Kaden
Chapter forty-two
Fuck, my little sister looks good.
Her fleece-lined white bodysuit clings to her curvaceous hips, flaring out tantalizingly.
Her waist dips, showcasing her hourglass figure perfectly as she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work on dinner.
She’s ignoring my presence altogether, but I know she can feel my eyes on her—caressing every dip and curve of her rounded ass.
I want my hands on her, grabbing at her flesh like the fucking animal I am. I was rock hard the moment I spotted her, my whole world slowing into emptiness as I became solely focused on her and her alone. I didn’t care about hugging my Dad after six years or entertaining Mom’s sorrowful tears.
All I cared about was ruining Melody Love the way she ruined me years ago. Mark her, claim her, put a fucking collar around her throat. Whatever I need to keep her close.
“Tell us about Montana,” Mom encourages from beside me.
My gaze snaps to hers, hot possession flaring to life as she distracts me from eye-fucking her daughter across the house. “It was cold.”
Her rosy cheeks pull up into a wide, tipsy grin. “You know what I mean, Kaden.”
I rest my elbow on the cushion, pressing my cheek into my fist as I play nice. “Lots of cows, lots of time in an office, and lots of money.”
Lie.
Lie.
Truth.
First, I know fuck all about Montana. I wasn’t there for the last six years. Second, the only office I ever saw was Ivan’s. Finally, they don’t need to know how I get my income. That’s not exactly dinner talk.
“Are you not going to tell us what happened?” Dad asks in bewilderment.
My brows lift as my tone comes across playful and sing-song. “If I did, I’d have to kill you.” I smile through it, giving the illusion of a joke.
Mom bursts into a fit of giggles, pushing my shoulder. “You still haven’t lost your sense of humor. We’re just glad to have you back, kid.”
“Glad to be back,” my eyes crease, but I’m not paying attention to them.
My ears are tuned to everything Melody is doing in the kitchen—her bare feet sliding across the marble, the tink of her glass as she sets it down on the countertop, and the light humming sound she’s making to distract herself from me.
The terrace door slides open a moment later, revealing Dylan. He’s tall and lanky, his thin limbs stuffed into a beige sweatshirt that cuts into a V-shape over his chest. His hair is spiked up from the harsh winds, and he runs a hand through it to dust the snow off of him.
He’s the fucking human embodiment of a user manual.
He notices me staring at him and offers a small smile. I let my hand fall behind the cushion of the sofa so that only he can see as I flick my middle finger up. His grin turns tight as his left eye twitches.
My lips tug upwards sweetly, and I tilt my head as if observing a well-behaved pet. My pointer finger joins my middle, and I use them to walk along the edge of the couch before dramatically making them tumble off.
Dylan’s face falls as he blinks at my knuckle. He’s become uncomfortable and stiff where he stands. “Is that Melody’s birthday?”
I pick up my fist, proudly showing off the ink I had refreshed just last year. “Yeah. What can I say? I just love my sister.” My eyes droop, becoming half-lidded and dangerous as they bore into the man across from me.
His jaw flexes; it’s a subtle movement, but one I notice in an instant. He’s angry. Oh, this is rich. Maybe I’ll get to break him mentally before I submerge his ridiculously big head under water and drown him.
He slides a hand across his mouth, muttering as he stalks to the kitchen. “I need another beer.”
“Grab one for Kaden and me,” Dad shouts, and my wicked grin grows to a Cheshire smile.
“Yeah, Dylan,” I parrot. “Grab me a beer, will you?”
His face is turning beet-red as he yanks the fridge open and snatches three cans. He hands them off to us, and I peer over at my sister to see her still ignoring me.
“Shouldn’t you be helping her?” I ask, my question low and dangerous as Dylan plops down in Dad’s armchair like he fucking owns this house.
He glances into the kitchen, popping the top of his drink. “She knows what she’s doing.”
Mom frowns at him, her good mood dying a little. She’s quick to recover as she answers Dad, but I see it—the despondency. He’s upset, mother dearest, and it makes my plan all too perfect. He’s already a fucking disappointment. Might as well take advantage of that.
I stand, stretching out my back before leaning down to kiss Mom’s cheek. “Don’t worry. I got it.”
Her eyes soften into fondness. “Thank you, Kaden.”
I slide behind my sister, far too close with the miles of space available. My hands trail her hips lightly; it’s a chaste touch, one that’s enough to get her attention. She whips around, her eyes wild like a deer caught in headlights.
I smirk, taking the knife from her hands and setting my beer down on the counter. “Sous chef, reporting for duty.”
