Chapter 4 - Cayden
I sighed as the water splashed over me. I turned the shower nob up, turning the water even hotter than ever before. I was trying to clear my head, but it wasn't working. I kept seeing her smile. Over and over, it replayed in my head as she sat at my counter, a soft smile pulling at her lips. And my wolf growled with hunger.
I shook my head, knowing better than to take a hot shower with the image of her so vivid in my mind, but a hot shower was how I calmed myself. Yet, it wasn't helping.
I knew Riley and April would be here in a few minutes, but I didn't have time to jerk one out. But that didn't mean my body didn't realize that.
But Jesus, did I want to? I hadn't seen Riley in so long, and suddenly seeing her sitting across my counter looking so grown up….I could hardly contain myself. She looked perfect. I'd seen her in some photos, but the woman I saw today looked nothing like what I saw in them.
I switched the water off and stared at the knob. I swallowed, running my tongue over my teeth.
"She looked…grown up," I said more to myself. I remembered the last time I saw her. She was only fifteen. I could see the way that her eyes looked at me from the corner of April's room. She was wearing her pajamas; both had just gotten ready for bed. They both looked like children as they stared at me.
I shook my head, needing to get ready for the day. I couldn't be daydreaming like this. The girls would be arriving in a few minutes, and I needed to be ready. April was likely going to come and wanted to fight again.
I hurried as I got out of the shower, pulling on a pair of shorts and a shirt before heading into the kitchen. I started some coffee and pulled out bacon. I started the griddle and mixed the batter as I heard the front door open. I paused, hearing the girls talking.
"You know you could have knocked," Riley said, sounding tired.
"Why, he knows we were coming over," April responded.
I moved around the kitchen, peering towards my front door. The girls were both dressed in sun dresses with their hair pulled back. They always enjoyed wearing the same clothes growing up. While the dress was simple, they both wore it differently.
April wore a deep blue dress with a black jacket and darker tights underneath. With her hair pulled back, I could see eight piercings on her left ear and a tattoo right below her ear. She was giving off a dangerous aura, and it showed.
Riley had paired the blue dress with a white cardigan and a pastel scarf, which gave her a welcoming aura around her. She had a blue ribbon in her hair and a pair of dangling earrings that shined when the light hit them.
Riley was the first to notice I was watching them, and she gave me a half smile as she slid her shoes off. "Sorry that we didn't knock."
"The door was unlocked," April said as she took a few steps toward my couch. "My brother doesn't mind."
"Just because the door was unlocked doesn't mean you don't knock. Imagine if he had someone else here."
"Like who?" April said.
"I don't know….a woman."
April made a face, and I sighed. "I don't mind that she just welcomed herself in. I take it she's comfortable."
"Or lacking manners," Riley quickly added, shaking her head at April.
"So, what did you make for breakfast?" April said, throwing herself onto the couch.
"I have bacon going, and I'm starting some pancakes." I headed back into the kitchen and started to flip the bacon.
"You know you don't have to make breakfast for us every day." Riley stopped in front of the island, and I looked at her. I looked at her brown eyes, which were filled with kindness, but I could see loneliness in them.
She's still young, and it's clear that they are both here for their own reasons. Even if I wanted to make something happen, now wasn't the time. It was clear they were both struggling.
"I don't mind," I said, pulling my gaze back to the breakfast. I pulled the bacon off the griddle and started cleaning it off. "So, what are your guy's plans today?"
"We hadn't made any plans just yet," Riley said, sitting on the couch.
The sound of a phone going off made them all fall quiet. I watched as April pulled her phone out, and she scowled. "God damn it!"
"Is it him?" Riley asked. "He has been calling since we left."
"Who?" I asked, looking between them.
"Her husband," Riley said.
April rolled her eyes and pulled her phone up to her ear as she pushed off the couch. She headed down the hallway, but I could hear my sister's voice. "Why do you keep calling? If I don't answer, I clearly don't want to talk to you."
Riley looked down at the island, rubbing a finger over the edge. I wanted to ask her what was going on and why she had suddenly traveled down to see me, but I knew better. It was clear they both needed a little time before I asked why they were there.
