“She’s not a bad person, even if she wasn’t the best mom. She’s just a trust fund baby who doesn’t know the meaning of the word responsibility. Yeah, I spent more time with babysitters and teachers than I did with her, but at least she made sure I was supervised.And I had a roof over my head and good food on the table. That’s more than a lot of kids can say.”
Cole stalks over to me, his jaw clenched and eyes heated. And damn if it doesn’t feel good to have someone else get riled up in my defense. He pulls me into his arms, and I rest my cheek on his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart soothe me.
“Providing the bare minimum doesn’t excuse her being a shitty mom. She left you in a situation where you had no choice but to depend on yourself. And while it’s not bad to be independent, you shouldn’t feel like that’s your only option.”
“I know,” I mumble into his shirt, allowing myself to be vulnerable in the safety of his arms. “I wish you didn’t have that dinner meeting with your agent tomorrow.”
He latches on to my arms, untangling himself from my hold. “You want me to come to dinner?”
I flush under the intensity of his stare. “Yeah, but you have your meeting. I get it.”
“I’ll reschedule it.”
“You said it was important,” I argue, searching his face for some indication that he’s kidding. It’s about details of his contract, which sounds like a big deal, although I’m only getting the hang of the actual game, so behind-the-scenes stuff is far above my pay grade. “I’ll be fine. Promise. I’ll just get really drunk and hope for the best.”
My blasé act doesn’t fool him. “Do you want me at dinner? Yes or no?”
“Well, yes. But that’s not?—”
“Then I’ll be at dinner.”
It’s overwhelming how inherent it is for him to be there for me. To show up. To strive to make sure that when I say I’m okay, I actually mean it. It’s overwhelming how much he cares. For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like I have to deal with life on my own. And as strange as it is, simply looking at him is like coming up for fresh air after hours underwater.
I’m not sure if it was his throaty laugh or aggravatingly attractive smirk, or maybe his insistence on making himself a part of my life, but somewhere along the way, the spiky walls surrounding my heart opened up just enough to let him in.
Not trusting myself to speak, I simply wrap my arms around his neck and capture his lips in a long, drugging kiss.
We break apart at the sound of Ava cautiously opening my apartment door. “You guys aren’t naked, are you? Because I don’t want to be scarred for life when I walk inside.”
Cole laughs into the crook of my neck. “Will you tell me what the hell sex sheets are later?”
I grin as his throaty chuckle vibrates through me. “Deal. And Cole?”
He lifts his head, his amber eyes locked on mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat.
“Thank you,” I breathe. “I know I could handle tomorrow on my own, but I’m really glad I don’t have to.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
cole
Maya toldme that both Elliott and Ava resemble their respective dads. What she failed to mention was that her looks weren’t passed down from the guy marked “unknown” on her birth certificate. The fair skin, the dark hair that curls at the ends, and the sultry blue eyes? Yeah. All her mother. She’s only just entered the restaurant, but even with a dining room separating us, their copy-and-paste genetics are as clear as day.
Maya digs an elbow into my side, snapping me out of my blatant surprise. “Would you stop checking out my mom?”
“I wasn’t checking her out,” I defend, averting my attention. “You just failed to mention that you look alike.”
“Sorry, was that supposed to make me feel better?”
I place a hand on the back of her neck and squeeze lightly. To say she’s on edge would be a gross understatement. “You’re beautiful. She’s a hag.”
With a light snort, she settles back into the plush chair with a swirling blue design dancing across the fabric. The French restaurant is wildly ostentatious, with its white-clothed tables, massive chandeliers with crystal adornments, and oil paintings of castles in green fields. It’s the kind of place that makes me afraid to touch anything.
“You just said we look alike.”
I hum. “I take it back. While there are similarities, you, my dear, are the fairest of them all.”
Sighing, she intertwines her fingers with mine under the table and rests her head against my arm. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
