Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
ASTON
Rule #7: (Added by Aston) Break the rules.
My head ached and all I really wanted to do was take a shower and get into bed. The day had been long, full of travel delays, dead phones, and a lost charging cord. And, on the way home, it seemed that I hadn’t put the charging cord back in my car. Meaning I still had a dead phone as I walked into my house.
I was supposed to have been home six hours ago, but a thunderstorm in Dallas, complete with a lovely tornado, meant the entire country was dealing with weather-related issues with their flights. I was just glad everybody was safe, but I was exhausted.
I rubbed the back of my neck and plugged in my phone. I probably needed to look at the codependent relationship I had with it because I immediately relaxed when I saw it charging .
My brothers were still on the east coast and would be coming back tomorrow. At one point when I was on my layover, I was truly afraid they were going to make it home before I did. However, I was home, and I just wanted to talk to Blakely. I rubbed my hand over my chest, wondering why she was the first person I thought of.
Things were happening quite quickly, and I knew that, but after the night before, I felt like I should say something.
I had pushed Meredith away as soon as her lips had pressed to mine, and then she had wiped away her tears and shook her head. When she had looked back up at me, her eyes had widened so much, she looked even more surprised than I had.
She had bolted away, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell had just happened. I had no idea who had seen or what I was supposed to fucking do, but then I needed to go back into the meeting space and talk with more people. I hadn’t been able to get a hold of Blakely the night before, since she hadn’t texted me back, and with my phone and plane issues, I had no idea what else I had missed.
I stripped off my button-down shirt, leaving me in just my undershirt and pants, having toed off my shoes when I had walked in.
I hated traveling in a full suit, but I had had a meeting right before I needed to head to the airport.
My phone finally turned on and I pulled up my notifications, wincing at the number of texts and emails I had .
I shot a quick email to the family group, minus Mom, letting them know that I was there. I was finally home.
I paused after I did so, knowing that we probably needed to make a full siblings chat. That made my lips twitch, as an unsettled feeling washed over me. Adding Blakely to the group, even by accident, all those months ago was how we had met. Sure, we probably would’ve been introduced to each other at a later point because she was friends with Isabella, but it wouldn’t have been the same. I hated when people said that everything happened for a reason, but maybe it did. No, my father being a cruel and uncaring person when it came to family matters wasn’t for a reason. And the night I had had previously shouldn’t have been for a reason.
I frowned when I looked at my text to Blakely and realized she hadn’t responded.
I checked the time, and figured she might be sleeping, but I was worried now. I quickly pressed her contact, dialing out, but after waiting, it went to voicemail.
I blinked wondering maybe she was on another call? No, maybe I was just thinking too hard. I called again, immediately it went to voicemail.
An odd feeling washed over me, and I texted her quickly wondering what the hell was going on. Why was she ignoring me?
Me:
I’m home, had phone issues all day. I missed you.
There, that was the most I’d ever put in a text message about what I felt. The fact that I didn’t know what I felt meant I needed to worry about other things later. But for now, I was worried.
The doorbell rang, and then somebody banged their fist on the door as soon as my thoughts went into a tailspin about Blakely. Alarmed, worried somebody was hurt, I ran to the door. As I pulled it open, I blinked as Isabella stood there, fuming. Her eyes narrowed, hands fisted at her sides, she glared.
“You asshole.”
I blinked at her, wondering if this woman was honestly going to hit me.
“Isabella? What are you doing here? And what the hell?”
She stomped right toward me, and though she was much smaller than me, I was slightly afraid of her.
“I can’t believe you. Just when we were starting to trust you, just when we were letting our family trust you, you do this ? I should have known, with the way Dad was. I should have known you’d be just like him.”
I staggered back, confused as hell, then her words finally hit. “Holy fuck, who told you about the kiss?”
“You don’t even deny it. Of course, how could you deny when there’s photographic evidence?” She held up her phone, and I blinked, reality crashing in so swiftly, it was like a punch to the gut.
“How? It’s not what you think.”
“No, that’s what they all say. But I’m pretty sure that’s your ex-fiancée and you with your arms around each other kissing at a work event, one that the family business was invited to. I cannot believe I get to work with philanderers of course, it must be in the genes. I hope it doesn’t trickle down to our side of the family because I don’t want to be a cheating asshole.”
Isabella kept going and I saw the tears glisten in her eyes. She might be angry, might be snapping out, but there was far more emotions than just the shrewishness that she put on as a good front.
