Chapter 7
C H A P T E R7
Mine
Ella
The Past – 3 years ago
A warm breeze caressed my legs when I stepped out the doors of St. Victoria. The mid-September sky was painted in beautiful hues of gold, pink, and blue as evening fell upon Montardor. I tugged the strap of my purse higher up my shoulder and glanced down at my wristwatch. Seven minutes past six.
I cut cheerleading practice early because there was someone I wanted to see.
Cade Remington.
The boy I met a few weeks ago. The one I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I texted him that I wanted to buy more weed, but it was a cheap excuse to see him.
Since the moment I laid eyes on him, a tender feeling ignited in my chest, striking the strings of my heart until my insides reverberated with an elation that had me short of breath.
I was unaccustomed to this feeling—unaccustomed to closing my eyes and seeing blue eyes and dark hair. Tall stature and busted knuckles. Quiet expression and don’t-fuck-with-me demeanor.
Part of me already knew the truth: I had a crush on Cade.
The other part of me was in denial. I tried to play it cool whenever we crossed paths in the hallways. I did my utmost best not to turn around in my seat during math class and ogle him. I failed, of course.
He fascinated me.
There were so many things about him that I didn’t know yet.
So many things I suddenly needed to know.
Our first meeting happened in the middle of summer.
Darla, Callie, and I wanted to try smoking weed during our sleepover that weekend, and I heard from an acquaintance that there was a boy who could help. They gave me his number and I texted him.
He replied instantly and suggested a place to meet. I knew nothing about him except that his name was Cade.
According to the rumour mill, he was a young, ambitious gangster working with a local gang to sell illicit substances to the teenagers of South Side.
When we linked up in MacGregor’s empty alleyway, a popular Irish pub in Montardor, it was nearing evening. Bathed in the warm sunset glow, he stood against the brick wall, a raised hood partially obscuring his face.
When I approached closer and really saw him…I halted in my steps.
Tall, blue eyes, dark brown hair, and regal aura with a lick of danger.
He was handsome in the way of dark fairy tales. Enchanting and mysterious, a prince with an ensnaring, quiet charm. His armour consisted of black clothing from head to toe, but I noticed silver rings sitting at the base of his knuckles in adornment.
My God, I’d never seen someone like him.
I was mesmerized.
Cade spotted me and froze too.
The way he drank in my appearance with parted lips and a blush smattering across his cheeks, he clearly liked what he saw.
A few drops of rain began to drizzle as our gazes twined with one another. The air immediately charged with an invigorating energy. It transformed the lump in my throat to a hundred little butterflies in my stomach.
Why was I feeling this way? What was happening to me — us?
The atmosphere shifted and the wind wrapped around our bodies like an invisible tie holding us together, spellbound in the moment.
Cade was the first to speak, his voice low and a hint raspy, like a gritty sounding lullaby. “It’s Ella, right?”
I liked how he enunciated each syllable in my name, caressing it on his tongue as though learning its flavour.
I blushed too. “U-Uh, yes. H-Hi.” I was stuttering, tongue-tied. Rarely did I react this way with boys. I was an extrovert, bubbling with confidence and endless chatter. “That’s me.”
Cade cleared his throat, still staring at me in awe. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?” When he gazed at me longer than expected, I realized he was probably waiting for me to pay him first. I fumbled with the zipper of my purse, reaching for the cash. “Um, this is for you.”
I extended the bills towards him. He eyed them confusedly for two seconds before his lips set in a grim line.
“Right.” He reached inside his hoodie pocket for a baggie of weed. “This is yours.”
Electricity zinged between us when our palms touched.
I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling off-kilter.
Words ceased to escape us both. I would have given anything to know what was going through his mind. My heart sped up in beats the longer we stared at one another. He looked like he wanted to say something, his gaze warm and curious.
My goodness. He had such precious blue eyes. A girl could gaze into them forever.
