9. Demi
I’d tossed and turned for the last hour despite being so tired. I had thought for sure once I got in bed, I’d be asleep in seconds, but I guessed after I spent time with my longtime crush, my mind couldn’t stop replaying all of the best moments. Like being able to freely touch him all in the name of being frustrated while playing the game, or when I’d dared to jump into his lap and felt his broad chest against my back, or when he’d lifted me and flipped me onto the couch, trapping me underneath him, or how his hands had touched my skin in the sliver of space between my sweatshirt and the waistband of my shorts as he tickled me, or when we’d sat across from each other talking while the sides of our legs touched. It had all been so amazing.
West’s interruption had been an unpleasant surprise, but after we’d explained ourselves he didn’t seem to think twice about our actions. He hadn’t guessed I was wishing more than I’d like to admit that Cannon would kiss me, that we could be cuddled up on the couch, that I could experience what it would feel like to be wrapped up in his arms.
I turned to lay on my back in a huff. Staring up at the ceiling, I tried to push thoughts of Cannon out of my mind. I didn’t want to think about how jealous I had been tonight, seeing him with that woman at the bar. I didn’t want to think about how thoughtful it had been of him to go buy Mario Kart just because I had mentioned I wanted to play it with him. I didn’t want to think about how much fun I’d had losing to him race after race and how much I’d liked seeing that cocky grin of his. I didn’t want to think about how every time I’d touched him, it had sent a spark of electricity through me. I didn’t want to think about how much I’d enjoyed looking up at him while I’d lain on my back. And I didn’t want to think about the hope I felt that maybe a part of the reason he hadn’t liked Aiden was because he was jealous.
The clock on the nightstand read 3:47 a.m. I closed my eyes and let out another sigh, one full of annoyance. Why couldn’t I just fall asleep? Maybe a glass of water would help.
Pulling back the covers, I got out of bed and tiptoed out of my room, not wanting to wake Cannon. The hallway that led to the kitchen was completely dark. I glanced at Cannon’s closed door as I passed by, noting that it was dark and quiet. He was probably blissfully asleep, not torturing himself with thoughts about his best friend’s sister to the point where sleep escaped him.
I kept moving forward and then smacked hard into a wall.
“Oomph,” I said, feeling myself starting to fall backwards. I cartwheeled my arms, but it wasn’t enough, I was going down.
Warm hands reached out and grabbed my arms, scaring me enough to startle me mid-fall, and I let out a yelp.
Since the hands couldn’t take purchase on my arms, warm bands of muscles wrapped around my upper body a fraction of a second before my butt and back hit the floor.
“Demi, are you okay?” Cannon’s low voice rumbled against my chest, and I could hear his concern in the dark.
He now lay on top of me, his arms wrapped around my back having taken the brunt of my fall, our legs a tangled mess.
I looked up at him but couldn’t make out his features.
I hadn’t run into a wall but Cannon’s ridiculously hard chest.
“Do you realize this is the third time you’ve been on top of me in two days?” I asked instead of answering his question.
I felt him chuckle more than I heard it.
The next thing I knew, he’d rolled us over so he was on his back and I was now on top of him.
Oh, holy cannoli. I was laying on top of Cannon. A shirtless Cannon.
“Is that better?” he asked. His gravelly voice sounded a bit breathless, but maybe that had more to do with the exertion of trying to keep me from falling—and that my full weight was now on him.
My brain short-circuited, and I scrambled to give a coherent response. “Uh-huh.”
I was grateful for the darkness to hide whatever expression was on my face right now. But then, I wished there was just a sliver of light so I could read Cannon’s face. Was his heart beating as fast as mine? Was he enjoying the feel of our bodies together? Or was he wondering why I hadn’t gotten off him yet?
He reached up and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Are you okay?” The gentleness of his hand and voice combined had me melting into him.
“Yeah. Thankfully you took the brunt of my fall.”
“I meant, are you okay…since you’re not sleeping right now.” I couldn’t see his smile, but I heard it.
