23. Cade
Chapter twenty-three
Cade
Laura and I didn’t have a typical wedding. We were both very private about our relationship and only believed in sharing it with people we deemed important enough to us. Our friends and family were those people, and they’re still the most valuable parts of my and Liam’s lives.
Even after Laura’s passing, her family continued to check on me and make sure I was doing okay. Even Janet, Laura’s mother, came those two weeks after to make sure I was eating and baby Liam was doing well. I didn’t have to lift a finger, not because she didn’t believe I was capable, but because she knew if it could alleviate any pain or stress, she was more than willing to help, even if it meant putting her own emotions aside. She’d just lost her daughter and was grieving just as much as I was. Yet, she never faltered.
But a small get-together is more than enough for me. I never found it necessary to extend invites to distant relatives I never saw regularly. I don’t think Sloane is like that, either—not that I’ve been thinking far ahead—but that is the whole point of a relationship, right? To want to spend the rest of your life with that person, whether as life partners or in marriage.
It’s hard not to think about the prospect of marriage right now when there is a literal wedding on the horizon. But more than that, my relationship status has drastically changed since the last wedding I attended. And I’ve had Sloane staying at my home for a little while now, and I haven’t minded it. We’ve fallen into a comfortable routine that hasn’t hindered Liam; in fact, I think it’s drastically improved his day-to-day life. He’s seen what life could be like with a woman in the house and gotten accustomed to having more people than me to help him with things like homework. He helps Sloane cook, not because she tells him to or asks him, but because he’s genuinely interested. It’s safe to assume that he’s gotten as comfortable with Sloane as I have.
But I can’t forget that we’re on borrowed time here. After the wedding, Sloane intends to return to the city, and I intend to resume my normal routine. Whether that means it’s the end for us, I don’t know, but I’ve been calling what this is between us a relationship, and I know Sloane has been thinking of it the same. Do we do the long-distance thing until we’re ready to take it to the next level? I don’t know. It isn’t like I can’t maintain it. The city isn’t far from here, but it isn’t ideal, either. There is a lot to think about, but it is a conversation we have to put on pause for now. The most important thing right now is getting through this wedding and luring the stalker out of their hiding place.
We stand outside the entrance to the banquet hall. Sloane takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her growing nerves aren’t just because of her maid-of-honor obligations or the stalker, who could very well turn up tonight, but because this is the first time we are walking in together on each other’s arm. The entire town will know that we’re seeing each other in some capacity. They won’t bat an eyelash at me for having a younger woman on my arm, especially one whose net worth is pennies in comparison to mine. Still, I’d be remiss if I wasn’t already anticipating the looks and the judgment directed at Sloane. She’s a woman, and society is cruel and unfair in a way that leaves me with distaste. If I can spend my entire life teaching Liam to be the exact opposite, I will die a happy man.
I squeeze Sloane’s hand, trying to comfort and anchor her. She looks at me, and I can feel the weight of all the town’s potential judgment resting on her. She looks almost sick with terror.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” I assure her, and she nods rapidly. She turns back to face the hall and takes another deep breath before taking her first step toward it.
Once we walk through the door, we scan the room, and all eyes immediately land on us. I keep my hand on her lower back as she uses my waist to steady her movements. The whispers begin, but she relaxes as if their words are meaningless now.
We walk over to Mia, who stands with Killian, Mike, and Mike’s wife Camilla.
Camilla excitedly pulls Sloane into a hug. “I should be bothered that you haven’t stopped by the house since you’ve been here, but Mike filled me in on what’s been going on,” she says as she pulls away, looking at Sloane with concern.
Sloane lets out another deep breath. “Well, hopefully after tonight, it will be over,” she says softly.
I clear my throat. “Not quite done, but close to it,” I say.
Sloane looks at me, confused. The plan wasn’t to nail the stalker tonight, but to figure out who they are. Initially, we thought it was this James Pickens guy, but now we’re back to square one. We don’t even know if it’s a male or female anymore, so now we have no choice but to do recon quietly so no guests are tipped off.
