**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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Wynn
"Can I offer you girls anything to drink?" Morgan's mom lilts as she breezes her way through the kitchen of their extravagant family home. The smell of Velveeta shells and cheese wafts through the air, causing me to salivate even though I shouldn't be hungry. I've had enough calories in the form of ice cream to feed an army already.
I've always loved the warmth of the Lawson family dynamic. Anybody is welcome, and everyone that enters is treated as one of their own. While I never expected I'd end up at Morgan's house of all places, I'm certainly glad I came.
"No thank you, ma'am," Colby says, smiling politely as I shake my head in response.
"Well, y'all help yourselves if you change your minds! How's your sweet mama been doin', by the way?" Mrs. Lawson asks smiling warmly, the twang in her accent thick from a lifetime deep in the heart of Texas.
Colby's face immediately falls, her gaze dropping to the grey-washed hardwood. Her pain is unmistakable as she slumps into her seat, and my mind floods with guilt. It took Morgan's mother less than twenty minutes with Colby to check up on her sick mom.
Here I am, her best friend, and it took her mom being rushed to the hospital at the end of the Harvest Festival the other night for me to remember. I called Colby to make sure she was alright, of course, but her situation should have been on my radar long before any emergency happened.
Some best friend I am...
"Hangin' in there," Colby says softly. "She's steadily declining because of the Alzheimer's, but you've just got to make the best of what you've got left, you know?"
"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Mrs. Lawson replies, rubbing Colby's back. "Be brave, and keep that chin up. I know your mama's proud of you."
"Thanks," Colby says brightly, the spark of determination in her eyes. I don't know how she does it.
Colby is living proof that you can make it through the worst life throws your way, if only you have the right attitude. Even now, Tanzie Byers is barely holding onto her mind and her life, though she used to be much like Mrs. Lawson. The early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis rocked the Byers family's world, but B's grace under pressure has been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Her resilience brings my own flaws into sharp relief. In truth, I've handled absolutely everything wrong of late. Colby faces challenges with a remarkable positivity that more people should strive for—including me.
"Don't you girls go staying up all night," Mrs. Lawson continues, patting Colby's shoulders. "Remember you still have school in the morning. Help yourselves to whatever you want, and if you need anything I'll be upstairs." She gives Morgan and me half hugs before turning to dismiss herself.
"Night, Mom," Morgan says before stretching on tiptoe, reaching some bowls for our macaroni snack. She serves each of us a generous helping, seating herself at the kitchen island next to Colby and me. Lana would probably be getting calorie dread sweats just at the sight of the carb load I'm about to pig down, but I feel no shame.
