CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cat was running late. Really late. Even after she’d expressly promised Zach that there was no possibility of her turning up late on such a special day.
“What the fuckity fuck?” Great. She was talking to herself now. The first sign of madness.
As Cat emptied the last drawer in her bedroom, she threw her hands up in defeat. This could not be happening. How do you run out of bras? They are a goddamn essential item, for crying out loud!
She supposed going back and forth from Cody’s so often might have something to do with it. When she’d shoved her laundry in the wash earlier, she couldn’t quite believe how big the pile of dirty clothes had gotten. Ever since her sleepover two weeks ago, she’d practically moved in with Cody and Dylan, only coming back to the apartment for clean clothes. And now she’d finally run out.
Slumping onto her bed, her shoulders sagged. Think, Cat. She hadn’t packed any swimsuits, so that idea was out. Unless...
Excitedly sprinting back into the living room, she pulled out one of her yellow storage boxes she kept on the shelf and began rummaging.
“Ah-ha!” She waved the Nicolas Cage novelty bikini top that Libby had bought her as a joke.
Mr Cage and her would be getting well acquainted today.
Rushing back into the bedroom, she made quick work of putting on her makeshift bra and pulling a vest on over it. She was ready. Finally. Just as she shoved her phone and keys in her jean pockets, her apartment buzzer went off.
Who the hell is that?
She was meeting everyone there. Unless Zach had hunted her down specifically to berate her for her time management skills. But that was a long shot. Buzzing whoever it was in, she darted back through the living room and over to the front door.
As she swung the white wood door open, for once in her life, she was speechless.
“Hey, sis.” Jack casually draped himself against her doorframe, sports bag in hand and a nonchalant expression on his stubbly face.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she blurted, even though she had a clue.
“Nice to see you too, Kitty Cat. Gonna invite me in? I’ve been traveling for twenty-four hours—you would have to move to the arse end of nowhere, wouldn’t you?”
Apparently he didn’t need that invitation after all. She watched him push off the frame and waltz his suit trouser-clad arse right into her living room, pushing his floppy black hair out of his face as he scanned his surroundings.
“I’m running late for a thing...a really important thing.” she announced impatiently. She really didn’t have time for this. “So, I have to go. Like now. Do you want to come or crash here? I’ll be gone an hour, two max.”
Dropping his bag on the floor, he walked back toward her. “Okay, let’s go.”
***
Cat arrived at Little Rock Falls in record time. That was one good thing about living in the ‘arse end of nowhere’. No traffic. Checking her watch one more time, she scurried out of the car and gestured for her brother to do the same.
Already exasperated with her, he gestured at his outfit. “Are you seriously taking me on a hike right now? I’m not exactly dressed for a workout.”
And he wasn’t. He was wearing what he had arrived in—smart trousers and a white shirt. A white shirt that by all logic should be creased by now. Yet it wasn’t. Like his trousers, it looked perfectly pressed. But Cat wasn’t too worried. Little did Jack know, today had nothing to do with hiking.
“Will you stop complaining. You’re the one who wanted to come along, remember? Now hurry up, we’re late.”
Jack let out a huff but followed her up the sloped path toward the entrance. As soon as Zach, Libby and Cody were in sight, she put on her most apologetic expression. At least she hoped she looked apologetic and not constipated.
“Sorry, sorry, I know I’m late. But there’s a reason. A very good one.” I couldn’t find a bra.
“It’s my fault,” Jack chimed from behind her. Thank God for big brothers. She’d forgot she could blame everything on them.
“Oh my God, Jack! What are you doing here?” Libby flung herself into her brother’s arms, actually managing to coax a smile from him.
Zach and Cody weren’t smiling, though. They both looked positively murderous. She probably should have explained who the good-looking English man was already.
“Guys, this is my brother, Jack.” Better late than never.
Some of the tension in the air began to dissipate and she noticed Cody’s jaw unclench. Zach still didn’t seem too thrilled, though. Cat was guessing that probably had something to do with the fact that Libby was still in Jack’s embrace.
“When did you get here? Cat never mentioned you were coming,” Libby went on, ignoring the snarl coming from her boyfriend.
“About twenty minutes ago.” Jack chuckled. “And that’s my fault, too. I kinda surprised her.”
Ambushed her more like.
“You mind letting go of my woman now?” Zach asked through gritted teeth.
“Zach!” Libby reprimanded before untangling herself. “You’ll have to excuse him, Jack. He’s a bit of a caveman.”
“No worries, babe. If I had a girl as gorgeous as you, I would be, too.” Her brother winked, causing Zach to actually growl.
Okay. This is not going well.