"So, how have you been?" I asked, figuring it was a simple enough question.
"I've been good," she said, tapping her fingers on the counter. "And you?"
"I've been good. Been kept busy with work."
We fell silent for a moment. I was searching for questions to ask, but they all spiraled into deeper questions about her life. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"How are your folks doing? Is your dad still running his dentist's office?"
She seemed surprised by the question and nodded her head. "He is. It's been doing really well. He’s looking for someone to take it over actually, so he can retire."
I smirked. "And how does your mother feel about that?"
She chuckled. "Uhmmm…well…she likes to be busy. I don't think she would do well with retirement."
I knew that Riley had a rougher relationship with her parents, and it wasn't because they didn't love her. They loved her with everything, but Riley didn't like confrontation and often would just go along with what they wanted growing up, which meant putting aside things she was interested in. She had done that a lot growing up as well, doing what she didn't so no one felt bad.
Her folks wanted her to pursue dentistry when she was younger. They planned on having her take everything over, but I don't know if she did. I knew she had no real interest in it and was acting like she had before I left.
"So, you don't plan to take it over?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Did you finally tell them you didn't want to?"
She blushed. "A lot of things changed when you left. But yes, I did tell them I had no interest in it."
"I would hope so. How is your sister doing?"
"She's good. Married with twins."
My eyebrows went up. "Twins? Sounds like a handful."
She nodded. "They are, but my sister is amazing with them. She married Rophous Milten."
"Really? Didn't she hate him growing up?"
She nodded. "Oh yeah, I think that's how they kind of fell in love. Their hatred brought each other closer."
"And you've been good?" I asked, pouring some pancakes onto the griddle.
"Yeah, I'm good. Are you…" she paused for a moment. "Happy here?"
I looked at her and saw she was sincere when she asked.
"I'm happy," I said with a nod. "It was hard, but yeah, I'm happy."
She nodded when I could hear footsteps stomping back down the hallway. April growly loudly. "I'm done fighting with you! Quit calling me!"
Riley sucked her lip into her mouth, biting onto her upper lip. A habit she did when she was trying to remain quiet.
I could hear a lower voice responding to my sister. The words were mixed, but I could catch the tone as begging.
"Enough," April snapped, and the line ended as she rounded the corner back to the kitchen. Her lips were pressed together angrily as she slammed the phone onto the counter, sliding into the chair next to Riley.
We both looked at each other before we looked at April, who was clearly fuming. And I knew my sister. At least, I knew her at one point.
"So…" I pulled a couple of pancakes off the griddle. "Who was that?"
April's eyes snapped up at me, turning her anger at me. But her lips remained sealed.
"Sounds like a fight is all." I quickly added. "And I would hate for you to start throwing things in my apartment." That had been one of April's bad habits. She threw things to release her anger.
"I grew out of that years ago," April sighed. "I'm an adult now." She took a deep breath in and relaxed her shoulders. "I'm going to need to head back home."
Riley and I both froze, and April scowled. "So soon? When do we leave?"
"I," April said, putting her hand on her chest. "Will be going back for a little while, but you can stay. You should stay."
Riley frowned.
I looked between the two, wishing I knew who they were talking about and what was going on, but neither seemed to budge on telling me. And I couldn't blame them. I would just have to be patient and wait for one of them to let me in finally.
"I can go back with you."
"No." April shook her head. "We already paid for the Air-B-N-B and won't get the money back. You should stay here and enjoy it. I'll come back in a couple of days, and we can get back to our vacation."
Riley didn't look convinced, so April sighed. "You need a little time away from Brad anyway."
"Who's Brad?" I asked.
"No one," April said, glaring at me.
I scowled, hating how she answered it so quickly.
"What about our shopping?"
"I'll leave tomorrow," April said, looking at me. "Now, how about that breakfast?"
I looked between them, a little irritated. I wanted to know what was going on, but this wasn't like when we were young. My sister and Riley had been protecting themselves since I left, but I wanted to help. I could see they both were struggling with something, and I wanted to be there.
I took a deep breath. I could make breakfast. While that wasn't a huge help, it was something—until they trusted me with everything else.