Twenty Eight
December Twenty-Fifth
Whitney
Whitney woke to the sound of Fade snoring and slid closer, curling around him from behind. She wrapped her arm around his waist, her fingers grazing his stomach, and felt him twitch at her touch. The house was unusually quiet for the sun being up, and after a moment, she decided coffee sounded better than staying in bed. With a soft sigh, she retracted her arm and slipped out of the sheets, opening her bedroom door.
She winced immediately. The unmistakable sounds of Aldous giving Brittanya her Christmas present, maybe a little too enthusiastically, filtered down the hallway. It concerned her more than she wanted to admit. Whitney was happy for her friend and even for Aldous, but she was more than ready for this house to stop being a kiss-and-tell zone.
The coffee machine gurgled and hissed as she picked up her phone.
Whitney: You good in there?
She poured two cups, tucked her phone under her arm, and carried them back to her room. “Good morning,”
she murmured, setting one down on the nightstand in front of Fade’s face.
He groaned, stirring. His eyes cracked open just enough to squint at her. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you too.”
She circled the bed and sat next to him. Fade sat up, reaching for her lips first, then the coffee.
She watched him take a sip before speaking. “So…”
she started, cupping her mug in both hands. “I was thinking about some things we need to talk about.”
His eyes flicked to her over the rim of his cup. “What do you mean?”
He adjusted the sheets on his lap.
“Kids. Family. Finances. You know, the fun stuff.”
He exhaled slowly, lowering his mug. “Okay. What do you want to start with?”
She hesitated. “After you proposed, you mentioned not wanting kids. But… I think I do.”
Fade’s face shifted, his shoulders tensing as he rubbed his thumb along the handle of his cup. “Whitney, you know we both struggled growing up. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around bringing someone into the world when I know how ugly it can get. The world is a corrupt place, prison showed me that and it’s not the inmates you had to worry about.”
She reached out, fingers trailing down his arm. “It’s not like that here, though. We’ve got a chance to have something good.”
He was quiet for a long beat. “I never pictured myself as a dad. I just… assumed I’d end up being a fucked up father like every man who ever pretended to be mine.”
“Well,”
she teased softly, trying to lighten the mood, “if you were going to knock up a stripper, I’d hope it’s me.”
That earned a smirk. “Noted.”
His eyes softened a little. “Look, I’m not saying it’s completely off the table. I’m just… I like what we have. I don’t want to share the time I’ve got with you.”
“Then you’ll just have to make time for me,”
she said, setting her mug aside with a quiet clink. “Like dates. And also, Fade, I don’t want to keep taking birth control. I’m terrible at remembering it.”
He studied her, then nodded slowly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. What about finances?”
She grinned. “What if I spend it all shopping?”
He snorted, setting his mug down before pulling her into his side. “You’re way too responsible for that. But if you do, I’ll just make you earn it back.”
Whitney smirked, feeling the buzz of her phone against her leg. She picked it up.
Brittanya: I think I’m in love with your brother, if you know what I mean.
Fade raised an eyebrow at the way her face scrunched up. “Who’s that?”
“Brittanya.”
She kept typing, her thumb flying over the screen. “I got a taste of our own medicine this morning hearing her and Aldous.”
Whitney: I don’t.
Whitney: And I don’t want to.
Brittanya: You’ll be fine. We’ve heard you plenty of times.
Her phone hit the nightstand with a sigh, and she turned back to Fade. “Did you want to talk about the wedding at all? It’d be nice to get our own place, then we wouldn’t have to worry about… that.”
She gestured toward the wall with a pointed look.
“Agreed.”
He stretched, his voice still gravelly with sleep. “What’s this about an application, though?”
“It’s how we make everything official, the house, shared custody of kids, combining bank accounts. They even help with food and wedding arrangements.”
She tapped on her phone. “Shianne sent me the link. I was thinking maybe March or April?”
“April’s fine.”
Her phone dinged. “Okay, they want a date first, April sixth?”
“Sure.”
He drained the rest of his coffee, setting the mug aside.
She entered it. “Location? I was thinking the beach. And maybe we could do the afterparty here?”
He arched a brow. “Sounds like you’ve got this all figured out. What do you even need me for?”
She bumped his shoulder with hers. “Your opinion matters to me. This is your wedding too.”
“Then I say yes to whatever keeps you happy.”
He leaned back on one elbow, watching her scroll.
“Guest count? Twenty? Twenty-five?”
He made a face. “Do we even know that many people here?”
“We do,”
she said with a soft laugh. “Meal plan?”
“Burgers and chicken tenders.”
She squinted at him. “Really?”
“Hey, you asked.”
He closed his eyes like he was already done with the conversation.
“Cake flavor?”
His lips twitched. “Birthday cake.”
“Fade.”
She gave him a look, realizing fast that his cooperation was fading.
“Should I get a suit, at least?”
She thought back to how damn good he looked last May in a suit. “Yeah. You definitely should.”
“Then just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”
He reached up, his hand sliding into her hair as he dragged her down into a kiss. His lips lingered, and when he pulled back, his eyes burned into hers. “I can’t wait to make you mine for good. No more running off.”