I didn’t have forever, though. My friends were waiting for me at Marnie’s Shack, the retro-themed dessert spot right across the street. I felt my phone vibrating with their incoming text messages.
“Thank you,” I finally said with a faint smile. “I should go. I’ll text you again when I need more, if that’s okay?”
His eyes fell to my lips like he couldn’t help himself. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
Neither of us moved from our positions. Not even when the rain started pounding harder against the ground, soaking us to the bone.
Was it wishful thinking to assume he didn’t want me to leave?
My phone blared with the familiar ringtone of Darla calling. Cade and I both flinched at the sound. I declined and retreated a few steps. “All right, well, see you around.”
Stop me. Say something. Give me a reason to stay.
Cade chin-nodded and whispered in what I’d like to believe was a reluctant manner, “See you.”
After our goodbyes, I walked away, though I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder. He was watching me, making sure I reached my destination safely.
Later when I was with my friends, I realized I hadn’t seen Cade smile. It bothered me more than I’d like.
After that encounter, Cade stayed on my mind for days. I wanted to see him again.
And then it happened. Our second meeting. The one that altered my brain chemistry.
In August, I saw him sitting in my garden while I stood on my balcony, an awestruck expression on his face as he gazed in my direction.
He looked at me like I was the answer to every question he’d ever asked the universe.
The confidence that had been previously missing on our first meeting returned to me tenfold and I winked at him.
Seeing his face morph with a hint of embarrassment at being caught checking me out was extremely cute.
He was cute.
It’s like we shared a secret no one else knew. The moment in my garden felt sacred, something solely for us to treasure.
God, I couldn’t wait to see Cade now. Couldn’t wait to properly exchange words and not just stolen glances across a dining table, across the hallway, across the classroom.
This time I’d use all my charm to coax a smile from him.
Like he’d been summoned by my thoughts, his text arrived within seconds.
I’m sitting on the bench in the courtyard. —Guy who doesn’t smile
I’ll be there soon ?? —Ella
I practically ran to where he waited for me.
St. Victoria’s courtyards were an arresting sight laid against the old gothic-style institute, possessing gardens filled with roses and towering trees. Students usually sat amongst the lush greenery during recess, but after school, I found the place to be even more soothing. There was no one roaming the grounds.
Except for one person, who sat alone on a bench under the shade of a century old tree. My favourite spot. I liked to come here to knit my latest creation, if I wasn’t preoccupied with my friends.
Did Cade see me sitting here often? Was that why he chose this place, knowing I was fond of it?
All these questions ran through my mind as I neared him.
Locked in a pensive state, his head hung low, his elbows rested on his knees, and his joined hands lay suspended between the V of his spread legs. He looked like a prince sitting on his throne, pondering over life’s woes.
From the very beginning, Cade never gave the impression of being a young teenager. The frown on his face, the downturn tilt of his lips, and the heaviness in his posture made him seem wiser and older beyond his years. As though he’d seen the darker side of life and never recovered.
If you paid close attention, you’d noticed the haunted quality in his eyes that spoke of a story that was far too complicated for others to understand.
But I wanted to understand.
I wanted to unravel every layer of Cade Remington and learn the things that made him… him .
Without warning, I fell into the seat next to him and chirped loudly, “Hi!”
Cade flinched, muttering a curse under his breath, his body tightening until his head snapped my way and our eyes met. I witnessed the exact moment relief sank into his muscles and he relaxed, reclining back against the bench. “Oh, hey. It’s you.”
My lips twitched. I loved that I got a reaction out of him. “Were you expecting someone else?”
“No.” He shook his head bashfully. “How…How are you?”
I crossed my legs and stared at him, batting my lashes. “I’m great now that I’m here. You?”
“I’m good.” Cade’s gaze fell to my bare legs and slowly trekked up my torso. “Do you just hang around in your cheerleading uniform?”
“No, but would you like me too, querido ?”
I was being bold and flirtatious.
I think he liked it.
A slow blush crept up his cheeks. “What does querido mean?”
