Chapter 24
Caydence
Nervous. Scared. Unsure. Those are all the things that I’m feeling right now as I stare at myself in the mirror.
He told me he loved me the other night, and I couldn’t say the words back to him. A part of me knows that I love him too, but there’s a part of me that still thinks this is all moving too fast.
My hair is done, makeup is perfect. The dress Devon got me fits like it was made for me, and all I can do is look at myself in the mirror. Who is this girl staring back at me? This isn’t the girl I remember. This one is different. Is that a good thing? I don’t know.
Devon walks into the bathroom in a tux that makes him look dangerous and delicious all at the same time. He steps up behind me and looks into the mirror above my head before his eyes fall to meet mine.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Do you ever feel like you don’t know yourself anymore? Like, somehow you’re not the same person as you used to be?” His hands come to rest on my shoulders as he watches me in the mirror.
“Things change. People change. We grow up. I think that’s about all there is to it. Why?”
“I just feel like I don’t know who I am anymore. Or who I’m supposed to be,” I confess.
“You are who you’re meant to be,” he responds.
“Which is?”
“Mine,” he growls. My stomach clenches at his words. Is that who I’m supposed to be? Devon’s? After everything he’s done?
A soft smile tugs across my face before he spins me to face him.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Let me prove it,” he says before crashing his lips against mine. He kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before. He shows me just how much I mean to him, how much he wants me, and when he pulls away, I feel a loss.
“Devon,” I murmur, but he cuts me off.
“What you felt right then? That’s me. That’s every part of me wanting you, needing you, craving you. That feeling is my heart yearning for yours, Caydence.”
“But …”
“No. No buts. I do what I do for you because I want to. I will keep doing what I do for you. Don’t you see that?
You’re the only person who means anything to me, Caydence.
Where you belong is with me. Who you are is mine.
” I can’t argue with him because I don’t know what I’d even say.
I feel it. I feel the deep connection between us, but there are still lingering doubts in the back of my mind.
Doubts about what he’s done and if he’s going to do it again.
Deciding to leave it alone for now, I smile up at Devon. He leans in and presses his lips to mine once more before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the bathroom. We walk down the stairs and out to the waiting limo he reserved for us tonight. I climb in and sit down as he sits next to me.
“You like it?” he asks, motioning around.
“Never been in one. It’s a little weird,” I tell him.
“I never really liked them. My dad had one for a while, but it got old fast. I think if the mood is right, they can be nice. Like tonight.”
“You never told me what the gala was about,” I remind him. He grins, and I know that grin. He isn’t going to tell me either.
“That’s a surprise,” he says.
“Why? Doesn’t everyone else know?” He shakes his head.
“Nope. Most think it’s for the school or the team, but it’s not. Tonight I made it special,” he replies.
“How so?”
“You’ll see.”
We arrive at the university gym where the gala is being held, and he helps me out of the car and leads me inside. There are so many people here dressed up and looking amazing. The gym is decorated to the point you wouldn’t know this was a gym to begin with. It’s amazing to see what they did to it.
“I’ll be right back. I need to check on a few things,” he says, pressing a kiss to the side of my head before walking away.
I wander through the crowd of people and off toward the side, slinking off into the darkness. I lean against the wall when I hear his voice.
“Are you being a good girl?” My insides turn to ice as I look over my shoulder and see the mask.
My mouth opens, but no words come out. He raises his hand and motions for me to come to him.
I almost don’t, but something inside of me causes me to walk.
I move toward him and down the dark hallway toward the locker rooms when he pushes me roughly against the wall.
“Have you missed me?” he asks. I can’t move. I don’t dare breath. What is he doing here? What if Devon sees him here? He’ll kill him. I have no doubts about that.
“You … you need to stay away from me,” I warn him. He laughs, and it vibrates through me. “I mean it.”
“There’s no way I can stay away from you,” he says, his gloved hand coming up to my cheek. I suck in a breath, unsure what to do.
“You can’t do this. Not anymore,” I tell him. I can’t. I can’t do this to Devon. It’s wrong. I live with him. He told me he loves me.
“I can do whatever I want.”
“I have a boyfriend,” I tell him as his gloved fingers caress my cheek.
“Do you think I care?”
“Maybe not, but I do.” I can feel my insides trembling at the thought of him touching me and the fact that Devon would end his life.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“He’s here. You have to go. Now,” I tell him in more of a demanding tone. His hand slips from my cheek to wrap around my throat, and I shudder.
“For now. Not forever,” he tells me. He leans in and presses a kiss to my lips through the mask before he backs away and walks down the hall. I take a second to control myself before walking back into the gym. I head straight for the champagne, too.
Grabbing a glass, I move toward the center of the room, where he can’t get to me if he didn’t leave. After a few minutes, Devon comes back smiling.
“Why are you so happy?”
“Everything is turning out the way I wanted it to.”
“Oh yeah? Are you going to tell me what the gala is for now?” I ask him.
“Just listen,” he urges as his dad takes the stage. Everyone quiets down as he begins to make a speech. When he’s finished, he announces what the gala will be benefiting tonight, and my heart drops.
“You heard it right. Children’s Keepers.
All the money made tonight will go to Children’s Keepers.
So pull out your checkbooks and let’s have a great time tonight.
” A tear slides down my cheek as I turn to look at Devon.
The smile on his face is perfect, but slowly begins to fade as he watches more tears roll down my cheeks.
