Chapter Twelve
O n Friday, after school , I spent time in my studio working. When I came out for a breath of air and something to drink, I could hear Seth and Toby in my living room playing games. I peeked into the room and had to swallow my laughter.
The two of them were going hard at some fighter game, trying to beat each other. They were even pushing each other in an attempt to mess them up.
“I didn’t realize you guys were here,” I said, realizing that I liked that they were. It was always nice to feel like my house actually had life to it. I’d never had that after Dad left. Lindie and I had only existed in the same space when we had to and any decorations were for guests. But here, there were silly decorations we’d find. My plain pillowcase had long since been replaced with cute animal pillows. There was even a group of collectibles growing on my living room windowsill. Stacks of board games we rarely played. Random books that weren’t mine. A coffee table full of snacks and drinks.
It was such a stark contrast to how I was used to living.
Toby shot a glance at me before focusing back on the game—just in time to avoid being attacked by Seth. “I came up briefly, but you were really into your piano, so I left you alone.”
“And I brought over everything for dinner. I’ll start cooking once I destroy Toby.”
“Dream on, man,” Toby said.
Seth chuckled. “Don’t need to.” He briefly glanced my way. “Are you done working?”
“No. I want to wrap up one more project, then I’ll be done.”
“Go then!” Toby actually shooed me away.
“Wow.” I faked a gasp. “Fine, I will.”
Seth reached over and smacked Toby’s arm.
Toby realized how what he said came across and turned to me with wide eyes. “Shit. No. I just mean, go hurry and finish so we can hang out.”
“Sure. I’ll just go back to my studio and out of your sight.” I worked my way up the stairs.
I had to hold back a smile when there were heavy footsteps running up the stairs after me.
“Cadence.” Toby grabbed my hand gently and waited until I turned to look at him. “I didn’t mean it like that. You know that, right?”
“Toby.” It was weird to be taller than him, and I took advantage of that, sensing his unease and needing to get rid of it for him. I pulled away from his grip gently and cupped his face, forcing him to look up at me. I leaned down and kissed him.
He hesitated only long enough for his brain to catch up before his lips moved against mine, releasing a small groan. His reaction sent a warm wave of butterflies and excitement through me. Heat spread where he held my arm, a slow tingling following in its wake, and if we hadn’t been on the stairs, I might have plastered myself against him in order to chase more of that feeling. I pulled away, breathless and light, and smirked at him.
“I know. I promise I know. I’d rather hang out with you than write another song about jingling bells and snowfall. I’ll be done in a little bit, then I’m yours for the rest of the evening.”
“Deal. I need someone I can beat in video games.”
I snickered. “I’ve been practicing.”
“Candy Cane, you can practice for a hundred years and you still won’t be able to win against me.”
I nudged his shoulder. “Go. I’ll be down in like less than an hour to show you how wrong you are. I promise.”
“All right.”
“Toby, get back here so I can finish killing you,” Seth called out.
“Wait! You promised not to start it!” Toby ran so fast back down the stairs that I was about to call out in warning before he fell. Luckily, he made it down safely to the bottom step and disappeared into the living room.
Reluctantly, really wishing I could join them, I went to my studio. After leaving the door open, I returned to the piano and looked at the Christmas song I was currently working on. It was becoming a social trend now to have a song done about your significant other and share their reaction on social media. I practically had a cookie-cutter template for them at this point since I’d had to do so many.
I imagined it was going to be the same thing for Valentine’s Day.
After blowing out a breath, I got back to work, wanting to at least finish this song and maybe get a good framework going for the next one before I called it a day. It was Friday. I wanted to enjoy my Friday with the others.
Even Justin didn’t have a meet to run off to today, so he was going to come by after practice. I was told these moments with him were rare until swim season ended.
So I forced myself to work even though it’d be so easy to ignore it. I was just uploading the song for the client to approve when Toby knocked on my door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking in his expression.
He looked a little pale and anxious.
“Someone is here to see you. She says she’s Janice.”
“Wh-what?” I stumbled over the word, feeling a bit dumb. And confused.
“Your friend Janice. She’s outside with Seth. She wants to talk to you.”
He barely had a chance to finish speaking before I was running down the stairs. Toby called after me, but I didn’t care if I fell.
Was this some kind of sick joke? There was no way she’d come back.
No way.