January Eleventh
Fade
Fade had just finished lunch with Whitney when his next job took him to the hospital. The place was one of the older buildings on the island, so he figured the wiring issues would just be some loose connections. Following the receptionist’s directions, he headed down to room 103. He set his bag down and flipped the light switch, nothing.
The window along the far wall let in enough light that he didn’t bother with his flashlight. Fade jumped when the door clicked shut behind him, his pulse kicking up. For a second, the thought crossed his mind that the room might be haunted. He spun around.
“Fuck!”
he hissed, exhaling when he saw Rachel standing there. “You scared the hell out of me.”
She smirked, stepping closer. “Didn’t think a guy your size got scared so easily.”
She kept moving until she was right in his space.
Of course he thought she was attractive and given this chance when he was single, he’d bend her over the bed not caring how many people died in it, especially her being Owen’s girl.
What was she doing? Her sultry eyes locked on his, and her fingertips trailed down his front, brushing between his legs. His body reacted despite his better judgment. When her hand found his belt buckle, slipping fingers between the leather and metal, his brain finally caught up.
He grabbed her wrist, firmly guiding it back toward her. “I won’t.”
Rachel tilted her head, her lips curling into a half-smile. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Fade’s jaw tightened. He dropped her hand and walked to the door, opening it wide. “I will.”
Her mouth snapped shut. “Your loss.”
With a shrug, she slipped into the hallway and disappeared into one of the rooms down the corridor. Fade let out a slow breath, locked the door behind her, and got back to work.
Whitney
“Hey.”
Whitney dropped her bag on his desk and kicked off her shoes. Fade had ordered dinner so it’d be waiting when she got off work.
“Hey, baby.”
He stood and crossed the room, his hands framing her face as he kissed her, soft, warm, familiar. She smiled against his mouth, her fingers brushing his arm.
“Did you miss me?”
she teased when they pulled apart.
“Always. Come eat.”
He gestured to the bed, where the takeout boxes waited. She crawled across the red blanket and folded her legs beneath her before opening the box.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.”
Fade settled next to her and turned down the TV’s volume. “Something happened today.”
She popped a french fry into her mouth. “What do you mean?”
“That job at the hospital after lunch…”
He sighed. “I ran into Rachel.”
“Okay?”
she said slowly, already wondering what Orion had done this time.
He stopped eating, his eyes flicking to hers. “She… made a move on me.”
Whitney blinked. “What?”
“She… tried to fish around down there,”
he said awkwardly, his face clouding with frustration.
“What?”
Her stomach flipped. “Fade, did you fuck her?”
His brow furrowed, his expression almost offended. “God, no. I grabbed her hand when she went for my belt and told her no.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I made her leave right after.”
“Well, thank you for not cheating on me. I probably wouldn’t have been that strong.”
“What?”
He stared at her, burger halfway to his mouth.
Whitney double-dipped her chicken tender into the ranch and shrugged. “She’s hot.”
“Sorry, baby,”
he deadpanned.
She grinned. “Maybe in a different life.”
“Are you going to tell Owen?”
“Orion,”
she corrected him automatically. “And yeah… I probably should. But I doubt he’ll believe me. Still, I wouldn’t want to be kept in the dark if the roles were reversed.”
“When are we telling him?”
“We?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting more involved than you already are. Given your history with Mitzy, it’s best if you stay out of it.”
He sighed. “Okay. Just let me know when you’re over there.”
“I’ll go after dinner.”
********
Whitney knocked on her brothers’ apartment door and heard giggling inside. Her stomach sank. It could only be Brittanya or Rachel and she wasn’t sure how to handle this if Rachel answered the door.
Thankfully, it was Aldous who opened it. “Hey,”
he greeted her, stepping aside to let her in.
“Where’s Orion?”
she asked.
“In his room. With Rachel.”
Of course. She rubbed her fingers over her forehead and headed for his door, knocking loud enough to announce her mood. “Orion, it’s me.”
He opened it wearing just shorts, already irritated. “What do you want?”
“Can we talk? Outside?”
He snorted but followed her onto the porch, shutting the door behind him. “Make it quick.”
“I just thought you’d want to know… Rachel made a move on Fade today.”
Orion’s face twisted in disbelief. “Right. That sounds like some shit Fade would say just to mess with me. Rachel wouldn’t do that. Why would she? What’s she got to gain?”
Whitney stared at him, disappointed but not surprised. “You really think I’m making this up?”
“Oh, come on. You think I put her up to it? Get over yourself, Whitney.”
He didn’t wait for her reply, just turned on his heel and went back inside, slamming the door in her face.
She stood there for a beat, frustration bubbling under her skin. Then she turned and walked the short distance back to Fade’s place, spotting him waiting in the doorway.
“Well, you tried,”
he said, wrapping his arms around her as she approached. “He’s a grown man. He can deal with his own consequences.”
“I’m so sick of trying with him. Aldous, it’s always been easy with him. But Orion?”
She sighed, stepping into his room. “It’s like he enjoys rubbing his relationship with our brother in my face.”
“You’re making the effort. That’s all you can do until enough is enough.”
“I’m about there.”
She flopped onto his bed.
“Spend the night.”
She smirked. “Afraid Rachel’s gonna sneak in?”
He grabbed her chin, tilting her face toward his. “She might. And I’ve seen you throw a punch.”