Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
ASTON
Rule #5: Never let the world see.
I still couldn’t quite believe that we were in my SUV, driving up the winding roads to our mountain town. It wasn’t fully in the mountains like Vail or Aspen, but it was enough that the altitude could affect some people. Although, I knew visitors to just the mile-high city sometimes had to take oxygen because of the change in elevation.
I had been born and raised in the two parts of Colorado that called me home. So, of course, this was just home.
Now, the surprising part might’ve been the fact that I was taking a weekend off when all I wanted to do was bury myself in work, so I didn’t have to think of reality. But that was only part of it. No, the other part was all about who was sitting next to me .
Blakely hummed along to the popular song playing on the radio, her sunglasses perched on her nose as she tilted her face up to the sunlight. She was so damn beautiful. It sometimes hit me, and it should probably worry me a little bit more than it did. Because it was hard to think when she was around sometimes. I still didn’t understand why this was happening, or why she was by my side, but for some reason, my brother’s little niggling of a recommendation via taunting had settled in, and I couldn’t go back. When dinner had ended, however abruptly, I had immediately pulled out my phone to text Blakely.
Me:
So, what are you doing?
Blakely:
I almost feel like you should ask what I’m wearing.
Blakely:
Is everything okay? I thought you were at dinner tonight.
I had rubbed the back of my neck, annoyed with myself with even doing this. But maybe my brother had been right.
Me:
Dinner is not working out. Can I come see you?
I should just go home. I should ignore whatever was rising inside of me. Blakely was a complication. I knew that, she knew that.
Blakely:
Of course. Although I’m having girl dinner.
Me:
Do I want to know?
Blakely:
I have rotisserie chicken, a baguette, some bread, grapes, and a handful of mini-Oreos. You make the decision.
Me:
It sounds delicious. Do you have enough for two? I can pick something up.
Blakely:
I’m sure I can scrounge something. You’re welcome to come over.
And so I had arrived at her door, my stomach in knots for some reason, and she had just smiled up at me. And of course, my lips had brushed against hers, and then the door had closed, and suddenly I had been on my knees in front of her, eating my way through our appetizers.
She had come on my face, and both of us had been drained by the time that we finally got to her version of girl dinner. We had been sitting in her kitchen, me in just my slacks, her in my button-down shirt and panties—the hottest fucking thing I had ever seen—when my brother’s idea popped into my head.
“I’m being forced to take a vacation next weekend.”
Blakely had blinked up at me. “Oh? Do you not take them?”
I had shaken my head. “Never. Which is probably an issue. But I’m heading up to Cage Lake.” I paused, trying to collect my thoughts as I popped a grape into my mouth.
Blakely smiled, her fingers playing with an Oreo. “You do work an insane number of hours. Of course, all of you guys do. You should go up to this infamous family town where you guys are kings.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “Not even in the slightest. But you should come with me. See what the town’s really like.”
She had frozen, ever so slightly, and stared at me. “You want me to come with you? That’s an overnight trip, Aston Cage.”
I had just stared at her, my eyes narrowing. “It is. A little scary, isn’t it?”
“We haven’t exactly discussed what this is between us.” She gestured between the two of us. “I am not quite sure if I should be flattered you want to take me to your town with your name slapped on it or be scared.”
I frowned right back at her. “I don’t know what it is between us. Rushing into labels and wanting to figure out exactly where I am, ended up pushing me into an engagement I wasn’t ready for.”
Something flashed over her face, just an instant, but she blinked it away so quickly, I couldn’t tell what it was. “That makes sense. I don’t want to push you. But I also want to see the mountains.”
My chest had warmed at that, and I knew. “I have a place up there. In fact, we all do in some way or another.” I paused. “At least the brothers I grew up with. Hell, I wonder if any of the new ones want something up there? I have no idea how that’s going to work.”
“I don’t even want to go into the ins and outs of that will. Just seeing Isabelle’s eyes go blank when she tries to go through the paperwork makes me want to run away.”
“I don’t blame her. I still don’t know what the hell my father was thinking.” I had waved that off. “Sorry. As for this weekend. Come with me. We’ll do what we’re doing now.”
“Eating practically naked in my kitchen?”
“We can do that. Or we could eat completely naked.”