“Just worry about being the maid of honor, and I’ll take care of the rest,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her temple that gets a lot of stares, including from Mike over the rim of his glass.
“You two look amazing together,” Camilla says with a smile.
Mike sighs, shaking his head. “I’ll get used to it eventually,” Mike replies.
The rest of us laugh, and I look back to the bar, spotting David mixing drinks like he’s been doing it his whole life.
“We better go make our rounds,” Mia says, giving her sister’s hand one last squeeze before taking Killian’s hand and walking off while Mike and Camilla continue to mingle. Sloane and I stand together, feeling like we’re in a fishbowl. We look at each other awkwardly before we break into laughter.
“Even to this day, you can’t handle being in a large group,” I remark.
She looks away, blushing slightly. “Yeah, well, it’s different when you’re somewhere for your work rather than being surrounded by over a hundred people you haven’t seen in over a decade—and you’ve just made your debut with the local billionaire bachelor.”
I laugh, pulling her closer to me. “They’re just jealous you’ve gotten away from here and did what you set out to do. I’m just an added bonus,” I reply, kissing her softly, which she happily accepts in front of everyone. In fact, she seems to have let go of her worries about having an audience.
Good. That was the idea.
“And here I thought you said community was important,” she says before I press another soft kiss to her lips.
“It is, but even I believe it’s important to leave and explore what else is out there,” I reply, lacing our fingers together. “Just as long as we remember where we came from,” I add, trying to sneak in another kiss, but then I hear a throat clears behind us.
We turn to look. Theo Mathers is standing in front of us. He smiles straight-lipped, his glasses perched just barely on the bridge of his nose. His hair is barely kempt, though his beard is trimmed enough. I see him around Rose Valley, but he’s always been rather awkward in my opinion. The art students in the high school adore him, though. I wouldn’t know. He was a first-year teacher when I was a senior in high school, but he basically has ten years on me.
“Mr. Mathers, hi!” Sloane says excitedly, hugging him tightly.
An odd feeling I don’t like settles over me. Jealousy? No, not at all. If age was even remotely a factor, Sloane wouldn’t choose someone twenty years her senior. But they do have art in common.
I’m overthinking this. Just because she’s happy to see her old art teacher doesn’t mean anything.
“Sloane, it’s good to see you again,” Theo says, looking just as elated to see her, which is odd. He’s usually more subdued unless art is involved. “I hope you don’t mind I made Stop to Grin a prize in the raffle. Funding has been quite low, but we had a considerable donation, so I think we can save the program.”
Surprise comes over Sloane’s face. “I wish you had mentioned it, but of course, anything for the program to be saved,” she says.
I look at her curiously. When we saw each other at the festival, she seemed kind of bothered by not being consulted about Stop to Grin , but she didn’t harp on it too much. Now that the guy responsible for it is in front of her and she can get an explanation, she seems completely okay with it.
I guess it matters a little less since I have it in my possession, not Sloane’s stalker.
“I appreciate your understanding, and I’m sorry for not mentioning it sooner,” Theo says. “When we saw each other at your exhibit, I didn’t want to bother you with our small-town woes, what with it being such a big night for you.” He smiles at her proudly with his hands clasped behind him.
Hold on. He saw her at her art opening? Not even her parents were invited to that, according to what Mike told me. How did Theo know about it and not her own family?
“I would have understood, Mr. Mathers,” she says, and he smiles almost lovingly at her, making my stomach twist. If I have to look at this any longer, I’ll be the one getting sick.
“Please, we’re well past high school, don’t you think? Call me Theo,” he says, and Sloane returns the smile.
“What brings you to the rehearsal dinner?” I ask him, stepping into the conversation and bringing their attention to me so they don’t forget I am here.
Theo gives me a look that is undeniably challenging. It’s almost unreadable if you’re not looking for it, but he’s plainly not offering me the same kindness he does Sloane. Perhaps it was because we were never close, but even so, the way he looks me over gives me a sour feeling.
