Chapter Twenty One
CADE
I woke up early the next morning, got out of bed without waking Meredith, and headed straight down to the living room.
Glancing at the fireplace, I made a split-second decision.
I wanted to surprise Meredith this morning.
I texted Cal, asking him to bring by breakfast stuff and wood.
He replied immediately. I was going to chat with my brother about paying Cal extra.
Jake had assured me he was compensated handsomely, but I believed in treating people fairly, especially when they went above and beyond.
I'd given Jake shit for having someone chauffer him around, but I was starting to see the benefit.
Forty minutes later, breakfast was on the kitchen island. Meredith was still asleep. That gave me enough time to surprise her.
It had been a while since I lit the fire, but YouTube was very informative.
I didn’t usually bother with it because it seemed impractical.
I mean, I could just turn up the heat if I wanted to get warm.
When I first moved into the brownstone, I'd asked about removing it, but it was too much of a hassle, so in the end, I just let it be.
"Oh my God." There was my surprise. The fire was more of a flicker, but when I turned around, Meredith stood in the doorway, mouth open, eyes sleepy and wide at the same time.
Her hair was in complete disarray, full of snarls.
She was wearing the robe I gave her last night after we showered.
"When did this happen? You had wood to start a fire? "
"No. But I have my ways of getting what I need to keep my woman happy," I said, walking up to her.
She yawned, running a hand through her hair, then stopped midway, dropping it. "Oh God. My hair is a mess. I didn't even check my appearance."
"You look gorgeous." I leaned into her, but she stepped back quickly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Nope. Morning breath. I didn't mean for you to see me like this. I was just lured here by the smell of burning wood. I'll be right back."
Turning around, she darted out of the living room.
I didn’t want her worried about her appearance when she was around me.
I got hard seeing how she looked right now, after being ravished by me and only ever me.
I was going to have her over as many times as it took until she was completely comfortable here.
Damn. I couldn’t even believe my own train of thought.
I took the food Cal brought out of the containers.
I never ate at home in the mornings, so I had nothing in the fridge and had asked him to bring breakfast bowls from a nearby restaurant that prided itself on being the city's best choice for brunch and breakfast. It was so popular that they started having a takeout menu too.
Meredith came down fifteen minutes later. The fire was much stronger than before. She looked stunning, yet I still preferred the natural, early morning version of her.
“See, now I look like a human,” she said. Her hair was shiny and falling in a straight line down her back and shoulders. Her face was fresh. “You can kiss me all you want.”
“You’re gorgeous no matter what, babe. Loved the way you looked before.”
“Right. Especially my hair. Looked like a bird’s nest.”
I looked straight in her eyes, touching her cheek. “Fuck yes, I like it. It meant you woke up in my bed, and I'm the first to see you today.”
She licked her lips, blinking slowly. Then her stomach rumbled.
I kissed her forehead before motioning to the kitchen island. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Wow, you had all this?”
“No. Cal brought it, along with the wood.”
She sighed. “Can we eat in front of the fireplace? It's so gorgeous.”
“Anything to make you happy. Sit down, and I'll bring you your breakfast.”
Smiling from ear to ear, she sat on the couch, then swung her legs up next to her. “This place is amazing.”
“I like it,” I said, sitting beside her on the couch and handing her a bowl.
“By the way, Natalie and I exchanged numbers at Jeannie’s house. Aaand she and I have been talking about taking Jeannie out. Maybe to have a pedicure or something. Do you mind?”
“Fuck no. Of course not.” Mind? How was she even real? I couldn’t wrap my mind around this.
“Okay.” She looked down at the bowl. “Is this from that fancy breakfast place? I saw them on Instagram.”
“Yeah.”
“You do spoil me. Let's see what all the fuss is about.” She put her spoon into the yogurt and granola before placing it in her mouth. “Hmm, okay, I'm totally sold.”
I took a spoonful too. “This is really good.”
“So, how do you like your house?”
“It’s cool. It just feels a bit claustrophobic. The idea of a brownstone sounds good, but it just doesn't really feel like a house. The backyard is a joke.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, keep telling me the downsides of living here.”
“I probably sound like a snob.”
“Nah, just hard to please. But you're forgiven because you also made this happen.” She pointed at the fire and at the food. “It's the best morning ever.”
This was all it took to make her happy? Hell, I was going to just keep doing it, then.
“I love Sundays,” she murmured.
“What do you usually do?”
