Chapter 30 Caden
CADEN
I lowered myself onto the bed, watching Grae’s chest rise and fall.
I’d picked her up around four, and she’d disappeared into our room to nap a couple of hours ago.
Our room. I liked thinking of it that way.
I had the sudden urge to make the whole damn house ours.
To blend everything that was hers and mine.
Leaning against the pillows, I sighed. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be living here if I quit working for my father.
My gut churned. I knew how much Grae loved Cedar Ridge. Not only the place but also the home she’d built with her family. I wasn’t about to pull her away from that. I’d just have to find a way to stay.
Grae’s eyes fluttered open. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
She reached up, rubbing a spot between my brows. “What’s with the worry lines?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Nothing important.”
She frowned.
“Nash texted.” I hurried to divert her. “He wanted to know if we wanted to meet him and Maddie at Dockside for food and music.”
Grae’s eyes brightened at that, and she sat up. “That sounds like fun.”
“You’re not too tired? You were sleeping pretty hard.”
She leaned forward and brushed her lips across mine. “All rested now.”
I growled against her lips. “I don’t know. Maybe we need to stay in bed for the rest of the night just to be sure.”
Grae laughed and leapt off the mattress. “Nope. I want to dance!”
I chuckled as she disappeared into my bathroom. This could be trouble…
Heels sounded on the hardwood floor, and I looked up from my phone. My muscles wound tight as I drank Grae in. Her pale blond hair framed her face in loose waves that I wanted to tangle my fingers in. Her eyes were rimmed in something that made the blue impossibly brighter.
But the dress she wore had me nearly swallowing my tongue.
It was some sort of halter deal that tied behind her neck, dipping low in the front and giving me a peek of her cleavage.
It hugged her body in all the right places, stopping at mid-thigh.
And then she had to cap it all off with a pair of cowboy boots.
“Where did you get that?” I croaked.
She eyed me carefully. “I had some stuff at my parents’. Nash brought it over when he came by the other day.”
I closed the distance between us, my hands skimming down her sides. The pale pink material was silky to the touch. “Are you trying to kill me?”
A smile curved Grae’s lips. “Maybe…”
She stretched up onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips against mine. “Let’s go, or we’ll be late.”
I groaned as Grae ended the connection, walking toward the front door. The view from behind was even worse. The dress dipped low, exposing her gorgeous back. I mentally began reciting football stats and started after her.
The drive into town was quick since tourist traffic had eased up for the day. Grae played DJ, switching from one station to another. I parked in the lot next to Dockside and climbed out of my SUV. By the time I’d rounded the vehicle, Grae was already opening her door.
I held out a hand to her, and she took it with a smile. “I think this is our first date.”
I stilled for a moment. “I’m an ass.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
I tugged her against me, brushing the hair out of her face. “I haven’t even taken you on a proper date.”
“I don’t care about that stuff.”
I bent my head, taking her mouth in a slow kiss. “You deserve the world, Gigi. To be taken to dinners, on trips, to drown in flowers.”
Grae’s fingers wove through mine. “I don’t need fancy. I just need you.”
I stared down at her, seeing nothing but the truth in her eyes. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
Her lips twitched. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Caden Shaw. I just want to enjoy having you.”
Something lurched deep in my chest. It let loose a fierce wave of panic, but I shoved it down. Instead, I wrapped an arm around Grae and guided her toward the restaurant. “You’ve got me.”
By the time we reached the front door, I could already hear the music pouring out into the night. It sounded like some cover band, but they weren’t half-bad. The bouncer gave me a chin lift and smiled at Grae. “Have fun, you two.”
We stepped inside. The place was packed with a mix of tourists and locals. Some were eating, more were drinking, and the dance floor was already full. I caught sight of Rance and some other guys on the fire crew and inwardly groaned. We did not need drama tonight.
“In the back corner,” Grae said over the music, oblivious to Rance’s presence. And maybe that was for the best.
I followed the incline of her head to see Holt, Wren, Nash, and Maddie taking up a table. I maneuvered us through the crowd, keeping an eye on everyone who passed.
Grae slowed at a table. “Looks like triple trouble.”
Eddie grinned. “You know it.”
Noel took a long pull of his beer. “Lookin’ good, G.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said with a mock curtsy.
“Hey,” Jordan greeted, but I didn’t miss how his eyes hardened a fraction as he took me in.
Nash waved to us from his table, and Grae turned back to her friends. “Gotta go, boys. See you on the dance floor?”
Eddie did some sort of bizarre shimmy shake. “You can’t handle my moves.”
Grae burst out laughing, and I wanted to drown in the sound.
“No one can handle your moves. They’re an assault on the eyeballs,” Noel said with a shake of his head.
Eddie scowled at him, and they began bickering as I led Grae toward the table that her brother had secured.
“We ordered for the table,” Nash said, chomping down on a nacho.
Maddie rolled her eyes. “What he means is that he had no patience, so he ordered for the table.”
Holt chuckled. “But if Nash is good at one thing, it’s ordering food.”
Wren elbowed her fiancé. “Like you’re any different. You were already scoping out the dessert menu.”
He shrugged. “They have pie.”
Grae laughed and slid into the empty chair next to Maddie. “Some things never change.”
I sat next to Grae as a waitress hurried over to us. “Can I get you two anything to drink?”
Grae smiled at her. “Water and a margarita, please.”
“I’ll have a beer, whatever is local and on tap.”
The waitress nodded and took off again.
“Is it usually this packed when they have a band?” I asked.
Nash nodded as he ate another nacho. “During the summer, always.”
I leaned back in my chair, resting my hand on Grae’s thigh. “Maybe I need to think about getting some bands up at The Peaks.”
Grae glanced up at me. “That’s a great idea. You could even do some more low-key concerts out on the grass with that amazing view.”
