29. Gwen
The days after the party went far too quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to head back into the city. After we load up and say our goodbyes—which is the hardest part—we get into Cade’s truck and start the drive. Part of me is looking forward to being back home, back in a routine, but there’s just one problem.
Home is no longer a place.
Home is a person. An amazing six-foot-four goalie with dark brown eyes and a backwards hat, and fuck, I love him. Even better is the fact that he loves me, too. So now, what the hell am I going to do when we get back to the city? Do we go our separate ways? Back to our own places?
We can’t.
I’ve slept next to him every single night since we’ve been here, and every single morning I’ve woken up with his arms wrapped around me. How am I supposed to try and sleep without him now that I”ve had that?
Dammit.
“Why are you being so quiet?” Cade asks, one hand on the wheel, the other on my thigh.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, realizing I’ve been zoned out for at least the last fifteen minutes. “I guess it just feels weird going home.”
“What do you mean?” he asks as he reaches over and turns down the radio, the sweet sound of Morgan Wallen playing in the background.
“How can I go home when I don’t know where that even is anymore? The last two weeks I’ve felt more at home than I have in my entire life, and that’s scary. It’s scary because it didn’t matter where we were as long as I was with you.”
My heart is racing, and I feel anxious, all at the thought of going to my empty apartment, alone. What am I? Sixteen? I’m a grown-ass adult.
“What are you saying?” he asks, his grip on my hand tightening.
“I guess I just hate that you’ll be at your place, and I’ll be at mine,” I tell him. “I guess I’m used to sleeping with you.”
The man smirks at me before he starts chuckling. “Aw, Tink. Are you worried you’re going to miss me?”
I just glare, folding my arms. I’m sure I look like a toddler throwing a tantrum but that’s how I feel right now. I don’t want to be away from him.
“I hate you,” I grumble, earning me a throaty laugh.
“No, you don’t, Tink. Which is why, maybe, you don’t go back to your place…” he says, his eyes still on the road. “And… if you do… maybe you don’t go back alone?”
My heart feels like it’s floating, he may not have said the words exactly, but this is the closest to Cade asking me to move in with him that I think I’m going to get, and I’m not even mad about it. I can’t help the shit-eating grin that crosses my face, knowing that this man, this big, beautiful man, loves me.
“Are you asking me to move in with you?” I ask, spelling it out for him, and his cheeks immediately redden. “Cade Williams… are you blushing?”
He glances over, his cheeks still red, but this time, he’s smiling.
“Yes, I’m asking you to move in with me.”
All I can do is smile and nod, immediately excited at the prospect.
“I’ve never lived with anyone besides my family before,” I tell him.
“Me neither, Tink. I guess we can be each other”s firsts.”
Driving into the city,with all the traffic and the constant hustle and bustle around us, is almost depressing. We’ve been in this quiet little bubble for the last two weeks, and although it’s been a little tense at times, and we’ve all had to work through things, it’s also given us the time to realize just how much we mean to each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever known love like what Cade shows me. He makes me feel cared for, seen, and strong in a way that I’ve never felt before. Having Cade on my team makes me feel like I can face the world with a smile. As we pull up to my place, I’m grateful for that because I see my parents stepping out of a town car in front of my building.
“What the heck are they doing here?” I grumble.
“Who’re they?” Cade asks as he pulls up behind them.
We had already planned that we both needed to get home tonight. I need to get ready for work tomorrow and Cade has a follow-up appointment first thing in the morning, so until we figure out our plan for living together—we’ll be separated for at least tonight. It sucks, but it’ll make tomorrow easier for us.
“They are my parents,” I say with a sigh. “Apparently, two world-class surgeons are unable to figure out how a cell phone works. Or just don’t care enough to reach out. The worst part is I absolutely don’t want to see them right now. After the last two weeks with your family… I’m not ready to get asked by my own parents how the hospital is, what my career plans are, or whatever else they want to ask me about work—never about me.”
“That’s frustrating,” Cade says, turning the car off. “As for not wanting to see them, we can always go drop your things off, talk to them for a few, and then head to my place. They don’t need to know we aren’t going anywhere. Besides, if they didn’t give you a heads up when you asked them to, you’re not obligated to spend more time with them than you’d like.”
I look out the window at my parents, who have grabbed one bag each and are now heading inside, and I realize I really don’t want to see them. I’m so frustrated with them that I don’t feel like spending any extra time with them, pretending to be someone I’m not—pretending to be okay with their lack of interest in my life.
Plus, I definitely like the idea of being with Cade tonight.
