A Chance At Love

Chapter 13

Cole woke up with a start, feeling a warm body against his, it took a few moments for his mind to remember the previous evening. Looking down at Cassie, he was surprised to see her awake, her blue eyes silently staring at him, "Hey..." He mumbled sleepily out.

Cassie had been awake for awhile, at first she was confused as to how she had gotten there, then everything came crashing down, when reality set in. First she wanted to flee, but Cole's tight embrace made that impossible for her to move, making her give up that feat...

Then her mind whirled with so many emotions, as she lay quietly next to him, the one thing registering in her crazed mind, was that he made her feel safe, "I guess you want answers?" She quietly whispered out, staring at him.

Brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face, he smiled gently at her, "Only if you want too..."

Did she want too...she thought? She had been living for so long as a shadow of herself, last night being the first time in a long time, that she had slept throughout the night and it was this man beside her who had made that possible, sighing in resignation, she got up, "I think a cup of coffee would go down better beforehand..."

Cole nodded, following her to the kitchen, quietly making them coffee, placing a mug before her, as she sat by the counter. Leaning against the fridge, holding his mug, watching silently, giving her time and space.

Grateful that he wasn't rushing her, she took a sip of her coffee, contemplating on where to begin. Staring at the mug in her hands, "I don't even know where to begin..." She quietly murmured.

"The beginning...would be a start." He replied patiently.

"I guess you are right..." She sighed out, still staring at her coffee, taking a deep breath, "Mike and I had been having trouble conceiving, we both wanted children, we fought and made up often. Drifting apart towards the end...then a miracle happened, I felt the changes in my body, too scared to say anything, and I made an appointment with the doctor, needing it to be confirmed, before I said anything." Looking up sadly at Cole.

Needing to give her comfort, Cole sat next to her, taking her hands in his, "Then what happened?" He gently urged, giving her hands a light squeeze.

Staring past his shoulders, remembering that painful day, pain crossing her features, "The doctor confirmed I was pregnant...I was so happy. Our dream of being a family becoming a reality..." Her eyes brimming with unshed tears, "I needed to tell Mike...drove to his office...caught him in a compromising position with his PA...instead of apologizing, he..." She gulped out, "He...blamed me for not being a real woman and that his PA was pregnant with his child, that he was actually planning on leaving me."

Cole winced, wishing that he could throttle the man who had hurt Cassie, in a relationship, couples should be there for each other through thick and thin, in sickness and health. But he knew the reality was not always like that...

"I was stunned and shocked, unable to say anything, kicking me out of his office...I made it to my car in a daze...that's when the cramping began...I noticed blood seeping through my skirt...knowing something was wrong...I made my way to the hospital somehow..." She carried on, "I lost my baby...before it even had a chance to live fully!" She sobbed out.

Scooping her into his arms, he made his way towards the lounge, seating them down. Holding her while she quietly wept, "And you didn't tell anyone about your loss...not even your sister?" Coming to the realization that she had suffered in silence. His admiration for her strength grew, she kept everyone at bay and it was not because she was coldhearted, it was because she had suffered a great loss alone...

"Everyone thought that I had gone into hiding, to lick my wounds..." She whispered.

"But...you were healing." He concluded, knowing the effects of a miscarriage on a woman's body, not only physically, but emotionally.

"I let them think that..." Shrugging her shoulders, "It was better for them to pity my failed marriage, than deal with them knowing that my body failed our marriage."

Anger coursed through him, cupping her jaw, turning her face towards his, "You cannot blame yourself...! The shock of seeing your cheating husband did that! Not you...!" He stated firmly.

"How do you know that? If you have been trying for awhile, doesn't that tell you something?"She defiantly asked him, "My body could not conceive, my body couldn't keep the baby safely inside me!" Wrenching herself from his arms, standing up, glaring at him.

"And don't you think if you had a more supportive partner, that things would have been different." He argued back, "That if he had been there for you, really loved you, he wouldn't have forced the issue." Shaking her lightly, trying to get his point across, "There are so many options out there nowadays to help couples have kids. Why didn't he try those...why did he look elsewhere."

She stared at him, her mind in turmoil, the emotional scars running deep.

Still seeing the uncertainty on her face and now knowing the full reason for not trusting a man, he now fully understood why she fought him, keeping him at a distance. Just as he had fought his attraction, upon meeting her, when he thought she was a selfish uncaring woman, like his ex. But...how wrong he was, seeing only a strong beautiful woman before him, somebody who wanted to be loved wholly.

Brushing his lips against hers, "Believe it or not...even though I fought it. You have gotten under my skin and I'd be fool if I don't fight for us." He muttered, staring intently at her, "So...you are stuck with me for the long haul. So, kick and scream all you want, but I'm not going anywhere or going to hurt you. Trust in me..."

Cassie crashed her lips against his, kissing him passionately, tears running down her cheeks, grasping onto this little piece of heaven for a while longer. Knowing deep down, that it was only a matter of time, before he tired of her...