Chapter 28
CAYDEN
I have to admit my idea of family has changed since Jade and Parker moved in under my roof.
I used to see family as a burden and a tedious chore; now I’m not so sure.
The guys in New York thoroughly set me straight.
The day with Parker did the rest. He’s such a good kid.
As tired as he was, he went upstairs without a fuss to do his homework.
I pick up my phone, thumb pressing the green call icon. I hold the device to my ear, listening to the monotonous dial tone. On the third ring, the line clicks.
"Cayden?" my mother’s voice is nearly breathless. China clatters in the background. "Did something happen? Is Hailey in the hospital?"
"Nobody’s in the hospital, Mom." I rest my elbow on the counter. "Relax."
A palpable pause. "You’re calling on a weekday. In the middle of the afternoon. What’s going on?"
"I just wanted to hear how you guys are doing," I reply. I can't quite believe the words myself.
She clears her throat. "Your father is fine. He’s repairing the garden fence. The hinges have been squeaking for weeks. He stubbornly refuses to call a handyman."
"He’s stubborn," I observe.
"One of the traits he passed on to his children," she replies.
The conversation limps along as we toss meaningless sentences back and forth. I talk about the Royals' victory. She reports on the neighbors' new dog. Eventually, I can't take the empty small talk anymore.
"Come over for coffee on Saturday," I say.
A metallic clang echoes at the other end. She probably dropped a spoon. "To Westmount?"
"Exactly. Helena will surely bake a cake."
Her skepticism crawls through the receiver directly into my ear. "We haven't visited you in your house in so long. Are you sick?"
I have to stifle a laugh. "I’m doing great. Just come by. Around three o'clock?"
"We’ll be there," she mutters. She still sounds completely caught off guard. "See you Saturday, my boy."
Just as I hang up, the swinging door flies open.
Jade.
She stops in the middle of the room, coat still half on her shoulders, fingers white around the strap of her bag. She looks at me—but not with the coldness of recent days; there’s something else. Something that makes the hair on my neck stand up.
"Where were you?" I ask her.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I was out on business," I say.
"With my son?"
"You didn't answer your phone, so I could hardly get your permission," I retort.
At that moment, I hear Parker’s footsteps above us. The familiar tramping through the hallway of the east wing, the brief pause before the stairs.
Jade hears it too. Her gaze shoots to the ceiling.
"Not now," she says. "We’ll discuss this after dinner when he’s asleep. In the library."