I practically pulled the door off its hinges when I yanked on it and stared at the woman I hadn’t seen in nearly two years. She was eighteen then, and now she was twenty.
And absolutely beautiful. She looked at me with warm blue eyes, the corners crinkling as amusement danced within them. She had lost a lot of weight before she left, but now she held a spark of life I’d never seen in her, making her practically glow.
Her wavy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore clothes that fit her for once. I knew her as someone who stood ready to take a punch. But now she stood tall and confident.
This was what healthy and happiness looked like.
“J-Janice?” I stumbled out.
“Cadence!” Before I could say anything else or wrap my head around the reality of her being here, she pulled me into a big hug. “It’s been too long. I can’t believe it.”
She said more, but my brain wasn’t about to keep up with her. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she was here. Right here. In my arms.
“Okay,” Seth spoke up. “How about we get out of this freezing cold before Cadence gets frostbite?”
Janice pulled away and looked down at me. That was when I realized I was definitely not suited to be outside, even with Janice’s body heat to keep me warm. My feet were already frozen, and it was traveling up my body.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you out in the cold. I got too excited.” Janice laughed.
I grinned at her, my cheeks hurting from how big my smile was. “I still have a bunch of hot chocolate, want some?”
Her eyes widened in pure delight. Before she’d left, we had plenty of nights where we sat outside, sipping on the warm drink. It had easily become our thing as we both used those moments to escape the lives we’d been stuck in.
Janice practically dragged me inside with her.
“That way,” I directed and we went into the kitchen.
Seth grabbed everything we needed for the hot chocolate while Janice stared at me, taking in every little bit of my existence. I returned the favor, noting all the changes in her compared to her past. Good changes proving how good her life has been.
“Why did you come back?” I finally asked.
“I heard about the round up. That they’re all in jail.” The happiness seeped out of Janice’s expression. “I wanted to make sure they all stayed there.”
“You went to the police?”
Janice blew out a breath and her voice grew serious. She practically deflated. “And I heard what happened to you. I’m so fucking sorry, Cadence. I never thought it’d come back to you like that. I never meant for that to happen.”
My throat felt like it was about to close, so I swallowed hard and gave her a weak smile. “It’s fine. No one would have guessed any of that would have happened.”
It seemed those were the words she needed to hear because she relaxed into her chair. “I handed over everything I took from Rick. And I plan to be here for the trial once they have that date. They’re ruined, Cadence. Rick. His men. All of the Ryder gang. They can’t hurt you or me anymore. We won.” She let out a soft sob. “We fucking won.”
Janice broke down in front of me and cried.
Toby and Seth looked like they had no clue what to do. I barely knew what to do myself. Knowing that the guys hugged me every time I cried, I did the same. I wrapped Janice in the biggest hug I could muster.
She turned and leaned in to me, wrapping her arms around my waist as she practically buried herself in me. She was smaller than me, so it was easier.
“You did win,” I whispered. “You won the day you left this place behind.”
She sobbed even harder and I got it. I really did. Even though she had left this life, it would have still shadowed her every day. How often did she look over her shoulder, expecting to see Rick McCormack or one of his men? How many times did someone in a crowd look like him, stealing her breath away as fear rooted her in place? How often did she freeze when she heard someone who sounded all too much like him? How many questions did glances from strangers leave her with?
But now she had definitive proof that he was behind bars and everyone was so sure he’d always stay there. Especially with whatever proof she gave the police. I was curious, but I would never ask. While I wanted to know what put my life at risk, a part of me didn’t.
Janice pulled away, wiping at her face. She laughed. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry. That he wasn’t worth any more tears. And yet, I see you and it’s back to the water works. Ezi is going to get a kick out of this.”
“Ezi?”
She grinned like a maniac, her eyes lighting with happiness once more—clear and bright like the sky on a summer day.
“Ezra.” She grabbed a necklace around her neck and pulled it out. On it dangled a pretty ring with a diamond. “My fiancé.”
My eyes widened as happiness flooded through me. “You’re getting married?”
“Yes, next fall.” She released the necklace and blushed as she looked down.
Seth pushed over hot chocolate, giving her a kind smile. He handed me mine and another for Toby. The fourth one sat in front of him. All of them had a nice dose of whipped cream and some shaved chocolate. Seth always made hot chocolate better than I did—and he never used the cheap stuff. Bryan was making sure both our houses were stocked properly with the good kind.