“Are you sure you don’t mind if I come over?” I ask nervously, not wanting to overstep. Sometimes when you come home from a trip, you just want to be left alone, and I respect that.
“Tink, if I have it my way, you’d come over tonight and never leave,” he says, a smile on his face and sincerity in his eyes, and dammit, I want to say yes.
I don’t care if it’s moving fast. We’ve danced around this for so long, all the while these feelings were building deep inside. They were always there—it just took us a while to come to terms with everything. Moving in with Cade feels right because being away from him is no longer an option.
“Don’t tease me unless you mean it.”
“I mean it.”
“Promise?” I ask.
“Pinky promise,” he says, extending his pinky to me.
“Then I’m in,” I say, wrapping my pinky around his and leaning across the center console to seal it again with a kiss. “Now, let’s go grab some of my stuff and piss off my parents.”
When we get inside my building, my parents are nowhere to be found. After a quick elevator ride to my floor we find my mom knocking nonstop on my door.
“Gwen!” she says loudly. “Your father and I don’t have forever.”
“Um, hi?” I say, surprising both of them. “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t be silly. I told you weeks ago that we were going to visit. Where have you been, I know you didn’t work today.”
I hear Cade scoff behind me, my mother is only shocking the first time you meet her. After that, you sort of come to expect her usual bullshit and the fact that she believes the world actually revolves around her. She’s not a bad person, though, in fact, she’s kind, sweet, and really does love her family a lot. She just doesn’t make time to have a relationship with me, and at this point, she just needs to recognize that.
“No, a month ago, you told me you might come visit, and I specifically asked you to let me know before. As for where I was… that’s not really any of your business. Now, let’s take this inside, I have to get some stuff together, and it’d probably be better to have this conversation somewhere outside of the hallway.”
She looks shocked, but agrees, and we all go inside my place.
“We are busy, Gwen, we don’t always have time to call,” my dad says, settling onto my couch.
“Hello to you, too, dad,” I say. “You’re not the only ones who are busy. You just think that no one else’s lives are as important as your own. It doesn”t make you bad people—I’m just not going to plan my life around people who don’t plan with me.”
When I look at Cade, his lips are turned up, his hand covering his mouth like he’s trying not to laugh. I don’t think either of us expected this from me—I’m just so over their shit.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell them all, and my dad uses this time to turn to Cade.
“Hello… you look familiar, have we met before?” my father asks as I slip into my room.
I don’t take long. I just need to grab my work clothes for tomorrow and a couple of other changes of clothes because everything else is still packed. Standing by my door, I can hear the interaction between my parents and Cade.
“Hello, sir,” Cade says politely. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Cade Williams.”
“Cade Williams? As in the Cyclones goalie?” he asks, a little excitement in his voice.
I’ve never told my parents that I’m friends with a group of the biggest hockey players in New York. But truthfully, my parents have never even asked the name of one of my friends, so I didn’t think they’d care.
“The one and only,” he replies.
“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m a big fan of yours. How do you know my daughter?”
“Thank you, sir. As for how I know your daughter?” Cade says. “I’m her boyfriend.”
The words shouldn’t make me so happy, but they do, and butterflies immediately take flight.
Cade Williams just said he’s my boyfriend in the proudest voice I’ve ever heard, and somehow that has me giddier than his I love you.
Walking out of my room with my bag, I smile when they all look my way.
“You ready to go?” I ask Cade, who just nods.
“Are you telling us we need to leave?” my mom says, a look of bewilderment on her face, like she can’t believe I’d say such a thing.
“Nope, not at all,” I say with a smile. “I’m just letting you know that I am. I have plans with Cade, and had you called to let me know you’d be coming, I could’ve made different arrangements.”
“Well, why can’t you change them since we’re here? We have a busy schedule these next few months and don’t have a lot of time,” my dad pipes in, although I can tell he”s feeling guilty for not calling.
“With all due respect, why should I change my plans with someone who prioritizes me for people who only spend time with me when it’s convenient? I’m not going to bend over backward for you when all I asked for was a heads up,” I say with a sigh. “You are busy, I get that. But I’m done playing second fiddle in your life. It sucks to be constantly reminded that I come after your jobs.”
Looking over at Cade, who has a proud grin on his face, I smile, knowing I probably burned some bridges, but I’m still heading home with him, and that’s enough.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
He nods, looking over at my parents. “It was nice to meet you both,” he says, shaking both of their hands. My parents just nod, both too stunned to speak.
Grabbing the bag of clothes I tossed together, I give them a quick wave before walking out of my apartment.
It’s weird knowing the next time I’m here, it’ll be to move my stuff.