“ Querido is a term of endearment in my language.” I smiled and angled my body his way so we were more face-to-face. “Now answer my question.”
His gaze rose to mine, pinning me with that blue that evoked a maelstrom of feelings in my chest. Three heartbeats travelled between us, suffusing the air with the kind of tension that forced you to bite your lip in anticipation. “What if I said yes?”
“Then I’d say you’re flirting with me.” My smile grew. “Are you?”
“I’m obviously doing a bad job if you have to ask me.”
I chuckled softly. Tenderness feathered over his face. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but it felt like there was a strong possibility that Cade might have a crush on me, too.
At our joint family dinner a couple of weeks ago, I noticed him shooting me curious glances while everyone at the table conversed, completely oblivious to the tension between us. I figured he was a man of few words. Or perhaps he was shy and didn’t know how to talk to me in front of so many people.
“For your information, I don’t hang around in my cheerleading uniform. I had practice after school. It’s my second year on the team and Miss Nova—our cheer coach—wants us to start preparing for the upcoming hockey season.” I inched him a sly look and curled a strand of my black hair around my pointer finger. “Speaking of hockey, I heard through the grapevine that you’re officially a Ranger.”
At St. Victoria, I made it a point to know anything and everything about Cade. Did that mean I was on my way to becoming obsessed with him? Most likely.
Cade combed his fingers through his dark brown hair. My own fingers itched to run through it. “You keeping tabs on me, Ella?”
I couldn’t make my interest in him more obvious. “What if I said yes?”
Cade’s voice dropped low with a hint of mischievousness. “Then I’d say you’re flirting with me.”
Okay, I was obsessed. It happened. Right there and then. The way he perused my body once more with a scorching look and playfully bantered with me? I was done for. I never stood a chance.
“Caught me,” I teased, propping my elbow against the back of the bench and turning my face into my palm. “So what position are you playing?”
“Defenceman. I’ve played hockey my whole life, but I had to stop a year ago,” he said, his tone a hint…dejected. “Uncle Vance insisted I continue playing once I moved in with them. Since St. Victoria is known for its reputable hockey team, he enrolled me here.”
I was going to give Vance Remington the biggest hug the next time I saw him. “Well, I’m really glad you’re here. I can’t wait to see you play. I’ll be cheering for you from the bleachers.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that what friends do? Cheer each other on?”
“So you want to be friends, pretty girl?”
Pretty girl.
Oh my God. Don’t let him see how much you love that, Ella. Be cool.
Although, the blush on my face probably told him just how affected I was by those two words.
“I do.” For now, I’d settle for being friends.
I didn’t think there was a possibility in the universe where Cade and I existed in the same realm and didn’t end up together. And once I set my mind on something, there was no stopping me.
I was going to make this boy mine.
“Then friends it is.”
He reached inside his black leather jacket’s pocket for a cigarette and lighter, and I had the strong urge to bedazzle his personal belongings with my touch. Maybe paint an orange lollipop—my favourite candy—on the surface of his Zippo. Or go full-on crazy and print my name on the back of his jacket.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” he asked, pulling me out of my reverie.
I wasn’t a big smoker—the occasional weed, yes—and I knew it wasn’t good for your health, but I didn’t want to come off as rude and tell him that. Everyone had their vices. Cade was allowed to have his.
“No, it’s okay.”
Then I watched in fascination as he rolled the cig across his lips before tucking it in the seam of his mouth. He tilted his head and flicked the Zippo with a deft thumb. Once a small flame ignited, he lit his cigarette while his gaze, burning with intensity, clashed with mine.
Why did I find that so hot?
He was the personification of a timeless, quintessential bad boy.
Cade took a drag, his cheeks hollowing.
The only thing I could focus on was how handsome he looked with the tall trees and lowering sunset behind him, painting a beautiful canvas that was almost ethereal.
