He was not proud of how he’d gotten to this point, but he was proud of being here, of being Grayson’s father. As for his son’s mother...
“I’m not married,” he admitted softly, sliding his chair closer to hers so they wouldn’t be overheard.
Tessa’s brow rose again, and Cole frowned. She didn’t have to gape. This didn’t bode well for how the rest of the town was going to take the news.
“I see,” she murmured.
No, she didn’t. She hadn’t a clue about the man he’d become. He wasn’t the bright-eyed kid who’d dated her all through high school. Not even close.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
“I’m sorry.” Her tone was punctuated with bitterness. “I had no right to ask.”
She was taking it personally. This wasn’t personal. It had nothing to do with her at all. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I’ll just— Let me go take care of his diaper real fast for you, and then you can have the baby back,” she stammered.
He watched her make a quick exit into the ladies’ room, the sweet, fruity scent of her perfume lingering behind her. He blew out a frustrated breath and threaded his fingers through his hair.
He was quick to acknowledge his own part in his disaster of a life, but he had faith that the Lord would use it for good, even if he didn’t have any idea how that might work out for him, or for Grayson. He could only put himself and his baby in God’s capable hands.
He didn’t know why the Lord had set him on this path, but he imagined he must be even more hardheaded than he’d realized. Most horses could be broken with a whisper. It appeared he needed the sharp jerk of a bit to get him moving in the right direction.
When Tessa returned with his still-happy infant, she immediately deposited Grayson into Cole’s arms. He adjusted his son to his shoulder and gently patted his back.
“After I saw Grayson was with you, I completely spaced on the reason I came to Cup O’ Jo’s in the first place,” she admitted with a forced chuckle.
“A cupcake?” Tessa’s friend stepped into Cole’s line of vision and dropped into the conversation as if he belonged there. “Here’s temptation for you.” He waved the chocolate-iced cupcake under Tessa’s nose.
Red velvet.
Even though Cole couldn’t see what the chocolate icing was hiding, he was absolutely certain of it. Tessa had always been partial to red velvet with chocolate frosting. He personally thought it was an odd combination—a whipped white cream cheese frosting suited him fine—but he’d always humored her.
She made a face at the man. “You get a pass for abandoning me back there, but only because of the cupcake.”
Tessa’s friend turned a winsome smile on Cole that seemed a little over the top, given the circumstances. He ought to save his charm for the ladies. But when he extended his hand, Cole had no choice but to respond.
“I’m Marcus Ender, by the way. Boys’ counselor at Redemption Ranch.”
Cole shifted Grayson so he could meet the man’s hand with his own. He might have been guilty of adding a little extra pressure to his grip, but a handshake told a lot about a man. Surprise flashed in Marcus’s gaze at the strength of Cole’s grip, but he didn’t break the contact until Cole did.
A challenge? Marcus’s gaze said it all. He was looking out for his friend, and Cole had better not hurt her. Cole tempered his naturally aggressive response. He couldn’t fault Tessa’s friend’s overprotective instincts, he supposed. Marcus didn’t have any way of knowing Cole would never hurt Tessa. Not intentionally, anyway.
“I’m Cole—”
“Bishop,” Marcus finished for him. “Yeah. I know.”
And he didn’t sound too thrilled about it, either.
Cole’s hackles rose, and the hair on his neck stood on end. What exactly had Tessa told Marcus about him?
It couldn’t be good. He was probably better off not knowing. But it rankled him nevertheless.
Grayson whimpered in protest as Cole’s arm tightened.
“Sorry, little man,” he murmured in the baby’s ear.
“Red? You were saying?” he reminded Tessa. “Why you came over to Cup O’ Jo’s in the first place?”
“Red?” Marcus snorted and burst into laughter, but it instantly died when he was simultaneously punctured by both Cole’s and Tessa’s glares. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender.
“I was over at Emerson’s before I came here,” Tessa explained. “Edward asked me to give you a message.”
Cole relaxed his stance, rocking back on the heels of his boots. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been since Tessa had walked into the café, and all this time it had been about a feed order.
If his day could get messed up this quickly just by the sight and scent of Tessa, he didn’t have a prayer of ever truly settling down and making a life here.
“The feed’s ready?” he offered, hoping to stay within comfortable bounds of conversation.
“All loaded up in your pickup and ready to go.”
He pressed a breath from his lungs. “Thanks for the heads-up. I think poor Grayson here has had about as much doting and loving from the community as he can handle for one day.”
Grayson? Forget the baby. Cole’s head was whirling.
His gaze met Tessa’s, and he could see she was thinking the same thing.
First time out of the chute. No score.
Cole cleared his throat. “Best be getting home. It’s about Gray’s nap time.”
“Right, okay,” Tessa agreed with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I guess Marcus and I will see you later, at the meeting.”
Tessa blended into the crowd, and Cole reached for the handle of the giraffe diaper bag, slipping it onto his shoulder. Even after all these weeks, it still felt odd to him to tote around a bag that was similar to a woman’s purse. Chalk that one up to necessity—diapers, wipes, bottles, pacifiers, toys. He tried to ignore the way the bag tromped all over his masculinity.
“Are you leaving?” Jo bustled up to Cole and reached for his bicep. “Can you wait just one more moment, dear?”
Cole nodded, but he tensed when Jo made a beeline toward Tessa, who was speaking to Dr. Delia and her husband, Zach. Jo linked elbows with Tessa and drew her back in Cole’s direction.
“If I could have a quick word with the two of you?”
What now?
Tension rippled across Cole’s shoulders and down his spine. Jo Spencer was the nicest woman a man could know, but she was also a little bit scheming when it came to matchmaking. She had a bird’s-eye view from her spot behind the counter of Cup O’ Jo’s, and she tended to see what was what—or who should be with whom—far before the rest of Serendipity caught on.
Well, as long as it wasn’t matchmaking, Cole would be all right with whatever Jo had in mind.
“Alexis and I were talkin’ about the upcoming summer barbecue.”
Electricity bolted through him at Jo’s words. His gaze locked with Tessa’s. She looked every bit as shocked as he felt.
Not the June BBQ. Anything but that.
“She