister and her husband to spend Christmas night driving around, thinking they can't come home. Would it be presumptuous if I ask you to spend the night with me?"
"No, it would be wonderful, but it's going to be almost impossible to get a cab tonight."
"I booked at a hotel near here. It's supposed to be about a ten minute walk."
Claire gave him an admiring look, "I'll go pack an overnight bag and text my sister that it's safe for them to come home now."
A few minutes later, Claire emerged from her bedroom, dressed warmly in jeans and a wool sweater. She had taken a quick shower to freshen up and had taken out the bun that she wore at the party. Her hair fell into sexy waves around her face as she walked down the hall to him. Cole was standing by the front door with his coat on, ready to go. He helped her into her winter coat and handed her the gloves he had brought. Claire wrapped a royal blue scarf around her neck and then placed a matching wool hat on her head. The combination brought out the blue in her eyes.
Cole stared at her for a long moment, admiring her, "You are so fucking beautiful. You have no idea how much I missed your face."
"I think I do, Cowboy."
Cole picked up his backpack. "You ready?" he asked.
"Ready," Claire nodded.
Outside, the snow was beginning to accumulate on the ground, giving a soft, peaceful look to the deserted street. Cole reached for Claire's hand and they walked side by side in the direction of the hotel. Claire leaned her head on his arm for a minute and squeezed his hand.
"I'm just checking to see if you're real," she said.
"It's hard to believe this is happening, isn't it?" Cole said, smiling down at her.
"Almost impossible. If this is a dream, I will kill the person who wakes me up."
They made their way to the Bingham Inn, which turned out to be a very romantic hotel that backed onto the Thames. When they walked into the suite, they were both impressed with the grandeur of the room. It was large and had high ceilings with French doors that lead out to a balcony overlooking the river and the park. Off to the right, there was a sitting area with a dark grey leather couch and matching armchair, and to the left, a king-sized canopy bed with white linens. A large crimson poinsettia decorated the coffee table, creating a festive warmth to the otherwise cool decoration of the room.
Cole put down his bag, unzipping it and pulling out his shaving kit, "Mind if I go get cleaned up a bit? I need to get the plane grunge off of me."
"Of course," Claire said, giving him a lingering kiss on the lips. "You must be so tired."
"Not really," Cole said, caressing her cheek with his hand, "I've been waiting so long to get here, I'm not going to waste my time sleeping."
"Good, but you will be exhausted when I'm done with you," Claire replied with a playful look in her eyes.
"I'm counting on it," Cole said, pulling himself away to go shower.
As Claire watched him walk in and close the door, she smiled to herself with a sense of pure contentment. Cole was here, this was really happening. Through some divine intervention, they had been given another chance at love. Claire took off her coat and tossed it on the chair, then made her way over to the bed and sat down. She looked around restlessly as she waited for him to emerge from the shower and then realized that she had to brush her teeth. In the past, she would have just walked into the bathroom while he showered, but tonight that level of intimacy wasn't there. Things felt strangely formal and she wasn't entirely sure how to proceed.
Cole was in the shower, quickly rinsing the soap off of himself. He hastily dried off and then filled up the sink with hot water to shave. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked tired. The past two months had put him through the ringer and he was relieved to be in London so he could be with Claire and have a real break from everything. Things were still tense back at the ranch, with his mom and her sister angry with each other and everyone, including him, being so disappointed in Trey. He was glad that Trey would be back at school by the time he went home again so he wouldn't have to see him for a long time.
Cole's thoughts wandered to the woma
n on the other side of the door waiting for him. Claire was with him and there was nowhere else that he wanted to be than with her. He anticipated touching her, kissing her, feeling himself inside her very soon. He hummed happily to himself as he slapped aftershave on his face.
A minute later, Cole opened the bathroom door and walked out wearing nothing but a white towel. His hair was still wet and as Claire took in the sight of him, she was reminded of the first time she saw him like this at the pool. She felt exactly the same way, completely turned on at the sight of his rippling muscles but unsure of herself. The sexy vixen she had become at the ranch seemed to lie dormant somewhere deep within her and she wasn't sure how to bring her out just now.
Cole looked a bit surprised to see her sitting on the bed, fully dressed. He smiled at her warmly and then gave her a thoughtful look as he crossed the room to her. He sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard, "Either I'm underdressed or you're overdressed."
Claire tilted her head to the side and looked at him, "Is it weird that I feel a bit uncomfortable?"
"No," he replied, shaking his head, "We've been apart for almost two months and we both thought this was over."
"Yeah. I just feel like so much has happened and I need some time to adjust, okay?"
"It's totally okay, Claire. It's enough for me just to be able to look at you and hear your voice again. I would never want anything to happen if you weren't absolutely sure you wanted it to." Cole smiled and took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, giving her a little peck on her knuckles.
Claire smiled gratefully at him, "Thank you, Cole. I'm glad that you aren't too disappointed."
"Even if I were disappointed, Claire, that wouldn't be a reason for you to have sex with me. And you know what? I'm just so happy that you were even willing to talk to me when I got here. I really thought you might just kick me to the curb after everything that happened."
Claire kissed him on the cheek, "I would have, but I really wanted my gloves back."
Cole laughed, "God, I missed your sassy little mouth."
He gave her a kiss on the lips, then pulled back a bit, "Now, why don't we throw on some pyjamas and watch a movie? Maybe order a little room service, if the kitchen is still open?"
"Sounds like a perfect evening," Claire answered. They both got up off the bed and walked over to their respective bags. Cole put on his grey low-slung pyjama bottoms and a fitted white t-shirt. Claire rooted around realizing she didn't have loungewear.