Gazing at him, I realized I was caught in something far greater than mere infatuation. It grew inside of me with the promise of more . The pull of that same magnetic force from the alleyway in MacGregor beckoned me. This guy…he had me entangled. The need to know him inside and out, to see how his mind worked, to learn what made him smile , ruled me ever since we collided.
Based on the way Cade watched me, I was convinced he felt this too.
This connection was not one-sided.
“Am I your first friend here at St. Victoria?” I asked him.
Cade craned his head in the opposite direction and blew out his smoke, ensuring none of it landed on me. How chivalrous. “You and this guy named Shaun that I met in math class.”
I perked up. “Shaun Jacobsen?” He nodded slowly. “Oh, he’s the best. And funniest. You two are going to get along super well.”
Cade took another drag of his cigarette but not before mumbling, “Do you like him?”
At first, I didn’t get it. Then I saw his half curious, half sullen expression. Was he jealous? And was it bad that I enjoyed it?
“Sure, I like him.” I toyed with Cade, grinning when his shoulders sagged with disappointment. “As a friend. Shaun and I have known each other since our elementary days. We’re platonic.”
Cade’s posture straightened. “Oh. Okay.”
I couldn’t keep the goofy smile off my face. “Now that you and I are friends, we should get to know each other better.”
“What do you want to know, Ella?”
My name, it sounded so good on his lips.
I wanted to hear it, again, and again, and again.
“What’s your favourite colour? Mine is blue.” It was orange actually, but the colour of his eyes was definitely changing my choice.
Cade gazed at me pointedly and murmured, “Mine is brown.”
Like the colour of my eyes. Oh my God. My heart squeezed inside my chest. “That’s a pretty colour.”
“The prettiest.”
Tension ballooned between us.
“Do you have a middle name?” My pulse pounded fast. “Mine is Ximena.”
“Killian,” Cade rasped, French inhaling his smoke and continuing to gaze at me with hooded eyes.
God, he’s so hot.
“Cade Killian Remington.” Tasting his full name on my tongue, I found that I loved its flavour. “I like it.”
“You’ve been asking all the questions. It’s my turn now.”
I gave him the reins. “Ask away.”
“I see you sitting on this bench often during lunchtime. You always seem to be…weaving something. What is it?”
Ah, so he was keeping tabs on me too. “I’m currently knitting socks for my little brother Emilio,” I answered, pleased that he noticed what I was doing. I never saw him in the courtyard taking peeks at me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he watched me from the shadowed corners. “My abuela taught me how to crochet and knit when I was little. Over the years, it’s become a hobby to help relieve stress. Whenever I get overwhelmed, I come here to work on my latest project.”
My papá made it really clear that when I grew up, our family business was mine. My responsibility. My legacy. But I had an artistic soul and I thrived the most when I was creating something. I spent a big chunk of the summer designing various knit bralettes because I had plans of opening an online store in the upcoming months. A few girls in my cheer team expressed their interest in my creations. While my parents provided me with a monthly allowance and access to their credit cards, I wanted to step on my own two feet and try my hand at a bit of independence. I imagined there was a different sense of satisfaction in receiving money you worked hard to earn.
“That’s really amazing, Ella,” Cade praised. “I’d love to see your projects one day.”
“Thank you. I’d love to show you one day,” I replied. “Tell me, do you have any interests outside of hockey?”
While he pondered over this, I stole the cigarette from his fingers, surprising him.
His eyes widened when I brought it to my lips and took a drag. When I released the smoke, Cade was riveted by the lip-gloss stain on the tip.
I grinned and handed it back to him. “So?”
Gauging my reaction, he brought the cigarette to his mouth. Seeing the shine of my gloss transfer over to his lips made my toes curl.
Cade gave me a knowing look as he exhaled the smoke. “I love books.”
Interesting. I did notice that every time I saw Cade, he held a new book. I just assumed it was for a class reading. Not leisure. “Oh, that’s so cool. I don’t read much, though I have completed the entire Twilight series because my best friend Darla gifted me the paperbacks.”
