Chapter 11 #2
“I do. My grandfather started it, thanks to the land that they owned. Though we do lease it from you now,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, if my father was too much of an asshole for you, I’m sure you could talk to James or Bella here. For any of your needs.”
“Really, Aston?” Isabella said with a laugh.
“What? I’ve never had a younger sister before. And now I have four. This is fun. I get to be the overprotective older brother, and lead with innuendo. It’s not just Dorian.”
“You really have lightened him up, Blakely,” Dorian said with a laugh.
“I do my best. Between my best friend being Isabella and my boyfriend being Aston, it is a lot to handle.”
“Hey,” they both said at the same time, and I grinned into the beer that Hudson had given me.
“So you’re a mechanic,” Dorian said.
I blinked at him. “You know this. Why are you acting like you’re just getting to know me? You’ve known me as long as Hudson. Hell, we played summer league soccer together when we were kids.”
“I’m just trying to make sure everybody here knows. We don’t have a note card on you.”
I blinked. “Do you have note cards on everyone else?”
Dorian blushed. “What? Isabella wrote some notes down for me so I would know a few details. I like flashcards.”
“And that’s how I know he’s my brother. Because flashcards are how we get through life,” Bella put in, a smile on her face.
“And that part I don’t understand,” Sophia said with a sigh. “I might own my own business, but I’ll never be the color-coded sticky-note person like you.”
“You own your own business?” I asked, trying to get the spotlight off me.
Sophia smiled. “I do. I own a dance studio. I used to be a professional dancer, and now I get to teach young minds.”
“She’s not bragging enough about herself,” Cale put in as he played with the ends of her hair.
The man looked so far gone in love, it was a little startling.
Because I wasn’t sure if I looked like that.
Or maybe I was afraid I already did. “She was a principal dancer for the Denver Ballet, and decided to retire early so she could work with kids.”
“I didn’t want to keep breaking my body like other girls. I got to the highest point that I wanted, and when it wasn’t as fun as it needed to be anymore, I changed positions.”
“You know, we could use a dance studio here,” Aston said, a thoughtful expression on his face.
I raised a brow. “In the place behind the flower shop? That could work. There’s already enough plumbing to have two small restrooms and dressing areas.
Though I don’t know what goes into it.” Everyone stared at me.
“What? When I wasn’t working on cars, I was helping with construction in the summers to pay for school.
And then my brother did later as well. I forgot what the place used to be, as it keeps changing hands, but if you’re looking for a studio, it could work. ”
“Oh, I’m not sure I’m ready for franchising yet,” Sophia said with a laugh.
“We can work numbers,” Cale said, and I looked over at him.
“What do you do?”
“I’m boring, and in marketing, but in the end, I think it might be cool to have another Cage business here. I mean, I think you only have what, fifteen, sixteen?”
“We don’t count, the Cages are everywhere,” I said drily.
“And you love us,” Dorian said, and then popped an appetizer in his mouth when everyone stared at him. Because they were purposely not looking at Isabella.
“Anyway, you have a brother, right? And then the twin sisters?” Blakely asked as she looked between us.
I cleared my throat, not sure what everybody else knew.
“My parents died around eight years ago. Wet road, deer, bridge.” Such a trivial statement for the worst moment in my life.
“So I came back to raise the kids here. We could have moved down to Denver, but it was cheaper here, and we had the community. Small towns know how to circle back and ensure everybody has what they need. Lance is working on his MBA now, and the girls go to college in the fall. I have no idea how they’re technically adults now. It’s scary.”
“I’m really sorry about your parents,” Sophia said softly.
“Thanks.” I wasn’t sure what to say, but Bella had her arm around my waist, patting my hip softly. And just like that, I was okay. Because she was touching me in front of her family, just a soft touch, telling me she was there.
I might not know where we were going with this, and it felt like we were going the speed of a bullet train at this point, but I didn’t care. It was Isabella Cage Dixon.
A woman I had thought I had left behind.
By the time we finished dinner and worked on desserts, I felt as if I knew the Cages on a different level.
Sure I was friends with Hudson and Dorian, but I didn’t get to sit with a group of them like this.
Sophia was all bright and joy and I knew that some of it was her personality but a lot of it came from the man who looked adoringly at her.
He was quieter than the rest of us, even quieter than Hudson sometimes.
However, everything he said had meaning.
And I liked him. And I didn’t often like people right away.
However, while Sophia might be Isabella’s sister, Blakely was the sister of Bella’s heart.
You could tell from the way they looked at each other.
It was as if they were having a full-on conversation when nobody was looking. Or maybe, while everybody was looking.
It was nice to see that she had had a support system when I had been gone. I didn’t know exactly what she had told her best friend after I had left. I had been expecting to face pure hatred, especially from Kyler, but instead, Blakely welcomed me with open arms because I was at Bella’s side.
Kyler on the other hand brooded more than Hudson.
He had been the quietest of everyone. In fact I’d only heard him say a few words.
I knew he was out on tour, so I was surprised to see him here.
However, knowing exactly why Bella was in Cage Lake to begin with, it just reminded me that Kyler was trying to be the big brother.
And I didn’t blame him. He might be younger, but he was just as protective as the rest of the Cages.
We began to clean up, and I knew it was getting late. I wanted to invite Bella back to my house, considering Blakely and Aston would be sleeping here tonight. I wasn’t sure how that would go, but Bella froze as she looked down at her phone.
Alarmed, I moved forward. “What is it?”
She swallowed hard, her hand shaking. “I… I need… I think I need to forward this to someone.” She kept stuttering over her words, and I took the phone from her and cursed.
“What the fuck?” Kyler snapped as he looked over my shoulder.
Unknown number:
You think you can hide. But I’ll find you.
Unknown number:
You shouldn’t have done what you did.
Unknown number:
Do you miss me?
Unknown number:
Or did you miss him?
Unknown number:
You’re not looking in the right place. You never were.
“Fuck,” I said as Aston took the phone from me.
“I’m going to call her contact with the authorities.”
“No, I can do it,” Isabella said, rolling her shoulders back. “This is my problem. And I’ll handle it.”
“Like hell it’s your problem,” Blakely said before I could.
“We’re all family in here. And I’m sorry, you don’t get to do this alone.
So you drink the water that Hudson is now handing you.
” Hudson was in fact handing her a glass of water.
He had moved so quietly, I hadn’t noticed.
“And then you’re going to stay with us, and we’re going to take care of you. ”
“She’s coming home with me,” I growled, and everyone stared. “I have a state-of-the-art security system thanks to Ford and Hudson over there, and I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
“She’s safe here too,” Aston put in.
“She is standing right here and can handle herself.” She looked at me then. “The twins are under your roof too.”
“He doesn’t know where you are. But I need to know where you are. Okay? Can you do that for me?” I cupped her face, ignoring the looks from others. “I can’t find the bastard to end him. To keep you safe. So let me at least keep you protected at my side.”
“Smooth,” Dorian said before he let out an oof when Kyler elbowed him in the gut.
“I’ll be checking your security,” Aston put in.
“So will I. And if it’s not good enough, I’ll get to use the money that I don’t need to make it even better. Because nobody hurts my family.” Kyler raised a brow. “Except for maybe my family.”
Bella snorted then moved forward to wrap her arms around my waist.
She had to be fucking scared if she was showing such vulnerability in front of her family. Or in front of anyone. I ran my hand down her hair and looked at her family, wondering what the hell was I going to do.
Somebody was scaring my woman. And they were going to have to pay for that.