Chapter 3 #2
I wondered how he took the edge off now.
I knew he wasn’t married because that would be big news in Cottonwood Cove.
But I wondered if he still hooked up with his baby mama.
If he had a girlfriend. If he slept around.
I didn’t know anything about him anymore.
I certainly didn’t keep up with the gossip here, but Lola would occasionally fill me in if she heard someone was getting married or having a baby from the friends that she’d kept in touch with.
Now that she lived here, I’m sure I’d be updated on the local gossip moving forward.
But I certainly never imagined that the first time I’d see him again after all these years would go the way that it did last night.
I wasn’t above admitting when I was wrong, and I knew he hadn’t deserved that.
“Hey, do you know where Cage lives now? I haven’t been back in a long time, and I have no idea where anyone lives, outside of my parents and Lola.” I chuckled, trying to keep it casual, like it was no big deal, but hoping she would tell me what I wanted to know.
The lawyer in me knew how to press, but I didn’t want it to look like I cared.
Because I didn’t.
I just wanted to apologize.
“Oh, yes. He built a beautiful home down by the cove where that old, abandoned pink house used to be. He tore it down and built a new one from the ground up.”
My heart started beating double time at her words. Memories flooded me, making it difficult to breathe.
He’d built a house there?
“Ah, yes, I know the place. Thank you, and thanks for the pie. I’ll let Brenda know you’re having it delivered.
” Brenda was the house manager for my parents, and she made sure that the place ran like a fine-tuned machine.
Even when neither of them was there for months at a time, the woman kept everything going.
My father had started spending most of his time here in Cottonwood Cove over the last two years, as he’d retired from practicing law and was just overseeing the family investments now.
He loved animals, and the ranch was his happy place.
“Sounds good, sugar. And you come back and eat real soon. See if you can drag that sexy ex of yours with you. Just the sight of him gets my ticker moving faster.” Loud, bellowing laughter escaped her over-lined tangerine lips, and it made me laugh right along with her.
I waved as I zipped up my jacket and stepped outside. It was breezy and gray today, and the weather matched my mood. I could smell the salty sea in the distance, and I walked a few blocks toward the water, toward the place that held memories I hadn’t allowed myself to think about in several years.
I turned the final corner and saw the large redwood tree in the distance, and I sucked in a breath when the white ranch house with black shutters came into view.
It had a wraparound porch with four red Adirondack chairs that matched the color of the door.
A red barn sat off in the distance, but it looked to be under construction.
I swiped at the tear that broke free and trickled down my cheek, and then I cursed myself internally for being weak.
It was just a house.
Just a silly dream I’d had as a teenager.
I didn’t know why it was hitting me so hard.
I stood there staring as the lump in my throat made it difficult to breathe.
I glanced beside me at the large tree with exposed roots poking through the dirt-covered earth.
I moved closer to it and walked around the back side to find what I was looking for.
PD + CR with a heart around it.
I remembered the day that Cage had carved our initials into this tree with his pocketknife like it was yesterday. I traced the letters with my finger and squeezed my eyes closed. I could still feel his lips on mine when I allowed myself to go there.
Maybe it was the emotion of everything I was going through right now…
I’d filed for divorce the day that I’d left New York.
The whole world knew that Wes and Corona were having a baby, my father was not well, my mother was as cold as she’d always been, and my ex-boyfriend—the only man I’d ever truly loved—was living in the house that we’d always talked about building together someday.
It was a lot.
I dropped down to sit in the deep crevasse between two thick roots erupting from the ground. It had been my favorite spot so many years ago. I just wanted to stare at the place and take a minute to catch my breath.
I’d always been a survivor. Even when my world had fallen apart, I’d been able to pivot. To come up with a new plan. To hold my head high. To keep moving forward.
To be strong.
But right now, I felt completely lost. Completely alone. Completely unsure of what tomorrow would bring. Of what I even wanted it to bring.
I had no fight left in me.
Everything that I’d worked for professionally was a breath away.
I was about to be named partner at one of the most prestigious entertainment law firms in the country.
I’d been interviewed by a reporter for New York Law magazine, and they were printing the story about my success at the firm, about a step forward for all women in the legal world, which would be available for everyone to read in just a few days.
I should be celebrating. Over the moon.
Happy, at the very least.
Yet, even before news broke of my husband’s infidelity, I hadn’t felt any sort of joy about achieving what I’d wanted for so long.
Maybe I was burned out. In need of a break.
My boss, Phillip Harper, was the most senior partner at the firm.
He’d encouraged me to work remotely and take all the time I needed with my father.
I wasn’t certain if it was out of genuine concern for my dad or because he felt terrible for me that my marriage was being splattered all over the press.
Phillip had always been like a second father to me.
We were very close. He’d taken me under his wing way back when I was just an intern, and he’d been the one to introduce me to his biggest client, my soon-to-be ex-husband, Wes.
So, he was in an awkward position, as the two of them had always been close friends.
The other two partners, Grant Walker and Ben Beezley, were not excited about having a female partner who was also much younger than them, and they’d done everything in their power to stop it from happening.
But Phillip had stayed true to his word, and I’d be an official partner at the end of the quarter.
Harper, Walker, Beezley, and Duncan.
It had a nice ring to it.
And I’d paid a hefty price. I’d traded in love and family and any sort of relationship to chase this dream.
I shook off the feeling and blinked multiple times to keep the tears at bay. I chuckled when I looked down to see my scuffed tan booties, knowing that my mother would be horrified that I hadn’t gone back to the house to fix myself up before heading out.
I didn’t care how I looked right now. I was doing my best just to keep it together.
I squinted up at the sliver of sunshine trying to peek through the dreary clouds.
It was the way that I felt. Like I was being sucked up by the darkness, and I was desperately trying to find the light. To find my way out of this.
