Page 34 of Don't Leave
Cole squeezes my hand as his gaze darts to mine in the close confines of his Mustang.
His eyes fill with humor. “You don’t have anything to worry about. They’re going to love you.” He gives me another squeeze as if that alone is enough to reassure me.
It’s not.
“I promise,” he adds.
I nibble my lower lip before blurting, “And what if they don’t?”
At the moment, all I can imagine is his mom and stepdad hating me. Jackie’s admittance about having lunch with Cole’s mother snakes its way through my head before nesting in a place that is impossible to evict it from. She’s probably hoping her son will get back together with his high school girlfriend.
Are Jackie and his mother are still close?
The question gnaws away at me.
Unaware of the dark thoughts swirling through my head, Cole says, “Then I’ll probably end up dumping you.”
My wide gaze swings to his. A smile simmers across his face and it takes a moment to realize he’s joking. “That sounds about right,” I mutter.
His voice drops. “You know I’m kidding, right?”
He shakes his head as if I’m making a big deal out of nothing. Here’s the thing—I’ve never met a guy’s parents before. This is a new and scary situation. Add in an ex-girlfriend who his family probably adored, and disaster feels imminent.
One of my dark brows lifts. “Are you?” A drop of acid seeps into my tone. I hate that all my insecurities have a massive case of bitchiness flaring up within me.
“Of course, I am. I like you way too much to cut you loose at this point.” His twinkling gaze flickers to mine before he winks. “You’re mine, Cassidy Jameson. And I won’t be letting you go anytime soon.”
He flashes his dimples, knowing that they’ll melt my heart and soften my disposition.
“You’re only saying that because you’re addicted to the sex,” I say with a smirk.
“Hell yeah,” he cuts into the whirl of my thoughts with a low rumble. “It’s damn good sex. Totally hot.”
I can’t resist punching him in the bicep. Although, not very hard because he’s right. Sex with Cole is scorching hot. If given the choice, I’d much rather be in bed with him than meeting his parents for the first time.
“Hey, I’m driving over here.” He drags my hand back onto his lap where he holds it securely. “Everything will be fine. My mom has been dying to meet you for weeks now. And if I don’t bring you home soon, she’ll randomly pop over on a weekend morning.” He arches a brow before glancing at me. “Does that really sound like a good idea to you?”
Since I’ve been spending most of the weekends crashing at Cole’s place, it sounds like a terrible idea.
“No,” I mutter. “I guess this is a better alternative.” But that doesn’t make me any less nervous. Even if Cole doesn’t realize it, Jackie feels like a specter sitting between us.
Unaware of my thoughts, he brings my hand to his lips before brushing a soft kiss against my knuckles. “Definitely better. Plus, Mom’s a great cook. No matter how the afternoon turns out, at least you’ll get an awesome homecooked meal out of it.”
That doesn’t necessarily make me feel better. “Super comforting. Thanks for that.”
“I’m just teasing. You’ll see, everything will be fine.”
Unfortunately, my brain is spinning with all the ways this afternoon could go up in a burst of flames. There are so many ways…
“Maybe we need to have a code word in case I want to leave early.”
A grin slides across his face. “Seriously? A code word? What are we, like twelve?” He shakes his head as if I’m crazy.
The more I turn the idea over in my head, the more I like it. It makes me feel less anxious to know that if I need an out, I have one. Kind of like an escape hatch.
“How about…Guggenheim.”
He busts out laughing. “Guggenheim? Really?”