“It depends. It's the one day of the week where I don't have anything scheduled. I just play it by ear. You?”
“I'm playing tennis with my half brothers. Actually, Spencer might be there today too.”
“Even in this weather?”
“They have indoor courts at the club.”
“Nice. So, that's the secret to your hot-as-hell body. Tennis.”
“Yeah.” I made a split-second decision because I didn't want to stand up my brothers, but I also wasn't ready to bid Meredith goodbye in two hours. “Want to come with me to the club today?”
I wanted her to meet the rest of my family so she didn’t think I was keeping her a secret from anyone.
“I don't play tennis.”
“Trust me, most people don't go there to do anything besides just hang around. You can go to the sauna or steam bath or even try your hand at playing if you want to.”
“Okay. I can’t wait to meet your half brothers.” She took another spoonful of granola. “Oh my God, this is orgasmic.”
I grunted. “Meredith.”
She cleared her throat. “Oops, sorry. I got lost in this.”
“If I hear the word orgasmic out of your mouth again—”
“Will you give me one? Because I'm all up for it.”
“Hell yes I will.”
We arrived at the club twenty minutes before I was supposed to meet my half brothers on the court because I wanted to show Meredith around. Turned out they had workout clothes for sale in the club shop, something I hadn't known until today. Meredith needed an outfit.
“You’re getting an access key, and you can get in everywhere. Want to try on some clothes?”
“Yes,” Meredith said. “They look great.”
“Put it on my account,” I said.
Meredith snapped her gaze to me. “No, Cade, I'm buying it.”
“I invited you here. It's on me.”
She held my gaze. I wasn't going to relent.
“Why don't you two take your time to decide? You can pay when you check out,” the woman behind the reception desk said, clearly uncomfortable.
“Sure, thanks a lot,” I said.
“Which brother owns this again?” Meredith asked as we moved past the desk.
“Nick. It was the smallest Whitley business when he took over, and now it's one of the biggest fitness companies in the country.”
“Is there anything Whitley Industries isn't doing?”
“Not really.” Despite everything my father had done, I could admit he’d been a genius.
I'd once asked him why he'd started so many different branches.
Back when Grandfather was running it, it only operated in the healthcare, coffee, advertising, and magazine industries.
My father told me he got bored quickly, that he loved starting things from scratch.
Probably explained why he felt the need to have a second family.
Nate, Leo, Maddox, and Spencer were all on the tennis court when I arrived.
Meredith insisted she might need longer to change and that she'd meet me here. She was so funny about everything, worried about me spending money on her, like she was concerned I’d think she was taking advantage of me. Silly woman.
The indoor courts were underground. It was smart of my brother to use the space, but they were claustrophobic. I missed playing outdoors.
"What's that I hear?" Leo said lazily. "You brought Meredith?"
“I did," I said. "I wanted her to meet you."
“It's a good thing I came here, then. You won't be able to play for shit," Spencer said.
"Want to bet?" I challenged.
"Hell yeah."
Maddox and Nick exchanged a glance.
"Is that her?" Maddox asked, nodding behind me. I turned around.
Meredith looked stunning in her gray-and-black workout clothes. They showed off her curves beautifully.
Fuck me. I wanted to take her somewhere and be all alone with her, as if I hadn't had her this morning already. But there was never enough when it came to Meredith.
"I heard the word bet," she said as she came closer. That was Meredith to a tee. Giving my brothers sass even before I formally introduced her to them. "I hope it's not against my man losing."
Hearing her call me her man filled me with pride.
"Meredith, with all due respect, we kicked his ass last time. Rumor has it, it's because he was too busy mooning about you,” Leo said.
Asshat. My brother seemed to have made it a habit of embarrassing me lately. What had gotten into him?
"He hasn't told me any of that."
"No, I suspect he was trying to save his manhood. But Spencer is always here to beat it out of him,” Nick offered.
“Weren't you supposed to always have his back, Spencer? You know, as his twin?" Maddox asked.
"Yeah, but that got boring, so now I'm just stirring things up," Spencer said.
Maddox moved over to Meredith, extending his hand with a grin. “I'm Maddox, by the way," he said, shaking hands with her. Nick and Leo did the same.
"It's great to meet you guys." She looked around, taking it all in. "This is a fabulous place, Nick."
"I'm glad you think so," Nick replied. "If you want a membership, just say the word, and I'll make it happen. On the house, of course."