Cody seemed to pick up on Cat’s silent plea for help and intervened, introducing himself to Jack and then prattling on about the history of Little Rock. Within one minute, Libby was safely tucked under Zach’s arm again as they all began their ascent up the waterfall.
This was Cat’s first time there. Even though she’d seen several of Libby’s photos, the camera hadn’t done it justice. Soft green moss lined their path as the sound of water beating against rocks echoed in the stillness. Sucking up as much air as she could, she breathed in the intoxicating freshwater smell surrounding them, despite not having even seen a drop of it yet.
Just then, Zach turned his head to signal her, and she nodded. It was go time.
“Libby,” Cat caught her friend’s attention, “come take a picture with me?”
It worked. Libby willingly turned and walked back to her, allowing Zach to sneak off ahead to set up. She just had to keep her busy for a little while.
As they switched between taking selfies and posing for Cody, Cat tried her hardest to stall by pretending she didn’t like the photos. In the process, her best friend was quickly becoming impatient.
“You look beautiful, Cat. In all of them, I swear. Look, we’ll take some more in front of the waterfall, okay?” Libby very sensibly tried to reason with her. “Cody, will you please tell your girlfriend how silly she’s being?”
“Girlfriend?” Jack puffed out his chest, clearly eyeing Cody with a new perspective. “You’re banging my sister?”
“Jack!” Both Cat and Libby scolded at the same time.
To Cody’s credit, he didn’t seem fazed. He simply turned to face her big brother and spoke in an eerily calm tone. “With all due respect, I don’t appreciate you referring to our relationship as banging .” Cat stuck out her tongue as Jack shot her a look. “I care for your sister very much. Yes, we’re together. And I have no plans to let her go...in case you’re wondering.”
Yeah. Take that, Jack.
She resisted the urge to poke her tongue out again and settled on a smug smile instead.
“You love her?” Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “I mean, if you don’t plan on letting her go, I assume you two are in love, right?”
God, she really hated this overprotective streak in him.
“Enough!” Cat shouted.
“Yes, I love her,” Cody answered at the same time, taking the wind out of her perturbed sails.
What did he just say? He loves me? Cody loves me?
No. She must have heard him wrong. Her mouth must have been hanging open. No one was saying anything as she gawked at Cody, who was now moving toward her.
“Sweetheart,” he soothed, bracing his hands on her biceps as his amber eyes stared into hers. “This wasn’t exactly how I planned on telling you. But now it’s out there, I can’t take it back. I don’t want to take it back, ‘cause it’s the truth. I love you, Catherine Chloe Jones. I love everything about you. The way your eyes light up when you talk about the books you’re reading. How stubborn you get when you think you’re right. The fact you never back down from a fight. The kindness and generosity you show not just to the people you love, but to perfect strangers, too. The way you treat my son. The way you treat me. Hell, I even love your damn horse-riding jokes.”
“But it’s only been two months,” she lamely mumbled, her heart still painfully tight.
“It has. And my feelings for you get stronger every goddamn day. It’s kind of worrying, actually. Imagine what it will be like a year from now? I’m gonna end up buying you a fucking horse, aren’t I?”
“And a cat.” The smile she’d been fighting finally broke free. “Don’t forget the cat. I know you’re not allergic.”
It was Cody’s turn to grin now, blinding her with more than just those bright white teeth. “Does that mean I’ve not scared you away just yet?”
Jumping into his arms, he stumbled backward and chuckled into her hair as she buried her face into his shoulder. Folding his big arms around her, he squeezed tight, sending tingles everywhere.
“I’ll take that as a not yet .”
“Alright, lovebirds,” Jack interrupted, “shall we get on with this hike while it’s still light out?”
Shit. It was time. She slowly pulled back, Cody’s eyes following her every reaction with such intensity that she felt her heart pound in her ears.
No. Focus. This is Libby’s day, not yours.
“Where’s Zach?” In the corner of her eye, she noticed her friend swirl around, likely scanning the pathway ahead of them.
“He must have gone on without us,” Cat replied, dragging her gaze away from Cody, who was yet to let her go. “Why don’t you go on ahead and find him, we’ll be up there in a sec.”
Her friend simply shrugged and started back up the trail. When Jack tried to follow behind, both Cat and Cody’s arms shot out and they clung onto his shirt, holding him back.
His what the hell? expression was met with a glare, until he finally got the hint.
After filling Jack in, they all started back up the rocky path, Cat pulling out her phone to get ready for the money shot.
When they finally turned the corner, all the air whooshed out of her lungs. And it wasn’t just from the sight of the cascade of blue plunging down the mini mountain. At the end of the candle and rose petal-lined path, right in front of the waterfall, Zach was down on one knee and her best friend was clutching her heart.
