Addison (The Mitchell/Healy Family #6)(16)

From Cole Chase: Are you like this with all men, or just the ones you want to get with?

From Addison Mitchell: Who says I want to get with you? I’m your sponsor. It’s my job to be nice to you.

From Cole Chase: I think you’re lying. Are you afraid I might bite?

From Addison Mitchell: I’m afraid I might.

I laughed so hard I had to fan myself because I got lightheaded.

From Cole Chase: Are you admitting you like what you see?

From Addison Mitchell: Are you?

From Cole Chase: I asked you first.

From Addison Mitchell: I’m not answering. Try another girl on your friend’s list. I’ve seen you have quite a fan base.

From Cole Chase: Most are clients. Are you jealous? I thought you weren’t interested.

From Addison Mitchell: I never said I was. Is there a point to this conversation? I have school work to tend to.

From Cole Chase: I’m bored. I figured you’d miss me by now.

From Addison Mitchell: I’m not and I don’t. Are you keeping it together?

From Cole Chase: If I said I wasn’t would you stop what you were doing and come pick me up?

From Addison Mitchell: If you were being serious I would. You can’t slip up.

From Cole Chase: I don’t know anyone here except for my NA sponsor and my stepbrother the cop. Who would I get pills from?

From Addison Mitchell: Addicts always find a way.

From Cole Chase: Why don’t you come over and keep me company? I’m still new at this.

I tapped on my keyboard and thought about what could happen if I went over to hang out with Cole. It was a bad idea. I couldn’t put myself in that sort of situation.

From Cole Chase: I could really use the company, all jokes aside.

There it was. My decision was made. I had to make sure he wasn’t going to slip up, even if it put me directly where I knew I shouldn’t want to be.

From Addison Mitchell: I’ll pick you up in a couple hours. We’ll go somewhere public.

From Cole Chase: It’s a date. See you then.

I rolled my eyes and closed my computer. This guy wasn’t going to let up. I’d tried dressing hideous. I’d tried to say I wasn’t interested. He saw right through the fa?ade.

My willpower was fading, and suddenly, when it came to this man, I didn’t know if I cared.





Chapter 6


Cole


I assumed Addison would know I was messing with her about needing support, but when she showed up three hours later with addiction books, I felt bad for making her think I wasn’t strong enough to fight the urges. To be perfectly honest, when I was with her I didn’t think about popping pills, or feeling different. Being near her was becoming a natural high for me. She was beautiful, quirky, and most of all, innocent. She didn’t think she was, but I saw something different.

When I was alone in my old room at night, it was her face I thought about, her smile that made my problems seem to disappear.

Moving back to Kentucky was something I swore I’d never do. The only thing remaining in this state for me were the demons that haunted me-the mother who abandoned me – the uncle who died in jail because he’d done the unthinkable. Addison should have been off limits as soon as I found out her last name. When she didn’t seem to put two and two together, I decided not to talk about it. Just because I was blood related to the man didn’t mean I wanted to turn out the way he did. I’d never mistreated a woman, and I had no intentions of stealing from anyone.

Yeah, I gotten into trouble. I was backed against a wall and wanted to give up, but I was only hurting myself.

Addison had been the first person I told about my ex-girlfriend; the woman who used me, and left me to the vultures like I meant nothing at all. I don’t know which part of it hurt me worse. I loved her. I wanted to have a future with her – a life she could be happy with. All the while she was lying. Every moment we shared together was a game. Every kiss, confession, and even heartfelt moment was faked, on her part that is. Mine was genuine. I thought she was my future, my forever even.

After being discharged from the Army my life really went downhill fast. I partied too much, and hung out with people in similar situations. We were like nomads, riding around with no real mapped place to go. When my money stopped coming in I gradually lost everything, down to my ride. That Fatboy Harley was my pride and joy. Now it was probably sitting in an impound lot waiting for the bank to seize it.

With no resources left, and little cash to spare, I called the one family who’d always seem to bail me out.

Joe wasn’t thrilled. He’d hated me for years. He meant well. Being a good person, he could only ever see the bad in me. We grew apart in school, and had never been able to reconnect.

He drilled me the whole way home – making sure I knew I had to be clean to come back. He knew I was still high. I suppose that’s why he thought dropping me off at a meeting was a good idea. Little did he know that Addison would reach out to help me.

I could already tell how much it was getting to him – seeing her pick me up, knowing she was spending time with me, when he’d tried for so long for that to be him. A part of me wanted to laugh. He’d always gotten everything he wanted, so the fact that he couldn’t have her was entertaining. What was even better was knowing she wasn’t just looking at me like I was a charity case. From the moment she’d come into the hospital room I saw a glimmer in her eyes. I knew what it was, because I shared the same interest.