[COLE]
Eve's eyes shimmered. "I'm sorry too," she whispered. "I should've told you sooner. I was just . . . overwhelmed. I didn't even know how to process my own emotions, let alone share them with you."
Cole shook his head. "It's okay. I'm here now. That's all that matters. And I'm never leaving again. Even if you push me away a hundred more times, I'll still come back. I'll fight for you. For both of you."
Eve looked at him—really looked at him—for the first time in a long while. He was no longer the cold, ruthless heir of the Fay name.
There was vulnerability in his eyes. A sincerity that wasn't there before. A man stripped of pride, of ego—just a father, just a man who loved her still.
She blinked, and a laugh escaped her lips.
"What?" Cole asked, slightly alarmed.
"You're a mess," she said, grinning through her own tears. "You're crying all over Bean's hair."
He sniffled. "It's manly crying. Besides, he needs to know he has a dad here."
