Chapter 16 #2
My lips twitched. “Whatever you say. You’ve done a great job with them.” My heart stopped, thinking about how scared he must’ve been all those years ago. Even when he had made a decision that had changed both of our lives forever.
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve done such a shitty job that nothing makes sense.”
“You didn’t do a shitty job. Lance is in business school, and he already has offers for positions at amazing companies, including Cage Enterprises.”
“I can’t believe Aston just asked him like that at the wedding.”
“You know he already had his resume on his desk.”
“I swear, Aston, Flynn, and James are like spiders in their own webs, deciding who they can use and help not only the company, but themselves.”
“And in a not-so-asshole way like your dad.” He paused, and once again it was like a kick to the chest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring him up.”
“Everybody keeps doing it today. I’m getting used to it I guess.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
There were so many things we needed to talk about, and my father was not one of them. However, I didn’t bring that up.
Instead I went to my tiptoes, kissed his chin, and shook my head. “I’m okay. Let’s get back to the house. Sam and Sydney wanted to show me what they were wearing.”
“It’s underneath a huge gown, does it matter?”
“Really? The girls are eighteen and you’re still asking these questions.”
“I knew it was stupid as soon as the words left my lips.”
I grinned and hopped into my car with Weston getting into his truck a few spots down.
We made our way back to his place, and I noticed there were a couple of other cars there. I squinted at them and recognized one as Mason’s, Sam’s boyfriend, and the other as Steve’s, Sydney’s.
“They better not be in their bedrooms,” Weston growled, and I shook my head.
“They’re adults. But let’s get inside,” I said, imagining exactly what eighteen-year-olds on their own with their boyfriends could do.
Except when we walked in, the shouts reached me first.
“Get out!” Sydney screamed.
“I don’t know why you’re acting like this. It wasn’t like we were going to make it. Fuck, you know the plan. This was always our plan.”
“Oh really? Our plan was for you to sleep with Haylee and Kaylee?”
“It wasn’t like it was at the same time.”
“And that makes it better? So you cheated on me twice?”
“You’re a fucking asshole,” Sam put in as she stomped right in front of Steve.
“Stay out of this. I swear to God, dating a twin was the worst fucking thing I ever did. It’s never just one of you. It’s always the both of you. If I do one little thing wrong, I have to deal with two bitches.”
“Fuck you,” Mason put in as he stepped forward. I should have expected the punch, but I still let out a gasp as Mason’s fist connected with Steve’s jaw.
Mason, still growing into his height, packed a mean punch as Steve took two steps back, staggering before he nearly fell.
“You’re going to pay for that, little dweeb.”
“That’s enough,” Weston snapped as he came forward and gripped Steve by the neck of his shirt.
“Get your hands off of me. You can go to jail for touching me.”
“That’s the thing, you’re an adult. In my house. So why don’t you get the fuck out and I’ll never see you again. Because if you ever come near one of my sisters or anyone that I care about again, they’re not going to be able to find your body.”
“Don’t you dare threaten me,” Steve spat.
I moved forward then, my brow raised.
“You’re going to want to be really calm.”
“Oh? You’re just a fucking Cage. You don’t own this town. You’re a bastard just like the rest of them.”
Weston shook Steve ever so slightly, even as Sam wrapped her arms around Sydney. Tears streamed down both of their faces, and Mason was there, shaking out his fist before he hugged them both as well.
“First off, you’re an idiot if you think that it’s smart to degrade me or anyone else in this house when Weston has you by the throat.”
“He can’t touch me.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want. Now, you’re going to apologize or I will bury your body.”
“You can’t do that,” he said, but he didn’t sound as forceful as he had.
“I am a Cage. And like you said, I own this town. And between my brothers and the Caldwells here, we know a lot of places that nobody’s ever going to find you.
But you know what the best part is, it’s not even the threats of physical force.
You’re going to the same college that Aston Cage went to.
You know, the one that he’s on a few boards for?
” Steve’s entire face paled, and I just smiled.
“And, though I’m just a bastard, I also have a few connections with your department.
Because you did want to go into that high-end field, didn’t you? ”
“You can’t do anything.”
“That’s wrong again. I know exactly who your advisor’s going to be. And with one call, I can ruin your life forever.”
It wasn’t that simple, but he didn’t know that. He was just some dumbass kid, and I was tired of bullies.
“Fuck you.”
“Wrong answer,” Weston growled, and I truly saw death on his face.
