19. Cade
Chapter nineteen
Cade
I could sense that Sloane wasn’t doing okay after Mike gave us the name of her stalker. It’s one thing to know you’re being stalked and have no face to match the name; it’s a whole other thing when that person now has an identity. To make matters worse, I think once she discovered that photo of the unreleased painting of me, it really put her in a dark place.
I don’t blame her. If it were me, I’d feel the same way. It’s a violation of privacy, and it’s sick that this person would go to such lengths to get to her. Whether sneaking in was a matter of obsession or some ridiculous attempt to be an investigative journalist, it doesn’t matter. I plan to make sure this guy pays for making her feel unsafe.
It’s because of this that I decided we should get away for the weekend—just us. She needs the chance to decompress, and I’ll take any attempt to be alone with her. I figured if we leave this evening and make it back Monday morning, she’ll still have enough time to complete any other obligations she has with Mia. I know that’s another thing that’s been weighing on her, the feeling that she’s failing her sister.
I’ll admit, I’m partly responsible for screwing up her maid-of-honor obligations. I’ve been occupying her time, taking her away for day trips and now this weekend, and I had her leave the bridal shower early. Sure, she could have told me no, but if you want to spend all your time with someone, would you tell them no? I’m not sure. It’s a battle of doing the right thing or listening to your heart. And sometimes, the heart wins out.
I finish packing up for the weekend, ready to forget the problems here for the next forty-eight hours, when my phone rings. I answer it as I zip up my suitcase.
“Hey Mike, hope Liam isn’t giving you guys too much trouble already,” I say only half-jokingly. Liam is a good kid and never gives Mike problems, but I know he wouldn’t be calling me when he knows I’m leaving town if it wasn’t something important.
“You know he’s fine, Cade. Listen…” Mike’s voice trails off. “I didn’t want to wait until you got back, but James Pickens—he’s not our guy.”
I stop short and sit down on the edge of my bed. Sloane will be here soon, and I don’t want anything to ruin our trip.
“Are you sure? The blog is literally tied to him,” I say as I rest my head on my hand.
Mike sighs. “That’s the thing, he’s just some art blogger. A fan of her work, absolutely, but not a stalker,” he replies.
But if this guy has a whole blog dedicated to Sloane, how could he not be a stalker? Plus, he’s in Rose Valley right now.
“He isn’t from here, though,” I remind him.
Mike lets in a long inhale as if he’s prepared his replies, expecting me to ask all these questions. “Yeah, he’s from Meadow Falls, which would explain why we don’t know him. But that also why he’s able to be in Rose Valley whenever.”
Great. This is just great. But it doesn’t explain the photo taken in Sloane’s bedroom. Even if he’s just a blogger, he must have been responsible for that.
“The photo inside her bedroom? He has it on his blog,” I point out, and despite not being able to see Mike, I know he’s nodding.
“I asked him about that, and he said he received an encrypted email from someone with the photo attached. He said he wouldn’t have believed it was real if he hadn’t noticed Sloane’s distinctive style in the painting, so he published it,” he explains. “He said he heard Sloane was in town for Mia’s wedding, which is why he’s been hanging around so much. He’s been hoping to ask her a few questions about her upcoming collection, but always chickened out when he’d see her around town.”
I want to curse loudly. Of course it wouldn’t be this easy; it never is. And this just means we’re back to square one.
“Any idea on who sent the photo?” I ask, running my hand through my hair as I try to process all this information.
“That’s the thing, the encryption is too advanced for the contact you provided. So I think we may be at a standstill.”
To which I say, the hell we are. This is exactly why I said what I said that day when I barged into the Bennett house—small-town cops are not equipped to deal with situations like this, and it shows. Yes, they were able to rule out Pickens, but now they have no lead for the real stalker. The search engine pointed to the blog, but the encrypted email came from the library. It isn’t like there are dozens of computers in there like you’d see in larger cities, so there has to be something they can lead with from the library.
“Have you tried accessing the cameras that face the computers?” I ask.
Mike falls silent. Well, that answers that question. I roll my eyes as I hear the front door open, signaling that Sloane has arrived for our weekend getaway.
“Check the cameras and report back to my contact,” I tell him, standing up to finish closing up my suitcase. Sloane appears in the doorway with a relaxed smile.
“I will,” Mike replies. “And not that you’re doing it for me or anything, but thank you for getting Sloane away for a couple of days. Mia’s been hard on her lately, and she doesn’t need the added stress, you know?”
I smile in Sloane’s direction as I turn back to my suitcase, lift it off the bed, and place it on the floor. “I know, man. I’ll do my best to alleviate some of the stress.”
Mike groans. “Yeah, man, don’t tell me that.”
I roll my eyes at his childishness. I obviously didn’t mean it like that, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t anticipate that happening. But even if it doesn’t, that’s okay, too. I just want to provide a relaxing weekend for her so she can reset and come back recharged to take on her maid-of-honor duties without worrying about this stalker guy.
I won’t be telling her about Pickens, not now at least. If I told her now, she’ll just worry and won’t let herself completely relax this weekend. The best thing I can do is avoid revealing the news until after we get back.
I hang up and turn back to Sloane. “Hope you’re ready for the most relaxing weekend of your life,” I say warmly, walking up to her and kissing her gently.
She smiles, and it’s a welcoming sight after all the craziness we’ve endured lately. “I’ve been looking forward to it since you texted me,” she replies.
I pick up my suitcase, and we descend down the stairs. Her bag sits at the front door, waiting for her.
I pick up the bag and take it out to the car, placing it in the trunk along with my suitcase. We both get inside, and I start driving to the private airport, leaving all our doubts and worries behind for the time being.
