The Rhythm of My Heart (11 page)

Ruby runs back into the foyer and taps my leg to get my attention. When I look at her, I notice she is holding the rose, and she now has bracelets on her wrists, rings on her hands, and necklaces around her neck.
He bought her jewellery.
I shake my head smiling.

“What? Every little lady needs jewellery, right?” he quips.

“Yes, they do. It’s a lovely gift, Cole. Thank you.”

After cutting the rose down so it would fit in Ruby’s braid, we head out for dinner in my Camaro because it already has Ruby’s car seat in it. The whole evening I watch how attentive Cole is with Ruby. He helps her with her food and wipes her face, and as we leave the diner, its Cole’s hand Ruby holds tightly walking back to the car.

Since it was an early dinner, I bathe Ruby when we get home and settle her in the bed she has here at my house. Cole is leaning against the doorframe watching me tuck her in, and again, I am rendered speechless when Ruby signs his name and extends her arms for a hug. I turn in time to see Cole cross the room and lean down to give her a quick hug. As he pulls back, he touches the tip of her button nose with his finger. “Sweet dreams, little lady,” he whispers even though she can’t hear him.

I watch the scene before me, dumbfounded. Ruby has a hard time letting people she doesn’t know in; however, in the space of a few hours, Cole has managed to weave his way into her little heart.

Walking back to the living room I reach out and grab Cole’s arm. “You have no idea how wonderful it was to see Ruby interact like that with you, Cole. She’s normally so reserved around new people. Thank you for being so attentive and patient with her,” I express sincerely.

Cole moves his hand up to cup my cheek. “She’s a great little girl, Grace. I’m glad we bonded a little because she’s a major part of your life. You love her and I’m really hoping I’ll be part of your life a lot more, too.”

I don’t know what the hell I’ve done to have this man walk into my life; whatever the reason is, I’m extremely grateful. Not only has he made an impact on Ruby, but he’s made an irrevocable impact on me as well. I don’t understand how, in the space of less than two weeks, I can feel this connection we have is meant to be. Everything about him calls to me on some innate and fundamental level. Cole is important. I want and need him to be mine.

“Are you saying you want to make this official, Dr. Tierney?” I ask, holding my breath and praying he says that he does.

He holds my face in his hands while gazing at me with determination in his eyes. “Yes, Grace,” he whispers, and places a swift kiss on my lips. “I want to make this… Make us… official. I want us to be together. And I want us to take each day as it comes and see exactly where this undeniable connection we have is going to lead us.”

My stomach takes flight, my heart swells with overwhelming joy, and the smile on my face is so big it’s making my jaw ache. I grab hold of his shirt and pull him to me, assaulting his lips with a bruising kiss that will leave no doubt in his mind that everything he just said is exactly what I want too.

Cole Tierney is officially mine.

Chapter 12

Cole….

After a seriously heavy make out session where we probably looked like a couple of teenage kids, I ended up leaving Grace for the night with the promise I would cook her dinner at my house tomorrow night.

We’re officially a couple and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. Given our last few encounters and the sexual energy sparking between us, I’m fairly certain tonight I’ll be making Grace mine in every way. The desire and need to be with her is eating me alive, and this hunger needs to be sated.

I spoke to my mom earlier to get meal ideas and you can imagine the exuberant joy she exuded over the phone. Anyone would think I didn’t date… Well actually, I haven’t in quite a while, but when your heart gets trampled on, you aren’t too willing to lay it on the line again too quickly. Mom was happy I had someone new in my life and extended an invitation for Grace to come to a family dinner. After I got off the phone, I headed out to pick up everything I needed to make tonight memorable.

Obviously thinking I couldn’t prepare the meal myself, my mom turns up later in the afternoon to ‘assist’ as she put it. “So tell me more about her. You said her name is Grace, right?” she starts her inquisition. Olivia Tierney is a firecracker; full of energy, love, and an overwhelming need to help others.
Hmmm, kind of sounds like someone else I know.

I stop chopping the vegetables and turn to face my mom. “Yeah, Grace Rivers. She’s beautiful, Mom, but it’s not just her physical beauty that gets to me. She’s honest and good. She has this incredible love for her family and friends and she’s just real. She doesn’t seem to care about material things or about how successful I am. She’s just wonderful.”

Mom is watching me intently, and slowly, a small smirk appears on her lips. “How long have you known each other?’ She curiously asks.

“Ummm… only about two weeks.”

“Hmmm,” is the only response I get.

“What exactly does ‘hmmm’ mean?”

She turns to face me. “Darling, to hear you describe a woman like that, with a light in your eyes that I’ve never seen before and after such a short amount of time… it’s surprising. You never spoke about… well, you know who I’m talking about, but you never spoke about her that way.”

“That’s because Grace is nothing like her at all; she is the complete opposite, actually. I feel like we have this connection already. Does that sound weird?”

