Sweet Addiction (Sweet #6)(80)

Cole’s lips twisted into a snarl but he bit back the explosive response.

“Yeah, I’d say you f**ked up royally this time, man,” Micah added.

Cole lost the battle not to respond. “What the f**k was I supposed to do? She loves him. She was hurt by the idea that he’d given her to me and that he’d moved on. But then he shows back up for her and it’s obvious he has no intention of calmly letting her walk away from him to me.”

“Who gives a f**k about him?” Micah asked. “Ren was happy with you, was she not? You said she loves you. If all that’s true then that tells me she’d be happy with you again. But you wouldn’t know that because you let her go.”

Damon held up a hand. “He knows what a mistake he made. The real question here is how he’s going to rectify it.”

“I’m not,” Cole said grimly.

“You’re an idiot.” Micah echoed Damon’s assertion in disgust.

“Oh like you were Prince Charming with Angelina?” Cole snapped.

Micah’s nostrils flared. Angelina was a sore subject with him and Cole knew what buttons to push. He was being a first-class ass**le, but he couldn’t help himself. He was in a foul mood.

“I may have treated her like shit and I may have done my damndest to drive her away, but I eventually pulled my head out of my ass and got on my knees and groveled my ass off. Think you’ll ever get to that point?”

Cole blew out his breath. “Look, she loves Lucas. Yeah, she said she loves me too. I don’t think she lied. But she loves him too. That tells me she’ll be fine with him. Hell, she’s probably better off. I can’t seem to ever make the right choices around her.”

“It doesn’t sound like either of you deserve her,” Damon said darkly. “She isn’t a piece of property to be pawned, bartered and shoved back and forth. She’s a beautiful, intelligent woman with feelings and she shouldn’t be toyed with.”

Micah smiled. “Ever the polished gentleman, eh Damon? I wonder if you’ve ever f**ked up with a woman in your life.”

Damon sent him a shut-the-f*ck-up glare.

“Apparently you and I are the only ones who don’t have sense when it comes to women,” Cole muttered toward Micah.

Damon rolled his eyes and shook his head in Cole’s direction. “Look, if I had pulled this kind of lame ass stunt with Serena, I would have never heard the end of it from you. You’d sit there and remind me of how you once walked away from a woman and that it was the worst mistake of your life and that I shouldn’t do the same. Come to think of it, we had this very conversation about three weeks ago where you admitted that leaving Ren was the absolute worst thing you’d ever done. So what would possess you to do it all over again? Are you a masochist or are you just that stupid?”

Micah chortled and choked on his beer before setting the bottle down on the table. “He’s got you there.”

“Swear to God, if we weren’t in a public place …” Cole bit out.

“Not sure Cattleman’s serves as a civilized place,” Damon said. “I’ve never quite seen the appeal myself, so by all means, act as though we aren’t in a public setting.”

“Ya know, Cole is a rich son of a bitch too but he never acts like Cattleman’s is beneath his pampered palette,” Micah drawled. “You just don’t like it because the girls have their nights out with Drew the bartender here.”

Damon sent him a quelling glance. “There is no price tag on taste.”

“How is Serena?” Cole asked.

He desperately wanted to change the subject. Talking about Ren made the pit in his stomach grow larger. He hadn’t slept in nights. Every time he closed his eyes, it felt like he was hurling over the edge of an abyss with no way to catch himself. That was what every day without Ren was like. Hell, it was dramatic, but he was f**ked and he damn well knew it.

“She’s fine. Growing more restless by the day. Her doctor thinks that perhaps her due date was miscalculated and that she’ll deliver sooner. She’s scheduled to have a sonogram this week so more accurate measurements can be taken.”

“And how are you taking this news, Daddy?” Micah asked.

“It scares me shitless,” Damon admitted. “I’m not prepared for this. I’m supposed to be the strong and in control one and it’s Serena who is constantly having to calm and reassure me. It’s damn embarrassing. The idea of something happening to Serena terrifies me.”

Cole could understand that because the idea of Ren being hurt paralyzed him and made his blood run cold. An uneasy feeling settled into his stomach. Was she okay now? Was she happy? He hadn’t ensured anything before he’d let her leave with Lucas. Ren had feared that Lucas was moving on and no longer interested in her. Cole had never ever gotten that from the other man but Ren knew him better. Had he only arrived to take Ren because his ego dictated such? What if he’d discarded Ren? What if she was out there alone?

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He could call Lucas, but would Lucas be truthful with him if he had tossed Ren out? Would Ren even know how to contact Cole if she was out there on her own? Would she want to?

“I’m an idiot,” he said in disgust.

Micah sighed in exasperation. “Have Damon and I not been saying this for the last half hour? What made you see the light now?”