I held her phone in my hand, staring at the photo that somebody had put on social media. Someone had taken a fucking photo of the moments where Meredith had lost her mind.
I shook my head, handing over the phone, now realizing why Blakely hadn’t texted me back. Why she was ignoring my calls.
“Did you show this to Blakely?”
“I didn’t have to. Her admin sent it to her because she was afraid that everybody else would know and she would be left in a dark. Because she actually cares about Blakely.”
“Stop, just stop,” I said as I pulled Isabella into my house. She tried to get out of my grasp, but I was stronger.
“Get your hands off me.”
“I’d rather not have this fight on my porch.”
Considering I already dealt with a fight with not only Meredith but also my mother on my porch at one point, I didn’t like this becoming routine.
“It’s not like that,” I said quickly as Isabella pulled her arm from my grasp and shook her head .
“It’s not like what? That you decided to be just like Dad and have another woman when you’re on one of your work trips.” She used her fingers to make air quotes, and I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Meredith was drunk, and she kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back and I pulled her off right away. And then for some reason, she burst into tears and ran away before I could figure out what’s going on. Something’s wrong with Meredith, and I know she doesn’t want me back, but something happened, and yet, it is not me. I didn’t kiss her .”
The last sentence was practically a shout, and Isabella stood there, and I could not tell what the hell she was thinking.
“I would never hurt Blakely like that. And I’m not our father.” Even as I said the words, bile coated my tongue. I wasn’t our father. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t lie. But in every other way I was my father. I was The Cage . Multiple people said it. Every single time I was out, news articles said it, and it was how we kept our family reputation until Dad had tried to bulldoze it with his casualness of cruelty.
“I care for Blakely.”
“Care,” Isabella whispered, but there was no ire in her tone.
“Care,” I repeated, “I don’t know exactly what I feel because I haven’t let myself, and that’s something I need to talk over with Blakely.” I cursed under my breath and began to pace. “If she even fucking lets me.”
“You didn’t cheat,” she said after a moment, the confusion lacing her words sending anger through my system.
“No, I don’t cheat. Cages don’t cheat.”
She raised a brow and pointed between us. “I think you and I being half-siblings is sort of the error to your ways.”
“ Real Cages don’t cheat. I don’t know what the fuck my father was thinking, but I am not him.” Even as I said the words, it didn’t feel right. No, I wasn’t Dad, I didn’t cheat. But maybe my father hadn’t cheated until he had met Isabella’s mother. Maybe I was wrong, and it was in the genes. I knew nothing I was thinking was making sense, and yet, that little inkling of doubt kept seeping in.
I was my father’s son, and maybe that cruelty came with time.
“I can tell what you’re thinking,” Isabella whispered after a moment, “but dear old dad was a bigamist. Except for the whole legal thing.”
“I cannot believe the moms kept secret families for so long.”
“Blakely said you don’t talk to yours.”
I met Isabella’s gaze and nodded. “Not anymore. I’m done with her. Which I know doesn’t make any sense because I’m going to have to deal with her soon when it comes to business and my brothers. But she let this happen. She lied to us just as much as Dad did.”
“Hence why I’m not talking to my mother either. Not that Sophia and the others understand that,” Isabella ground out.
“Look at us, having common ground. ”
“I don’t like it,” my sister said, although I wasn’t sure if there was humor in her words.
“I didn’t cheat on Blakely.”
“Then go tell her that.”
“Just show up at her house?”
“Do the big gesture, grovel, do something.” She paused and rubbed her hands over her face. “And I’m sorry I immediately thought you were like Dad. I guess I’m not actually grieving the man, I’m just pretending he didn’t exist.”
I moved forward, and tentatively put my hand on her shoulder.
Her hands fell and she looked up at me. “What?”
“I don’t want to grieve him. I want to move on, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I guess you aren’t Dad.” Without thinking, I pulled her into a hug, and Isabella stiffened before hugging me back.
“This is weird,” she said after a moment, and I laughed, even though there was barely any humor in it.
“Very. We’re going to have to figure this out, Isabella.”
“I know. I thought we were off to a good start, at least with some things.” She pulled back and cleared her throat. “But I guess there are a lot more potholes out there.”
“I need to figure out how the hell I’m going to grovel.”
She studied my face. “Tell her the truth.”
“If she lets me.” I let out a breath. “If it’s all right with you, I’m going to change, and we can deal with the family things later. I have a feeling there’s going to be a few more obstacles in our way before we navigate how to live with this new reality.”