“Thank you,” Janice said. She cleared her throat. “I met Ezi only shortly after leaving. We may have, uh, messed around for a couple of weeks. I was...I don’t know...angry? Confused? I just wanted an outlet and he let me take it out on him. Then I got pregnant.” Again her face was red.
“Wait. You have a kid?”
“Six months.” She took out her phone and quickly pulled up photos.
I moved closer for a look. He was the most adorable creature I’d ever seen. So tiny. “He has your eyes.”
“And his daddy’s hair.” She chuckled. “Once Ezi realized I was pregnant, he was determined to marry me, but I kept saying no.”
“Why?”
“I told him he had to truly love me first. I’d rather be a single mom than tied to a stranger who was going to suddenly change on me.”
“And he proved it,” I said.
She nodded. “More than proved it. He’s...it’s hard to explain. He’s air itself. He’s been putting me back together. Helping me even when I tried to push him away. He refused to leave me even when I was being a complete bitch to him. And trust me, I tried. I really did. He took all of my bullshit.”
I looked at the necklace again. “And now you’re marrying him.”
“And now I’m marrying him.”
“I’m so happy for you,” I said.
“Thank you.”
She glanced toward Toby and Seth, her smile turning sly.
“How about you?” She tilted her head subtly toward them. “Which one is yours?”
“Why does she have to choose?” Seth asked.
“Seth!” I gasped.
Janice laughed. “Well, I’m the last person to judge you.” She leaned over and bumped her shoulder with mine. “You’re my family. You know that?”
“What?” That took me by surprise.
She tilter her head slightly, a knowing look in her eyes. We were people who grew up without family. Felt the loss and learned how blood family could mean nothing but found family was everything.
“And as your older sister, I know they’re your family too, no matter what form that is.” She lifted her drink and carefully sipped it. “And now I know that young man there is Seth. Who is this other one?”
“Toby,” the man in question said, sending her a lighthearted wink.
Janice looked between the two of them, not a drop of judgment coming from her. “Good. You guys will do.”
“Will do?” Seth asked.
“Taking care of Cadence. I can tell.” She stood up. “I need to go check in to the hotel, but I’ll see you again tomorrow?”
“Wait, no, stay for dinner,” I said.
“I’d love to, but there’s some tournament in town, and I don’t want to risk not having a place to sleep tonight. I’m long over having to sleep in my car.”
“Stay with me,” I blurted out, surprised the words had even left my mouth.
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” I waved my hand. “It’s only me in this big house. When I actually stay here.”
Seth snorted at that, drawing a snicker from Janice.
“If you’re okay with that. It’ll save me money.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Bryan put in this big fancy alarm system, so you know you’ll be safe. And Seth is always feeding me, so you won’t go hungry. And I’ve gotten good at paying my bills on time, so you’ll be warm.”
Janice took in a breath and then laughed. “What the hell. Who lists basic needs as a way to entice someone to sleep here.”
“Well, if I remember correctly, both of us have had to sleep out in the middle of a field once or twice.”
“What?” Seth practically snapped.
“You went camping?” Toby asked, sounding a little confused.
Janice and I both glanced at each other.
“They didn’t camp because they wanted to,” Seth said, staring right at me.
Feeling a little bad, I took a drink and tried to savor the rich chocolate. It didn’t help calm my nerves, but it was enough to give me time to think.
“Sometimes, Lindie brought back men who made me uncomfortable enough to sneak out. I usually stayed out as late as I could, hoping they’d be gone when I got back home, but sometimes, they stayed all night. So I stayed out all night.” I shrugged. “But I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“And I only had Rick at the time and there were some nights where I just refused to be around him. So we’d meet up and have our own little sleepover.”
“Out in the open,” Seth said, sounding mad.
“Dude.” Toby glared at Seth.
Seth cleared his throat. “Sorry. Sorry.” He closed his eyes. “Just the idea of you guys that defenseless. I didn’t know.”
“And what would you have done?” Janice asked. “Let the past be the past. Don’t get stuck on it.”
“I’ll be back,” he mumbled and walked out of the kitchen.
“I’ll go make sure he doesn’t punch a wall,” Toby said. “Want me to help you carry anything in?”
“I didn’t say yes.”
