“Angie,” Cole said as he shook her arm. “You need to wake up.”
“Five more minutes,” she mumbled. He was about to try again when he felt Angie’s arm tighten. Cole knew she was suddenly and fully awake. She was now realizing that what happened last night was real and not a fantasy.
“Your mom is calling,” he told her.
Angie reached for the blanket and dragged it up to her chin. “Ignore it.”
“She’s been calling. You know how worried she gets when you don’t answer.” He knew how this would play out and he liked how it never varied, even when her mother was angry with Angie. “If you don’t answer, she’ll make your dad call. And then your brothers.”
“I’ll call her back later,” Angie said as she curled deeper into her pillow.
“If you don’t answer it, I will.” And he knew the havoc that would cause.
Angie bolted up and grabbed the phone. She glared at him while she carefully wound the blanket around her body. “Hey, Mom,” she said, her voice rough from sleep. “Can I call you back?”
He knew that wasn’t going to happen. Cole smiled when he heard Angie’s sigh as she tucked the phone more comfortably next to her ear. He hadn’t been around the Lawson household for a year, but he still understood the natural rhythms and the rules they lived by. The close ties and predictability drove Angie crazy, but he had secretly yearned for it.
He didn’t idealize Angie’s family. The Lawsons were loud and they didn’t always get along, but the family offered solid support for each other. That was something he didn’t have when he was growing up but he got it from the Lawsons. They had included him in their family with such speed that it had embarrassed Angie and it had made him nervous. He saw it as a privilege and a gift, but unlike Angie and her brothers, it was not given to him unconditionally.
Cole lay back down and got an unobstructed view of her strong and naked back. He was about to reach out and stroke his fingers down her spine when he noticed how she stiffened. It was as if Angie were on guard and sensing danger.
“Yes,” she said tightly. “Cole is my date for the wedding. How did you know?”
Cole’s chuckle was rewarded with the sharp swipe of her hand gesturing him to remain quiet. He didn’t think it was necessary. When was Angie going to learn that she could not hide anything from her mother?
“No,” she said firmly to her mother, “it doesn’t mean anything.... No, it doesn’t. I needed a date to the wedding and Cole was available.”
He found it interesting that she wasn’t telling her mother the real reason. But he also refused to think that this meant something. Did she worry that they had taken the pretense too far? He would prove to her that this was very real.
“No, there is nothing to discuss.... He’s just returning a favor. No, you are not inviting him over for the family dinner. Mom...Mom?” She huffed and waved her hand in the air in surrender. “I give up. Do what you want. I have to go. ’Bye.”
“I don’t remember you being this grumpy in the morning,” Cole said as he watched her end the call and toss the cell phone back onto the bedside table.
Angie tucked her knees to her chest. “If she calls you over for the Sunday dinner, don’t accept.”
“But I love those dinners,” he teased. It had taken a while for him to get used to the chaotic meals and lively arguments with Angie’s dad and brothers. They were casual, fun, and he felt like he was part of the family.
Angie reached over the bed and yanked her discarded camisole from the floor. “Do you really want to be interrogated by my mother?”
“I survived the first time.” He laced his hands beneath his head and smiled with pride. “In fact, I passed with flying colors. She said I was a keeper.” That casual comment had meant a lot to him.
“She is so embarrassing,” Angie muttered as she put on her top. “I know you think she’s adorable, but that’s probably because you miss having your mother around.”
Cole wasn’t paying attention anymore. Angie’s voice faded as she pulled on her clothes while listing the reasons why her mother drove her crazy. His heart began to thump and dread twisted his stomach. Cole battled back the nauseating fear. If he were going to stop holding back and start sharing, he had to do it now.
He looked down at the bedsheet. “I have a mother.”
Angie stopped moving and stared at him. “I’m sorry, what?”