“Presley?” A deep voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see Cage walking toward me. “You okay?”
He shouldn’t be concerned after what I’d said to him last night. And Cage wasn’t a forgiving person by nature. He’d always been stoic and stubborn and strong. But for whatever reason, I’d always been the one person that he’d given a pass.
He’d called me his Achilles’ heel back in the day.
From the first time we met, he’d been tuned into my feelings, yet he seemed completely unaware of everyone else’s feelings most of the time.
It made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, having this man’s light shine so brightly on me.
And then it was all just gone.
“Hey. Yeah, I’m good,” I said, pushing against the ground to stand, but he waved his hands for me to stay seated. He stood just inches in front of me and squatted down as his gaze locked with mine.
They’d always been the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. Sapphire blue with a dark green circle around the irises. His prominent jaw was covered in day-old scruff, and he still took my breath away, even all these years later.
“Yeah? I saw you sitting under the tree out here and thought I’d better come check on you.”
“I hope it’s okay that I’m here. Probably a little creepy that your ex-girlfriend is just sitting under a tree in your front yard.” I chuckled and looked away because at the moment, looking at Cage physically hurt.
It made no sense.
Our ship had sailed.
We’d both moved on.
I’d survived the loss of him, and I’d promised myself I’d never allow myself to love like that again. So, this should be freeing. A form of closure. But that was not how it felt.
“You know you’re always welcome. But I’m guessing you came here for a reason.”
“I wanted to apologize for what I said to you last night.”
“You want to apologize, huh? Which part in particular are you referring to?” Between his deep voice and the sexy smirk on his face, it was like I’d just been injected with a strong aphrodisiac.
Right between the legs.
I’d thought my body was beyond reacting to anything anymore, but I’d just been proven wrong. Clearly, I wasn’t completely dead inside, as I’d suspected.
I looked up to see him watching me and sucked in a breath before glancing out at the water in the distance. “You didn’t ruin me, Cage. I’m just in a weird place right now. But it has nothing to do with you, and I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”
But in a way, it had everything to do with him, didn’t it? The reason I was in a miserable marriage. The reason I’d chosen a completely different plan for my life.
“Daddy!” a little girl’s voice shouted, and she came running out the front door as she headed straight for Cage.
All the air left my lungs as I watched her.
She was wearing pink tights and a pink leotard and a pair of pink cowboy boots.
Dark curls bounced all around her as she pumped her arms and ran toward him like he was the only person in the world that mattered.
My heart clenched when she jumped into his arms, and he pushed to his feet and scooped her right up.
It was magical and sweet and so endearing. Like I was a witness to something that was rare in this world.
Cage and his little girl turned toward me, and I stood up, brushing the dirt off my behind.
“Who’s that pretty lady, Daddy?” she asked as he held her on his hip.
“Gracie, this is my friend, Presley.”
Her hands flew to her mouth, but I was mesmerized by her chocolate-brown eyes and her little cherub cheeks.
She was the cutest kid I’d ever seen. She had a perfect mix of all the Reynolds’ qualities all wrapped into the most adorable package.
“Presley? That’s your friend who shares your heart with me, right, Daddy?
Her name is inked right by my name. We have the same birthday. We’re your two girls?”
Cage’s shoulders tensed, and I looked between them, trying to understand what she was talking about. She was obviously just repeating what Cage must have told her, and judging by his unease, I was fairly certain my guess was right.
“That’s something else you’re thinking of. Presley is my friend, though, and you’ve got Daddy’s heart.” He cleared his throat.
Inked on his heart?
What was she talking about? I wanted to ask, but this clearly wasn’t the time or place, and he acted like she was just confused, so maybe she was.
“It’s nice to meet you, Gracie.” I rubbed her little shoulder in greeting because, for whatever reason, I wanted to pull her into my arms and hug her.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said, and she had this cute little voice with a slight twang in her words. “Can Presley come inside and meet Maxine?”
My chest pounded so loud it flooded my senses. Did he live with a woman? Was Maxine her mother? I forced a smile and held my breath, desperate to suddenly run away. I couldn’t handle seeing him with another woman.
Not today.
Maybe not ever.
Yes, we’d both moved on. But I’d never had to witness him with someone else. We’d lived across the country from one another. Just the thought was painful, but seeing it? Not high on my list.
The hits just kept on coming, so I’m sure Maxine was going to be a gorgeous woman who wasn’t wearing jeans, a hoodie, and dirty boots, and she probably had her life all figured out.
Cage smirked just as a car pulled up the driveway.
“Piper’s here!” Gracie squealed before wiggling out of her father’s arms and lunged herself at me.
“I have to go, Presley. I hope I get to see you again because we share the same heart. But I’ve got to go to dance class now.
It’s Piper’s mama’s turn to drive. Daddy takes us on Mondays, and Farah takes us on Wednesdays. And today is Wednesday.”
“I hope I get to see you again, too.” I blinked several times because just seeing Cage’s daughter had me feeling things that had been buried so deeply I hadn’t realized they existed anymore. “Have fun at dance class.”
“Give me a minute,” Cage said, as he took his daughter’s little hand in his and led her toward the car.
His long legs moved slow enough for her to keep up, and his broad shoulders were exactly as I remembered them.
He helped his daughter into the car, buckled her in the back seat, and said goodbye before holding his hand up and waving as the car backed down the driveway.
The way his brows furrowed as he watched the car drive away had my heart threatening to burst.
The protective stance, the concern—it was everything I knew he’d be as a father.
But witnessing it was different.
Witnessing it hurt me in a way that I couldn’t explain to even myself.
I was getting a glimpse of the life that should have been mine.
Time had never been on our side.
And that certainly hadn’t changed.