Chapter 35
CASSIDY
“Cassidy, it’s so great to finally meet you. When Sebastian told me Fire’s sister was as smart and steadfast as he was, I secretly hoped I’d have the chance to meet you one day.” Isabella pulls me in for a hug like we’re old friends.
“Well, I certainly didn’t intend to drop in on you unannounced. But I panicked and wasn’t sure where else to go.”
“Hush, now.” She waves me in from the foyer.
“We’re glad to have you, regardless of the reason.
” I look over my shoulder at my dad’s old car parked in their driveway and cringe.
This house and the grounds are worthy of a magazine cover.
I’m about to offer to park it down the street when a handsome man with dark curly hair, delicious facial stubble, deep dimples, and sexy blue eyes fills the doorway.
“Well, hello.”
“No!” Sebastian barks before slamming the door in his face. What the heck?
“Nice! I was merely trying to say hello to your stunning house guest. How rude.” His voice carries through the front door, despite two children’s loud cackling.
“How did you find out Cassidy was even here? Do you have some type of camera set up on our house so you’ll know when the coast is clear?
” Sebastian yells back at him through the door, seeming to have no interest in letting him in.
“Just try me, Sam. I have no problem charging you with breaking and entering the next time I find you here uninvited.”
My eyes widen, and I turn to Isabella in shock. “What is happening?” I whisper.
“These two.” She huffs. “Every day is like a bad television sitcom.” She reaches for the door, ushering him in. “Sam, meet Cassidy. Cassidy, Sebastian’s little brother, Sam.”
He reaches for my hand, bowing down like I’m royalty before placing a kiss upon it.
I hear Sebastian mutter behind me, “For fuck’s sake.”
Isabella rolls her eyes and rubs circles over her swollen belly. “Language, Bas.”
“Are you new in town?” Sam asks.
“No!” Sebastian answers with a palm to Sam’s face, appearing to push him back out of the foyer and onto the front porch.
“Will you knock it off?” Isabella scolds.
I turn to find their son, Austin, who is every bit as tall as his father, squatting down to his little brother’s level, mimicking Sebastian’s move with Rowan. Rowan falls over and immediately begins to belly-laugh.
“Nice, Bas. Look what you’re teaching our son.”
“It’s his fault,” he blurts, pointing at Sam.
“What did I do?”
“No one has time for me to list all of your misdeeds. Just stay away from Cassidy.”
My eyes lock with Isabella’s. “He’s not wrong,” she says deadpan.
I giggle. Something tells me there are plenty of stories there.
“Could you two try to act like normal people so Cassidy doesn’t think I live with a bunch of baboons?”
Austin playfully knocks his little brother over again who lets out another infectious belly laugh.
“Come with me. Let’s get you settled in.”
I follow along behind this petite woman who clearly rules the roost. “I can’t thank you enough for taking me in like this. It’s very temporary. I promise, as soon as I can find a place, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Nonsense! I won’t hear of it.”
“But—”
“But nothing. I’ve been trying to manifest some estrogen since I married into this family. But the good Lord has a sick sense of humor.”
“Are you having another boy?”
“Yes,” she groans. “Please save me. You are welcome to stay as long as you possibly can. I mean, I can’t even escape for drinks with the girls anymore.”
“Well, I say we start having margarita mocktail nights.” I laugh. This woman could be the medicine I need. She clearly doesn’t take any guff from anyone.
“Sold!”
Isabella extends her arm toward an open doorway. I walk inside and gasp. It’s absolutely stunning. The only way to describe this guest room is opulent. For a minute there, I forgot I was in a private residence and not a five-star Paris boutique hotel.
The suite is divided into three distinct zones. One for sleeping, a sun-drenched sitting area, and a spa-caliber dressing room.
The bed is a California king adorned in 1000-thread-count Egyptian cotton, layered with a silk duvet.
Two velvet swivel chairs in a soft champagne color face a floor-to-ceiling window.
A small, built-in bar is tucked into a marble niche, stocked with artisanal sparkling water, a high-end espresso machine, and a selection of crystal glassware.
The walls are wrapped in seamless silk wallpaper with a faint metallic thread that catches the morning light. Underfoot, a hand-tufted wool and silk rug provides a cushion so deep it muffles every footfall.
And don’t even get me started on the bathroom. It rivals a professional spa. It has heated marble floors and a freestanding soaking tub. The walk-in shower is equipped with aromatherapy infusions, chromotherapy lighting, and six different showerhead settings.
“Jeez, Isabella. I’m never going to want to leave.”