Toby glanced at me and then back at Janice. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a yes. Give me five and I’ll go grab your stuff.” He ran out of the room.
Janice laughed. “They’re something.”
“They really are. So you’ll say yes.”
“Yes, I’ll say yes. I’ve been getting good at doing that lately. Yes to Ezi. Now yes to you.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re all good yesses.”
She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “That it is. I’m so happy to see you again.”
I pulled her in for a hug, still in disbelief that she was here. But she was. She was very, very real in my arms, and I was ecstatic. By the way she squeezed me back, she was feeling the same. She wasn’t wrong. She had quickly become family to me. A sister I desperately needed at the time and greatly missed when she left.
It wasn’t long after that, that Seth and Toby came back. And then the others came in. I introduced everyone while Seth set up the outdoor firepit for us. Once it was ready, Janice dragged me outside, away from everyone else as they entertained themselves with other stuff.
Seth was cooking with Justin’s help. Toby had dragged Paxon and Bryan to the living room to play games. I was grateful since it gave more time with just Janice and me. We had switched to hot tea, forced on us by Seth. It was good though, with a hint of peppermint in it.
I blew out a breath and watched as the cold air turned it into a wispy cloud that quickly dissipated.
“I forgot how cold New York can get,” Janice said.
“Where did you end up, if I’m allowed to ask.”
She sighed. “Well, since I’m back and Rick is in jail, I don’t think it really matters anymore. I made it down to Georgia. Near Atlanta.”
“Oh. That’s really cool.” I grinned. “I worried about you, but it seems I didn’t need to. You look so good.”
She smiled big. “While what happened here was tough and scary, Georgia has only ever felt like a dream to me. Meeting Ezi, having Rowan. I’m working on my degree for social services and plan to go to grad school.”
“Grad school,” I teased her. “What happened to...what was it? Game design?”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m still interested in that, but only as a hobby. I don’t know, having the help I had from you and from Hope’s Embrace in getting out of that situation safely—I want to be a part of something like that. I don’t want others in situations like mine to be stuck and have to stuffer.”
“I think you’ll be perfect for it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She looked down at her drink and ran her finger over the rim. “Coming from you, that means a lot. You’re a senior now right?”
I nodded.
“If I remember the craze around this time, have you applied to any colleges? What were you thinking? I’m guessing something musical.” She shrugged. “But who knows, maybe that’s changed for you.”
I barely stopped myself from letting out a snort of amusement. This seemed to be the topic of the year. “Actually, I think I finally settled on music therapy.”
Janice grinned. “That is so you. I’m not surprised.”
“Really?”
She waved a hand as if it were obvious. “I mean, look at me. I’m here because of what you did. You care about people. In an unconditional way. And well, music is your thing. I may not understand your obsession, but it is your thing.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I took a drink, letting the tea keep me warm. The firepit was doing a good job but there was a chilly wind that blew through every few minutes.
“Did you find any schools yet that have that program?”
“Truthfully, I only decided this week and hadn’t really had a chance to look into it. I did a quick search just to see. Maybe NYU or there were a couple of SUNY schools offering a degree too. I think I’d like something online if possible, so I can keep working. I have to look deeper into it all though.”
“Online so you can more easily stick around here?”
“How’d you know?”
She glanced toward the house. “Just a guess. You bought a house. People don’t buy houses if they don’t plan to stick around.”
She had a good point, but at the same time, I wasn’t really sure how accurate she was about that. I did initially just want to get away after I graduated. I bought the house because it only seemed right. And I think a part of me kind of hoped that once Lindie was out of the hospital, she’d need a place to stay, and I’d just give her the house and call it even that way.
But everything was so different. Nothing I thought was going to happen back in August before school started was what actually happened.
“Dinner is ready,” Seth called out to us. “Come inside before all your fingers and toes freeze off.”
Janice jumped to her feet. “Perfect. I’m starving. I hadn’t had a chance to eat yet today.”
My eyes widened as I got up too. “You need to take care of yourself.”
“Just been busy. Don’t worry, I’ll eat my weight in food.”
“Since everyone is here, you’ll have to fight for it.”
She grinned. “I grew up scrappy. I’m good at fighting for food.”
Laughing, we went back inside, where she was able to prove to me how good she really was at fighting over food against Justin and Toby. Safe to say she won easily. It helped that Toby backed down. But poor Justin looked like a sad loser.