Chapter 26 – Cassie
My stomach was doing somersaults the second I got in my car. This nervousness I felt was confusing me. I was about to sit and have dinner with people I had known for years—I practically considered them family. But there was one McKinley in particular who had me off-kilter.
Sometime in the last couple of weeks, Jace had gone from the cocky, chauvinistic younger McKinley brother with a life mission of getting under my skin, to someone who understood me on a deeper level than I had ever realized possible.
He’d seen pieces of my life that I’d only shared with a select few people, the kind of trauma that usually made others uncomfortable and sent them running for the hills.
Now I was standing at Colt and Ellie’s front door with nerves wound so tight I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. The only thing keeping my hands steady was the Tupperware I held with the pumpkin roll inside—my ticket into this Thanksgiving dinner, according to Jace.
Pull it together, Cassie. You’re a badass bitch. Start acting like it.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door—only to have it swing open to the one person I’d hoped wouldn’t answer.
Jace stood there in blue jeans that hugged his muscled thighs perfectly and a black T-shirt that clung to his inked biceps—the same tattooed biceps I’d often pretended not to stare at.
He wasn’t wearing his usual cowboy hat, either.
Instead, his hair was slicked back, making him look even more put together.
So much for my badass-bitch mentality. It was about to fly right away.
He smiled down at me as he grabbed the Tupperware out of my hands. “You actually came.”
“What made you think I wouldn’t?” I asked, surprised that he thought I might stand him up.
“Because the last and only time you accepted my offer to hang out, it was after I made you feel bad for breaking my foot.” He stuck out his foot like a show-off. “Which, by the way, is completely healed now.”
I looked down. The black boot he’d been wearing for six weeks was gone. “Lesson learned—don’t walk downtown if Cassie Blake is behind the wheel of heavy machinery,” he joked with a cocky smile, way too pleased with himself.
“Leave me alone or I’ll stomp on it and break it again,” I said, pushing the Tupperware he carried into his chest.
“Hey now, take it easy. That’s precious cargo, sugar. I have plans for this pumpkin roll later.”
“Sharing is caring, Jace.”
“Fuck that.” He popped the lid open and took a long, dramatic whiff.
“On another note, you just missed the family Uno game. Molly got so mad at Colt for slapping her with a draw four that she pinned him to the floor and gave him a wet willy with Ellie’s help,” he laughed.
“That is horrifying and somehow exactly the kind of thing this family would do.”
Ellie appeared in the doorway behind him with her hands on her hips. “About time you got here, Cass. Don’t stand on the porch, come inside before Jace eats all the dessert.”
“Don’t worry, I brought enough for everyone,” I said, steadying my voice and hide the nervousness. “Even Jace.”
“We’ll see about that.” He waggled his eyebrows, then with a theatrical bow, he stepped aside and let me in.
The house was filled with the sound of laughter and clinking of dishes far off in the distance. The air swirled with the smell of turkey and stuffing. Music played in the distance, and Alice and Charlie talked to each other in the kitchen as they put the final touches on all the food.
Alice looked up from the potatoes she was mashing when I entered the kitchen, smiling when she recognized who I was.
“Oh perfect, Cassie’s here. I just put a table setting down for you, sweetheart.
I sat you between Ellie and Jace. That way you can have small talk with Ellie and keep Jace in line for me at the same time,” she said, winking at me in a way that made me feel like she knew more than she was letting on, but maybe I was just overthinking it.
“I’m sure you’re aware he can be a troublemaker sometimes,” she said, continuing to mash the potatoes.
“Oh, I’ve definitely heard some stories.”
Jace walked up just at that moment, his arm brushing against mine, sending a shock down my spine. Good thing I was wearing a sweater, or he’d easily see the goosebumps forming across my arms.
Bad bitch, Cassie, remember? Who cares that he helped convince your mom to go to rehab? Or that he shared his darkest secret to me while we were parked at his hush-hush hangout spot—a spot he only told you about? All guys did that, right?
“Auntie Cassie!” June yelled as she ran from the back of the house.
“Uncle Jace said he invited you, but he wasn’t sure you would come.
I’m so happy you’re here!” she said, jumping up and down.
“I even told Momma to make you some of your favorite chocolate chip cookies,” June added proudly, pointing to a plate of cookies sitting neatly on the counter.
I grabbed one and took a bite. “Did you help her make them?”
“Yup!” June said, beaming.
“That’s why they taste extra good this time. They were made with June-Bug love,” I said, winking at her.
“Dinner is served,” Charlie announced. He clapped his hands together, proud of the hard work that had gone into the meal. “Everything’s already on the table, plates and all,” he added as we followed him into the dining room.
“Jace, will you say grace tonight?” Alice asked. “I think we all have a lot to be thankful for this year, especially you,” she said with a soft smile.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sitting down at the perfectly decorated table. Everyone else followed suit, taking their seats, folding their hands, and bowing their heads.
I placed my left hand in Ellie’s and my right in Jace’s. He held on tight, much tighter than Ellie was holding on to my other hand.
“God, we thank you for the food before us, and for keeping our family safe another year,” Jace began.
“Thank you for the people around this table who can drive me crazy but always have my back, for friends, and for the laughter they bring. Remind us not to take the small things for granted. Please wrap your blanket of love around those who couldn’t be here with us tonight.
Help us remember to be kind and appreciate what we have.
And maybe let me enjoy an extra slice of dessert without being judged by everyone. Amen.”
Amens echoed around the table followed by a few laughs.
I didn’t miss Jace’s comment about protecting those who couldn’t be with us tonight. No one else knew about the events of the last couple days with my mom, but I appreciated the way Jace made sure to include her in his prayers.
I turned to him and mouthed thank you. He just winked, knowing exactly what I was thanking him for.
As I shifted in my seat to pile my plate high with all of my favorite dishes, my leg brushed against Jace’s, causing me to freeze up.
“You okay?” Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow. “You seem jumpy tonight.”
“I’m fine. Just a little chilly, that’s all,” I said, trying not to squirm anymore and put more attention on myself than I already had.
“I walked by your coffee shop the other day Cassie. It looked adorable,” Alice said, smiling at me.
“Thanks! Decorating it for the holidays is one of my favorite things to do.”
“You should try Jace’s cabin next,” she teased. “That place is so bare, it needs a woman’s touch.”
“I bet Sally Anne would do a great job,” Colt added, smirking at Jace.
“Who’s Sally Anne?” I asked innocently, tired of hearing this woman’s name but not understanding why her name alone instantly put a frown on Jace’s face.
“No one,” Jace said way too fast, obviously wanting to change the subject.
“She works at the beauty shop downtown and keeps trying to get Jace to go out with her,” Colt explained, clearly enjoying every second of this.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Jace muttered, cheeks turning pink.
“She’s definitely not my type. She’s way too prim and proper for me.
One time I went down there to get a haircut, and she made me take my boots off at the door because she said they were too dirty.
Then, while I was sitting in her chair, she kept going on about how bad my posture was.
Kept telling me I needed to learn how to sit up straighter.
Plus, she tried to convince me I needed to shave my beard.
Said I’d look more presentable without one. No thanks.”
“So if she’s not your type, who is?” Charlie asked, grinning.
“Auntie Cassie!” June yelled, sending the table into total chaos. “He told me so.”
Jace and Colt stared at her, wide-eyed, while Charlie and Alice snickered behind their hands.
Ellie glanced at me just as I choked on my food, coughing and sputtering, while Jace sat next to me, trying not to look absolutely mortified.