by Sarah Bailey
“Was Mum not there?”
“No, but I wish she was, then I might not have had Xav explaining the ins and outs in such graphic detail.”
I could well imagine. It made my experience seem tame in comparison.
“Your parents are an interesting bunch,” Meredith said, grinning.
Reaching up, I stroked her cheek. The way her eyes lit up when she smiled made my chest tighten.
“You can say that again,” Raphi muttered.
I didn’t want her to find out about my parent’s past. Meredith didn’t deserve to get dragged into that shit after everything she’d already been through.
“You mind staying here whilst I go to talk to my mum?”
Clearing the air with her sooner rather than later would be best. I didn’t think leaving it would do me any favours.
“Yeah, okay.”
I kissed her before getting up and ambling away towards the kitchen, pausing before I reached the doorway when I heard voices.
“I just don’t see why you’re so upset about it,” came Quinn’s deep voice.
“He’s my baby and she’s two years older than him,” Mum said.
“And that’s a problem?”
“I don’t want anyone taking advantage of him.”
I clenched my fists. What the hell kind of opinion had she formed of Meredith?
“If you think anyone could take advantage of Cole, then you clearly don’t know your own son very well.”
“She didn’t pursue him,” Dad murmured. “This is very much Cole’s doing.”
“And how would you know that?”
I heard Quinn scoff.
“Did you forget this one spends his whole time watching instead of talking?”
“How long have you known about this?”
I took another step towards the kitchen, unsure whether I should interrupt them or not. Eavesdropping wasn’t exactly my style, but they were talking about me and Meredith.
“A couple of weeks. He told me when I asked him about it,” Dad replied.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He asked me not to.”
“We’re supposed to be in this together, Ror. You can’t keep secrets from me.”
“If I told you, I’d have betrayed his trust, little star.”
“That’s hardly the point.”
I needed to put a stop to this conversation.
“I think it’s very much the point, little girl. Do you want Cole to think he can’t come to any of us? If you don’t let him live his life, then you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment,” Quinn said.
I did trust my parents with my secrets, but I hadn’t been prepared to break a promise to Meredith by telling them about her.
“Oh yes, because you’re going to win parenting award of the year with the way you behaved when Rora got involved with Logan.”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different, Quinn?”
“Cole can take care of himself.”
Mum had to be rolling her eyes right now.
“Rora can handle herself, you saw to that. Take your own advice for once in your life.”
“You’ve clearly forgotten how he treated her. If that boy ever goes near our daughter again, I will kill him.”
I walked into the kitchen with a raised eyebrow.
“Can I talk to you, Mum?”
The three of them whipped their heads around. Dad’s lip twitched. He knew I’d heard them. Quinn crossed his arms over his chest and Mum’s cheeks flushed.
“Of course.” She turned to Quinn and pointed at a saucepan on the stove. “Make sure this doesn’t boil over.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
Mum came over and the two of us retreated into the dining room. I leant against the table, trying to think of what I could say to make this better.
“Are you upset about me having a girlfriend?”
She took a step towards me.
“No.”
“You seem upset.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt.”
I gripped the edges of the table. Meredith wouldn’t hurt me. Underneath those walls she put up, she was sweet and kind. The girl was my fucking sun.
“What is your problem with Meredith?”
Her blue eyes softened and she took another step towards me.
“I don’t have a problem with her.”
“So you don’t think she’s going to take advantage of me because she’s older?”
She put a hand on my arm, her expression falling.
“You overhead us.”
“You weren’t exactly being quiet.”
“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have been discussing you like that. I just worry, Cole, you’re only sixteen.”
I hated how everyone used my age against me. It drove me fucking crazy.
“I really wish you would stop treating me like a baby, Mum. And for your information, I promised Meredith I wouldn’t tell anyone about us. I don’t think telling my mother constitutes a reason to break my girlfriend’s trust.”
She reached up and cupped my cheek. Her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil and made me feel horrible for pushing her away all the time.
“I know I can be terribly overbearing and protective. I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t be anything like… the man who raised me with my own children. After everything we went through, I know the value of family and how important it is to make sure nothing happens to the ones I love.”
She stroked a thumb down my cheek.
“You are especially important to me, Cole. Ror giving me you was a gift I never imagined I’d receive. Not after everything he went through. That’s not to say I don’t love your brothers and sister just as much. You’re all equally precious to me. I want you to know my concerns come from a place of love.”
My heart ached. They’d told me about my father’s childhood and it hurt worse than I could ever imagine. Yet, he’d found happiness in my mother and our family had stuck together through thick and thin.
“I want you to be happy and if she makes you happy, then that’s all that really matters.”
I let her wrap her arms around me and hold me tight.
“She does, Mum. She’s the only girl I’ve ever wanted.” Do I admit the truth to her? Will she understand? “It’s been her since I was eleven… it will always be her.”