…
We land on a beautiful island in the Bahamas. Even though we arrive in the evening, it’s still early enough to enjoy a wonderful dinner. While on the plane, Sloane changed into a floral, Caribbean-inspired dress. I settled for an open-collared shirt and white dress pants, finishing it off with a pair of boat shoes. If we’re going on vacation, we’re going in style.
This trip is supposed to be about nothing but relaxation, but it’s more than just that. Tonight is the night I truly open up myself to Sloane. I have been coming to grips with my emotions a lot recently, and after seeing how vulnerable Sloane’s allowed herself to be with me, and how great she’s been with Liam, I can’t help but feel like she’s my person. She can very well be the woman I spend the rest of my life with, and now I feel like it’s time to be transparent.
We walk hand in hand up a long boat dock lined with expensive yachts until we finally get to a brightly lit one. Sitting on the open deck is a table, beautifully decorated and ready for service. I help her on the boat and up the stairs until we finally get to our table. I slide the chair out for her and then take a seat across from her.
“This is beautiful,” she says, beaming. “You know you don’t have to flash your money. You already have me,” she adds jokingly.
I chuckle, staring across at her. “I know. It’s just an added bonus.
I wring my hands nervously as the waiter comes and gets ready to pour out wine. I start to decline, but Sloane stops me.
“It’s okay. You can drink around me. It isn’t the first time,” she says with a thoughtful smile.
I have drank around her, but I still want to remain respectful of her sobriety. “I’ll just take a mocktail, thank you,” I say to the waiter. He nods, walking away. I look back to her, and she’s staring at me curiously. “What?”
“Just trying to figure you out,” she replies. “You never cease to surprise me.”
I never really thought of myself as someone who kept people on her toes, but ever since I’ve gotten together with Sloane, I’ve become more spontaneous than I’ve ever been. But I think that’s part of the problem. While it’s always good to keep things interesting, at times I feel like I’m doing it the wrong way.
I think it’s time I’m honest.
Now I almost wish I had accepted that wine with how nervous I am, even though I’m not sure why. Everyone has a past, and mine isn’t exactly riddled with dark skeletons, but I hate the idea of opening up about the tragedies I’ve suffered.
“You’ve asked me to let you in, and I’ve wanted to for a while. But I’ll admit, I was terrified to do it,” I begin.
She sits up straighter. “What were you afraid of?”
I shrug, knowing I was never really afraid of her, or her judgment. “I was afraid of feeling the pain all over again,” I admit as I close my eyes, feeling the weight of my loss press against my chest. “I was married before.”
I meet her eyes, and she doesn’t seem surprised by this information, which I suppose she wouldn’t be.
“Liam’s mother?” she clarifies, and I nod. “I’ve always wondered why she was never around, but I didn’t want to ask,” she adds.
I feel guilty for putting her in a position where she felt like she couldn’t ask me such a basic question. It’s normal to ask those things when you’re getting into a relationship, especially with someone who has a child. Where is the other parent? Why did you end things? These questions are all important to know, but I never gave her the room to ask anything about anything because I wouldn’t allow her through my walls. Not until I was sure she was someone worth opening my heart to.
“Her name was Laura,” I say. “We met in college, and I thought she was the most incredible woman I had ever known. It was easy to fall in love with her. Like you, she challenged me. And let me mope, but not for long.”
Sloane gives a small smile as I think back to Laura’s memory, and her beautiful face that isn’t ever far from my mind.
“So what happened?” Sloane asks tentatively. I sigh deeply, letting myself get to the root of the pain, setting my body into a tense state.
“After we married, we bought a house in D.C., then she found out she was pregnant with Liam. My job at the time was incredibly dangerous, but it also kept me away more often than I wanted. Laura understood, but with Liam being born, I wanted a different life.
“I was on my last assignment when Laura went into labor. I barely made it to the birth, except that the doctors mishandled her care. They missed her blood clotting problem, and…”
I stop short, and Sloane reaches for my hand. I lick my lips as the memory of Laura haunts me, even to this day. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of her and think of all the ways I could have saved her, if I could have. Maybe if I had gone to a different doctor, or if I had just been more present, I would have seen the signs, like if she had cut her finger while using a knife.
“I’m so sorry, Cade,” Sloane says softly.
I shake my head, letting out a shaky breath. “I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to replace my dead wife with you. I know she isn’t coming back, and I’ve had nine years to accept that.” I look away, expecting the worst but hoping for the best.
“I would never think that,” she says. “All I wanted was to understand you, and now I do.”
I meet her gaze, smiling sadly at her. “I ended up suing the hospital for negligence. They ended up paying out a large settlement to me. I quit my job after that and moved back to Rose Valley with Liam. Returning meant being closer to my parents, but also Mike. He was a huge help when I was raising Liam alone,” I explain, not getting into details of how much the payout was or anything of that nature. I’ll leave it to her to ask questions if she wants to know more.
“What were you doing before Laura passed?” Sloane asks.
I sit up straighter as our food comes out. “Would you believe me if I told you CIA?” I say as I cut through my chicken.
Her breath hitches. I meet her gaze, and she leans forward.
“So that’s why you knew how to sweep the house for any cameras,” she says, a smile forming on her face.
I laugh, letting our previous conversation no longer control my emotions in this moment we’re sharing. Instead, we spend the rest of the night making light-hearted conversation and enjoying each other’s company. We finish dinner and dance under the stars, kiss in hidden alcoves, and allow ourselves to get lost in each other’s embrace, forgetting the world for just a little longer.