“I knew the moment I looked into those big Disney eyes that you were the woman I’d been waiting for. You were the woman who would make me want to be a better man every day for the rest of my life. And I can’t imagine that life without you, princess. I want to show you every day how happy you make me. How much I love you. How I can’t live without you.”
Cat already felt moisture pool in her eyes as she listened to Zach’s speech.
“With that said, I’ve got a question I’d like to ask you, baby.” Zach pulled a velvet box from his pocket and presented a shiny diamond ring to a now sobbing Libby. “Will you please make me an even luckier man than I already am...and do me the honor of becoming my wife? Marry me, princess.”
Cat must have snapped a hundred photos on her phone already, but the moment her friend said yes and dropped to her knees too was probably the best of the lot. Zach hadn’t even managed to put the ring on her finger before they were kissing like it was their last few seconds on earth.
Looking like they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, Cat took a break from her photography duties and laced her fingers through Cody’s big hand. Standing on tip-toes, she stretched up until her mouth hovered over his ear.
“I love you too, Cody McBride. With all my heart.”
His head turned before her heels hit the ground again and he captured her mouth with a growl.
“I guess I’ll be taking the pictures then.” Faintly, she felt Jack pry the phone out of her hand, allowing her to wrap herself around Cody and hold on tight.
Goddamnit, she loved this man.
***
It felt unnatural leaving Cody after declaring their love for each other. But that was how life worked. With good, there was always bad. And the bad she’d been running from had literally turned up on her doorstep. There was no ignoring it anymore. She had to face her brother. Which was why only Jack had returned to her apartment with her. The man she loved would have to wait.
“So, you have a boyfriend now?” Jack passed her a mug of coffee.
She didn’t reply until he’d settled comfortably in the armchair across from her. “Cut the shit, Jack. What are you doing here?”
Her brother took a sip of his drink, holding her gaze. Unlike her, he’d inherited their mother’s eyes. A greeny-blue that switched just as often as the light. Right now, she could only see dark green pigment as he gave her that look. The one that said she knew exactly why he was here.
“Dad’s not doing well.” He sighed. “It’s only a matter of time now. I get that you’re upset but I don’t want you to make a decision that you might one day regret.”
Cat tried her best to keep her composure, reminding herself again of why she’d come here before replying.
“So what, you came to take me home? You want me to go back and wait for him to die before I start living again?”
“Fucking hell, Cat, talk about being dramatic.” Her brother shook his head before pushing fingers through his messy shock of black hair. “No one is asking for you to put your life on pause. Just come see him, Cat. Say goodbye. It’s the very least that you can do, what we can do...be there for him, for his last few months.”
“He’s gone, Jack. He’s been gone for a long time.” She leaned forward on the couch cushions, as if pleading her common sense would work. “And as for no one asking me to put my life on pause, that’s bullshit, and you know it. What do you think I’ve been doing for the last few years? Who made sure Dad ate every day, huh? Took him out for walks so he could see the light of day? Made sure he brushed his damn teeth? It wasn’t mum and it sure as shit wasn’t you.”
Years of frustration was building up inside her, threatening to explode all over the place and make one hell of a mess.
“That’s not fair, Cat—”
“No,” she cut him off. “What’s not fair Jack is you coming here and making me feel guilty for trying to start living my life again. Especially when you have no fucking idea what I’ve been through these past three years. ‘Cos if you did, you’d be happy for me. Happy I no longer wake up every day crying. Happy I’ve only had one panic attack in two months.” She noticed her brother becoming paler by the second, but she wasn’t done yet. “Happy I feel like I can finally breathe again. And most of all—happy I found a man who I love so much it hurts, and he loves me back just as much.” She was out of breath by the time she’d finished speaking. But she couldn’t deny how good it felt to say everything out loud.
Jack’s cup was on the coffee table now, his head in his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
More guilt. Hitting her straight in the gut.
The truth was, she had no right to be angry at her brother because he hadn’t known what she was going through. Because she hadn’t told him. Or her mum. For very different reasons. Jack worked long hours in the city and was barely around. Her mum was barely around in another way. She’d checked out. Had been checked out ever since her dad was first diagnosed.
Guilt and overwhelming sadness started to churn again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” Her mug joined his on the coffee table, giving her a free hand to rub her temple. “Look, I didn’t tell anyone. Even Libby doesn’t know to this day. I was trying to be strong but it got to be too much. I can’t go back there, Jack. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t pretend that it doesn’t tear me apart every time I look him in the eye and know he has no idea who I am. It hurts too much.”
An avalanche of tears had now broken free and were gushing in what felt like a never-ending stream. In the next moment, her brother was up and out of his seat, perching beside her and pulling her into his arms.
“It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay,” Jack soothed.
Was it? She could only hope that he was right.