Cade nodded, looking wistfully at the ground for a moment. “I love reading. I read at least thirty books a year. Literature is the best form of escapism. I’ve turned towards fictional worlds whenever I’ve had the shittiest of days. It’s the best coping mechanism for me.”
His words tugged at my heartstrings.
If you spent more than a few minutes holding a deep conversation with him, it was clear he had lots of underlying pain. And no one to listen or help with it.
I wished I could be the person Cade trusted with his secrets.
I would safeguard them— him —to the ends of the earth if given the chance.
“It doesn’t surprise me that you’re an avid reader. You’re very smart and eloquent. I was taken aback by your essay on The Scarlet Letter in English class last week when Mrs. Richards paired us for team work.”
“Thank you.” He seemed happy but uncomfortable under my praise…like he wasn’t used to people complimenting him. It made me a bit sad. I always empowered my loved ones. Moving forward, I’d remember to compliment him whenever the chance presented itself.
Cade deserved to be reminded how special he was.
For the next ten minutes, we continued playing twenty-one questions. Cade clearly wasn’t someone who opened up easily, but I adored that he lowered his guard with me.
We lost track of time during our game and completely forgot the main reason for us meeting up today. Though the weed was just an excuse to see him. Cade obviously saw through my pretense.
He knew I was here simply for him.
And he too was simply here for me.
I still had so many questions for him. About his past. About his family. About how he came to be adopted by the Remingtons. Yet all of those could wait for another day.
Eventually, my phone buzzed with a text from my driver.
My papá sent a town car every day like clockwork.
“I have to go,” I informed regretfully since I wanted to spend more time with him. “My ride’s here. But it was nice seeing you, Cade. I’m really glad you’re at St. Victoria. I think you’re going to enjoy it here.”
“I think I will too,” he said softly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
But I couldn’t leave yet.
Not until I saw his smile.
I didn’t know why I was so fixated by the lack of it. Just knew that I had to see it.
One thing I learned in life? When you wanted something, you should flat out ask for it. No use beating around the bush. “Cade, do you ever smile?”
He blinked, confused by how the conversation did a one- eighty. “What?”
“I’ve never seen you smile. I’m wondering if you know how or if I should teach you,” I said cheekily.
Cade eyed me like I was an enigma. “Ella…”
“Since the moment I first saw you, I’ve been wondering what your smile looks like.” I gazed at him tenderly. “I bet it’s really nice.”
And slowly, just like magic, it happened.
Cade huffed, shook his head like he couldn’t believe me, and the corners of his lips tipped up the slightest. I beamed victoriously. And perhaps it was seeing my joy at something so small that caused a full-blown grin to blossom over his face.
?Dios mío! He had dimples.
And his smile?
It wasn’t just nice.
It was so beautiful, I was floored.
Suddenly, I was addicted to the sight.
“You’re so…handsome,” I murmured. “It’s official. I’m going to need you to smile like that for me every day. I won’t accept anything less than that.”
Cade chuckled and I melted.
Our gazes clashed and time slowed.
“You’re a little crazy, Ella.”
“I think you like my type of crazy, querido .”
A touch of wickedness entered his smile, filled with the kind of danger and zeal that could get me in trouble.
I had a weakness for bad boys and Cade Killian Remington just did it for me.
Taking another drag of his cigarette, Cade tilted his head back and his lips parted, smoke pluming into the air. “You should really get going before you show me any more of your true colours, pretty girl,” he tutted darkly. “I think I’m beginning to see through you.”
He might just be my brand of crazy too.
“What makes you say that?”
Cade gently tucked a flyaway strand behind my ear. “I see you watching me every day, following me around campus, then shooting me little waves and flirty smiles whenever I catch you. You can pretend that every time we’ve crossed paths is a coincidence, but I know better…You’re not sly, Ella,” he whispered, his thumb grazing my jaw. “And something tells me that South Side’s princess isn’t such a good girl after all.” He fingered the amethyst crystal necklace resting in the hollow of my throat. I shivered at his touch. “I’m willing to bet you’ve got a bad streak underneath that sweet exterior.”
