For a second, Alice thought she was imagining it.
The way the headlights glared against the driveway, the smooth click of high heels on pavement, the faint scent of expensive perfume drifting on the night air.
Eliana Gibson was everything she imagined Alice expected perfectly coiffed hair, a tailored blazer, and a confidence that seemed to fill the space before she even spoke.
Cole's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Eliana."
She offered a faint, polite smile, her gaze flicking briefly to Alice before settling back on Cole. "We need to talk."
She shifted her gaze to Alice again.
Alice moved slightly in her seat, the tension in the air prickling at her skin. She wasn't sure if she should get out, stay in, or just vanish altogether.
---
Cole stepped out of the car, closing the door gently behind him. "It's late. Sophie's not even home."
"This isn't about Sophie; well, not directly," Eliana said, folding her arms. "It's about… her." Her chin tilted toward Alice.
Alice's fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. She took a breath, opened the car door, and stepped out. If this was going to be uncomfortable, she might as well face it standing up.
"I am Alice," she said evenly, her voice calm but polite.
Eliana's eyes swept over her quickly, assessing. "Yes. I gathered."
-----
Cole moved subtly so he stood between them, though Alice couldn't tell if it was to shield her from Eliana's scrutiny or to keep Eliana from saying too much.
"You drove over here this late just to meet her?" Cole asked.
"I drove over because Sophie is involved with her and when I spoke with her last time, she said her name three times on the phone," Eliana replied. "She's talking about her like she's… family."
"That's because Alice has been here for her," Cole said, his voice firm but controlled. "Something you haven't exactly been" He stopped himself, pressing his lips together.
Eliana's jaw tensed. "I'm not here to fight. I just… I need to understand what's going on."
"Understand what's going on where exactly?" Cole asked. " You walked out of our lives to do what catches your fancy. You bluntly stated that you can't tie yourself down and be a mother to our daughter"
"So, why are you here now? What do you want?"
"You don't have to get all defensive, Dearest Cole; I did what I had to do at that time. All I want is my daughter to still see me as her mother." Eliana let it out in a breeze.
Cole made a sarcastic laugh "When have you done anything motherly for Sophie. Or you call the yearly calls 'motherly'?" "Eliana, spare me this drama and fly back to where you flew in from".
---
Alice could feel the invisible line being drawn. The unspoken question in Eliana's eyes. Was she trying to take Sophie away? Was she trying to take Cole away?
"I'm not here to replace you," Alice said quietly, her voice steady. "I care about Sophie. That's all. She deserves to feel safe and loved, and I'm just doing my part while I'm here."
Eliana studied her for a beat too long, as if weighing the truth of her words.
Finally, she gave a small nod. "Good. Because she's my daughter and you can't replace me in her life."
Alice inclined her head in a polite acknowledgment, even as a faint ache twisted in her chest.
---
Cole exhaled slowly, stepping forward. "Eliana, maybe we should finish this another time. It's been a long day."
Eliana hesitated, then pulled a set of car keys from her pocket. "Fine. But, Cole… don't let her get too comfortable." Her eyes flicked to Alice for a brief, sharp moment before she turned back to her car.
"She can get comfortable however she pleases. You have no right to detect what happens in my home and life" Cole screamed the words at her as she walked back to her car.
The sound of the engine starting seemed to echo louder than it should in the still of the night.
When she drove away, Cole turned back to Alice.
"I am sorry," he said, running a hand over his face. "She's… complicated."
Alice's lips lifted faintly. "Most exes are." This she said with meaning.
---
They stood there for a moment, the silence stretching not awkward, but heavy with things neither of them was quite ready to say.
"You handled that well," Cole murmured with a smile.
"I wasn't sure if I did," she admitted. "But I wasn't going to let her think I'm here for anything other than Sophie."
Cole's gaze lingered on her, something unspoken in his eyes. "And what if you're here for more than Sophie?"
The question caught her off guard, her breath hitching just slightly.
"I think," she said slowly, "that's the part I'm still figuring out."
---
They walked inside the lift leading to the penthouse, the quiet hum of the house greeting them. Cole shut the door, and for the first time that night, Alice felt the weight in her shoulders ease, just a little.
"I am crashing here yet again". This is becoming a habit." Alice thought to herself.
Cole noticed she was deep in thought had to ask her if she was having second thoughts about spending the night.
" Yes, maybe I should just leave since Sophie is not here"
"Oh! Come on Alice. I also enjoy your company a little too much. Please, stay"
"Alright, I will stay"
But she couldn't shake the way Eliana had looked at her. The warning in her voice.
She wasn't here to take over as Sophie's mum. She wasn't here to cross a line.
At least… that's what she keeps telling herself.
Her stand and feelings on all this have not been settled. Past hurt and her fear of trusting again keep staring at her. But, being with Cole this past week has started to grow on her.
But as she watched Cole move through the living room, his shoulders broad under the dim lamplight, the tired lines in his face softening when he glanced at her.
She wondered if maybe the line had already been crossed.