“I don’t think that’s sanitary.”
“Touché. And as for what we are to each other. I don’t know. But I’m exclusive.” I blurted out that last part, wondering why the hell it felt as if I were a teenager trying to figure out the rules.
Her teeth had bitten into her lip, and I had swallowed hard at the sight. “Me too. And I don’t know what this is or where it’s going, if it’s going anywhere. Everything’s changing so quickly, and I’m just going to go with the flow. Which is very unlike me.”
“Two peas in a pod there. So you’ll go with me?”
“What time will we be leaving?”
“Well, we may have to ask your boss if you could leave early on Friday.”
She cringed. “Okay, that’s awkward.”
“No, it’s not. We’re allowed to work remotely. Just take that day. The boss isn’t going to care.” I had made sure that wouldn’t happen.
And when Blakely had finally said yes, I had reached over the table to grip the back of her neck and pulled her into a deeper kiss. She had moaned into me, and we had indeed gotten naked in her kitchen. However, the laughter that had burst from her as we had both cleaned up after had made the hard tile underneath my ass worth it.
So now, we were winding our way up through the mountains, and I was feeling awkward and yet, the most relaxed I had in a while. Didn’t know what that meant. Maybe it was the fact that we were going back to Cage Lake.
Cage Lake was situated between two large peaks. There was tons of hiking, fishing, with a large tributary that was practically a full river, carving one side of the town boundaries, and the lake on the north side.
“Okay, after this ridge, we’re going to hit Cage Street.”
Blakely slowly lowered her glasses. “Really? How many of these places are called Cage?”
“I don’t want to discuss it,” I said, my lips twitching.
“All of them, right?”
“Enough of them that it’s actually a little embarrassing.”
“For a man in real estate, staking your claim sure does make you blush.”
I shook my head as we rounded the curve. “I don’t need to stake my claim at all.”
Before I could say anything else though, Blakely looked out the window and gasped, and a sense of ease settled over me. The beauty of the town was breathtaking. Yes, the town came with its own burdens, and its own memories, but for a man who wore suits every day, I was comfortable here. Hell, I was wearing jeans and a flannel. When Blakely had first seen me, her eyes had practically bugged out of her head, and then she had just reached around, and slid her hands into my pockets.
“I like it.”
“Well, you in jeans that grip your hips? It’s going to be very uncomfortable with zipper marks on my dick this whole drive.”
And now, she was seeing the town that I loved. I wasn’t like Hudson who could live here full time, but I loved to visit. There was one main road into the town, and that got you to the lake. It was, of course, called Cage Street. It was very long, and windy. To the west of us, there was a large forest with tons of trails, with the resort settled against the most northern mountain. On the south side, that was the main river, and there were other trails and fishing spots. And branching off Main Street were multiple streets filled with homes and businesses that had grown over time. Hell, at first, we hadn’t even had a main. Now the first business you saw when you took that right into Main Street, was a welcome center, and the admin building right behind it. There was also a clinic, a coffee shop, an actual mercantile, a hardware store, bakeries, and more. It was your typical small town that was anything but typical. Because most of the places had our names all over it. It was embarrassing, but hell, it was our family legacy. We were fighting for it for a reason.
“This is adorable. How many people live here? ”
“The population changes all the time because of tourist seasons. And there’s a lot more homes and town homes than there was when I was growing up.” I paused. “I don’t even know the population anymore. Hudson might.”
“He lives here, right?”
“His home is on the west side of the lake, but nearly on the opposite end of mine.”
“For a reason?” she teased.
I shook my head. “No, we just each split up the land and built our own places. There’s still spots for the others that we can make work which isn’t going to hurt the land. Then again, there’s places that we could also add that they might like.”
“I like that you’re thinking about them.”
“I do too. It’s weird, but we’re making it work. Somehow. At least I hope.”
“I have to have hope. My best friend is your half-sister.”
“That is very true.” We passed by the streets that bisected Main Street, and I found a parking spot near one of the small restaurants that had popped up over time. This one was an Italian place, and I had never been here before. However, it had our name on it.
“Cage really isn’t Italian, is it?”
“I don’t ask these questions. I’m not in charge of the town.”
“I don’t believe that at all.”
