Chapter 68
BELLA
Home
I find Cade standing in front of the bathroom mirror smoothing the front of his charcoal suit for what has to be the tenth time.
He adjusts the knot on his navy tie.
Tilts his head.
Loosens it.
And starts over.
“Too loose,” he mutters to himself, his fingers trembling slightly against the silk.
I bite back a smile, leaning against the doorframe. “You’ve said that four times.”
“Because it keeps happening.”
Lex walks into the bathroom, a bottle of water in one hand. One look at Cade’s reflection and his mouth twitches.
“Babe.”
“I know,” Cade groans, running a hand over his face.
“You don’t, actually.”
Cade gestures helplessly toward the mirror. “It doesn’t look right.”
Lex steps in behind him, setting his water down before gently catching Cade’s wrists to stop his frantic fidgeting.
“Stop,” Lex orders.
“But—”
“Cade, you’re spiraling over a centimeter of fabric.”
“It’s not just the tie,” Cade whispers. His voice cracks enough to betray the absolute terror beneath his excitement.
Lex’s expression softens. “I know.”
Within less than a minute, Lex’s fingers work their magic, guiding the knot until it sits perfectly against Cade’s collar. Lex smooths out the lapels of his jacket before brushing away an imaginary speck of lint.
“There,” Lex says quietly.
Cade studies himself in the mirror for a long moment.
“Better?” Lex asks.
Cade nods, looking back through the glass. “Better.”
Cade’s fingers are ice cold as I step beside him and slip my hand into his. “Everything is going to be just fine,” I promise, looking up into those hazel eyes I love so much. “That gallery isn’t going to know what hit them.”
He squeezes my hand once before reluctantly letting it go. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you two.”
“You’ll never have to find out,” Lex says, his tone dead serious.
The timer on the oven chimes downstairs. Cade’s eyes widen. “Dinner.”
Before either of us can stop him, he’s already bolting for the kitchen.
“Cade!” I laugh, hurrying down the hall after him with Lex right on my heels.
He throws open the oven and a rich wave of roasted garlic and parmesan fills the apartment.
“Okay.” Cade points to the casserole dish with an oven mitt. “It needs maybe… ten more minutes.”
Lex leans against the island. A soft smile playing on his lips while he watches Cade pace around the kitchen.
“The salad’s already washed,” Cade continues, his words tumbling out in a rush. “Just toss the dressing before you eat or it’ll get soggy. And don’t forget the garlic bread—”
“Babe,” Lex tries.
“The bread’s wrapped in foil. It’ll only take five minutes.”
“Cade.”
“And if it’s overdone—”
Lex gently catches both of his shoulders, stopping him mid sentence. “We’ve got it.”
Cade opens his mouth to argue, looking between the two of us. Then he closes it and lets out a breath. “You sure?”
I step forward, cupping his warm cheeks in my palms. “We promise.”
Lex reaches past him, grabs his car keys from the counter, and presses them into his palm.
“Now.” He points toward the front door. “Go chase your dream.”
A nervous laugh escapes Cade. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is.” Lex grins. “The hard part was painting all those damn canvases.”
I nod, standing on my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “Tonight, all you have to do is be yourself.”
Cade’s eyes glisten in the warm kitchen light. “I love you.”
“We know,” Lex says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “But we’d still like to hear it after you get the showcase.”
I laugh and add, “So drive safe!”
“Don’t over think it,” Lex mutters, ushering Cade to the door. “And call us the second it’s over.”
Cade nods, taking one last look around our apartment. At the home we’ve returned to. At us. At the magnificent feast he prepared just to keep his hands busy.
“I’ll call.”
He leans up and presses a hard kiss to Lex’s lips first. Then he turns to me, pulls me in by the back of my neck into a desperate kiss that leaves both of us breathless. With one last breath, he turns and heads out the door.
???
Lex and I sit side by side at the kitchen counter in silence, listening to the low hum of the dishwasher running. His knee is bouncing a mile a minute. Both of our eyes fixed on his phone lying face-up between us.
“He’s been gone for an hour,” Lex mutters, running a hand over his jaw. “How many candidates were they talking to tonight?”
“Three,” I answer, my own knee starting to bounce. “I’m pretty sure he said—”
DING-DONG.
Lex snaps his head toward the front door, instantly on high alert. “Who the hell?” He pushes out of his stool and heads for the door, peeking through the peephole before pulling it open.
Ellie stands on the welcome mat, looking like she just stepped off of a runway in a silk Gucci floral sundress and gold heels. She’s clutching a pink and white bakery box like a shield. Behind her, Caleb stands with his hands tucked into his jeans, looking just as anxious as the rest of us.
“Tell me he hasn’t called yet,” Ellie says without even saying hello.
Lex steps back to let them in. “Not yet, El.”
“Thank God,” she breathes, marching straight into the kitchen. “We were going crazy at our place waiting for news. Caleb couldn’t stop pacing—”
Caleb clears his throat.
“Okay fine,” Ellie corrects, laying the box on the counter. “I couldn’t stop pacing. So we bought Cade’s favorite turtle cheesecake and drove over.”
“Turtle is your favorite, El,” I say, laughing as I slide off the barstool and make my way over to the cabinet to pull out some plates. “Cade’s is raspberry.”
“So sue me,” Ellie grits out. “But don’t lie, babe, you were just as nervous as I was.”
“I was not,” Caleb chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead as he passes.
“You totally were.”
Lex looks up from his phone, a slow smirk cutting through his nervous tension. “Look at you two, not even married yet and already bickering like an old married couple.”
“Lex, be a doll and pop a bottle of something expensive,” Ellie chirps. “My nerves are shot.”
“You’d think you’re the one with the life altering interview tonight,” Lex snorts, but he sets his phone down anyway and moves toward the wine rack.
“Shut it,” she says, grabbing four forks from the drawer like she owns the place. “My favorite brother’s future is on the line here.” She places a slice of cheesecake onto a plate and slides it toward me. “Eat, babe. It helps with the dread.”
Caleb leans against the counter next to Lex as the cork pops. “How was he when he left?”
“Spiraling,” Lex admits, pouring four glasses of a sweet red wine that Knox and Haley gave to us when we moved back into our apartment. “Re-tied his damn tie about forty times.”
“Sounds like Cade,” Caleb laughs, taking a glass from Lex.
Ellie takes a huge bite of cheesecake, leaning over the counter toward me with a glint in her eyes.
“Okay, so while we wait for Mr. Artist to become famous, we need to talk wedding colors. We’re thinking fall.
Burnt oranges, deep maroons, rich espresso wood…
what do you think? Like a rustic chic to go with our Gucci and the cowboy brand we’ve got going here. ”
“Wait, fall?” I nearly choke on a sip of wine. “Like this fall? El, that’s only a few—”
“Good God, no!” she shrieks. “Next fall. There’s no way in hell we could pull that off that soon.”
I laugh, the sudden burst of normal domestic chatter cutting right through the tight knot in my chest.
“I like maroon and burnt orange. I think those colors will pop really well against a cream or white gown.”
“Right?!” Ellie beams, pointing her fork at me. “That’s what I said! Oh and don’t freak but we’re thinking about having it at—”
brRRRRRRING.
The vibration of Lex’s phone buzzing on the countertop cuts Ellie off mid-sentence.
Lex snatches it off the counter and hits speaker before holding it out between us all. “Hey babe,” he says, his voice deceptively calm despite how white his knuckles are as they grip the phone. “You’re on speaker. El and Briggs are here.”
There’s a tad bit of static on the line. The sound of background chatter and clinking of champagne glasses echoes over the speaker.
Then Cade’s voice comes through.
“I got it.”