Page 71 of Cole

Surely Cole would understand when she finally told him. Wouldn’t he?

The idea of Cole being upset with her over not telling him made her feel sick.

She’d known that not being honest would be a stumbling block to close friendships and relationships. She couldn’t even invite friends like Lexi over for coffee. How would she be able to explain away that she lived on an estate?

Even with Cole, she and Benji had both been vague about where they lived, just like they usually were with people. By the time she realized and accepted that her feelings of attraction were truly reciprocated, she’d already told Cole some half-truths.

Her father set down his knife and fork, giving her his full attention. “The moment Cole brings you further into his world, questions will arise. People will dig.”

She knew that her dad was less concerned about Cole as a person knowing about her than he was the eyes that would turn her way because of her relationship with Cole. Even if Colewould keep her secret, he couldn’t protect her from the scrutiny that would come as a result of their relationship.

He couldn’t hide her the way her father did. And Annie didn’t want to be hidden. She wanted to stand at his side.

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” Annie said, meeting his gaze. “But I deserve the chance to have a relationship. At least you know he’s not with me because of who you are or the money you have.”

Her father sighed, the sound heavy with a mixture of frustration and concern. “I’ve only ever wanted to keep you safe.”

“I know that,” Annie said. “But being safe without being able to live freely isn’t really living at all.”

Something shifted in her father’s expression—a flicker of recognition, perhaps even regret. He reached for his water glass, taking a slow sip before speaking again.

“Tell me more about this gala. Was it as pretentious as I imagine?”

The unexpected change in the direction of their conversation caught Annie off guard. She blinked, then found herself smiling slightly. “Parts of it were. The food was pretty good, though.”

For the next several minutes, Annie recounted the evening—the music, the ridiculous outfit some celebrity wore, how Cole had guided her through conversations with strangers. She carefully omitted the kiss and their deeper conversations, keeping those precious moments to herself, tucked away in her heart.

Her father listened, occasionally asking questions, his demeanor gradually relaxing. By dessert time—a delicate crèmebrûlée that Annie barely touched—the atmosphere had shifted from confrontational to something approaching normal.

She knew the situation wasn’t resolved. Her dad wouldn’t give in so easily. But it felt like he’d really heard her, so she hoped that the next discussion about her choices in life wouldn’t be a repetition of this one.

At some point, Benji and Elizabeth appeared, and the four of them gathered around the table, chatting. Her dad had removed his suit coat, laying it over an empty chair.

People might not believe that her father could be as relaxed as he was in that moment with them. But within the walls of their home—as austere as it might appear—he wasn’t all business.

He could be, if necessary, and he often worked when the rest of them were doing other things. But when they needed his attention, he always gave it freely when he was home.

By the time Annie made her way back to her cabin with Nyla, she still didn’t know what she should do about revealing her family to Cole.

She was scared that because they hadn’t been together long, Cole might find it easy to end the relationship if he decided that dealing with her family was a challenge he didn’t want.

Not being completely honest with Cole didn’t sit well with her, but fear kept her from picking up the phone to call and tell him without hesitation.

She may not have told Cole that she loved him, but she knew that she did. But how did he feel about her?

She assumed there was attraction there on his part—the kisses they’d shared seemed to support that idea—but was there something more?

Annie unlocked and walked into her home, grateful to be away from everyone as she sorted out how she was feeling about everything. She and her dad hadn’t come to a consensus, but he hadn’t forbade her from seeing Cole again.

He had, however, given her plenty to think about, drawing to the forefront of her thoughts the stuff that she’d been ignoring. But now she felt like she needed to confront it all before moving forward with Cole.

After checking that Nyla’s bowls were filled, Annie locked down the house, then went upstairs. Cole would probably call her at some point that evening, though for the first time since they’d started talking, she almost wished he wouldn’t.

The confrontation with her dad had left her drained and more than a little confused about how she wanted things to unfold with Cole. She wished that they could just move forward like a normal couple.

Dates. More kisses. Sharing about their love for each other. Planning a future.

It was possible to get to that point, but there was also the potential for things to fall apart completely before they got there.

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