Cole tossed her a t-shirt of his, "Here. It'll look better on you, anyway."
"True. Your shirts always look better off you than on," Claire said as she picked it up and walked over to the bathroom to get changed. She came out a few minutes later in Cole's t-shirt and a hotel bathrobe and slippers.
Cole was sitting up with his legs tucked under the covers, channel surfing, "Love Actually is starting in a few minutes. I thought you might want that one?"
"You thought right. Now, shall I see if we can get some food brought up?"
"I already called. Is ham and mushroom pizza and beer okay? I can call back and add something else if that doesn't sound good to you."
"That's just what I was in the mood for," Claire said, climbing into bed.
* * *
Two hours later, the movie ended. Claire had a lump in her throat, as she always did watching the final scene with all the families and lovers greeting each other at Heathrow airport. She was unbelievably happy, with her head leaning on Cole's chest and her arm wrapped over him. He had her snuggled in his arms and was fighting to stay awake, after having travelled so far.
Claire looked up at his face, seeing how exhausted he looked. She found the remote and shut the TV off, leaving them in the darkness. They snuggled themselves under the covers and held each other close.
"Good night, I love you," Cole whispered, drifting off to sleep.
"I love you too. I'm just so glad you're here."
Lying in bed, waiting for sleep to come, Claire realized that something had changed in these last weeks. She was different. Stronger. Before Cole, she had never allowed herself to love with abandon. When she fell for him, she had given herself over to Cole completely and then had survived losing him. The realization that she hadn't been broken into a million pieces gave her a confidence that she never had before. She was different than the wounded, vulnerable woman who had found herself on the ranch last spring. She didn't need to rely on him to be a good man. She knew she could rely on herself to be strong enough to love, to lose and to live on.
Chapter 18
The next morning, the pair woke late, having both finally had their first restful night's sleep since Gabriela had shown up at the ranch. It was after ten o'clock when Cole woke. He lay on his side, watching Claire sleep, overcome with gratitude for being allowed to be so near her again. Her face was so peaceful and beautiful as she slept beside him, with her hand still entangled in his.
A few minutes later, she stirred and her eyes opened. She looked at him and smiled, "Good, you're still here. I thought I dreamed you."
"I'm really here," he replied, tracing down her cheek with the back of his fingers. "God, your skin is so soft and you are just so beautiful. I could lay here and watch you sleep all day."
"But if we did that, we'd be really hungry by evening. How about if you come with me to Janet and Ted's so I can properly introduce you to them."
"That sounds good too. Breakfast first?"
"Let's eat at their place. We were going to have a big brunch this morning."
* * *
A little while later, Cole found himself in the kitchen at Janet and Ted's, with the four of them preparing brunch together. He had been assigned to frying the pancakes. He liked Claire's family immediately. He was surprised to find them both welcoming of him after everything he had put Claire through. They made him feel comfortable by including him in preparing the food and in teasing Claire.
Claire stood beside him at the stove, preparing scrambled eggs and sausages. She grinned at him, feeling exhilarated that her sister was finally getting a chance to meet the man she loved.
"So what don't I know about Claire that I should?" he asked, as he looked up from flipping a pancake.
"Well, lots of things really," Janet said, "Starting with the fact that according to her that pancake is overcooked."
'Uh oh, overcooking the food will definitely get you dumped, my friend," Ted added.
"This pancake?" Cole said, feigning shock, "This is perfectly prepared."
"Oh please," Claire said sarcastically, "Pancakes are not supposed to be chocolate brown. You are so dumped, Cowboy."
"Hey, I don't seem to remember you liking me for my cooking abilities," Cole said, pausing to flip another pancake. "But, Janet and Ted, have you noticed how Claire objectifies me like that? As though I'm just another easily replaceable cowboy in a long succession?"
"That's because you are, buddy," Ted said. "You and me both. These Hatley girls are players. You gotta stay on top of your game if you think you can keep one."
The four found many reasons to laugh as they finished cooking and shared a meal. Claire was pleased to see that Cole seemed to fit so well into this part of her world. She smiled, taking in the moment.
"So, what do people do on Boxing Day in England?" Cole asked.
"Go shopping or watch sports," Janet replied.
"We have tickets for a local rugby match later this afternoon, actually," Ted replied, "You should come with us. It's a bit chilly but we drink a lot, so after a bit, you don't notice the cold."
"That sounds like a great way to get to know London. Claire, you up for it?" Cole asked.
"I was already going to scope out hot rugby players," she said shrugging, "But I guess you can come along."
"Oh, so you're into rugby players these days?"
Claire laughed, "I wouldn't worry if I were you unless I can find one who can also rope a cow. Then you're history, I'm afraid."
Cole lo
oked at Janet and Ted for support, "She's a little bit mean, right?"
They both nodded. Ted replied first, "It's a family trait. I'm telling you man, run, before it's too late."
Janet gave Ted a little punch on the arm.
Cole looked over at Claire, "I'm afraid it's definitely too late for me already, Ted."
"Poor bastard," Ted said, shaking his head sadly.
* * *
That afternoon, Claire and Cole sat in the stands snuggled up under a blanket, drinking coffees with Irish cream. It was a cool day, but surprisingly sunny. The snow that had fallen the night before had already disappeared. Claire wore the gloves that Cole had brought for her. They flirted and laughed with each other, at times forgetting that there was anyone else there, even though they were surrounded by thousands of people. It felt very much like a date between two people who were just getting to know each other.