Chapter 6
six
CADE
The rain pounds against the windows, a steady, unrelenting rhythm that matches the desire thrumming through my veins. Lena is wrapped in a blanket, her bare shoulders peeking out as she curls against me on the floor.
Just as I’m about to say something, there’s a loud knock at the door. My heart sinks, a mix of irritation and dread washing over me. This is the last thing we need right now.
“Who could that be?” Lena whispers, clutching the blanket tighter around her.
“I’ll check,” I say, pulling on my jeans and grabbing my shirt. I can feel her eyes on me as I walk to the door, and I hate that she looks so vulnerable, so exposed. She reaches for her clothes too, dressing quickly.
When I open the door, the last person I expect to see is my brother, Max. He’s standing there, drenched from the rain, a scowl on his face that tells me he’s not here for a friendly visit.
“Max?” I ask, my surprise evident in my voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he snaps, pushing past me into the cabin. “But we’ll get to that. We need to talk.”
I close the door, trying to keep my frustration in check. “It’s late, Max. What’s so important that you had to drive all the way out here in the middle of a storm?”
He doesn’t answer right away, his gaze shifting to the interior of the cabin before landing on Lena. His eyes narrow slightly, and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he takes in the situation—the blanket, the tension, the fact that she’s clearly just been in my bed.
“Who’s this?” Max asks, his tone clipped.
“This is Lena,” I say, stepping closer to her protectively. “She’s staying here tonight because her cabin got wrecked in the storm.”
Max raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Nice timing.”
I grit my teeth, trying to keep my temper in check. “What do you want, Max?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, his expression hardening. “Dad sent me. He wants you to come back to the firm. We’ve got too much work piling up, and he needs you. I would never have come out tonight if I’d known there was a storm.”
I feel a wave of anger and frustration surge through me. “I’m not coming back, Max. I told you and Dad six months ago.”
“Cade, this isn’t just about you,” Max says, his voice rising. “Dad’s getting older, and he can’t handle the workload on his own anymore. You’re being selfish.”
“Selfish?” I snap, my voice sharp. “I left because I couldn’t live like that anymore, and you know it. The stress, the bullshit, all of it—it was killing me, Max.”
“And what are you doing now?” Max shoots back, his gaze flicking to Lena again. “Hiding out in the woods, running away from your responsibilities?”
“I’m not running away,” I say, my voice cold. “I’m making a life for myself, one that doesn’t involve selling my soul to the highest bidder.”
The tension in the room is thick, the air crackling with the unspoken resentment between us. I can see the way Lena is watching us, her eyes wide, and it hits me that she’s caught in the middle of something she doesn’t understand, something she shouldn’t have to deal with.
“Max, this isn’t the time,” I say, trying to rein in my temper. “Lena’s here because she has nowhere else to go tonight. We can talk about this later.”
Max’s eyes narrow, but he nods, clearly realizing he’s not going to get anywhere tonight. “This conversation isn’t over.” He stomps off to the bathroom, leaving Lena and I alone.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, my voice rough with frustration. “Max has a way of showing up when you least expect him.”
Lena nods slowly, but I can see the doubt in her eyes, the way she’s pulling back emotionally. She doesn’t know me well enough to understand what just happened, to see past the anger and frustration.
LENA
As Max reenters the room, Cade exhales. “It’s late,” he says, his voice tight with frustration. “I’m spent.”
I nod, but the atmosphere feels heavy, strained. The connection Cade and I shared earlier has been replaced by an uneasy tension that makes my skin prickle. With his brother here, I feel exposed and vulnerable in a way I hadn’t anticipated. This night was supposed to be different.
Before I can retreat to the safety of a bed, Cade sighs heavily. “Let me make us some dinner,” he says, his voice quieter now, almost resigned. “We should all eat something.”
I follow him into the small kitchen, watching as he pulls out a few simple ingredients—eggs, bread, and cheese. The air is thick with unspoken words, and the awkwardness only grows as Max takes a seat at the small dining table, his gaze flicking between Cade and me.
Cade moves with practiced ease, but there’s a tension in his movements that betrays his calm exterior. I try to stay out of the way, clutching a throw blanket around my shoulders as I take a seat beside Max, feeling completely out of place.
“So, Lena,” Max says after a few moments, his tone too casual, too probing. “What do you do for a living?”
I stiffen, the question catching me off guard. I glance at Cade, but he’s focused on the stove, his back to us. “I’m a social media manager,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “I handle some corporate accounts, local businesses, that sort of thing.”
Max raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “That’s… interesting. Not exactly what I expected from someone out here with my brother.”
His words sting, and I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. What does he mean by that? I try to remind myself that I don’t owe him any explanations, but the way he’s looking at me makes it hard to hold onto that confidence.
Cade turns, placing plates of scrambled eggs and toast in front of us. His movements are stiff, and I can tell he’s heard every word. “Max, enough,” Cade says, his voice low but firm. “Lena’s here because her cabin was destroyed in the storm. She’s got nowhere else to go.”
Max leans back in his chair, his gaze still on me. “Is that right? And what exactly brought you out here in the first place, Lena? Running away from something?”
I swallow hard, feeling more and more uncomfortable. “I just needed a break,” I say quietly. “The city… it gets to be too much sometimes.”
Max gives a small, humorless chuckle. “Yeah, I know how that goes. But running away doesn’t solve anything. It just delays the inevitable.”
“Max,” Cade warns, his voice sharper now. “This isn’t the time.”
But Max doesn’t back down. “Cade, you can’t keep running from your responsibilities. Dad needs you back at the firm. You can’t just hide out here forever.”
The argument is shorter this time, but the words cut just as deep. Cade’s frustration is palpable, and I can feel the weight of it pressing down on all of us. The awkwardness is suffocating, and I’m starting to wish I’d never left the city in the first place.
“I’m not hiding,” Cade snaps, his eyes flashing with anger. “I’m making my own choices. I’m not going back to that life.”
Max shakes his head, his expression hard. “We’ll see about that.”
The silence that follows is thick, heavy, and I can barely bring myself to eat. When the meal is over, I excuse myself, muttering something about needing to lie down. I can feel both Cade’s and Max’s eyes on me as I retreat to the bedroom, but I don’t look back.
Once I’m alone, I undress and sink down onto the bed, pulling the blankets up to my chin. The tension from the dinner hangs in the air, making it hard to breathe. I can still hear the low murmur of voices from the other room, but I can’t make out the words. I don’t need to. I already feel like I’m in over my head.
A few minutes later, Cade enters the room, his face a mask of frustration. He undresses quickly, not saying a word, and climbs into bed beside me. The warmth of his body is there, but the connection we shared earlier is gone, replaced by a coldness that makes my chest ache.
I want to reach out, to touch him, to say something that will break the tension, but I’m too scared. I don’t know him well enough to navigate this situation, to know how to comfort him or what he needs.
So I lie there in silence, staring at the ceiling, feeling more alone than ever. The storm may have passed, but it’s clear that the real challenges are just beginning.