“Stop it,” Sydney said, and she moved forward, mascara running down her cheeks.
“The only thing I regret right now is that I didn’t wear waterproof mascara,” she snapped.
“Just get out, Steve. Don’t threaten my family, don’t say a word.
Because if you do, I am better at the gossip network than you ever were. I never want to see your face again.”
“You’re just a frigid virgin.” Then he wrestled out of Weston’s hold and practically sped out of the house. I knew that Weston had let go of him, because that was the only way that Steve could have found his way out of that hold.
“I can still kill him for you,” Weston said softly.
Sydney raised her chin before wiping her face.
“He wasn’t worth it. We were going to break up anyway. We’re going to two schools far away, and it only made sense that our lives would diverge. It wasn’t going to be forever. He had his life, and I had mine. But apparently if you don’t put out in high school, he’ll find someone else that will.”
“If Weston doesn’t murder him, I can. And I learned how to dissolve a body.”
We all looked over at Mason, who shrugged innocently. “It was for a school project. Not an actual body, but I learned things.”
“You scare me, and I love you,” Sam said softly, and Mason beamed as if his whole world was right in front of him.
And at eighteen, maybe that was the case.
“I love you too, boo bear.”
“Boo bear?” Sam said with a laugh.
Mason winced. “You won’t let me give you a nickname. So I’m trying. Also, my hand really hurts.”
“Let me get you some ice.” I moved past him before gently kissing his cheek.
He blushed innocently, his glasses practically fogging, and I swallowed hard. I couldn’t help but think about Sydney’s words. The fact that they were moving far away. That it was never going to work out. That their paths were diverging.
I couldn’t help but remember exactly that feeling when Weston had left the first time.
We needed to talk. To figure out what we were doing. Because I wasn’t sure I could be as strong as Sydney. Not for the second time in my life.
Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I grabbed the ice and gave it to Mason as both Sam and Sydney took care of him. The twins seemed to be on the same wavelength, not even speaking to each other as they soothed each other’s hurts and Mason’s as well.
Weston wrapped his arm around my shoulders and sighed. “I’m going to kill him.”
Damn it. I loved this man. “You aren’t. You’ve raised two beautiful and strong girls that can handle anything. And one of them has great taste.”
“Mason’s okay.”
“We heard that, and thank you,” Sam shouted, and I pressed my lips together, holding back a laugh as Weston just scowled.
“Well then. That’s one way to begin graduation day.”
“I’m sure there have been worse days out there.” I paused. “Not much worse.”
I shook my head and went to grab something off the counter when I realized that there was a letter with my name on it on the counter.
“What’s this?” I asked, my throat tightening.
“It was from the lawyers. Hudson dropped it off earlier.”
“He didn’t say anything,” I said softly. “Is it from him?”
“It’s not from William.”
With a shaky hand, I reached out and broke the seal, wondering why it felt like this was something I should burn.
Isabella,
You were always my favorite. At least of the girls. You always did exactly what I needed you to.
And I will always be grateful for that. But you have to make sure you keep your heart and your choices on the right path.
I made wrong choices over my life, but it was because they were the choices I needed to make at the time.
You are decent at what you do. Mediocre at best. However, I know that you can achieve certain things.
You will always strive to be better than you are, and that is why I never let you be one of the other Cages. The ones that I put in positions of power. Because I knew you would fail.
You were always good at taking care of your siblings. So find a way to be a good mother. A good homemaker.
Because that is what you will be best at.
Loren Cage.
I blinked at the letter, remembering that Aston, Phoebe, and Ford had each gotten one as well. Each with nonsensical rambling words of an asshole who was a narcissistic prick.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Weston shouted as he moved closer.
I held up my shaking hand, trying to let the rage leave my body.
Weston immediately froze, and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to deal or think in this moment.
It was as if the man had seen beyond the grave and found the exact moment I had let the doubts of my future seep in.
He’d always been good at that and now he’d done it again.
My father had never respected me. Had never truly thought much of me.
He wanted me to be a homemaker. To walk away from the career I had wanted. And to make the choices he had given me. And I wasn’t even sure I had the capability to figure out what choices that he had wanted for me versus the ones I wanted for myself.
Because I loved Weston Caldwell. And if that meant defying my father, changing how I focused on my career, and leaning into the man that I loved, then so be it. I just needed to hope to hell that Weston wouldn’t leave again. That he loved me back.
And that I wasn’t doing this all to spite the father who never loved me at all.