Oh.
“Um, yeah. I just couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d get a drink of water,” I said, letting out half of the truth. I couldn’t exactly tell him that the reason I couldn’t fall asleep was because I couldn’t stop thinking about him and how things were slowly starting to change between us, that the more time I spent with him becoming friends, the more I wasn’t sure I could handle being just friends.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “You’re not sleeping either.”
He was silent for a few seconds before answering. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just having a hard time coming down from the high of winning so many games in a row.”
I pushed his shoulder, making him chuckle, which sent a vibration through me that only made me want to snuggle into him. That was probably my cue to get up before I did something stupid, like kiss him.
I moved to get off him, but his hands on my waist gripped tight.
“Wait, I was just teasing,” he said in that infuriatingly sexy chuckle. “Kind of.”
“Need I remind you who won the last game?” I pointed out.
“Now that I know your cheating ways, I won’t be so easily distracted next time.”
My grin was one of happiness and anticipation. One, because there was going to be a next time. And two, because I couldn’t wait to see how else I could prove him wrong. “We’ll see about that.”
“Maybe I’ll use my own ways of distracting you.”
A shiver of pleasure raced through me, my brain already coming up with some more favorable ways he could distract me. Although, pathetically, sitting next to him was distraction enough.
“I’d like to see you try,” I challenged.
He rolled us back so that I was beneath him, and in one smooth motion stood, taking me along with him. I barely came to his shoulder.
“Done,” he said. I looked up at him now, just seeing the outline of his features as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Good night, Demi.”
He stepped to the side and walked past me to his bedroom, the door shutting behind him with a soft click. I instantly missed the warmth of his body against mine. If he hadn’t gotten us off the floor, I would have stayed lying with him in this hallway for the rest of the night.
A week had passed since Cannon and I had run into each other in that dark hallway. Everything and nothing had changed. We’d had no more close encounters besides when we were playing video games and the no-touching boundary lines would get blurred. He’d also taught me how to make a few breakfast items like pancakes, scrambled eggs, and waffles. It had somehow become our routine to cook in the morning and end our night on the couch, playing either Mario Kart or Call of Duty, which I had made huge strides at, I might add.
I’d also just finished my first week of hair school, and it had been amazing—liberating, even—to be working toward my own goal. Going to school all day and working at the bar four nights a week, while also fitting in studying, was a lot, but I didn’t want it any other way.
As I stood in front of the door of my childhood home working up the courage to knock, I could only hope I could convey my newfound happiness to my parents. I’d decided to drive separately from West, Halle, and Cannon, just in case I needed to make a quick exit. An escape plan was crucial in being able to come to this family dinner.
Continuing to stare at the door, I wasn’t sure I was ready to do this. I didn’t even need to knock, I could have just walked in, but after being kicked out, it didn’t feel right anymore. For the first time in my life, coming here felt foreign to me.
It had only been two weeks since I’d shown up on West and Cannon’s doorstep, but the apartment already felt more comfortable to me than this house. I’d been living in a lovely bubble. One I had a feeling would pop once I entered the house.
I pushed back my shoulders and took a deep breath, my go-to move in pulling off more confidence than I had. Lifting my hand, I lightly knocked on the door, hoping no one would hear it so I could claim no one had let me in and then leave.
The door swung open, and there stood my mom, unshed tears in her eyes.
“Demi,” she stepped forward and pulled me into a crushing hug. “We’ve missed you so much.”
I hugged her back. I’d missed her too. Guilt swept through me at having ignored her calls and texts.
“Hi, Mom.”
She pulled back, holding me by my shoulders as her gaze checked every inch of me. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Mom,” I sighed, but I was smiling at how she always fretted over me. No matter how old I got, she reminded me I would always be her baby.
“Has West been taking good care of you?” she asked, the serious look in her eye telling me that if I said anything but yes, she’d be giving my brother a talking to.
“Yes,” I assured her. Not that I’d actually seen very much of him. Cannon had been the one taking care of me, but I kept that to myself.
