Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
ASTON
Rule #6: (Added by Aston) Remember who you are vs. who you need to be.
In the month since we had returned from our weekend away, things had shifted. I wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but here we were, somehow in a relationship.
Things now felt, perhaps not settled, but firm? No, that wasn’t the right word either. More like steady. Which, for a man who wasn’t sure he even wanted a relationship, sounded far more unsteady than the word represented.
In that month, Blakely, had gelled with her team and her admin, Garcia, already her number one fan. The entire team was already on their third project, with the microloan program enhancing even more. None of that was in my purview, but James was singing her praises .
We spent more time at my house than hers, but Blakely said it was only because of my shower. It wasn’t my fault that I had two shower heads, and then a third that happened to be removable. I held back a smile at the memory of our testing that out.
We’d had dinner with Cale and Sophia, which had been awkward at first, because the connection was two ways. Sophia my sister, and Sophia the sister of Blakely’s best friend. In the end, labels hadn’t mattered. We’d had good dinner and ended up at a piano bar afterward, singing along with the piano man as everybody was wont to do.
Afterward, Blakely and I had spent the evening tasting every inch of each other at her house, and then eaten sundaes in her bed, courtesy of some of the hot fudge I had used on her breasts prior.
“Sophia and Cale seemed really happy,” she had said, and I had nodded, my gaze on her breasts.
“They do. And I don’t know how protective I’m supposed to feel about Sophia’s boyfriend.”
“Eyes up here, I don’t think even you can go for round three right now.”
I had looked down at my not-so-quite-limp dick, and grinned. “I could probably find a way to enjoy this hot fudge.”
She shook her head. “No. Sweet things do not go down there. Breasts are okay, nowhere below the belt.”
We had left, and then indeed enjoyed hot fudge above a certain equator.
And in that month, we had had one more monthly dinner, where seven of us had joined in, though Kyler hadn’t come at all. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was supposed to say to the brother who seemed to have known the secret all along.
However, the dinner had gone off quite well at Dorian’s place. Hudson had even come down from the mountains, joining in for the first time. While checking in with the lawyer each dinner felt as if we were on some form of house arrest, most other things felt normal. Just family dinners. Instead of having to deal with our mother at our other required dinners, we were learning the other half of the family at equally required dinners.
But in that month, things felt right. I had never expected Blakely, not once, but twice in my life, and now here we were, feeling as if things could be more.
Or perhaps I was just thinking too hard. I didn’t know where this was going, but it felt like it could be going somewhere. It sure as hell felt different than the last time I had been on this path. Of course, it wasn’t Meredith’s fault that I had fallen out of love with her before she had even broken it off. She had been the one to see the signs it seemed, though I still didn’t know exactly what her game had been the night she had come to my house. But she had left me alone since.
But now, I wasn’t near Denver to figure out what Meredith had wanted, not that I cared. And I wasn’t near Blakely.
How the hell was I already missing Blakely? How had she become so important to me in such a short amount of time. Or perhaps in the nearly two months we had been in each other’s lives once again, that wasn’t such a short period of time.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down at the text from my brother.
Flynn:
Are you planning on gracing us with your presence anytime soon?
I looked across the expanse of the restaurant that the dinner conference was being held at and narrowed my gaze at my brother. He just grinned, while James stood beside him, rolling his eyes. Even though James wasn’t the one texting me, I knew they were equally making fun of me.
Me:
Is there a reason you two are watching me and not working on getting the contact we needed?
The fact that all three of us were at the same conference was unusual. We usually took turns, or when our father had been alive, he had done most of it. Or perhaps there hadn’t been any conferences at all and he had just been with his second family. The mechanics of how that man could keep so many secrets still eluded me. I could barely keep up with the work I was trying to do, and spending time with Blakely, and our new family. But maybe it was because I actually cared about the people in my life.
I paused at that feeling. Yes, I cared for Blakely. Was it love? No. Clearly not. It was way too soon for that, and I wasn’t even sure that would be appropriate in this situation. It would get far too complicated if it was.