I leaned close enough to whisper in his ear, “I wasn’t trying to be sly.”
Cade sucked in a sharp breath and I smiled, the air around us swarming with electrifying energy.
“And you’re right”—I stole his cigarette and took another drag, blowing the smoke in the space between us, letting it linger over his lips like an intimate caress—“I’m not always a good girl, Cade.”
His eyes narrowed, breathing uneven. “Say it like it is, Ella. Tell me what you want.”
“I want to be your friend.” Until I could attach the word girl in front of it. “Remember?”
I passed him the cigarette, making sure our fingers touched during the exchange.
His jaw tightened and he nodded once. “Okay.”
“I should really get going.” I stood up and smoothed my hands over my cheerleading skirt. “If you text me tomorrow morning when you get to school, we can walk to English Lit together.”
“I got a better idea: I’ll pick you up for school starting tomorrow.”
“My, my. Someone is eager to be my friend .”
I could tell ‘friend’ was beginning to grate him, and I was willing to bet Cade was just as hell-bent on attaching the word boy in front of it.
“Would you rather Peter pick you up instead of me?”
I adored his jealous tone.
Peter was a sleazy little shit. He was caught a few days ago peeping into the girls’ locker room after cheerleading practice. He ran away when the girls shrieked. A few minutes later, when I exited the locker room after changing…I found Cade roughing him up in the dark hallway.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I stepped between his legs. “I don’t want anyone but you to pick me up, Cade.”
He reclined, his arms spanning out like wings along the back of the bench. The expression on his face as he peered up at me with half-lidded eyes could only be described as arrogance and pure, molten heat. “Is that so, princess?”
Cade looked every bit the son of a notorious kingpin.
A dark prince holding the keys of a kingdom filled with bloodshed, riches, and rousing temptation.
One taste of his presence and I was lured into his world.
There was no escaping for me.
I never wanted to leave.
The nickname princepin flitted into my mind. He called me princess. It was only fitting for me to address him with a word that described him as a young ruler of a corrupted empire.
“Mhm. Only you, princepin.” I ran the tip of my nail down the front lapel of his leather jacket suggestively. In just a matter of weeks, I’d be painting Property of Ximena on the back of it. Mark my words. “You know what’s funny? You accuse me of not being sly, but you aren’t either. What’s your excuse for hurting Peter?”
His chin jutted stubbornly. “You know why.”
“Say it like it is, Cade,” I threw his own words back at him.
“He stared at you, without your consent,” he said through gritted teeth. “I…I wanted to gouge his eyes out. It was the first time in my life that I felt the urge to do something like that.”
Oh, my. I liked how protective he was of me already and how he wasn’t afraid of teaching stupid fuckers who behaved badly with his…girl.
I lowered my head until our eyes met.
A strong gust of wind blew the strands of my hair into his face.
He caught them in his fist and yanked me even closer.
I gasped under my breath.
“How does that make you feel, Ella?” he rasped with a dark edge. “That I had those thoughts.”
“Like I see right through you too, Cade.”
An understanding passed between us. This was going to happen. Him and me. Two people at the mercy of a conspiring universe who wanted us in each other’s orbits.
Who were we to deny fate?
“Seven a.m. tomorrow.” His gaze ran over me like he was committing every detail to memory. “Be ready for me.”
The double entendre of that statement filled me with verve.
I was so ready. He had no idea.
“All right.” I grabbed his wrist, my thumb running over his veins to feel his pulse racing. For me. I unwound his fingers from my hair with a coy smile before I winked at him. “See you tomorrow, Cade.”
As I whirled around and walked away, I felt his eyes on me the entire time.
Once I got in my car and the driver pulled away from St. Victoria’s gates, I changed Cade’s name in my phone to Mine .