Cole watched her hesitate and while part of him was satisfied by seeing that, he was also simply waiting for her to take it. He’d chosen this place because it was ‘public’ enough to disarm her but private enough that he could talk to her. Still, the public part accounted for why he was being so gentle, at least at the moment. Had they met in private he may have even chosen this same route. He wasn’t an idiot. Abusive and cruel perhaps but not an idiot. You couldn’t lure an injured animal back to you by being cruel. Kindness, softness and a well manipulated situations would do that, at least in Cole’s case they would.
He had no doubt somehow her family would come into play in all of this. He had plans for that too. After all, there was no actual proof that he was abusive. Yes, her word of course but, who was Sasha compared to Cole? Cole built his life on being an amazing man. Everyone in his social circle loved him as the ‘best friend’, his coworkers got along with him and those that he supervised respected him. Then there was Bellatrix who turned a blind eye to anything he did. Cole was, for all purposes, untouchable.
What could Edgar Bones really do that would not put more strain on himself of his family? Especially when you put up Sasha who by her own actions and behavior looked less than well mentally, while Cole was composed and calm. No. There was no ‘if’ she came back. It was simply a ‘when’ she came back and how he would deal with her and his meddling family once she did.
“Do we?” Cole asked looking at her directly in the eyes. He had no fear of it. His ‘tell’, if he even had one, would not have been a flicker of the face or in his eyes. Cole was a natural liar. “Had you been willing I would have discussed anything with you. If you needed time to think, we could have figured that out too. I love you Sasha.” He said his tone conveying that affection for her. “I want to work things out. I want us to be happy. I want you happy. Had you told me you were unhappy we could have fixed things. I wish you would have come to me instead of running to your family hoping for someone to demonize me to you so you felt better about the decision.”