I once again pushed those thoughts from my mind, and focused on the fact that we three Cages were at this conference. We needed to ensure backers for an upcoming project, and that meant Flynn needed to be his normal people person self, and James needed to act as the steady rock. While I had to be the face of the company, The Cage. I had to put on my shield and ensure the naysayers that we had not fallen or crumbled when the secrets of my father’s past had come out. We hadn’t lost a single client when the news of a second family had broken. But it had been a precarious situation that we were still dealing with the ramifications of. And the vultures were circling, ready for us to make a mistake.
It didn’t help that a certain so-called rival was also here.
I nodded at my brothers, and then went to go speak with the client, doing my best to keep my attention on him, and not the asshole older gentleman that was walking toward us.
Mr. Howard of Howard Enterprises shouldn’t be here at all. He should have lost his title and so much more when he had fired Blakely as he had. But then again, we wouldn’t have Blakely with us if he hadn’t made such a misstep.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the documentation you have,” Patricia Novel said and I forced my attention back on her. As a woman who had not only come from money, but married into it, she had decided to put her incredible wealth toward philanthropic work. And that meant not only with charities, but with businesses that could provide help for others. And that’s what we were trying to get her to do. We had worked with her before, and things had worked out well. However, she had come in through my father, and now we needed to ensure that the connection stayed the same with the second generation.
“We have everything set for tomorrow for the presentation. However, you know Flynn and James, they already have a few things I can send you right now.”
Flynn who had been coming by, just grinned. “You know we do.”
“You Cage brothers, you always know how to step up to the plate.”
James had his phone out, and I had no doubt that he was already sending over the information that had been at his fingertips.
“You know I say Cage brothers, but you have sisters now, don’t you?” the other woman asked, and there was only curiosity in her tone, not any slyness. A few others stopped what they were doing to listen in, but there was no hiding it. There never had been. Not since the news had broken.
“We do have sisters. So I guess our moniker has to change,” I said, keeping my tone light.
“I would think so. You needed more estrogen in your household anyway. I don’t know how your mother did it. ”
I had a feeling my smile added a slight bitter edge to it, but I masked it quickly. “She persevered. Somehow.”
“And we were perfect angels,” Flynn added.
The older woman threw her head back and laughed, and attention was on us once again, but this time for a different curiosity.
“I’ve always liked you Flynn.”
“And I’ve always liked you. I’m really sad that you’re married though. I can’t whisk you away.”
“You’re lucky that you golf with my husband and he knows you’re kidding,” she said with a laugh. “And I know you’re just buttering me up because you want to work with me, and I get it. But I’ve always really liked you.”
“And I don’t joke the way that I do with just anyone,” Flynn added, and I had a feeling that he felt bad about teasing the way he had. We had to schmooze and put on fake laughs for most people, but not for her.
“We do like you, you know,” I said softly, and the other woman’s eyes softened.
“I know you do. So, you three Cages work together. This company is still thriving despite what that old man of yours did,” she said, the biting tone making us all stand up a little straighter. “Are any of the others going to work with you? I don’t need to know the details of the will or inheritance,” she said, waving off any speculation. “I just know how family can be.”
Her smile went wistful, and I remembered in that moment, that she had had four children, three of them dying in a plane crash when they had been teenagers, on their way to visit relatives. Her remaining son was now happily married, and had given Patricia grandchildren, but I couldn’t even imagine the loss.
“We’re figuring out the family part,” I answered.
“One step at a time,” James put in. “Although we did hire one sister,” he said.
The other woman’s eyes brightened. “You did? Is she here?” she asked, looking around.
I shook my head. “No, she’s a forensic accountant. This isn’t really her scene.” Though I didn’t know Isabella’s scene completely, I had a feeling a meeting like this wouldn’t be it.
“Well, when I come down to Denver, I’m going to have to meet her and the rest. I really like you Cage brothers, and I should meet the rest of them. Including that rockstar,” she said, this time the laugh full out.
I sighed, as both James and Flynn chuckled. “It puts our meager standings in Forbes and other circles to shame, doesn’t it?” I asked wryly.
