Page 129 of Cole

“Just because we share DNA doesn’t mean she’ll like me.”

“Kinda like how you don’t like me, Julian,” Benji said.

The silence that followed his comment was painful. Annie’s heart ached for her little brother. Cole had paid more attention to him than Julian ever had.

Julian cleared his throat. “I just think that Jude can be a little intense. Perhaps a friendlier face might be good.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Julian,” Annie spat out when he didn’t bother denying that he didn’t like Benji. “You’re officially uninvited to the skating rink, so that Benji can enjoy the afternoon with people who really do like him.”

She turned to Cole and tried to give him a smile. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with all this.”

“Hey.” He cupped her cheek, his gaze fixed intently on hers. “You have nothing to apologize for. All families have their issues. Benji is lucky to have you for a sister, and I’m also lucky to have you for a girlfriend.”

He leaned forward to brush a soft kiss on her lips, then gave her a gentle smile. The tension eased out of Annie at his words.

“Angelica will probably get one look at the relationships in this family and want to run for the hills,” her dad said.

“I’m finished,” Benji said as he got to his feet. “Please text me when it’s time to go, Annie.”

“Julian, one of these days, you will come to understand that Benji is an innocent in what happened between your mother and I. Just like Elizabeth is. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again and again, until it sinks into your head… there is no one to blame for Jill’s choices except Jill. She could have divorced me and remained as a present mother to you and Annalisa. Instead, she chose to abandon Annalisa, and even you, for a time.”

“It was hard for her to see Annie,” Julian said.

“But that isnotyour sister’s fault. It’s not Elizabeth’s fault. And it most certainly is not Benjamin’s. I will not stand in the way of Jill having a relationship with Angelica, but I will never force Annalisa to have one with her. Your mother made her bed, and now she can lie in it.”

Annie blinked at her dad. This was the first time she’d heard him speak so forcefully about her mother to Julian. It seemed that he was drawing boundaries as their family was faced with a major change.

“I apologize, Cole,” he said, turning to face him. “But if you’re going to date my daughter, you might as well be aware of all the dynamics that exist within her family.”

“Annie has already explained some to me,” Cole said. “And I’m not here to judge any of you. I would just like to be a support for Annie and Benji through this time.”

“I appreciate that,” her dad said.

Annie could see a grudging respect in her dad’s eyes, and she was so glad that she and Cole had made the decision to fight for their relationship.

“Now, you two go and enjoy your afternoon with Cole’s family. I’ll let you know if anything new transpires with Angelica.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Annie pushed her half-eaten plate of food away. Her appetite had vanished. Turning to Cole, she said, “Let’s go find Benji, and maybe he’ll show you our rec complex while I finish getting ready.”

“Sounds interesting,” Cole said as he got to his feet. He nodded to her dad and then Elizabeth. “I’ll see you later.”

He didn’t include Julian in his farewell, and Annie didn’t know if it was because he couldn’t stand him or if he just didn’t want to chance stirring anything up. Either way, Annie wasn’t upset about it.

She only felt bad that her dad and Elizabeth were left to deal with him.

Within the hour, they were on their way to the ice rink. Cole drove the SUV her dad had insisted they take. That particular vehicle had remotely controlled cameras attached to it that could monitor the area while they were inside the rink.

If something suspect popped up on the cameras, they could alert the security at the resort and also dispatch security people from the estate.

She had never been allowed to take the vehicle instead of bodyguards, but her dad had relented since they would be at the resort, which had a security team, and they would be surrounded by Cole’s family. Apparently, it was a controllable enough scenario for her dad and Jude, so they didn’t have to bring any guards with them.

Annie still carried a weapon, however, but she was allowed to keep it in her bag instead of her leg holster.

As soon as they walked into the rink, Annie felt the strain of the last day slip away. No one there knew what was going on, so for a few hours, she was able to put her concerns aside.

Benji appeared to have left his tense exchange with Julian behind as well. He and Amelia stuck close together on the ice as Benji proved that while he wasn’t a figure skater, he could keep up with the girl he liked.

Annie, for her part, was content to slowly skate around the rink hand in hand with Cole. He also proved to be confident onskates, and during certain songs, he had her skate facing him as he guided her around the ice.

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