Chapter 4
four
. . .
Cage
Fuck. My daughter had a gift for spilling a shit-ton of information in a short period of time.
It took everything I had not to laugh at how tense Presley looked at the mention of Maxine.
Gracie also outed my tattoo, as well, but hopefully, I played it off well enough.
My little girl had no filter. She said whatever came to her mind.
I’d taught her to speak for herself. To always use her voice.
So I couldn’t fault her for not knowing what was off-limits.
Hell, I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Presley was here in town and that I’d found her sitting outside my house just now.
I’m sure it was a shock for her to see the home that I’d built.
Just because things didn’t work out between her and me didn’t mean I hadn’t stayed true to my word about the other promises I’d made.
But seeing Gracie and Presley together—something I never imagined would happen—did strange things to me.
I’d never been a guy who liked surprises. I liked my routine. I avoided change.
But here we were, with Presley fucking Duncan standing outside my house, and she’d just met my daughter.
I walked back over to her, and she was sitting in the same spot I’d found her a few minutes earlier.
I thought of inviting her inside but decided against it and dropped to sit across from her.
She looked fucking stunning in her faded jeans and hoodie.
Her hair was pulled back from her gorgeous face, which was makeup free.
I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t happy to see her. That my heart wasn’t pumping harder than it had in a very long time. That my body hadn’t come alive just being close to her.
But that didn’t change anything.
Presley Duncan was off-fucking-limits for a multitude of reasons.
Even the fantasy of her.
I couldn’t go there. Never again.
She didn’t live here.
She was technically still married, as far as I knew, though it had been leaked in the press that she’d filed for divorce the day she left to come home.
I only knew this because Finn and Brinkley loved to send me updates.
But I knew nothing about her anymore. All I knew was that being around her again was having an effect on me. And I couldn’t allow that.
Not anymore.
I prided myself on being in control, and she was the only woman who’d ever tested that.
But there was too much to lose now. Falling for my unattainable ex-girlfriend was not an option.
“Is Maxine Gracie’s mother?”
That didn’t take long. I raised a brow, enjoying how tense she looked as she waited for my answer. Hell, why did any of it even matter? We’d both moved on with our lives.
“I told you back then that I was going to be raising Gracie on my own.”
“I didn’t know that meant her mother wouldn’t be around.”
“Gracie’s mother is not in her life.”
Her gaze softened, and she let out a long breath. “I’m sorry about that. So, who is Maxine? The lady in your life?”
Goddamn, this woman hadn’t changed a bit. I could still read her just as easily as I always could. She was trying so hard to stay composed. To act unaffected. I recognized it because I was doing the same thing.
“Maxine is a pig.”
“Wow. I see you haven’t lost your charm for complimenting others,” she snipped, and I barked out a laugh.
“I’m not fucking insulting anyone. Maxine is an actual potbelly pig.”
“You have a pet pig?”
“We do not have a pet pig. Maxine belongs to Martha and Joe Langley, who guilted me into watching her. For the millionth fucking time.”
“Well, look at you… you’ve turned into a big softy, Cowboy.” The corners of her lips turned up, and damn if I didn’t still get off on making this woman smile.
“Whatever. I did it for Gracie. She loves that little porker.”
Her head fell back in laughter, and I couldn’t help but do the same.
“Gracie’s amazing, by the way,” she said, blinking several times before turning her gaze back to mine.
“She’s a good kid. I’m guessing my family has more to do with that than I do.” It was the truth. They’d all chipped in, and my parents were very involved in my daughter’s life in every way possible.
“I don’t doubt that they’re great with her, but it’s impossible to miss the way she looks at you.”
“Oh, yeah? How does she look at me? Like the sappy bastard who agrees to babysit a pig to make her happy?”
“She looks at you like she’s the luckiest girl in the world to have you for a daddy.”
I paused at her words, and it took me a minute to pull myself together.
Parenting was not for the weak.
“She’s got a big heart. But I’m the lucky one. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I question every day if I’m failing her.”
Why was I even sharing this? We hadn’t talked in years, yet it had always just been easy with Presley. Like she understood me in a way that no one else ever had.
“I mean, all you have to do is look at her. She’s bursting with joy. You’ve got yourself one happy little girl. Why would you even question it?”
I scrubbed a hand down my face.
“Remember how you always liked to be at my house when we were teenagers? You liked the stability you felt there. There were two parents and a lot of love under that roof. You said you didn’t have that kind of joy at your house, and I guess it worries me that she doesn’t have that perfect family setting. ”
Her gaze narrowed before softening so much that if I were standing up, it would have dropped me to my knees.
“Cage, I didn’t like being at your house because you had two parents.
I liked being at your house because it was full of love.
My house had two parents, too, but it was filled with staff, and it was run more like a business.
You have a pet pig staying here, and your daughter is a bundle of happiness.
I’d say you’re giving her exactly what you had as a kid.
A fairy-tale childhood. And she knows how much you love her; it’s impossible to miss. ”
“All right, that’s enough about me. How about you tell me the truth about what’s going on in your marriage?”
I didn’t know why I’d asked, but I wanted to know.
Needed to know.
She blew out a long breath. “I’m not hurt the way you think I am, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Your husband knocks up his assistant and the whole world knows, and you aren’t hurt? That doesn’t sound like you. I know you’re strong, but you always had the capacity to feel things deeply.”
