Chapter 9 #2
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I heard you weren’t in school yesterday. Are you feeling all right?” Cage raised a brow. Who knew that kindergarten tension could be so riveting? I had no idea what was going on, but these two were definitely not friends.
“I got ‘spended ‘cause Gracie tattled on me.” I imagined that was kindergarten speak for suspended. Was that a thing in kindergarten now?
“You cut my hair,” Gracie said, just as a woman walked over to stand next to Preston.
She had long blonde hair, the tightest white tee that dipped inappropriately low for a school party, and cleavage for days. She stared directly at Cage and batted her lashes, and I tried not to roll my eyes at how obvious she was.
Leave a little something to the imagination, lady.
“I heard our kids had a little love squabble,” she purred.
It took all I had not to wave my hands in her face. She hadn’t acknowledged me. How did she know that we weren’t together? What if I was his girlfriend? I scooted my chair closer to Cage, and he glanced over and smirked. It was the first friendly gesture I’d gotten from him in two days.
“My daughter is five years old. She doesn’t have love squabbles, Rhonda.
But I suggest you talk to your son about being careless with scissors.
He cut a piece of her hair off two days ago.
If he’d slipped, he could have really hurt her.
And just know, if it happens again, I’ll take this a lot higher than going to the principal. ”
“Oh, Cage, kids will be kids. How about you and I talk about it over dinner and drinks this week?”
His shoulders stiffened, and the look on his face was even more irritated than usual. I decided to throw my hand out in her direction. “Hey, I’m Presley. I think the big guy here is going to be busy with me for a while.”
“Is that right? I’m not sure I understand,” she said, glaring at me and completely ignoring my hand, so I pulled it away.
“I think she was pretty direct,” Cage said. “And I’ll say it nicely for the last time. Teach your son how to handle scissors.”
Rhonda whipped around and reached for Preston’s hand, and the kid stuck his tongue out at Cage. To my surprise, Cage stuck his tongue out at the little boy, which had my head falling back in laughter. Gracie had gone to get us more cookies, and I studied the man beside me.
“Did you really just stick your tongue out at a five-year-old?”
“Did you almost just throw down with his mother?” he said, unable to hide the smile on his face now. He leaned close to my ear so only I could hear. “That kid gets under my fucking skin.”
Yeah? Well, you get under my skin, too. But in a very different kind of way.
Chills ran down my back, and I tried to remain composed.
“Really? I couldn’t tell.” My voice was all tease.
We spent the next thirty minutes watching the kids sing songs while we ate more treats.
It was the most entertained I’d been in a long time.
Just watching all the students clapping completely offbeat, Preston glaring at Cage as he stood in the front row, Gracie doing all the dance moves she’d been taught, even if no one else was doing them with her.
It was… refreshing.
I realized in that moment that I never just sat and enjoyed anything. I was always in a hurry. Researching, reading, presenting, attending events, shopping, traveling—my life was a rat race, and I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed this much or smiled or just felt this at peace.
After the classroom started to empty out, Cage looked at his watch and startled. “We’ve got to get on the road.”
I nodded, and we said our goodbyes. Cage told me to follow him over to his parents’ house, where he would drop off Gracie, and then he’d leave his truck there.
It brought back a lot of memories when we pulled in front of the Reynolds’ home.
Of the hundreds of times I’d been here. The love I’d experienced in this home.
They were everything I’d ever wished for in a family. I jumped out of the truck, and Cage turned around to look at me.
“We need to be quick. The clouds are coming in,” he said, carrying Gracie up the walkway.
“I just want to say hello, and then we can go.”
He pushed inside, and the next thirty minutes were spent hugging and chatting with Alana and Bradford. Gracie was telling them all about the party, and Cage kept glancing at his watch.
“All right. We need to get on the road. I’ll call you when we’re on our way back.”
“Okay, be safe.” Alana wrapped her arms around me, and I wished we weren’t in such a hurry. “How long are you home for?”
“A couple of weeks,” I said.
“How about you come to Sunday dinner this weekend? Everyone would love to see you.”
I glanced over at the brooding giant beside me, and he scrubbed a hand down the back of his neck.
“Is that going to be a problem for you?” My gaze locked with his.
“My problem is that if we don’t get on the road soon, we won’t be back for Sunday dinner at this rate.”
Alana rolled her eyes, Bradford barked out a laugh, and Gracie clapped her hands. “Presley’s coming to dinner.”
Cage kissed his daughter goodbye and thanked his parents. I hugged them both before bending down to give Gracie an extra-long hug.
And then I ran after the man who was already on his way to the truck.