My brows rose. “Maybe I need to hire you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I’m too busy as it is.” She turned to Wren. “How are you feeling?”
Wren’s hand went to the tiny swell of her belly. “I actually feel really good. The morning sickness has pretty much passed.”
Maddie grinned at Grae. “We need to start planning her shower.”
Grae clapped her hands and let out a squeal. “I can’t freaking wait.”
They lost themselves in talk of baby shower themes and food options, and I just watched Grae. I could’ve done it for hours. Joy radiated out of her in waves. Everything about the night was so normal. The kind of life I’d been missing for so long.
“You love her.”
I stilled at the sound of Holt’s voice and tried to beat back the panic his words caused. “She’s an amazing woman.” It wasn’t an admission, but I knew the truth deep down. I’d been gone for Grae for most of my life.
Holt took a sip of his beer. “I wasn’t sure about you two.”
“I don’t blame you.” I’d never been serious about a woman before. Had never been willing to take that risk. But with Grae, it was as if I didn’t have a choice. She had burrowed deep before I had the chance to fight her off.
“Don’t feel that way anymore.”
I studied Grae’s brother. “Why not?”
He was quiet for a moment. “It’s how you look at her. How you move around her. You’re always aware of where she is in the room. Like you’re prepared to jump in front of a bullet at the drop of a hat. Like you’d do anything just to see her smile. How could I not want that for my sister?”
Everything hurt. The kind of pain you knew had been living in you for years but was just being exposed for the first time. It was what I would’ve wanted for Clara.
I swallowed hard. “Thanks, man.”
“Fucking piece of shit!”
The rage in Gabe’s tone had me lurching to my feet.
He stumbled as he shoved me hard. “You just can’t stop fucking up my life, can you?”
Holt and Nash were by my side in a flash.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
Gabe’s eyes were bloodshot, his gait unsteady. He was clearly trashed or high. Maybe both.
That bloodshot gaze cut to Nash. “Set your pig friends on me. Do you know what it could do to my reputation to have cops showing up at my damned office?”
I stiffened.
Nash didn’t show even a flicker of reaction. “We’re talking to everyone who’s had a run-in with Grae lately. You’re the one making a scene now.”
Gabe whirled on me. “I know this is you. You think Dad will get wind of it and turn more control over to you.”
“I have nothing to do with an official police investigation, Gabe.”
“The hell, you don’t. Nash and Lawson are in your back pocket. Ditched us and practically moved in with them in high school. I know it’s you.” His rage-filled gaze snapped to Grae. “You think I’m going to lose my birthright over a piece of ass like you?”
I shoved Gabe hard, making him stumble. “Get the hell out of here before I do something I’ll regret.”
I didn’t have time to react. For someone inebriated, Gabe moved surprisingly fast. His fist struck out, connecting with my jaw with a vicious snap.
Nash was on him in a flash, pulling Gabe’s hands behind his back as Holt helped. “That’s assault. Want me to arrest him?”
I shook my head, holding my jaw. “Just get him out of here.”
“You sure about that?” Nash pressed.
“In his goddamned back pocket!” Gabe yelled.
“Just get him gone.”
People were staring now.
Nash jerked his chin in a nod, and he and Holt forced Gabe through the crowd.
Grae’s hand slid into mine. “Come on.”
I didn’t have time to argue or ask questions. She tugged me through the throng of people looking at us like we were the best soap opera they’d seen in years.
Grae led me down a hall and through double doors into a kitchen. “Hey, Cam. Got any ice?”
A large cook took one look at me and motioned to a machine. “Towel’s in that drawer there.”
Grae grabbed a towel, filled it with ice, and then motioned for me to follow her. She slipped into a back office and closed the door behind us. A second later, I had cool ice pressed to my jaw.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s not your fault.”
My voice was empty. Completely devoid of emotion.
“Caden…” Grae pulled me down onto a small couch in the space, keeping the ice pressed to my jaw.
“He’s got so much hate in him. And I don’t have the first clue why.”
Grae ran her hand through my hair, and I leaned in to her touch. “It’s because you’re so good.”
I blinked at her.
A sad smile spread across her face. “You care so deeply about others. You always have. You looked after Clara, are an amazing friend, and an incredible son. Seeing all that just makes Gabe see what he isn’t.”
I felt a burn deep in my chest at how Grae saw me. Growing up the way I had, there were times when all I saw as I looked at my life was failure. Knowing it was the last thing she saw…it healed something inside me.
I let out a long breath. “I don’t think Gabe gives a crap about that stuff.”
“Maybe not. But he cares that others see it in you. Even your dad, who’s the worst, has a begrudging respect for you. And you light up your mom’s whole world. He hates that.”
I collapsed back into the couch. “I don’t get why we can’t just celebrate each other’s wins. Hell, we’re working for the same company. We’re a part of the same damned family.”
“Because Gabe sees everything as a competition.”
I slid a hand along Grae’s jaw and under her hair. “I don’t like that he’s fixating on you.”
She leaned in to my touch. “I can handle Gabe. He’s an entitled butthole, nothing more.”
My lips twitched. “Butthole, huh?”
“He’s not even worth a dollar in the swear jar.”
I leaned my forehead against Grae’s, breathing her in. Then I shifted, hauling her onto my lap. I needed to feel her body pressed against mine. To remember that while my world was falling apart, I still had her.
Grae curled against me, keeping my ice pack in place. I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but the ice finally began to melt, and Grae set it in a champagne bucket on a side table. Then she studied me carefully. “You okay?”
“Do I have you?”
“Always.”
“Then I’m okay.”
The door to the office flew open, and Nash filled the entryway. “We have a problem.”
A million curses flew through my head. “What now?”
A look of pissed-off concern flashed across his face. “There’s another fire.”