She pulled back and smiled.
“That long, hey?”
I nodded, feeling my face growing hot.
“Well, I look forward to getting to know her. Why don’t you invite her to Sunday dinner? Grandpa’s bringing Lily.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea with Grandma coming too?”
“Yes, well… that can’t really be helped.”
I snorted. Grandma couldn’t stand Lily. Grandpa had met her twelve years ago and they’d got married a few years later. I think Grandma hated how we’d all taken to Lily like a duck to water. Not to mention the way Grandpa doted on his wife.
“Fine, I’ll ask Meredith.”
Mum stepped back, giving me a smile.
“Good. Now, I best go finish dinner before Quinn burns the place down.”
I shook my head as I watched her retreat into the kitchen. At least I’d cleared the air with her. And I had to hope she’d do what she said and get to know my girlfriend. A girlfriend I should really be getting back to.
I smiled as I walked out into the hallway. Perhaps Meredith would enjoy the shitshow that was family Sunday dinners with my grandparents. The monthly gatherings were never dull. I wondered what type of madness would ensue this time. And I could only hope it didn’t make my girlfriend want to run far, far away from us.
Chapter Twenty
I knocked on Cole’s front door and wiped down my sweaty palms on my skirt. Checking myself over one last time,
I hoped I’d dressed appropriately for Sunday dinner with my boyfriend’s entire family. When Cole asked me to attend, I’d been more than a little apprehensive. He told me it would go some way to reassuring his mum we were serious about each other.
The door opened, revealing Raphi’s dad, Eric, on the threshold.
“Hello, Meredith. Come in.”
“Hi, Eric.”
He gave me a smile as he stepped back and let me walk into the house. I shrugged off my coat and he hung it up.
“Nervous?”
I gave him a weak smile.
“It’s not like I haven’t met you before.”
He led me into the living room where Duke, Aurora and Raphi were with Xav, Rory, Quinn and two people I didn’t know.
“I’ll go turf Cole out of his room,” Eric murmured before disappearing.
Raphi got up and came over to me.
“Since grumpy isn’t here, I’ll introduce you.”
He pulled me over towards the older gentleman with blonde hair and blue eyes and the lady with beautiful dark straight hair flowing down her back and glasses standing next to him. They were both dressed impeccably, making me feel a little inadequate in comparison.
“Grandpa, this is Cole’s girlfriend. Meredith, this is Viktor.”
The older man reached out and took my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. I felt my face growing hot.
“This is my wife, Lily,” came the accent tones of Cole’s grandfather.
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
“The pleasure is all ours, I assure you.”
I put my hand out to Lily, but she batted it away and gave me a hug instead.
“You are stunning. Cole is a very lucky boy.”
I bit my lip, my face feeling as though it was on fire as she let me go. Lily’s expression was so kind and open.
An arm curled around my waist, tugging me against a solid body next to me. I looked up, finding Cole staring down at me with happiness blooming in his hazel eyes. He leant down and kissed my cheek.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.
I wanted to hide away from all the compliments. I wasn’t used to them. At all.
“Thank you.”
The doorbell went and someone behind us stepped out of the room. Cole looked around before his expression turned grim.
“That’ll be Grandma.”
Raphi raised an eyebrow.
“Well, this will be fun,” he muttered.
I looked between the two of them, wondering what that meant. Cole hadn’t mentioned anything about his grandparents to me.
A minute later a woman bustled in with greying blonde hair and Eric trailing after her. She looked exactly like Cole’s mother, except older and far more put together. Not that Ash wasn’t, it’s just Cole’s grandmother had an air of superiority surrounding her.
Duke and Aurora got up and were embraced before the woman came over to us. Her eyes fell on Lily and Viktor, narrowing to slits.
“Afternoon,” she gritted out.
“Isabella,” Viktor nodded with a neutral expression on his face.
I stared at Cole, whose eyes were on his grandmother. The next moment, she looked at us, her eyes softening. Reaching up, she squished his cheek with her fingers. That made him scowl, but he didn’t bat her hand away.
“And how is my littlest grandson?”
Cole wasn’t exactly little, so I wondered at that. It seemed his mother wasn’t the only one who treated him like he was still the baby.
“Fine, Grandma.”
Her eyes fell on me.
“And who is this?”
“My girlfriend, Meredith.”
His grandmother stepped forward and gave me two air-kisses. I stood there, unsure of what the hell to do or say.
“Charmed. You may call me Bella.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I mumbled.
Isabella moved onto Raphi, and Cole drew me away towards the window.
“You’re about to witness my family at their worst,” he whispered as he leant closer.
“I am?”
“Grandma doesn’t like Lily, be prepared for scathing remarks.”
I watched as Isabella said hello to Cole’s dads one by one.
“Why the family meals then?”