“Maybe you don’t know me anymore.” Her expression hardened, lips in a straight line, and I could tell she was trying to keep it together.
“You might be right. But not being hurt doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
At that, her shoulders sagged the slightest bit, and her eyes welled with emotion. “I didn’t have a very happy marriage, Cage. Ironically, I ended up living in a home that was similar to the one I’d grown up in.”
Presley had hated that her parents had a notably loveless marriage.
It was more of an arrangement. Her father tried, and he was a good guy, but her mother was not a warm person.
They appeared to be wealthy people living their own lives and throwing money at their daughter to overcompensate for their lack of family.
She’d always been drawn to my family. My parents. My siblings.
Me.
My chest tightened at her words, because as much as I hated the idea of her with someone else, I hated the idea of her being sad or lonely more.
I reached for her hand, and my eye caught on a tiny tattoo on the inside of her wrist. It looked to be a small bird.
Raven.
I forced my gaze back up to meet hers. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know that all you ever wanted was a big family.”
She shook her head and shrugged. “Well, in his defense, he tried. He tried harder than I did, if I’m being honest. I mean, outside of having an affair. I didn’t want kids, and he did, but things were fractured long before that.”
“You always wanted kids. What changed?”
“I rushed into marriage because I was hurting.” She pulled her hand away from mine and straightened her shoulders. “It was the end of a long-time fairy tale when you and I imploded.”
Her words startled me because she appeared to move on so quickly from where I was sitting at the time.
“You didn’t wait long to get married.” My tone was harsh because the sting was still there. All these years later.
“Well, you were a new dad. That ship had sailed. We just hadn’t pulled the bandage all the way off before that. Are you really going to point the finger at me?”
“Fuck, Presley. It was a messed-up time. I don’t think either of us knew what to do. Things don’t always work out the way you expect, but I think we’re way past pointing the finger.”
“Agreed. I’ve got bigger fish to fry than you right now, anyway.” She smirked. “I don’t have the energy to hate you anymore, Cage. I let all that anger lead me into an unhappy situation.”
“He didn’t lay his hands on you, did he?” Anger coursed through my veins. Regardless of whether we spoke anymore, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for this woman if she asked.
I’d fucking do it if she didn’t ask.
“Hell no. I would never let a man lay a hand on me. You know that.” She raised a brow. “But you always did want to beat up anyone who hurt me, didn’t you?”
“Until I was the one to do it.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. It felt like a million years ago. And there was too much water under the bridge now. But being with her here, right now, it felt like no time had passed.
“I think we both did the hurting.” The tip of her finger moved, running along my knuckles almost absentmindedly. I didn’t mind it. I’d never minded being close to Presley. Never minded her witty banter or her stubborn determination.
Definitely never minded her body wrapped around mine.
My cock thickened in my jeans, and I jerked my hand away and moved to my feet in response. She looked startled by my brisk movement, and she cleared her throat and pushed to stand.
Hell, it had been a while since I’d reacted like that. Sitting close to a beautiful woman would do that to any horny dude who’d gone way too long without sex.
And involving my dick would be the quickest way to lose control.
I couldn’t allow that. Not with this woman. I’d barely survived the first time I’d lost her. I couldn’t risk that kind of hurt again.
Not when I had Gracie to think about.
“I should probably go check on Maxine.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and took a step back, needing to put more distance between us.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
“Yeah. I need to get going. This has been enough of a trip down memory lane for one day.” She chuckled.
“How long are you staying? What’s your plan?
” Wasn’t that the million-dollar question?
I knew she was a lawyer at her firm in New York, and from what I’d heard, she had a big, fancy penthouse there, as well.
Finn had shown me an article about her and her husband, where they’d been photographed at their place in some entertainment magazine a few years ago.
They were living large, to say the least.
“As long as I need to. Probably a couple of weeks, maybe longer. There’s nothing to rush back to, aside from work.
I’m going to officially be named partner at my firm at the end of the quarter, which I’m really happy about.
But my marriage is over. I’m just hoping he’ll sign the divorce papers sooner rather than later.
Wes doesn’t like when he doesn’t get his way.
” Her smile was forced, and she shrugged.
Her honey-brown eyes looked gold with the bit of sunlight peeking through the clouds.
So fucking pretty, with a body that would make any red-blooded man lose his mind.
And it pissed me the hell off that I was struggling this much from just being around her.
“Why wouldn’t he sign the papers? He’s having a baby with another woman.” I crossed my arms over my chest, working hard to keep my erection under control.
“That’s just the way he is. He likes things to happen on his terms. But don’t you worry about me, Cage Reynolds. I’m going to be just fine.” She took a few steps backward.
“You always are.”
“Thanks for the chat. I guess I’ll see you around.” She held up a hand and turned to walk away.
And I didn’t fucking move.
Couldn’t fucking move.
I still hated saying goodbye to this woman.
She turned around and caught me staring, and chuckled. “You’re going to watch me sail off into the sunset, huh?”
“It’s what I always did best.”
And that was exactly what I did.
I stood there, watching her leave, reminding myself that she’d be gone for good again in just a couple of weeks.
Because our time together had passed a long time ago.