She rubs her hands together, giving me a wicked grin. “My plan is working flawlessly.”
The humidity of the Virginia morning clings to the screen of the lanai, but here by the edge of the turquoise water, the air is perfect. I lean back in the cushioned lounger, watching the sunlight dance off the surface of the pool.
This place is a jaw-dropping masterpiece of glass and stone, a gorgeous home to a family just as beautiful.
It’s a far cry from the thumping bass and neon strobe lights I used to call home.
Not that I’m criticizing it. Gianni was more than generous to provide a place to stay when I needed it.
And as much as I’m enjoying my current digs, I know it’s only temporary. Regardless of what Bella says.
“If you get any more relaxed, Cassidy, I’m going to have to check your pulse.” Bella laughs, strolling out with a tray of iced tea. She’s glowing, that beautiful pregnancy curve of her third child making her look like a woman from a Renaissance painting.
“This is all your fault.” I laugh, reaching for a glass. “I’m on to you. Making the women who visit here completely fall in love with your family and this peaceful place so you can entrap more girl power.”
“Peaceful.” She snorts. “This place? Well, don’t get too comfortable.
” She smirks, patting her stomach. “Once this one arrives, the peace treaty in this house is officially null and void. Austin!” she calls out toward the glass-walled art studio that overlooks the gardens. “Time for a break, honey!”
Austin emerges a moment later, his hands stained cobalt blue.
If Bella and Sebastian hadn’t told me he was on the spectrum, I never would’ve known.
He needs little support and is a brilliant artist, his mind a symphony of colors that Dr. Lee has turned into a world-renowned gallery.
Austin looks at my sketchbook, then at me, his eyes sharp.
“You sketch?”
“Not often. Occasionally, to clear my mind. And nothing like what you do.”
He looks over my drawing. “I’d move that over here a few degrees,” Austin says matter-of-factly.
“I’ll recalibrate, Captain.”
He gives me a rare, fleeting grin before disappearing back into his own sketchbook.
Sebastian, Dr. Lee to the rest of the world, but Bas here, walks out behind Austin, carrying a squirming, laughing Rowan.
“I believe this wild thing belongs to you,” Sebastian says, handing the toddler I’m babysitting over to me.
I tuck Rowan against my hip, my heart softening instantly.
This child is absolutely beautiful. He has a thick head of dark hair and big, soulful blue eyes that seem to see right through me.
As I ruffle his hair, a sharp, unbidden image of Max flashes through my mind.
The same dark hair. The same piercing intensity.
I push the thought away before it can take root.
I miss him. Yet, I’ve worked too hard on this version of myself to let a man with a hot and cold personality bring me any more heartache.
“You okay, Cassidy?” Sebastian asks gently.
“Better than okay,” I say, kissing the top of Rowan’s head. “I’m exactly where I need to be.”
Max
I’ve been sitting in this same leather armchair for three hours, my laptop glowing in front of me. Every time the service door swings open, my head snaps up, scanning for a flash of blonde.
But it’s never her. It’s Fern, looking stressed. It’s a new girl I don’t recognize. It’s anyone but Cassidy.
It’s been a week since she left that note for me, solving that phone forensic riddle. I’ve returned day after day, hoping to catch sight of her. Perhaps the scare on the news with the blonde had caused me to panic. I just needed to see she was okay so I could go on about my day.
I thought giving her space was the logical thing to do after my trip to visit my parents. So she wouldn’t fall prey to my wrath. Yet, sitting here in the dark, I realize it was a mistake. She was vulnerable with me. Shared her trauma. I should’ve done the same.
Loretta had been right. I should’ve reached back out to a counselor years ago when visits to my parents induced a downward spiral.
As soon as I could identify the misplaced guilt over not finding Isla.
Better late than never. I’m not really a talk about your feelings kind of guy.
But if it helps me become the man Cass deserves, I’ll go to sessions daily.
Movement near the bar catches my eye. A man is standing there, talking to Gianni. He’s massive with broad shoulders and a posture that screams military or first responder. He doesn’t look as if he belongs in a suit. Wait… I know that guy.
It’s Holt. Her brother.
I snap my laptop closed and stand. Weaving through the crowd, my eyes lock on him. If he’s here, she’s here. She has to be.
“Holt,” I greet, stopping a few feet away.
He turns, and the look in his eyes isn’t what I expected. It’s a cold, hard wall. He looks me up and down, his jaw working as he apparently recognizes me.
“Max, right?” He confirms my suspicion, his voice a low rumble that cuts through the music.