Meant to Be (RightMatch.com Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Kara at the injury. Joe had called Cole’s father, who was only too happy to take Ellie. His dad had left a message that he’d bring Ellie home in an hour. Joey had said they hadn’t called him about the change in plans because they hadn’t wanted to spoil his weekend. His brother also asked how his time with Beth had gone, and all Cole said was “Not so well.”
    So when he arrived at his loft, he headed straight for the music room.
    The space had been specially insulated with an air-filtration system designed to protect his instruments and give him soundproofing. In here, he could strum one of his electric guitars, which hung on the walls, or pound on the piano and even play his sax without disturbing Ellie or his neighbors. His dad had been responsible for his musical background and for his prodigy-like ability to play a variety of instruments.
    Sitting on a stool with his Gibson, staring out at the city through wide, unadorned windows, he began with a mellow tune, which usually cleared his head. But this time, the music didn’t block out what had happened with Beth. She’d kicked him out. Told him to leave and never contact her again. Truthfully, he’d been shocked at the abruptness of her move.…
    “You’re kidding me, right?” he’d responded when she was unable to answer his question about the age difference with Peter. Instead, she’d ordered him to leave.
    “I don’t want to see you again.”
    “You’re lying.”
    She arched a brow. “You’d recognize the signs, I guess.”
    He’d approached her and she stepped back, avoiding him, which cut to the quick.
    Again, he grasped onto her shoulders, and gently. He drew her to him and buried his lips in her hair. “Please, Beth, give us a chance.”
    She didn’t respond, but he felt the tremors begin. Jesus, he’d always been a sap for crying women. She’d begged him to leave, and the wash of tears in her eyes when he’d faced her again had made him agree…
    He did some complicated riffs on the guitar. The upheaval he felt inside abated with the power of the music. He played on until he heard a knock at the door. Glancing at his watch, he realized he’d been at this an hour. “Come in,” he yelled, and his dad entered the room.
    Cole resembled the man, though at sixty-five, Rick Matheson’s thick head of hair had gone completely gray and his shoulders weren’t quite as broad as Cole’s. Encased in a navy golf shirt, they were still big enough to lean on, as Cole had done all his life. “Didn’t go so well with the innkeeper?”
    “How’d you know?”
    “You’re doing this.” He waved to encompass the room, which he knew his father could appreciate. “I could hear some of the notes of a song you play when you’re upset.” He hooked another stool with his leg and sat on it to face Cole. “What happened?”
    “First, where’s Ellie?”
    “She fell asleep in the car and didn’t wake up when I got her out of the seat. She’s safe and sound in her bed.”
    “Thanks for taking her. Kara okay?”
    “Better than Dana, who thinks the accident is her fault.”
    “Hmm. I’ll call her.”
    Crossing his arms over his chest, his dad waited for Cole to begin. Even when he and his brothers were little, Rick’s calm demeanor and ability to stare you down dragged numerous misdeeds out of them.
    So Cole poured the whole sad story out to his father. Sure, he’d lied to his parents a time or two in high school about his fuckups, but not where anything important was concerned. And Rick Matheson had been the one to help him work through whether he really wanted to be a single parent when Johanna got pregnant. Thank God, he had.
    “I knew you were lonely, Cole. But I have to say I’m surprised. You’re so…honest. You have an immense amount of integrity.”
    “I fell victim to loneliness, I guess. And at first, I told myself I wouldn’t let it go on too long. That I’d chat with Beth for a while, then end it. Turns out, I didn’t.”
    His