“I’m not sure any of us are ready for that. Now go to her and tell her the truth. Blakely is a lot calmer than I am,” she added dryly.
“I’ve noticed that.” I let out a breath. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“Were you going to tell her about the kiss?”
I nodded immediately. “Yes, but I was going to do it in person. That way she could actually see my face. I didn’t realize I had paparazzi.”
She cringed. “Nothing is private anymore. I’ll let myself out. Do good things, Aston. For some reason I believe you can.”
And with that, my sister left, and I quickly changed, not knowing how the hell I was going to fix this. It took the entire car ride to Blakely’s house for me to realize that I had no idea what I was going to do.
I pulled into her driveway and was grateful that the lights seemed to be on in her living room. She was home, hopefully she was awake, and hopefully she would listen.
I knocked quietly on the door not wanting to wake her in case she was actually sleeping, but she opened it quickly, and my breath caught in my throat. Her hair was piled on the top of her head, her eyes swollen, and her pajamas were of the comfy sort. Her cardigan wrapped tightly around her.
“Hi,” I said, my voice cracking.
“What are you doing here, Aston? ”
“I’m sorry.”
Blakley tilted her head and gave me a slow blink. “Sorry for kissing your ex-fiancée? For leading me on?”
I shook my head quickly and reached out to her. She took a step back, and I held back the curse. “Meredith kissed me. I did not kiss her at all.” I explained the entire evening, going over every detail, and Blakely stood there, silent.
“I was going to tell you as soon as I got home because I wanted to see your face when I did so you could see my face. I am sorry you found out that way.”
“I want to trust you, I think, but seeing that kiss just threw me for a loop.”
“Honestly, why wouldn’t you believe it? My entire family is drenched in this mess because of cheating, and we’ve spoken of Meredith before, so you understand how she’s like. At least recently. I hope you never have to cross paths.”
Something skittered over her face, and I frowned.
“What is it?”
She sighed and pulled me inside the house, closing and locking the door behind us. “I should probably tell you that one time when we were out to dinner, Meredith cornered me in the bathroom.”
My eyes widened and I moved forward. “What the hell? Did she hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, but she claimed that you two were meant for each other. I told her that she needed to think better about herself and the choices she made, but I suppose she didn’t take that to heart. ”
I ran my hands over my face before moving forward tentatively. “Isabella said I should grovel, and I will.”
Blakely’s eyes widened. “When did you speak to Isabella?”
“Right before I came here when she yelled at me.”
“She came to your house?”
I nodded. “Yes. I deserved it. Especially if all you saw was the photo, and no explanation.”
Blakely ran her hand over her face. “My best friend is insane.”
“She loves you.”
When she let her hands fall, my heart kicked. She was so damn beautiful. “She does, and I love her.”
For some reason, the word love echoed between us, but I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t because I had no idea what I felt. This had started casual, and it should have stayed that way, but it wasn’t. And that worried me.
“I didn’t kiss her and I’m sorry that you were hurt.”
“I may be making a terrible mistake, but I believe you. It just felt like a slap, and then I got in my own head. Just like before, when you didn’t call, even though that was for a good reason.”
“I’m still an asshole who should have called. Both times.”
She stepped forward and I wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me tightly and I kissed the top of her head.
“I promise to never let my phone die again, and I will tell you the next time a random woman kisses me.” She punched me not so softly, and I grunted. “Too soon? ”
“Far too soon. What are you going to do about her?”
“Isabella?” I asked, knowing full well who she meant.
“Sure. Her first.”
“Isabella, I don’t know. Meredith, I don’t know.”
“If something’s wrong, maybe she just needs a friend.”
I pulled back, my eyes widening.
“And you want to be friends with her?”
She grimaced. “Maybe not, but maybe she needs one. I don’t know. Everyone keeps saying the way she’s acting is out of character, so maybe something’s wrong. I just hate feeling like this and I never want to feel like this again. It was like a slap and a punch all at once, and that scares me because I’ve never felt this way before, for anyone. And then the rug was pulled out from under me, and I was lost, and I don’t want to feel that again either.”
Ease settled over me and I nodded wondering if I would do it again. I might not cheat like my father—if you could call consensual relationships like that cheating—but I’d hurt her. Because I’m my father’s son. Because I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t.
Instead of saying anything though, I just held her, and got lost to my own thoughts.
I wouldn’t break my promises, not when it came to fidelity. But I hadn’t called when everything had changed the first time, and I hadn’t called the night before.
So perhaps I really was my father’s son, at least when it came to promises.
And that worried me more than I thought possible.