Page 15 of Don’t Leave (Stay #2)

CASSIDY

I gulp down a fresh burst of nerves. “Is it too late to cancel?”

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?”

I slip my slip from his to twist nervously in my lap. “It can’t be something common, otherwise it could get confusing.” I give him a look that says— duh .

“Right,” he drawls, “ That’s the problem with Guggenheim. Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a bit?”

I scrunch my face. “No, not at all.”

Before I can argue further, he holds up his hand. “You know what, Guggenheim it is.”

Surprised that he’s capitulating so easily, I smile. “Really?”

“Yup.” He stretches out the word so that it sounds more like Yuuuuup .

“The last thing I want is for us to have a fight right before we arrive at my parent’s house.

If the afternoon takes a turn for the worst, all you have to do is find a way to work Guggenheim into the conversation.

For example, you could say—Cole just made my Guggenheim feel super good.

Or— would either of you like to see my Guggenheim? It’s freaking gorgeous.”

Even though he doesn’t glance in my direction as he utters those ridiculous sentences, the edges of his mouth twitch in amusement. “Okay? Does that work for you?”

My eyes narrow until they’re practically slits.

“I have two questions for you. One, are you really making fun of me at a time like this?” The closer we get to his house, the more jacked up my nerves become.

“And two,” I tilt my head before asking rather seriously, “you think my Guggenheim is gorgeous?”

He bursts out laughing before his gaze locks briefly on mine. It doesn’t take long for the chuckles to die away as those golden-colored depths heat up. “ Fucking gorgeous . Best Guggenheim I’ve ever seen.”

The edges of my lips lift just a bit.

Well, alright then…

“And later on, I’m going to show you just how much I love your Guggenheim.”

Before I can say anything more, he zips the car into a driveway.

“We’re here.”

I sit frozen in place, studying the house Cole grew up in. It isn’t all that different from my own childhood home. A large, brick two-story with huge white pillars in front. It’s a bit fancier, with maybe more square footage, but aside from that, the architectural style is very similar.

For a moment, I can almost see Cole as a nine or ten-year-old boy, winding up and taking slap shots in the driveway. The image brings a hint of a smile to my lips. I bet he was adorable with his mop of unruly dark hair and golden-brown eyes.

I’m so lost in thought, that it’s a surprise when the passenger side door opens and Cole holds out his hand for me to take hold of.

“You’ll see, it’ll be fine.” He smiles and his dimples flash. Even though I’m nervous, my heart squeezes at the sight of them. God, I love his dimples.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I’m completely head over heels in love with the guy.

Dimples or no dimples.

It’s why I agreed to this. I want to know more about Cole and his family. Meeting them re-solidifies that we’re taking our relationship to the next level.

With a quick intake of air, I place my hand in his and he helps me out of the Mustang. Unwilling to show up at his house empty handed, I grab hold of the small bouquet of wildflowers we picked up at a grocery store on the way over.

Nerves buzz across my skin as I stand behind Cole on the front porch.

He throws open the door and calls out, “Hello?”

A second or two pass as the house remains silent.

Stupid as it sounds, I send up a quick prayer that maybe his parents forgot about us getting together this afternoon and aren’t around.

Just as my hopes begin to rise, they burst into a ball of flames when we hear footsteps trudging up the basement steps.

“Cole?” It’s a man’s voice. “Is that you?”

“Yup, we just got here,” he hollers back as we wait in the foyer.

My gaze darts around the entryway and the living room, which is to the right of us. All the furnishings are elegant and polished to a high shine. There’s a warm, inviting quality that makes it feel like home.

Like outside, I can picture Cole kicking up his feet and watching TV on the couch or making out with his ex-girlfriend…

I shift my attention away from the room as an older man who looks to be about fifty or so, walks into the foyer. A heartfelt smile curves his lips upward and it instantly eases my frazzled nerves as he stretches out a hand for me to shake.

“Hi, you must be Cassidy. It’s nice to meet you. We’re so pleased you were able to join us for dinner.”

He pumps my hand so enthusiastically that I’m unable to stop the small smile from creeping its way across my face. A moment later, he turns to Cole and claps him warmly on the back.

Cole’s gaze darts around before settling on his stepfather. “Where’s mom?” His brows draw together. “Is she here?”

Thomas runs a hand through his thinning gray hair.

“She was called into work about thirty minutes ago. But you know your mother, she had everything prepared ahead of time or we’d be ordering a pizza.

Everything is in the oven and should be ready in an hour or so.

I would imagine that she’ll be back by then as well.

” He waves us into the living room. “Come and sit down. Can I get either of you something to drink?”

Cole takes the flowers from my hand. “Sit down, Thomas. I’ll put these in a vase and grab a couple of waters.”

His stepdad smiles after him as he walks away. Once he’s certain that Cole is in the kitchen, rifling around in the refrigerator, Thomas leans toward me with a mischievous grin as if we’ve been friends for years. Oddly enough, that’s exactly the way it feels.

“Did you two come up with a signal if this dinner looks like its heading south?”

My eyes widen as my mouth tumbles open. “Um, no.” Heat gathers in my cheeks until it feels like I’ll self-combust.

How could he have possibly guessed that?

No…seriously.

“Guggenheim,” Cole yells from the kitchen.

I bury my face in my hands, embarrassed that he just outed me within five minutes of meeting his stepdad.

As soon as we leave, I’m going to kill him.