Why am I like this was all Noelle could think to herself. A handsome man pays a little attention to a woman and her child and suddenly she's looking at a future with him. Noelle had to chastise herself for being so weird and so terribly awkward. She was certain Cole Kingston probably had millions of women swooning over him so what was one more? He probably couldn't care less to have one more woman swooning. For all she knew, he could also be taken. To top if off, he was older than her. A decade at least. She started mentally listing so many reasons why she should stop pretending there was a connection between her and this man who seemed to consume everything around her, mentally and physically. How sad and desperate must she have come off in his eyes? This single mother of average looks thinking a happily ever after with someone like him was possible seemed almost comical.

The looks on her brother and sister in law's face when Cole went back to talking to them was priceless though. It was as if they were speaking to royalty. Noelle would have rolled her eyes at them if he hadn't affected her as well. The moment he saddled up next to her and Jacob to speak to them together, she was practically a puddle. He was effortlessly charming and considerate and he smelled incredible. It was a savory, spicy, and masculine scent. She could probably collect his aroma in jars and sell it for a pretty penny.

She was trying to pay attention to the conversation but him being near her had all of her senses in overdrive and unable to focus on a singular thing. Jacob, however, was in heaven. He was hanging on to everything Cole was saying to his Uncle Max. He even included Jacob in the conversation and she could see how it brightened her little boy. She loved that her boy was a naturally kind soul. He always glowed when he received attention and even though he didn't force himself into it, he easily captured it. Noelle could cry at how happy her little boy looked. However, she didn't want Cole to see her overpowered with emotions again.

The moment she realized Cole Kingston was also the Santa Claus that had to listen to her son ask for a dad, she tried to get away to her car as fast as she could. She sighed to herself in defeat when she heard his heavy footsteps following behind and realized he was keeping his word of walking them to her car. For a split second, she thought maybe it was just for show, but she soon sensed how authentic he was in his actions. It rattled her even more and she needed to do something to get back in control of herself and her feelings. The sooner we are away from here, the sooner we can get back to our normal she thought to herself. However, the thought of leaving made her feel a sense of loneliness. It was a rather absurd thing to feel, yet she couldn't shake it. Sure, she sometimes felt a tinge of loneliness, but they were fleeting feelings. They never lasted especially when her boy was around to lift her spirits. She could only hope once she had space from this place she could lose the feeling.

"Shoot me an email with more information. I'd love to get in on something like that." Cole's words snapped her out of her internal battle and she realized her brother and him had been talking for a couple minutes. She noticed her sister in law wasn't even on the screen with them anymore. Noelle just knew she'd be interrogated by her the next time they saw one another.

She was curious what they were discussing while she zoned out and tried to put some of the pieces together with their current conversation. With her brother being in real estate as well as a technical consultant, it could be a handful of things. Something inside her warmed at the thought of Cole being around her and her family beyond this moment. She couldn't help but enjoy the feeling event though the logical part of her head was screaming at her not to.

The giant football player and her brother swapped contact information and Cole once again invited him to visit the farm at anytime. It was almost cute, these two guys connecting and being so friendly with one another, but it was also making a tiny part of her envious. Knowing the thought was silly she squashed the feelings down and listened to their conversation come to an end. When Cole handed her phone back to her, their fingers touched again and she couldn't ignore the zing that went straight up her arm. Yup, she'd lost it completely. Everything about the day had certainly caused her to lose her mind once and for all.

Cole then crouched down low, comically low for someone of his stature, and spoke to Jacob directly. "It was really nice meeting you Jacob. I hope you had a fun time here and I'm glad I met you." Anyone with a heart could admire that. If someone took the time to speak to a child at eye level, they'd already gained a ton of respect in Noelle's book. Just great she internally rolled her eyes. All she needed was more things about Cole to check on the 'pro' side. They really had to get out of here before she did something to make a bigger fool of herself.

Jacob, being a child who wasn't aware of most social norms did what he always does when he's with family and friends. He walked into a hug. Jacob was fast on the act and practically launched himself at Cole who was lucky to have cat like reflexes and caught him. The look of shock followed by a chuckle and then a matching embrace passed through Cole. Once again, Noelle's eyes began to water and this time a rogue tear made an escape. She blamed it on hormones, but even she knew better than that.

She was most definitely crushing on Santa Cole.