Her face falls a fraction, slipping into a breath of a somber song.
I know she’s thinking of that night, but this new version of Melody is much stronger than the one I left behind.
She doesn’t acknowledge me as she skirts wide around me and tosses the raw chicken into her pot on the stove.
The light sizzle is the only sound as she stirs with her wooden spoon.
I pick up where she left off, peeling sweet potatoes. Yams? It’s a fucking potato.
The silence is suffocating.
“How have you been?” I ask.
Melody doesn’t turn around. “Fine.”
“I heard you opened a flower shop—”
She turns to glare at me over her shoulder. “Sous chefs aren’t supposed to talk.”
I bark out a short laugh before I can stop myself. “I was never good at following orders.”
Her jaw tightens as the burner pops. “You were good at leaving.”
The peeler bites too deep into the potato, most likely because my movements have become rough and stuttered. I sigh, tossing the whole spud into the trash. “I didn’t—”
“Don’t,“ she warns. “Don’t you dare try to rewrite it, Kaden.”
Hearing those lips say my name after all these years is like being welcomed home. It’s not sweet or whispered. It’s edged hard like she can’t stand the taste of it on her tongue.
“I’m not trying to rewrite anything,” I say, snatching another potato from the bag. “I just heard about the shop.” She turns around, giving her back to me as my jaw tightens, and I continue. “The Bloom Room, right?”
No response.
My brows inch up as my head turns and I stare at her flushed nape. “What do you sell there?”
She makes an egregious sound, whirling around as she smacks the spoon back into the pot loudly. “Fucking transmissions! WHAT DO YOU THINK I SELL, KADEN?!”
A tight smile touches my lips as my eyes narrow on her. “Was that so hard?”
She breathes deeply, her chest rising and falling as her eyes become glassy.
My heart plummets at the sight.
“Melody…” Mom says with concern.
My sister angrily swipes at her cheeks, catching the tears before they can fall. “I need a minute.“ She pushes out of the kitchen, disappearing upstairs.
My hands fall as I watch her receding figure until she’s no longer in my line of sight. Something clicks inside of me, and I rush after her.
I once let her go broken and in shambles. If I’m going to fix this, fix us, then I can’t let her walk away. Not while she’s angry at me.
Dylan stands from his chair, his face laced with concern as I point at him from across the room. “Sit down.”
His eyes narrow. “She’s my wife, and if I remember correctly, you’re the one who upset her in the first place.”
The word wife stabs me in the chest, twisting painfully as I snarl at him. “She isn’t your wife until she walks down the fucking aisle. Sit. Down.”
“Kaden!” Dad bites, but I’m already taking the steps two at a time. I ignore their calls as I round the top banister.
Melody is in our old shared bathroom, the door open as she splashes water on her face. Her sobs are quiet, shaking her shoulders as she tries to collect herself. I never liked tears, but hearing the woman I love cry because of me is unbearable.
The light above the mirror flickers the way it used to, bringing back sweet memories of every morning we shared together growing up.
She would take hours curling her hair and putting on makeup while I leaned against the doorframe, watching her as she rambled on about anything and everything.
We would argue over toothpaste and laugh about nothing.
I linger outside the door, softening my voice. “Sunny—”
She turns quickly, her beautiful brown eyes rimmed red and puffy as she points an accusing finger at my chest. Her lips pull over her teeth, twisting her gorgeous features into anger and bitterness.
“No! You don’t get to fucking call me that!
“ Her voice cracks on the last word, and somehow that’s worse than the shouting.
I freeze, taking in the woman I destroyed.
For a moment, I see her—the girl I fell in love with all those years ago.
She’s broken and scared, trying to cling to the reality I’ve created.
I popped her safety bubble the moment I walked through those doors, and it makes me hate myself more than I ever have.
I hold my hands up, keeping my tone gentle. “Okay,“ I whisper. “Okay, Melody.”
She rolls her lips in, the pain pinching her brow as more tears roll down her flushed cheeks. “You…” She croaks. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to comfort me after everything you’ve done!”
“I know—”
“You don’t know, Kaden!“ Her voice crescendos, echoing off the walls. “You have no idea what you did to me!”
“I hurt you,” I say, taking a step closer to her.
She backs up, holding her hands out as fear flickers in her gaze.
I stop, nodding. “What I did was unforgivable.”
A sharp, humorless chuckle bubbles from her as she places a hand over her eyes. “You’re so stupid…”
“I know,” I agree. “I never should have left, but I had no choice.”
“No choice…“ She repeats, her jaw working around the words. “You had a choice, Kaden, and you dug your own grave. Now lie in it.”