Chapter 61
SIXTY-ONE
Cane
I button my shirt, my hands shaking as I work my way from the bottom to the top.
I hope this was the right thing to do. I hope she isn’t upset that I basically just planned this fucking day for her. I hope she’s not pissed because she didn’t get to do her hair the right way, knowing what was going to happen ... Maybe I should’ve told her. Maybe I should’ve asked her to help ...
I leave the top button unfastened and look around for a bottle of water. I know I had one just a second ago.
“Max? Where’s my water?”
“In the refrigerator.”
“Why in the hell is it in there?”
“To keep it cold.” He comes around the corner and looks at me like I might jump out the window. “Relax, Alexander.”
“Stop fucking telling me to relax.”
“Okay. Chill out.”
I roll my eyes but let his comment go. “I keep thinking this was the wrong way to do this. Did I just fuck this up? Tell me the truth.”
He laughs loudly and tosses me a water. “No, you didn’t just fuck this up. This was a very you way to do this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That you do what you want, when you want, and fuck what everyone else says.”
“You make it sound like I’m an asshole.” I take a swig and watch him over the bottle.
“Go figure.”
“Fuck you.”
We both laugh, a bit of stress leaving my body. “Have you seen my cuff links?”
“Yes.”
“Can you leave anything fucking be? For fuck’s sake, Max, I just set them down!”
“Can you put anything away?”
“Uh, no. This is a hotel. Nothing has a place.”
“For the record,” he says, picking up a towel I had used earlier after my shower, “I didn’t move them.”
I ignore him and pick them up as Max’s phone rings.
“Hey,” he says. He eyes me closely, like I might pounce on him. “Yeah, he’s here.”
I place the cuff links back down again and listen.
“No, you can’t talk to him. Why’d Kari even let you call?” He listens a second and starts laughing. “You’re not as different from Cane as I thought.”
“Let me talk to her,” I say, reaching for the phone.
He turns his back and ignores me. “Tradition says you weren’t even supposed to see each other at all today—”
I grab the phone out of his hand. “Fuck tradition.”
Max sighs as I walk across the room, his phone to my ear. “Hey, baby.”
“Cane ...”
“Having a good day?” My voice is wavier than I’d like it to be. But this is the question of the day. No, this is the question of my life.
“I’ve never had a better one,” she whispers.
I can’t help the shit-eating grin that spreads across my face. A weight lifts from my shoulders. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re okay with me just kinda doing everything?”
“That’s an oversimplification!” She laughs. “But yes. I’m so okay with this. I’m a little sad my daddy won’t be here, but I think he’ll understand.”
“He will. I’m sure of it. You’re marrying me. I’m sure he’ll love it.”
“I’m sure.” She giggles. “Either way ... I love you, Cane. I love you so much.”
“Not as much as I love you, beautiful girl. Now get ready because in about”—I glance at my watch—“an hour and a half, you’ll finally be Jada Alexander.”
“I love hearing you say that,” she breathes.
“I love saying it. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, Jada. One more thing?”
“Yeah?”
“Tell Kari we’ll discuss her lack of texting me later. She’s fucking killed me today.”
Jada laughs, and I lose the touch of annoyance I had. None of it matters, really. All that matters is that she officially becomes my wife sooner rather than later.