“He does have good music, and my granddaughters love him. Maybe you can get me an autograph? Make me the best grandma ever? I’m still competing with their mother’s mother. That old bitty got them horses for Christmas. Actual horses.”
I pressed my lips together, as James assured her that we would get Kyler’s autograph. I wasn’t quite sure how we were going to do that, but we’d find a way. If anything, I would ask Blakely. She was on better terms with him than we were for now.
We finished up our conversation, laughing along the way, and we went to go speak with a few other people. As James and Flynn went in opposite directions, each on a mission, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I looked over to see Mr. Howard staring at me.
“I knew she was working for you the whole time. Espionage? Really?” the other man asked.
His voice was low, but deep enough that it could carry. I was not about to have Blakely’s reputation or the Cage’s impinged with this asshole.
“You know she wasn’t. You know that you’re just jealous of her talents, and our business. We aren’t rivals, Howard. We never were. Only in your mind.”
“I’ll have her arrested,” the other man snapped, and I smelled the bourbon on his breath.
“You can try, and I will take you for everything you’re worth.”
Howard’s gaze narrowed. “So you’re fucking her as well. I knew you were. It couldn’t just be one dance like I said. Fucking the help? I should have known.”
I moved forward, hands clenched, but then James was between us, my usually quiet brother literally growling.
“You’re going to want to step back. Blakely works for me, not Aston. And if you say a single word about her again, in front of me, or anywhere that I hear about, I’ll sue you for all that you’re worth. Then I’ll let Aston have what’s left of you.”
The other man gulped, and I glared over James’s shoulder. We were creating a scene, the exact thing I did not want, but as the older man seemed to realize what was happening, he finally left, and James let out a breath.
“You okay?” he asked, as Flynn came toward us.
“I’m fine, but I need a breather. I’m going to go out on the balcony, and just get some air.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it. No one overheard by the way, they were trying to, but you were in the corner enough,” Flynn reassured.
“I’m going to have to tell Blakely about this,” I whispered.
“Yes, you will. Because secrets suck,” James put in, and then my brothers left me to my own devices, and I walked out on the balcony.
We were in the Hamptons of all places, and I really just wanted to go home, and deal with the altitude, and the crisp air there. It just didn’t smell the same here. I wanted to be with Blakely, and that should have scared me more than anything. That she would be the first thing that came to mind. But then again, maybe it shouldn’t have scared me.
“I knew you were here,” a familiar, and very unwanted voice said from beside me, and I stiffened, wondering why the hell this night was out to get me.
I turned to see Meredith walking toward me, or rather staggering. She had a martini in hand, her dress fitted to her like a glove, but not overly ostentatious. Instead she just looked as if she had walked off a catwalk into the event.
“Meredith. Can I get you some water? ”
She shook her head, and then seemed to think better of it and reached out. As I didn’t want her to fall, because I wasn’t that much of an asshole, I gripped her elbow, keeping her steady.
“Let me get you some water, Meredith.”
However, I knew touching her was a mistake, as she set the martini glass down in the same moment that she plastered herself to my front.
“Meredith. Seriously?” I asked, trying to gently pull her away from me. There were others on this balcony, and we were creating quite a show.
“I miss you,” she whispered, her words slurring. I’d never seen Meredith drunk before. What the hell was going on with this woman?
“You broke up with me,” I reiterated. “We haven’t been a thing for a long while. Let me go get you some water, and we can forget this ever happened.”
“I made a mistake. I was scared before.”
This woman had an MBA and was brilliant at what she did. And yet right now, I couldn’t see any of the Meredith that I knew before. Something was wrong, but I did not need to be in the middle of it.
“I’m with Blakely now,” I said softly, knowing our voices were carrying no matter what we did.
“But I love you,” she blurted.
I closed my eyes for a moment, hating this. My chest tightened, and I realized that I would’ve loved those words before. Maybe it would’ve triggered something for me when I had needed it. And yet they did nothing for me now .
“You’re better than this, Meredith.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits, and I tried to step back.
“Don’t you think I know that? I made a mistake. Please.” And before I could say anything, she pushed herself closer to me, arms wrapped around my shoulders, and her lips were pressed to mine.