I rolled my eyes, though she couldn’t see it through my sunglasses, and we got out to finally stretch our legs .
“Well, as I live and breathe,” an older woman said. I looked over at a very familiar voice, and smiled such a wide smile that I had a feeling I even surprised Blakely.
“Hello there, Ms. Patty.”
The woman with bright red hair, and even brighter red lips, opened up her arms, and hugged me tightly. And then I leaned down so she could press those bright red lips against my cheek, inevitably leaving her mark.
Blakely’s eyes filled with laughter, and a little fear as the boisterous woman pulled back.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here today. Did someone come out and clean your house and freshen up everything?”
I nodded. “Hudson took care of it. You know him.”
The older woman just waved that off. “Who knows with that brother of yours. And I hear there’s more brothers, and even sisters. Cage women. It’s about time we start to add more to the pool.” Then her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Blakely. “Is this one of your sisters? Or perhaps a new Mrs. Cage.” Her gaze went right to Blakely’s left hand, and I had a feeling this small-town life wasn’t going to settle in for long.
“This is Blakely. Not a sister.” I held back a visible shudder.
Blakely full-on laughed. “It’s nice to meet you. Although, I do know his sister.”
“Oh, really. I need all the gossip.”
Blakely met my gaze, and I saw the wince she tried to hide. My whole life was under a microscope these days, all about gossip, and perhaps coming to this small town where everybody knew the Cages and all of their mess, wasn’t the best idea.
“I don’t know about that. I’m just really excited to see the town. Maybe you should be the one to give me all the gossip.”
“Oh, I have a lot of it. I’ve lived here since I was a little girl and got married right up at that resort up there. The Cages take good care of us. My husband’s the mayor, you know.”
“And he’s not a Cage?” Blakely asked, and this time I laughed.
“No. Somehow, we’re not the mayor of this small town. Although, I think Grandpa was at one point.”
“He was. And I’m sure one of you guys will be again. We’re really easy here. And we all make sure that whatever businesses pop up are good for the economy, and all of the land here is owned to a point that nothing can be built up that we don’t want here. We want to keep this feeling like it always has, with a little bit of flair.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth, Ms. Patty.”
“Now you head into the restaurant right here and have a great lunch special. Although, Cage Italiano? You guys could do better.”
“I don’t know who made that up. Probably Dad,” I said. I tried not to speak through gritted teeth.
Ms. Patty grinned. “He did love branding the place. But it’s what gives us character.”
People were walking past us, calling out their greetings, and I did the same. Because while tourists came and went, the people who had lived here all their lives stayed the same. They got older, got married, had kids, but they were the ones that had been here when I had visited. Had never quite lived, which maybe was the problem. I liked my expensive suits and drinking bourbon out of a low-ball glass, while sitting in a high-rise. I liked my fast cars, and dining with white tablecloths. But I also liked sitting on the ground, fishing pole in hand, trying to catch my lunch, knowing that my brothers would be better at it than me. Maybe I just liked memories that came when we were happy here. But then again, Dad wasn’t always here. No, he was down south, raising his other family.
I pushed those thoughts aside as we said our goodbyes, and I introduced Blakely to a few other people. I saw those curious glances and winced.
“Now that Ms. Patty and a few others know that I’m here, everyone’s going to know that I brought a woman to Cage Lake.”
“And you’ve never done that before?” Blakely asked, her voice soft.
“No. And I didn’t think it was going to be a problem.”
“Is it a problem?” Blakely asked before we walked into the restaurant, and I knew if I said the wrong thing here, it would screw things up for far too long.
I reached out and pushed a strand of her hair away from her face, ignoring the curious looks from onlookers. “It’s not a problem at all. It’s just something I’m getting used to. ”
“Okay, then. I’m getting used to it too.”
“Well good. Now, let’s go see what this special is. And then I’ll show you my town.”
“Your town.”
“I meant because I spent summers here, not because my dad branded it.”
“Just a little bit of a problem,” she teased, and slid her hand into mine.
I didn’t want to think too hard about it, because I knew for a fact that things didn’t work out. My family was living proof. But I can enjoy the time we had together for now.
And as I introduced her to countless others who came to sit with us, I took a deep breath, and let the day wash over us.
We were deep into our salad when a familiar voice echoed to the room.
