CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Blair
I’m woken by my phone ringing a couple of days later, and when I see Cade’s name, I groan.
“I’m sleeping,” I croak groggily, my voice catching on my dry throat. If he doesn’t get to the point fast, I’m hanging up.
“What’s going on, Little B? Are you okay?”
“What?” I sit up, pulling the covers up over my chest as though it’ll shield me from whatever’s going on. “Why are you asking me that?”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Did Zane call you?” I blurt out way too quickly, instantly regretting it. Dammit. I bury my hands in my eyes, shaking myself awake. Why am I talking about Zane to my brother?
“Why would Zane call me? Have you seen him again?”
“No.”
“Bullshit.”
“Why are you calling?” I change the subject, hoping he’ll drop it, despite the fact I know he won’t.
“Is Zane there?”
“At my home? That I share with my boyfriend? No. He’s not.” Not that I’m there at the moment, but that’s beside the point.
“So, you’re meeting up with him somewhere else then?” Cade scoffs and I groan.
“No, Cade. God. What is your obsession with Zane?”
“You are right; he called me.”
“Goddammit.” I wince. “I’m going to kill him. What did he say? I’m fine. It’s just a scratch. We didn’t even go to the ER in the end and—”
‘What the fuck, Blair? I was joking. He never called. But you better believe you’re going to tell me what’s going on.”
“Cade—”
“I think I need to visit. It sounds like you need your big bro.”
“What?” I cringe as my head spins. “No. You don’t need to come here. I’m fine. I ran into Zane and I tripped while we were talking. I cut my hand but I’m fine. F.I.N.E.”
“Believe it or not, I know what fine means.” I picture him rolling his eyes and roll mine right back.
“Fuck off.”
“Maybe you are fine. God knows you’ve still got your snark.”
“Only for you, Cade. Only for you.”
“And Zane now too, I’ll bet.”
“If he didn’t call you, then he didn’t do anything wrong.”
“What did the two of you talk about?” He circles back to my conversation, but I’m not giving him any more than I have to.
“I don’t know. Life, the weather, what we had for breakfast.”
“Okay. Cause I’m going to believe that. Did he kiss you?”
“What?” I choke on air and my lips tingle at the memory of the kiss. “Of course he didn’t. He thinks I have a boyfriend.”
“Thinks?”
“Knows.” What is wrong with me today? “He knows.”
“You’re a little skittish this morning, sis. Not at all like yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“So you said.”
“Why…did…you…call?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m on my way to your place. Thought I’d stop by for a visit.”
“You’re hilarious. Why are you really—”
“It’s true.”
“Cade! No. Turn around. I’m fine.”
“Call it brotherly intuition but I think you’re lying. And so does Dad. So…I’m on my way to find out.”
“Go home, Cade,” I rush out, my voice panicked. “Please. I’m thinking about heading back for a visit soon anyway. You’re wasting your time.”
“I’m already in LA, Little B. And now I’m more convinced than ever that I made the right call. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Cade. No.”
“Too late. Love ya. Bye.”
“Goddammit,” I scream into the phone when my lock screen appears and curse again under my breath. Cade’s in LA. L-fucking-A. And he’s coming here in an hour? Universe, what did I do to you?
Tossing my phone onto the bed, I get up and freeze, my foot hovering above the carpet. The carpet at Jenna’s. Shit. Cade’s not coming here. He’s going to my place. So, in short, I’m screwed.
After rushing around like I’m late for the night shift, I stub my toe on the edge of the couch and still make it out the door in record time. Though my record time was thirty minutes, meaning I’ll be lucky if I make it home five minutes before Cade.
I’d usually spend the drive listening to music or an audiobook, but I’m so anxious I suffer in silence, my mind too chaotic to concentrate.
Because every hour is rush hour in LA, the drive takes longer than expected, and I’m drenched in a cold sweat by the time I pull up, running through the garden to the condo the second I’ve parked my car.
After loudly jogging up the steps, I open the door quietly, tiptoeing into the house as though I broke in. Nathan should have left for practice by now, but that doesn’t eliminate my guilt.
I’ve just dropped my bag behind the couch when Cade waltzes in, not even bothering to knock. “I’m here!”
“I can see that.” I force a smile as I greet him, subtly kicking Nathan’s shoes out of the walkway.
Cade’s eyes drop to my feet but he smiles, rushing forward to pull me into a hug. “How are you?”
“Great,” I say with as much sarcasm as I can muster. “My big bro’s here for a surprise visit.”
“You love it. Come on. Show me around.” He playfully nudges me, and I roll my eyes before giving him a tour, finishing in the kitchen in case he leads me to drink.
“So…” Cade raises an eyebrow, his lips pulling into a self-satisfied smirk. “When did you and Nathan break up?”
“What?” I choke out. “We…uh…”
“Come on. You spent that entire tour tidying up after him. You’re a clean freak. Your house in Jacksonville was always perfect. You’re not living here.”
“What the fuck, Cade?” I shake my head in protest but when he stares me down, giving me a tell-me-I’m-wrong look, my resolve slips. “Ugh, fine. We broke up.”
“Yes! When? I mean, oh no, are you okay?”
“God, you’re an asshole. Officially? Monday.”
“Three days ago? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“Only because I guessed.”
“Either way, you know.”
“What happened? Where are you living? Did he fuck up? No, wait. Is this about Zane?”
“God.” I throw my hands up in frustration. “Why does everyone keep saying that? This is about me and Nathan. No one else.”
