31. Cade
If you’d have asked me last year if I’d be sitting around the dining room table at my house with all of my friends, I’d have told you to lay off the drugs. But here we are, a homemade lasagna completely eaten, empty wine bottles all over the table, and so much laughter it’s hard to imagine I’m in my own home.
Gwen gets up from her spot next to me to grab another wine opener and when she returns, I slip a finger through her belt loop and tug. She falls into me, landing in my lap with a laugh. “What was that?” she asks, her eyes playful.
“I want a kiss,” I growl, sliding my fingers through her dark hair, I pull her into me until her lips are on mine. What I expect to be a quick, chaste kiss, quickly changes when she moves her tongue along my lips.
“God, is this what we were like when we first got together?” Rex groans.
Gwen pulls back, a big grin on her face as she turns to look at everyone, still sitting in my lap.
“No, you were worse.” Cassie smirks.
“Did we make out in a room with all of you?” he asks.
“Yes,” Max deadpans. “You also didn’t care who was in the office with you… when you did other things. Talk about traumatizing,” he says with a fake gag that has everyone laughing.
“Wish I could say I felt bad, little brother,” Sawyer says with a smirk as she turns to look at Rex, probably remembering when she hid under his desk while he talked to Max… entertaining herself with the only toys available—his cock.
“Oh well,” Max says, slipping his arm around Cassie and pulling her in close. “You got your karma when I fucked your best friend, so I guess we’re even.”
The two of them are always giving each other shit, but I guess that’s what happens when one sibling fucks his sister’s best friend and the other fucks her brother’s coach. At least there are no awkward introductions at Christmas.
“Did I tell you all that Sawyer and I are going to take a trip next weekend?”
“Really?” Cassie asks, her eyebrows scrunched. “Where?”
“He won’t tell me.” Sawyer glares, but Rex just laughs. “Says it’s a surprise. Who the hell actually likes surprises nowadays. Instant gratification is where it’s at.”
Rex just laughs harder. “You’ll know when it’s time, but for now, I’m enjoying torturing you.”
“You can at least tell me,” Cassie deadpans.
“You’re the last person he can tell if he wants to keep it a secret,” Max says with a grin, Cassie sticking her tongue out with a smirk. The girl can’t keep a secret to save her life, especially from Sawyer.
I already know where they’re going and why they’re going, but he’s right. She’ll know when it’s time.
“Where did you learn to cook like that?” Ellie asks, looking at me like she’s surprised.
“My mom. Growing up with four kids, she would have each one of us pick a night to cook. It stopped a lot of our complaining about what we were having for dinner because we were in control for one night, but it also meant that both my parents were off duty for four nights a week, which I think they loved. In the beginning, she would cook with us, show us some of her favorite recipes, and teach us the basics in the kitchen. After that, we were in full control, getting to make our favorites while she sat back and watched.”
“That’s amazing. We’ll have to do that with Addy when she gets a little older,” Ellie says, looking at Trevor.
“She cooks with me sometimes now,” Trevor says.
“Eating cookie dough and brownie batter out of the mixer does not count as cooking with you.”
He just shrugs.
“Was this one of your favorites?” Ellie asks.
“No. It was Veronica’s.”
I can feel the vibe in the room change the second I say her name, but where I expect to find sadness or pity on their faces, I find interest and compassion.
“Yeah, Veronica used to make it every single week. My other siblings would complain, but I secretly started to love it too. To this day, I make it whenever I’m missing her—and on her birthday.”
Gwen leans back, resting her head on my chest as she looks out toward our friends. The feeling of her body on mine grounds me, giving me the strength to have this conversation without feeling like I’m going to lose a part of myself in the process.
“She was pretty badass in the kitchen. I remember she used to make this cheesecake that I would give my left nut to have another slice of,” Harris groans.
“The Oreo one?” I ask, my mouth watering at the memory. I’m not sure what my sister put in this cheesecake, but it never lasted more than an hour in my house. Even less if Harris was over.
“The one and only.”
The rest of dinner goes smoothly. We spent the next couple of hours talking. They asked questions about my family and my sister for a while, and instead of feeling uncomfortable or getting upset, I felt excited. I’m happy to share stories of my sister, the memories I have growing up with her, and how she was the feistiest person I knew.
Until Gwen, of course.
Obviously, they asked a million questions about Gwen and me. Not a single one of them were shocked about us getting together or even about us moving in together. They just bitched that it took us so long.
The kidney surgery was another story, I get yelled at quite a bit about that one. Harris just sat and laughed since he already got his lecture in.
My favorite part of the night was being close to Gwen. The entire time we talked, the only time Gwen got up was to grab a snack or another glass of wine. Outside of that, she was snuggled in my lap.
By the time everyone leaves, it’s after eleven, and we’re both exhausted. Being over a month out from surgery has made a huge difference in how I’m feeling. I’m not as weak and tired as I was those first couple of weeks. I was cleared to start working out, so hopefully, I can start getting some of my strength back.
“Are you ready for bed?” Gwen asks from the kitchen, grabbing us each a glass of water.
“I am. I’m worn out,” I tell her as I grab my phone and walk over to make sure the door is locked.
“It was a busy day. Luckily, we have one more day before I go back to work. We can spend all day sleeping.”
Walking over to her, I take both waters and set them down so I can wrap my arms around her.
“If we’re spending all of tomorrow in bed, I can promise you we won’t be sleeping,” I growl, my teeth nipping her ear.
Turning her face, she presses a long, slow kiss to my mouth, her tongue tangling with mine.
“Pinky promise?” she asks in a whisper.
“Pinky promise.”
I used to get sad when I thought about pinky promises because they remind me of Veronica and my broken promise to her. But every time Gwen says it to me, I can’t help but feel happy that we’re continuing this tradition.
While Gwen grabs the waters again, I turn off the lights. We use the city lights, visible through the windows, to navigate through the living room into my—our bedroom. Gwen grabs one of my t-shirts and lies in bed looking out the window at the city below.
“Your view is crazy,” she whispers.
“It’s our view, Tink,” I reply with a smile as I slip off my shirt and pants, leaving me in a pair of boxer briefs as I slide into bed next to her.
“That’s crazy to say… isn’t it? I’ve never lived with anyone before, not someone I was dating. You’re my first.”
“What’s crazy is how right it feels. How normal. I think the only thing crazier is how long it took us to get here,” I tell her, holding my arm out for her to slide in.
Once she’s nestled up beside me, our breathing aligns, and her fingers start tracing the patterns of my tattoos.
“Have I ever told you the story about why pinky promises are so important?” I ask quietly.
“No, but I’d love to hear it,” she says, looking up at me with curiosity.
So, with her head on my chest and my arms around her, I tell her the story of Veronica and her pinky promises, and I feel another piece fall into place.
It’s been years of running, never letting anyone get close enough to care about me, let alone hurt me. But this has shaken me. I never expected Gwen to be the one to knock me on my ass, coming out of left field with a dirty play while I was too far gone, too distracted to stop her from getting through my defenses.
Finding her put all my fucked up, broken pieces back together—her strength and her love holding them all in place. She’s helped me be strong, helped me have the hard conversations I’ve always avoided, and she’s helped me remember both the good times and the bad.
She gives me strength, and I am her home.