“Mum likes to see her dad regularly, but if she didn’t invite Grandma, then there would be more trouble. Trust me, it’s really not worth the hassle.”
I nodded as Ash came in and hustled over to her father, embracing him, followed by Lily. Her mother’s eyes narrowed again. I could see what Cole meant. There were clearly jealousy issues going on.
“Lunch is ready, everyone,” Ash said as she pulled away from Lily.
Everyone moved towards the dining room whilst Ash said hello to Isabella. Cole took my hand and pulled me along towards where the table was filling up. It was just as well they had a huge dining table so they could fit everyone around it. I sat in between Cole and Rory, which had my nerves spiking.
Food was passed around and the general chatter soon became deafening. I didn’t bother attempting to listen to the various conversations going on. Cole wasn’t either. He placed his hand on my leg, giving it a squeeze as he eyed me.
“Suppose you don’t have big gatherings like this,” he murmured.
“Never. It’s just me, Grandma, Mum and Jonah.”
I tried not to flinch at mentioning my brother. He’d called me yesterday. I had to be very careful about what I said to him. Jonah could read me like the back of his hand. Our closeness combined with his sensitivity to emotions made it impossible for me to keep many things from him. He’d be coming home in a few weeks for half term, something I was dreading. I was in no doubt he’d get it out of me that I was dating Cole and then things would fall apart.
“We take some getting used to,” Rory said, glancing over at me.
“I can see that.”
He smiled, which put me at ease.
“You didn’t tell me Cole had a girlfriend,” Cole’s grandmother’s voice filtered through the noise.
She sat in between Ash and Duke, who didn’t look like he wanted to be there at all.
“I didn’t have time, Mum,” Ash said.
“Oh, and I suppose you had time to tell your father.”
“No, I didn’t tell him either.”
Isabella looked sceptical. Cole’s hand on my leg tightened.
“Well, are you going to tell me about her?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Cole muttered.
“What do you want to know, Mum?” Ash asked, her lips thinning.
“Why, everything.”
I wanted to shrink back in my seat. When I’d been here on Tuesday, Ash had made an effort to talk to me over dinner, asking all sorts of questions. I hadn’t minded since Cole told me she only wanted to get to know me. This was different. Being talked about didn’t sit well with me.
“Well, she’s in sixth form with Raphi—” Ash started.
Isabella’s eyebrows shot up.
“Excuse me? She’s Raphi’s age?”
“She’s eighteen.”
“And you’re allowing your son to date someone older than him?”
“Like you can say anything, Mum. You had an affair with Dad and he’s younger than you.”
“That’s different, we were adults. Cole is still a child.”
Cole stiffened next to me. I was well aware he hated people treating him like a kid.
“I’m not going to tell my son who he can and can’t date.”
“Cole doesn’t let anyone tell him what to do,” Duke said, eying his grandmother with a smirk. “Don’t you know your own grandson?”
Isabella turned to Duke, a scowl appearing on her face.
“Of course, I know my own grandson. You need to mind your own business, young man.”
Duke nudged Isabella’s arm with his.
“W
hatever, Grandma, lighten up a bit, eh? Meredith’s a solid girl.”
Isabella’s face fell further.
“Here we go,” Cole snorted next to me.
“Did you hear what your son just said to me?” Isabella ground out through her teeth.
“I did,” Ash replied.
This was like watching a car crash. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at the way Duke rolled his eyes and ignored his grandmother’s pointed stare.
“And are you not going to do anything about it?”
“No.”
Cole’s shoulders shook next to me.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised considering which one of your men his father is.”
Ash’s face fell and her mouth thinned into a hard line.
“Leave Xav out of this.”
“He never takes anything seriously.”
“I’m warning you, don’t start on him. I won’t have it. He took raising Duke very seriously and is a wonderful father, so just don’t.”
I leant closer to Cole, wondering if this was a normal occurrence.
“Is she always this protective?”
“Pretty much. Grandma is always going off on one about someone in our family. Last time she got annoyed with Quinn and that almost turned into a screaming match between her and Mum.”
I dreaded to think what that would be like. After seeing this, I could well imagine what kind of madness ensued in Cole’s family.
“Sounds like this is a tame Sunday lunch then.”
“You could say that. Are you okay or are we scaring you off?”
I smiled and reached up, running my fingers through his hair.
“No… I like how close you all are.”
Cole leant closer, turning his head towards me. His hazel eyes were full of affection. I momentarily forgot we were with his family. The way he looked at me made my heart swell. This boy was absolutely beautiful. And he was mine.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he murmured.
“Like what?”
“Like you want me to kiss you.”
“Maybe I do.”
Cole’s lips curved up.
“And get told off by Grandma for PDA at the table… well, that might be worth it.”
His words made me drop my hand from his hair and straighten in my seat. No way in hell I wanted to make a poor impression on his grandmother after what she said. Cole’s grin widened and he turned back to his own food.