Chapter Thirty-Three
Caine
I almost slam on the brakes, so surprised by her statement. I didn’t see that coming at all!
Not trust her? Where in the fuck does she even come up with this stuff? Seriously, of all the conclusions she could have reached, that was what she came up with?
I have to purse my lips to keep myself from saying what I’m thinking.
Nothing good can come from me saying those things.
And at the end of the day, I know for a fact that this is all her mother’s doing.
When Mikayla lost her dad, her self-esteem plummeted under the same roof as that horrible woman.
I know this in my head, yet after everything, I’m definitely a little pissed off that Mikayla thinks I don’t trust her.
“One, how does one tell another that they are a multimillionaire? That isn’t a normal part of everyday conversation. And two, when would this have come up? At what time would I have had the opportunity to tell you about my net worth?” Okay, I may be doing a piss-poor job of curbing my irritation.
Mikayla looks down at her hands, which are clasped together so tightly I don’t think blood is flowing through them at this point.
“I knew you were financially comfortable. I just feel like this is something I should have known. And I live with you. You know about my financial situation,” she says quietly. “I figured you were worried about that and that’s why you didn’t tell me.”
She turns her head and looks out the window; the wind seems to be knocked out of her.
We pull up to the arrivals section of the airport, and I pull to the right under the airline sign.
Mikayla quickly unbuckles her seat belt and hops out of the car. Before I can say anything, she’s running to a tall man with her same chestnut-colored hair.
He drops his bags and picks her up. I hop out of the car and open the trunk but let them have their moment.
I can see they are both crying, and I imagine they are likely feeling the loss of their parents in this moment. They need this, and as much as it hurts my heart to see another man comfort her, I know it’s her brother, and this moment isn’t about me.
After a few minutes, I make my way over to them. Jack lets his sister go, wiping his face with his hands before seeing me approach.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” I say, extending my hand to him.
Jack’s not a small man, only a few inches shorter than me. He also has a firm grip as he shakes my hand.
“Hi, Caine. Sorry, it’s nice to meet you too,” Jack says. He bends and grabs his bags, and I show him to the car.
I frown when Mikayla gets in the backseat. I close the trunk and open the passenger door and bend down, cupping her face with both my hands.
“Look at me,” I whisper when she closes her eyes. “I trust you,” I say before drawing her to me and kissing her lips. “Now, why are you in the backseat?” I ask after I pull back.
“Jack needs the legroom,” she says simply.
“Hmm,” I mutter, regarding her with narrowed eyes. “You sure?”
“I’m positive.”
I place another kiss on her lips before getting up and shutting the door. Jack’s already in the front seat, a look of amusement on his face.
“We’re gonna put you up in one of our studio apartments while you stay here,” I tell him as I pull onto the highway back to Crystal Falls.
“So, I’m staying with you, Micky?” he asks, turning around and looking over his shoulder.
“No, I…” she begins, but for some reason trails off.
I meet her eyes in the rearview mirror, my brows drawn as I take in her red cheeks. I look back at the road.
“Mikayla lives with me,” I say, my eyes darting back to her.
“I gotta say, I thought it was dumb when you said you were gonna move out,” Jack says.
He doesn’t look back at his sister. His eyes are fixed on the scenery outside the window.
“I’m not dumb,” Mikayla says.
I look in the rearview and see her crossing her arms, a scowl on her face.
“You’re dumb for thinking what I said was calling you dumb,” Jack says, his head turning around, his upper lip curled into a sneer.
“Hey!” I raise my arm to stop them.
“You weren’t lying,” Jack says, his mouth dropping open now in complete contrast to his previous appearance.
“Right?” Mikayla replies, swatting her brother’s shoulder.
Before I can say anything in response, because what the fuck just happened… Mikayla’s cell rings and she smiles at the screen before answering.
“Rock!”
I can’t hear the person on the other end of the line but Mikayla smiles.
“I miss you too,” she says. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
I feel weird, but I can’t exactly leave the car while she talks to her best friend.
Jack and I look at each other, and he just shrugs before saying, “Put her on speaker!”
Mikayla rolls her eyes but pulls the phone from her ear. “Wait, what? I missed that.”
“Did you unblock Cody?” Raquel asks.
“Unblock… no, why?”
My eyes naturally dart to the mirror, and I see that her brows furrow.
“Have you accepted any recent friend requests?” Raquel asks.
“No, Rock, what the fuck are you talking about?” Mikayla asks, her voice rising in what sounds like frustration.
