**Completed** Cole Galloway has always had just enough of an ego to believe that the women falling at his feet were deserved. With an abundance of charm and looks to die for, who wouldn't want him?
Wynona Caldwell. That's who.
When Cole sets his s...
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Above, the Caldwell crew: Camille, Zach, James, Wynona, and a very brave and bold Cole :)
Cole
This shouldn't be awkward at all.
Right.
Next to me, Wynona sighs. I sense her impatience growing by the second, which can only serve to further inflame an already tense situation. Across the table, Zach shifts uncomfortably as James and Camille Caldwell take their sweet time absorbing my presence.
My holding her hand should be a dead giveaway that there's something more than friendship going on between the two of us, but maybe that's a proposition too overwhelming for them in light of who my father is.
Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be able to overcome the idiocy of this decade's old feud.
"Well, don't just stand there," Camille says, ending the lengthy silence. "Come and join us."
I pull out a chair for Wynn, seating her next to her mother, and then head to the end of the table where I sit between Wynn and her brother. Opposite me, I notice that James can't be bothered to participate in the strained exchange, choosing to top off his glass of wine and retreat into the solace his phone offers.
"What a delight to have you here tonight, Cole," Camille lilts, her fingers methodically drumming over the white linen tablecloth as she observes us. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Umm..."
How eloquent. Damn.
This is far from the impression I had hoped to make. I came here wanting to prove that I could be man enough to handle our circumstances, to honor and love their daughter. Instead, her father won't even acknowledge me, and her mother's making me so nervous that I can't seem to form coherent sentences.
Wynona reaches for my hand, linking her fingers with mine and giving an encouraging squeeze. She smiles shyly, her eyes meeting my own, and I'm filled with immediate peace— her touch a simple and welcome reminder that I don't have to do everything on my own anymore.
We've got this.
Our contact isn't lost on Camille, however, who raises an eyebrow at our joined hands resting on the table. She scoffs, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "I'm putting two and two together, I believe. Something tells me that you wouldn't have been so insistent on meeting tonight if you were merely introducing us to your boyfriend."
"Go ahead, Mom," Wynn challenges. "Since you seem to know everything."
Oh, hell.
I watch my girlfriend, filled with defiant fire and fury as she takes on her mother in a cryptic battle of wills. She's beautiful— and a bit crazy. Still, I'm left dumbfounded by the silent struggle between them.