She let out a breath of relief and put her arm around me as she guided me toward the dining room. “Now, let’s get you fed.” She acted like I had been living out on the streets with no hot meals and no safe place to stay.
I couldn’t slow my steps or postpone the inevitable since my mom was pushing me forward. She wasn’t actually pushing me, but it felt like we were speed-walking toward an oncoming train and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Turning around the corner, there sat West, Halle, and Cannon at the dining table, my eyes meeting each one of them before finally landing on my dad at the head of the table. His face was unreadable, which for some reason made me feel even worse. Maybe I had hoped to see some kind of remorse for being so sharp with me, or maybe sadness at how he’d reacted. But I should have known that Victor Vanderhall didn’t keep his emotions on his sleeve.
Juju, my mom’s dog, came rushing toward me, tail wagging and tongue lolling out of her mouth. At least someone was excited to see me.
“Hi, Juju,” I said sweetly, kneeling down and petting her for a few moments.
The room was quiet as we all waited to see how things would play out.
Slowly I stood, no longer able to put off taking my place at the table.
My mom sat directly across from Dad. “We’re so glad you came,” she said to me before addressing my dad. “Aren’t we, Victor?” Her no-nonsense tone was loud and clear.
My dad cleared his throat. “Of course we are.”
I sat down in my usual seat next to Cannon, who sat next to my dad, and I was grateful for the buffer.
Cannon reached over and squeezed my leg under the table. His gesture surprised me, and I looked up at him to see him giving me an encouraging smile before pulling his hand back. Seeing his confidence in me helped me finally relax.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, my head held high.
He nodded. “It’s good to see you, Demi.” His tone was formal, but at least he wasn’t yelling like the last time I’d seen him.
I only nodded in return before focusing on the plate that had been placed in front of me by one of the servers.
“So, uh, Dad,” West said in what I assumed was his attempt to divert the attention from me. “I was wondering if you’d be okay with us using the cabin up at Lake Tahoe over Valentine’s weekend.”
“Who’s us?” my dad asked.
“Well, I haven’t asked anyone yet because I wanted to check with you first, but it would be me and Halle, Halle’s friend Kate and one of her friends, and then we wanted Cannon and Demi to join us as well.”
My dad took a drink of his wine before answering. “Yes, that’s fine. Just make sure you talk to Gavin so he can make sure everything is ready for you when you arrive.”
Gavin was the caretaker who lived in Lake Tahoe. He was the young mountain-man type, handsome in that rugged outdoorsman way. Our cabin was one of many that he took care of up there. He’d grown up in Tahoe and was more knowledgeable than any tour guide in the area. He took our family hiking and kayaking in the summer and in the winter showed us amazing places to snowshoe and took us on fun snowmobiling adventures. He was a great guy, and I was looking forward to seeing him again and catching up.
“So Gavin’s still the caretaker, huh?” Cannon asked, setting down his wine glass.
“Yes, why?” my dad asked, hearing something in Cannon’s voice that must not have come off as nonchalantly as he had hoped.
“No reason.” Cannon cut into his filet mignon.
My dad gave him a look. “Cannon, I know that voice. You have something you’re not telling me.”
Gosh, it really was like my dad was Cannon’s father.
“I know what it is,” West chimed in. “Cannon and I have noticed the way he looks at Demi.”
I almost dropped my fork. What were they talking about? Gavin and I were just friends.
My dad’s brows pushed down. “And how does he look at her?”
“With hearts in his eyes,” West answered, batting his eyelashes.
“Aww, that sounds cute,” Halle joined in. “Ooh, maybe you can have a Valentine’s mountain romance with a sexy lumberjack.” Her excitement was almost contagious.
Everyone stopped eating and stared at Halle.
“Or not,” she mumbled, returning to the food on her plate.
“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind.” My dad’s voice finally interrupted the silence. “Gavin’s a good kid, but he’s not good enough for Demi. A caretaker is not the type of man I want for my daughter.”