“Justin called me today to wish me Happy Thanksgiving, blah blah blah. Then he told me that Cody apparently bought a plane ticket… to Dallas.”
Mikayla sits back, her chin dropping. “Well, I’m not in Dallas; that could just be a coincidence.”
But she purses her lips and presses them to the left, a sign that she’s thinking.
“Justin promised me he didn’t tell Cody where you are, but he said Cody’s coming to find you. He’s been going nuts lately. All out of his head about what happened,” Raquel says. “Anyway, I thought you should know. Be prepared in case he shows up or something.”
“I mean, I have no idea how he’d find me. It’s not like you can look me up and see where I live. I don’t have a house or anything,” Mikayla says.
I know she’s not trying to piss me off, but that statement, well, it pisses me the fuck off. I squeeze the steering wheel, my eyes forward.
“Um… not that it wouldn’t be awesome to see, but you should relax a bit. It looks like you’re about the break the wheel there. Cowboy,” Jack says, trying to be light-hearted. “She’s just scared,” he adds in a low voice, so Mikayla doesn’t hear.
I nod, but don’t say anything.
Mikayla finishes the call but continues to have a perplexed look on her face.
“Did you post something about coming here to visit?” Mikayla asks.
“Well, sort of. I said I was coming to see my sister, gonna meet the winningest bronc rider in Tex… oh fuck,” Jack says, his face falling. “But I blocked Cody and Justin,” Jack says.
“Have you accepted any friend requests?” Mikayla asks, her voice biting.
“You’re a dumbass,” I say to Jack because I can’t help myself. I point my finger at him and frown.
“You really are!” Mikayla says. “Happy fucking Thanksgiving.”
On that note, we pull up to the house. We have fewer than twenty minutes to get ready for dinner. We start at around three. The Texas game already started, but we pretty much have football on for most of the evening.
Mikayla runs out of the car and unlocks the door, likely in a hurry to get ready. I walk Jack to the studio and unlock the door.
“I had it cleaned when I thought Mick was gonna move in here,” I explain.
“Did you remodel it for her too?” Jack asks.
I won’t lie, I may have had them repaint the walls and install new appliances. Mikayla likes to cook, and I wanted her to have the best. The new granite slab was hardly a hardship, and the floors were already hardwood.
“I wanted her to feel comfortable,” I explain.
“This is bigger than my apartment in Atlanta,” he says. “I’m guessing that’s also new?” Jack asks, pointing at the king-size Murphy bed.
“She likes to dance while she cooks,” I argue. Having the bed pull up was just logical.
“Have you told her yet?” Jack asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Told her what?” I ask, having no clue what the fuck he’s talking about.
“That you’re in love with her?” he asks. “Should we head back to the house?” He walks to the door as if he hadn’t just asked what he asked. “You should tell her,” he says when I don’t respond.
When we get to the house, I smile. Mikayla is already dressed, holding a pie in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. I jog up to her and grab the pie.
“When did you buy this?” I ask in surprise as we begin to walk toward the main house.
“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just insult me by asking me that,” Mikayla says. She stops short and looks at me like I grew a second head.
“You made this?” I ask. I don’t recall smelling anything baking.
Mikayla just shakes her head at me and walks on, her hips swaying as she moves. My eyes are fixed on her ass and legs, the skirt just tight enough to show me the curve of her ass.
I open the door, and we all enter the house like I own the place.
“Mikayla!” my mother cries out as if I’m not here. “I’m so glad you’re here!” she says, pulling my girlfriend in for a hug.
Mikayla gets on her tiptoes and hugs my mom back. They hold each other for a beat, and I smile because I know how much that one act will affect her. She needs affection like that. Something I can’t give her. I’m just grateful she’s getting some of it from my mom.
As we gather in the kitchen, I introduce Mikayla and Jack to my family. Jack seamlessly integrates with everyone; his easy nature and jovial personality draws everyone in.
But Mikayla is withdrawn, quiet. She smiles and hugs everyone, but I can see that it doesn’t reach her eyes. When she excuses herself to use the restroom, naturally, I follow her.
She’s withdrawn, sad, and not talking to me. Knowing that Mikayla’s a flight risk, I have to deal with this now.
I catch the door before she closes it and lock it behind me.
“Caine!” she whisper-yells, scolding me for entering.
I roll my eyes. We both know she came in here to hide. She doesn’t need privacy, and I won’t be deterred.
“You’re still upset,” I say as I stalk toward her. She walks backward, trying to get away from me. But I shake my head, no no no.