“And you don’t even say hi,” Hudson said as he came forward, waving at the hostess.
“I’m not going to say stay, have to pick up an order, however, I’m just here to razzle my brother.”
“Have fun,” the manager said. I didn’t bother standing up, but Blakely smiled over at him, and I did my best not to feel jealous. I didn’t know why the hell I would.
“We were going to come to you after we ate. It’s a nice place.”
“Yeah, Dad started it up, but the manager knows what they’re doing and has good food. I’m sure that Flynn takes care of it. You know him.
“I do.” I frowned, gesturing toward Blakely. “I actually don’t know if you’ve met or not. Which is probably an oversight.”
“We haven’t,” Hudson said as he held out his hand, the rough calluses there evident underneath the overhead lighting.
Blakely smiled. “Hi, I’m Blakely.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Hudson said, and I raised a brow.
“Oh, really?”
“You know the group chats, they get interesting. At least the group chats without you,” he teased, and I settled back, watching my brother flirt with the woman I was currently sleeping with. And yet, there was nothing serious about it, and though a little bit of jealousy nagged at me, I ignored it. Because Hudson was laughing. He had indeed taken a seat, and joined us for lunch, ignoring the fact that I had just wanted to be with Blakely, but then again, I wanted to be with my brother too. He didn’t come down enough. He didn’t smile enough.
But he was smiling now.
“Okay, I’m going to need to hear all of the childhood stories. Ms. Patty already said she’d tell some. But I’m sure you have some.”
Hudson smiled again, and this time, it truly reached his eyes, startling me. “Oh, I’ve got stories.”
“And I’ll go get the check,” I said, as Blakely laughed.
“This town is just so interesting. I love the fact that you guys have this whole history here, and downtown in Denver.”
“That’s us Cages, shrouded in history,” Hudson said, and Blakely and I both noticed the tone. But she didn’t say anything, instead went into a story about the time she tried to ski in Vail, and nearly broke her wrist.
“Aston here’s a great skier, and we do have all access to the resort.”
“Thankfully, it is not time for skiing, and I will never be on little blades, little pieces of wood like that again.”
“Maybe snowboarding?” I teased.
“God no. That’s just asking me for a broken nose or something.”
“You know Aston could teach you. It’s just pizza and French fries like they teach you in ski school,” Hudson said.
“We can go down the bunny hills,” I said, laughter spilling out.
She glared between us. “I thought Hudson and I were supposed to gang up on you,” she said pointedly, and I shrugged.
“We’re brothers. We can’t help it. But I can teach you to ski if you want.”
“Let’s not take that up as a challenge. I like my bones where they are.”
“Well, a woman who knows what she wants, I like that.” Hudson turned to me. “Your house is all aired out for you. And I put some groceries in the fridge, though I know you’re going to be eating in town often.”
“Thanks for that, Hudson. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind. Needed something to do when I’m trying to ignore work. ”
I knew Blakely had questions about what Hudson did, but she didn’t ask. Instead, my brother’s gaze went distant, and he said his goodbyes abruptly before leaving.
“Did I do something?” Blakely asked, as I put money down for the check, and we headed out of the restaurant.
“No, that’s just Hudson.”
“That’s not ominous at all.”
“We Cages have baggage, some of us more than others.” I shrugged like it meant nothing, but maybe it meant everything.
“I’m glad you brought me here though, it’s beautiful.”
“I’ll show you around more.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Do you want to see my house first? Or a little bit more of the town?”
She was so beautiful, and it took me a moment just to breathe it in. I had to be careful though, and I couldn’t let it get too serious. As long as we kept things calm and casual, there would be no broken hearts when it ended.
“Show me around. And tell me one embarrassing story from your childhood.”
I sighed. “As long as you do the same.”
“I just told you about the skiing.”
“Oh, no, you told me and Hudson that story, and it wasn’t part of our deal yet. So, I’m going to need another story.”
I took her hand in mine, as I said hello to a few other residents, and we made our way down Main Street.
“You go first,” she said quickly, and I sighed, but couldn’t help the smile spreading on my face .
“Okay, I think I can come up with something.”
After all, the Cages had their secrets, but a slightly embarrassing story from my childhood wasn’t one of them. Thankfully.