He reaches up and cups my face, wiping the tears with his thumbs.
“You did this?” I ask him. He nods his head.
It’s the foundation that helped me when I was younger.
The foundation that put me into foster homes.
When I was younger, they didn’t have the funds to find good families for everyone.
In fact, they barely made enough to keep the business running, and I always wished that they had more.
Not every foster home I was in was bad. There were a few good ones there, and it was because of Children’s Keepers that I was able to get into the good ones.
“I told you I’d do anything for you.”
“How… how did you know?” I never told anyone about that. Never mentioned it to Megan or anyone, for that matter.
“You think I don’t know you, Caydence? I do. More than you think.” Tears continue to roll down my cheeks as Devon pulls me into his arms. I let him hold me, keeping close to him. I wrap my arms around his waist and just take a minute to appreciate what I have in him.
He presses kisses to the top of my head, but never lets go of me until I pull back first.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” I say softly. Music begins to play, and he smiles.
“Dance with me.” I let out a soft laugh and nod my head. That’s the least I could do after what he’s doing tonight.
He pulls me in close as everyone around us begins to dance. We move to the music for what seems like a long time, but could only be minutes.
When the music stops, someone else comes on stage to talk, and I excuse myself to the bathroom.
When I step inside, I can hear voices, but I ignore them and head into the stall, and then I hear her. Brit.
“He’s only using her.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t care about her. I mean, who the fuck would? Caydence is a nobody. Devon knows when he has something better. She isn’t it,” Brit states.
“You don’t know that,” another girl says.
“Yeah, I do. I was just with him. He told me he’s only using her for what he can get,” Brit adds. My chest tightens. Is that where he went when he walked off? He was talking to her? No. That can’t be true. Devon wouldn’t do that to me. I know what he’s done for me. She’s lying. Isn’t she?
I finish up in the stall and walk over to wash my hands. My head is spinning, and I’m not sure what to believe right now. Why would she say that? Why would she lie, is a better question. She doesn’t even know me, but she knows Devon.
I walk back out into the middle of the gym in a daze. He did this for me. He wouldn’t do all this if he were lying to me, right? I can’t make sense of it. I hear someone talking, bidding on donated items. I glance around for Devon, but I don’t see him.
Hearing her voice over and over in my head, I decide I’m done. I can’t do this. I can’t compete with someone like Brit. I should have known better.
I take one last look around before I head for the door. I walk out and down the street before calling Megan to come pick me up. She says she’s on her way when it starts to sprinkle rain. I look up as if I’ve managed to piss off the sky when the downpour starts.
I sigh as the rain hits me, cooling my overheated skin.
“Where the hell are you going?” Devon’s voice sends a chill down my spine, but I cross my arms over my chest and ignore him. That is, until his hands are on me. “Answer me.”
“I’m leaving.”
“I can see that. Why?”
“I’m nobody, right, Devon? Just something for you to use,” I snap at him. His eyes darken as he looks at me.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I heard all about it. How you and she talked,” I tell him.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Brit! I fucking heard Brit talking in the bathroom, Devon. You can have her!” I shake his hands off me when he reaches for my arms. He takes a step back, and then I see it. The darkness I know that lurks inside of him. The anger. The rage.
“What did she say?” he asks in a deadly tone.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m done.”
“Done with what?”
“You!” I yell.
“We are never done, Caydence. Ever! What did she say?” he demands. I debate not telling him, but then I do. I tell him what I heard her saying, and that she didn’t know I was in there. Megan pulls up as we are arguing, and he looks to the car before looking back at me.
“She’s dead.”
“What? No. You can’t do that.”
“You want to walk away from me? She’s dead.”
“Devon, stop! You can’t kill her.”
“Give me one good reason why I can’t?”
“You’ll go to jail. People will look for her,” I say, trying to keep myself calm because I know he’ll do it. He’ll kill her for what she said.
“You want to leave, go. Be warned, I’ll fucking come for you, Caydence.
I will drag you back to our house kicking and screaming.
I’m telling you that if you leave right now, she’s dead before she leaves the gala.
” I look to Megan and then back to Devon because I do not doubt in my mind that he isn’t playing right now.
I walk over to Megan’s car and open the door, letting her know I messed up, and I’ll call her later. She nods her head, and I turn back to Devon, who looks pretty fucking pleased with himself.
He stalks toward me and wraps his hand around my throat lightly, pulling me toward him.
“You underestimate my love for you, don’t you, Caydence?”
“What do you mean?”
“That you would listen to someone like her tell lies and think it’s real.”
“How should I know what’s real?” I ask him.
“I told you I loved you. That was fucking real. Every word that comes out of my mouth, every single thing I do for you is real, Caydence!” he growls. I swallow hard, not knowing what to say. She could have been lying.
“You didn’t talk to her?” he shakes his head slowly as he stares at me.
“No.”
“So she lied?”
“Yes.”
“Devon …”
“You doubted me, baby. You were ready to run from me because of some lying whore.”
“Devon, I’m sorry.” He shakes his head.
“Don’t be. It’s pretty clear I haven’t shown you what you mean to me.” Now I panic. What the hell does that mean? I watched him kill a man who hit me with his car. What’s he going to do now?
“Devon, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have listened. I should have just talked to you,” I say quickly, trying to get his mind off whatever it is he’s thinking right now.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll show you. I’ll make you understand,” he vows before lowering his lips to mine.