“It doesn’t sound weird at all. I knew the minute I met your father he was special. Believe me… Everything happens for a reason, Cole. Sometimes, when you least expect it, the universe and fate align, and you find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be. Don’t doubt your feelings my darling, embrace them.”

I put down the knife and pull my mom in for a hug. “Thanks, Mom. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Anytime, darling, and I expect to meet her soon. Okay?”

We break the hug and get back to preparing dinner. As we work side by side, I realize how lucky I am to have an amazing supportive mom and my heart squeezes knowing Grace has missed out on that for most of her life. I can see my mom and Grace getting along really well.

With Mom finally gone after she set the dining room table for a romantic dinner for two, I quickly go about setting up for the other plans I have for tonight… At least for what I hope will happen the rest of the night.

I take a quick shower, do one last check that everything is in place and that the food is ready; then I put on a play list of Michael Buble, Ed Sheeran, Snow Patrol, and Jack Johnson, to help set the mood with background music. Within minutes, the doorbell chimes and I’m opening the door and taking in the sight of the woman before me. “Hey there, Welcome to my home.”

Grace leans in and kisses me swiftly. “Hi. Mmmmm something smells great, hopefully this wine will complement it.” She hands me a bottle of chardonnay and I close the door. I take her hand and lead her into the kitchen. When she catches sight of the dining setting, she gasps. “What have you done? This is incredibly romantic, Cole,” she says, with a dreamy look in her eyes.

I chuckle and admit, “To be honest, I’m not going to take all the credit. I happened to speak to my mom earlier, and she couldn’t help herself, so she came over and helped with everything.”

“Well, I think I love your mom already,” she laughs.

God, that’s a beautiful sound.
The sound of her laugh hits me straight in the groin, so I need a distraction and fast.

“Dinner is basically ready; I just need to serve it up. Would you like a drink first?”

“Sounds great, but I can get the drinks while you start serving up,” Grace offers.

“The corkscrew is in the second drawer.”

“So what are we having that smells so damn good?” Grace asks, and I hear the cork pop.

“Herbed lamb rack with baked vegetables and greens,” I proudly announce.

Grace’s eyebrows shoot up and she comes sashaying toward me. “Are you trying to impress me with your culinary skills, Dr. Tierney?” she asks seductively. I put the bowl of greens down on the counter. “Is it working, Ms. Rivers?” I retort.

Putting her arms around my neck and smirking at me, she pretends to think. “Well, your mom did help, so I’ll have to deduct points for that; of course, I will need to… Taste it.”

I close the short distance between our mouths until they are only an inch apart. Grace’s tongue peeks out to run a quick wet line across her bottom lip. “And taste it you will, but first—” My reply is cut short as I claim her mouth. The kiss is full of passion and unspoken need. Things are definitely going to progress tonight, but first we need to eat.

When we slowly separate, Grace giggles and winks at me. “Tastes delicious. Is there dessert?”

I shake my head and chuckle. “There’s
plenty
of dessert Grace… After you enjoy this amazing meal.”

As she turns to walk to the table, I can’t help myself. I smack her plump ass. “Hey!” she yelps in surprise and her cheeks redden

“Just keeping you on your toes, Sweet Cheeks.” I wink.

We chat throughout dinner and speak more about our families. Grace is surprised when I tell her about my mom’s invitation for her to come to a family dinner and says she would be happy to meet them. She begins telling me about how Ruby was bubbling with excitement when she showed Charlie her rose and jewellery when he picked her up this morning.

“You’re really wonderful with her, Grace. You’ll make a great mom one day.”
What the hell! Where did that come from?

Grace’s eyes drop to her plate and a sadness creeps over her.

“Hey, what did I say?” I ask immediately concerned with her response to my comment.

She shakes her head slowly “Nothing. It’s just that… motherhood isn’t exactly in the cards for me. I can’t have my own kids, Cole.”

I’m stunned for a moment as I process her statement. “What do you mean? Why can’t you have kids?”

Taking a deep breath and blowing out harshly, she starts. “In my late teens, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries and endometriosis. One on its own is bad enough, but with both, my doctor said it’s extremely unlikely I will ever be able to conceive my own children. Basically, impossible. The odds are stacked against me.”

Not knowing the exact intricacies of both conditions, I implore her. “Surely there’s some treatment you can have. Sam’s an OBGYN as you know, so maybe you could talk to him about it.” I don’t know why I’m so concerned with this, but it seems unfair someone like Grace won’t be blessed with her own children. I, personally, have never thought about having kids before; the times I’ve seen Grace with Ruby lead me to believe she would be an amazing mom.

“It’s fine, Cole. Honestly, I came to terms with it a long time ago. Things happen for a reason,” she states.

That’s twice today I’ve heard that expression, but this time it bothers the hell out of me. I go to reply, but Grace cuts me off.

“I can’t believe I just told you that. Talk about a heavy conversation so early in a relationship. We seem to be making a habit of doing that,” she nervously chuckles.

“You can tell me anything Grace. I want to know these things about you.”