“I was invited by Mia. We’re colleagues,” he replies, taking a sip of his drink that appears to be half-empty.
Bourdon, of course. He’s trying to seem like a well-cultured, stuck-up art connoisseur, but I see beyond that. His suit is a rental, and his glasses are from the local pharmacy, off the rack. Appearances matter far too much to him because he’s so desperate to be noticed. But not just to anyone, but to…
Watching Theo carefully, I wrap my arm around Sloane. She secures her own arm around my waist, and I press a kiss to her temple.
“Oh, that’s great. I’m glad you’ve gotten along well,” she says to Theo, but his eyes are no longer fixed on her face but on our hands, our affectionate movements. He’s disgusted, and I can see his eyes practically turn green with envy.
I got you, you asshole.
His eyes shoot back up to Sloane, and his smile instantly returns. “Yes, Mia’s been wonderful to have on the faculty,” he says, his voice faltering as I press my lips to Sloane’s ear.
“I’m going to the bar. Go find Mia,” I whisper to her.
She looks back at me, searching my eyes, and it’s like she’s reading all she needs to know about my request. After a moment, she nods, pressing a kiss to my lips.
She looks back to Theo. “Speaking of Mia, Cade reminded me I need to find her for some last-minute maid-of-honor duties, but it’s great to see you, Mr. Mat—Theo,” she says, keeping her smile up as she leaves.
I turn back to Theo. He’s staring at her raptly, watching her go. My jaw clenches, but I refrain from making a scene. This isn’t the time, but I’ll have it. “Well, Theo, always a pleasure,” I tell him as I turn to leave.
“It won’t last,” he replies, and I stop short. Everything inside me is telling me to turn around and give him a piece of my mind, but again, I think of the plan, and Mia and Killian. I stand up straighter, ignoring his words.
I walk to the bar as David passes a glass of wine to a guest. I nod respectfully at David, who smiles at me professionally.
“Hello, sir, what can I get you?” he asks, keeping up appearances like he’s done many times before.
“Bourbon,” I reply. “The oldest you have.” I crane my neck slightly at Theo just a few meters away.
David glances over quickly and nods, keeping his smile going. “Sure thing, sir.” He provides me with a completely different drink, one I actually like, and I tip the cup to him. As I step away, Theo steps up and places his cup down.
“Another bourbon, please,” he says as I walk away far enough to not look like I’m standing too close, but enough to listen nearby.
“Sure thing, sir,” David replies as he works on making him a new drink. “Say, I just moved here with the family. You know anything good for kids?” he asks, and I smirk into my glass.
Theo seems disinterested, but he takes the bait, anyway. “Depends on their interests.”
“My daughter is really big into art lately. I know nothing about it, unfortunately. But she’s about to start high school, so I’m hoping she’ll get to spread her creative wings, if you know what I mean.”
Theo’s ears perk slightly. I would hug David right now if I didn’t think it would blow our cover.
“Well, I am the art teacher at Rose Valley High,” he says stuffily. “I even taught the renowned Sloane Bennett. Perhaps your daughter has heard of her.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes at hearing this guy act like he can actually take any credit for Sloane’s success.
“Let’s just say that’s the only reason I could even get her to move here,” David says with a laugh. “Maybe you could take her under your wing, too,” he adds, placing the glass on the bar.
Theo chuckles arrogantly, but nothing he’s said or done has incriminated him so far. My gut is telling me that something is here, but I just need a line. Anything.
Take the bait, dammit.
“I look forward to creating new prodigies of the arts,” Theo states.
David nods firmly. “Got any advice I can pass along to my daughter?”
Theo hums as he picks up his drink. “Humanize thy work and thyself,” he intones.
I stand up, my posture going ramrod-straight as David and I watch Theo leave to mingle with the crowd.
I walk back to David. “You got him,” I whisper as I walk past.
David nods. Now, I just need to notify Mike. There’s only one question lingering in my head: how am I going to break the news to Sloane?