Anger simmered beneath my skin at his comment. “What’s wrong with a caretaker?”
His patronizing look only made me angrier. “You are a Vanderhall whether you like it or not, whether you join the family business or not. I will not have my daughter dating some guy beneath her. Especially with this new whim you’ve decided to do with hair school. You need a man who can take care of you. A man like Aiden. I still don’t know why you two aren’t together.”
I wanted to throw my fork on the ground and stomp my feet. He was treating me like a child, which made me want to behave like one, only fueling my growing anger.
“Going to school for hair isn’t some whim,” I said, my voice rising. “And as for Aiden, he is a jerk who doesn’t even care about me. You care more about looks and connections than you do about how he treated me. So what if Gavin is a caretaker? If he treats me well and he’s who I want to be with, what does his occupation or who his family is have to do with anything? Why can’t my happiness be the thing that matters?”
I stood up, my chair scraping behind me as I threw my napkin down and marched to the front door. Coming here had been a mistake. Why had I thought my dad would all of a sudden accept my choices?
Walking up to my car, I pulled open the door, but stopped when I heard my name being called.
“Demi, wait.” Cannon jogged after me.
“What?” I snapped, still upset.
“I’m sorry, that was all my fault.” His shoulders slumped forward, a guilty expression now on his face.
“How is my dad being a jerk your fault?” I exclaimed, my frustration continuing to spill out.
“I’m the one who brought up Gavin and his interest in you,” he explained. “I should have kept my mouth shut.” He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze. “Sometimes my overprotectiveness for you is hard to control.”
My anger deflated like a balloon despite the fact that I should probably be mad at Cannon. But I knew him well enough to know he would never knowingly throw me under the bus. Like he said, he was protective of me. He and West always had been. I’d just chalked it up to him acting like a brother. But with how the last couple weeks had gone between us, I had been wondering if it didn’t have less to do with him feeling like a brother, but more because he might have feelings for me—non-brotherly feelings.
“And why are you so overprotective?” I asked in a soft voice, the vulnerability of my question sending a shot of fear through me.
“Because,” he said in a frustrated huff of air, before looking me in the eyes, “I care about you, Demi. You’ve been in my life for a long time, and I never want to see you get hurt.”
I didn’t want to read into anything that he wasn’t truly saying, but hope flared in my chest. His admission that he cared for me had to mean we were more friends than he had led me to believe. Yeah, before I’d moved into his apartment, we’d rarely spent time together just the two of us, but somehow along the way he’d let me in, even if it was just a little bit. Add the last two weeks we had spent together hanging out late at night playing video games and talking about mundane things, and we were finally becoming what I’d wanted for years.
I didn’t want to make a big deal about how I was internally jumping up and down screaming yes, yes, yes, that I felt like I was finally getting somewhere with Cannon. So I did the only thing I knew to do to ease the seriousness of our conversation.
I gave him a cheeky grin. “So you’re saying we’re friends? That I’m finally allowed through the highly guarded and barricaded walls you seem so set on not letting anyone past?”
He smiled, amusement clear in his expression. “I thought it only fair since you’ve been chipping away at the walls for years.”
My jaw dropped. “I have not.” I would have smacked him if he were standing closer.
He laughed. “Uh-huh, sure. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Women everywhere are wishing they could be so lucky.”
I rolled my eyes. “Never mind. I take it back. I don’t want to be on the other side of your walls.”
“Too late,” he said smugly. “Now that you’re inside, you’re here forever.”
I wasn’t annoyed at the thought of that in the least.
A grin tugged at my lips. “Ugh, fine. I guess I’ll have to endure as best I can.”
A look filled his expression, one I rarely saw on him—happiness. “You know you love it.” He winked at me. “Now, let’s go home.” He opened the passenger side door to my car and climbed in.
Home. We’d been living together for two weeks, but I already didn’t want to imagine a future in which we didn’t make breakfast together in the mornings or spend all night hanging out. I wondered if our new friendship would still exist once I moved out and we didn’t live together anymore.