“But you saw Zane on…” he trails off so I’ll answer, and I confidently hit him with a lie.
“Tuesday.”
“After you broke up.”
“Yes.”
“I bet Zane was thrilled.”
“He doesn’t know.”
“What?” Cade smirks and it makes me want to punch him. “Why wouldn’t you tell him, Little B?”
“Because it’s none of his business. Or yours for that matter.”
“I knew something was wrong. I knew it. What did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes that’s the problem.”
“What?” I freeze and for a moment I wonder if Jenna called Cade too. I wouldn’t put anything past her anymore, and while I forgave her for calling Zane, this is crossing a line.
“Seems like we’re single together.”
“What? Nooo.” I shake my head, my gaze appraising my brother, looking for clues as to how he’s feeling. “What happened?”
“I wasn’t giving her what she needs.”
“What was that?” I ask and then wince. God, it better not be sexual.
Cade’s oblivious to my reaction as he sighs. “A baby.”
“A baby? She wants a baby?” He’s only just turned twenty-six. They’ve got plenty of time for that.
“Yeah. She’s a couple of years older than I am and wants to get pregnant early so that her body bounces back.”
“Okay. Wow. So, you’re here for you. Not me. That makes things easier. And yet, I opened my big mouth and confessed everything.”
“Yeah, you did.” He smirks, and I have to admit that I’m happy to see him smiling. He loved Gabriella a lot, and this must be killing him.
“I’m sorry, Cade. I wish I knew what to do to make it better.”
“You already did it. It’s going to be nice not having to tiptoe around your boyfriend anymore.”
Hysterical laughter bubbles out of me and Cade’s smile fades. “That was tiptoeing? Cade, it was so obvious you hated him that no one would have flinched at a billboard in Times Square. Tiptoeing around. God, you’re a dick.”
“Okay, fine. I hated the guy. But with good reason. I’m hoping you can see it now that you’ve broken up.”
My phone vibrates again, and a rush of panic passes through me, wondering if it’s Zane. We haven’t spoken since I drove away from the lookout the other night, and yet, every time my phone goes off, I’m desperate to check.
“Do you need to get that?” Cade asks, a little distractedly, and when our eyes lock, a moment of guilt takes over me. He’s here because he needs me. Because he just broke up with his fiancée, and I’m thinking about Zane. Goddammit.
“Nothing is more important than my big brother right now. Come on, sit down. I want to know everything.”
“What about Nathan?”
“I broke up with him. It’s different.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not hurting.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. But I promise, I’m good. Now tell me, from the beginning. What happened? And how can I help?”
For the next hour, Cade fills me in on everything that’s been going on in his life, and I welcome the distraction.
It kind of puts things into perspective a little.
Cade and Gabriella were engaged. They were planning a wedding while I wasn’t even sure I wanted to marry Nathan.
It’s not something I dreamed of. I don’t have a pros and cons list or journals full of my name with his last name like I did with Zane.
Blair Fitzpatrick. Blair Jasmine Fitzpatrick. Mrs. Fitzpatrick.
God, I spent hours writing my name over and over, never once questioning if it would ever come to be.
Ours wasn’t a relationship that stemmed from a crush. When I said Zane was a friend, I meant it. I’d never given it another thought.
But the moment our lips touched, the moment his palms first cupped my face and his gaze bore into mine, I was a goner. There was no going back.
Until it all turned to shit.
And I moved on with Nathan. I moved on.
Or so I thought.
After talking through Cade’s predicament for the better part of the morning, he eagerly helps me pack more of my clothes and we check into his hotel before I take him to meet Jenna.
It’s not until he disappears to take his bag to his room that I finally get a chance to look at my phone. My pulse spikes when I see that it’s him.
ZANE: Just wanted to check up on you. To make sure you were alive after seeing all that blood
A soft smile pulls at my lips, but I don’t let it shine until I read his next text and burst out laughing.
ZANE: Don’t make me fly back there to see for myself
ZANE: Too late. My flight is booked, see you in a few hours
I scoff, calling his bluff as I lazily type out a response, ignoring the way my heart thumps against my rib cage. I don’t want to see him, but I also do. I’m so confused.
BLAIR: I’ll be waiting. Did Jenna tell you where I live?
The three little dots instantly start moving, and my confidence wavers. It was a stupid thing to write; it will probably encourage him.
Rushing to stop him, I quickly follow it with another message, before he’s had a chance to click send.
BLAIR: Joking (smiley face)
The dots disappear before I get his one-word response.
ZANE: Tease
Dammit. That’s not what he was going to send, and now I’m desperate to know what it was.
ZANE: What would you do if I did turn up now?
Wrap my arms around you and never let go. Jesus Christ. Where did that come from?
BLAIR: I’d send you to bunk with Cade
ZANE: Cade?
BLAIR: He’s visiting. You two are so alike it’s scary. He also thinks it’s appropriate to turn up out of the blue
ZANE: You can’t see me but I’m laughing. I bet Nathan loved that
I may not be able to see him, but I can certainly picture the way his lips are undoubtedly curling, while his eyes sparkle with glee. And I both love and hate that it doesn’t take much to conjure his image to my mind.
Snapping myself out of it, I take a deep breath and reply.
BLAIR: He’s at practice. But he’ll be fine
At some point I’ll probably have to tell Zane we’ve broken up. But for now, it’s easier to keep him in the dark. For both our sakes.