I wake up with my arms locked tight around Cadey’s waist. Her body’s curled into mine. How is she so freaking beautiful? Light radiates from her skin. No makeup. Tussled hair. Lips swollen from my rough kisses.
I graze my thumb over her mouth.
Her face is hot to the touch.
She stirs and I remove my hand, glancing out to the treetops beyond the front door. Sunshine is pouring through the skylight, falling on us as we lie tangled in each other’s arms.
This is the second time I’ve fallen asleep cuddling Cadey.
I’m like a domesticated wolf, only willing to snuggle if it’s her.
“Mm.” Cadey makes a sound in her sleep and nuzzles against my chest. I cradle her closer, resting my forehead against hers and just… breathing.
With her in my arms like this, it feels like all the pieces are snapping into place. The fury inside, the anger, the uncertainty, it’s being stripped away with every sweet breath that leaves her lips.
I can handle my father.
Miller.
The future.
A son.
Excitement explodes in my chest.
I pumped her full so many times that there’s a real possibility one of them took.
At this moment, our kid could be stirring to life.
A phone buzzes. I glance around, my eyes skipping past our discarded clothes until I locate her purse strewn over one of the hammocks.
It’s probably Vi wondering where she is.
Sometime during the night, I allowed Cadence to check on her sister, but it’s morning now. I have to let her go, even if I don’t want to.
“Cadey, you need to wake up.”
“Mm-mm.” She protests. Her mouth stretches into a pout. Her brows knot.
She’s cute as hell.
I graze my lips over her temple. “Come on. Get dressed. We need to pick up Viola.”
“Mff.” Her eyelids crack apart.
I press a kiss to her neck. “Cadey.”
“I’m up. I’m up,” she grumbles.
I know I worked her out last night, but she seems extra tired. How does she manage to wake up so early for work service everyday if she’s such a lousy morning person?
Cadey slides to a sitting position. Her hair drapes over her back like a shroud. She grabs my jacket from the edge of the rug and shrugs into it.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I need to pee,” she mumbles. At first, I think she’s angry. But then I see the red flush at the tip of her ears and realize she’s just embarrassed.
I grin in satisfaction while she hurries off.
“There are T-shirts and towels in the bathroom, if you want to take a shower,” I yell at her back. We made a mess of the rug. She must be uncomfortable too.
“Yeah,” she grunts.
“If you need me to show you where they are—”
“I can find it myself!” A moment later, I hear the slam of a door and the click of a lock. Cadence rattles the knob, probably to make sure I can’t get in.
I smirk and rise to my feet, stretching my arms over my head. It’s a good thing she ran. I’m hungry for her again and I don’t think I could have resisted if she was still lying beside me.
Another phone buzzes.
It’s mine this time.
Perplexed, I slip into my shirt, boxers and jeans and walk over to the phone. Who’s calling so incessantly? It can’t be my brothers. They expected me to be out all night.
I doubt it’s mom or dad.
I lift my phone and spot the unknown number tracking across the screen.
Miller?
Curious, I put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Dutch Cross?”
The voice is female, husky and unfamiliar.
“Who is this?” I growl. “And how did you get my number?”
I don’t give that information out. In fact, apart from my family, Martina and a handful of industry folks, the only people who have my phone number are Sol, Cadence and Vi.
“My name is Tina Cooper.” She pauses. “I’m Cadence’s mom.”
I freeze, unable to believe my ears.
“Dutch… are you still there?”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I growl. “Who the hell are you? Who put you up to this?”
“This is not a joke.”
“Cadence’s mom is dead.” Death by suicide according to her files. It happened a few months before Cadence transferred to Redwood.
“I’m very much alive.”
Something clicks in my head. The night Vi ran away, Cadence said their fight ‘had something to do with mom’. Cadence and I found Vi hiding out at their mom’s memorial tree later.
“Why should I believe you?” I growl.
“You gave Cadence a vintage platinum ring, didn’t you? A brilliant diamond solitaire.”
My back snaps to attention. “You’re the one who stole it?”
There’s silence on the other end of the line.
I let out a stunned breath. Last night, during our game of truth or strip, Cadence refused to tell me who pawned the ring. She also kept quiet about her fight with Vi. If this woman is to be believed, the two incidents were caused by the same person.
“Can we meet? I have something important to tell you,” she says. “It’s about Cadence.”
“What about her?” I ask urgently.
“We can’t talk over the phone. I’ll text you a location. Meet me there in thirty minutes.”
The bathroom door clicks open.
I whip around and lock eyes with Cadence just as her mother warns, “And come alone.”
“Wait—”
The line beeps.
She’s gone.
Cadence must see something in my face because she stops in her tracks.
“Is something wrong?” she asks carefully, running her fingers around the collar of her T-shirt. I bought three cheesy ‘I SPENT THE NIGHT IN A TREEHOUSE’ T-shirts for her, Vi and me. The fabric swallows her whole.
“No.” I shake my head after a moment of contemplation. “You ready to go?”
She nods.
I climb down the ladder first and she follows. This time, I wrap an arm around her waist and help her down, not even giving her a chance to slip and fall.
As I hold her, I notice the red hickeys and bite marks on her neck and shoulders. I’ve thoroughly marked Cadence Cooper, and though I haven’t taken a look in the mirror, I’m sure there are signs of her all over me too.
Rather than feeling pleased, I feel frustrated.
I thought I’d stripped away everything that stood between us last night, but she was keeping such a big secret from me.
Her mom is alive.
No wonder she broke down that morning when I brought her breakfast. No wonder she screamed that I didn’t understand.
“What are you doing? Put me down.” Cadence smacks my chest.
I realize I’m just standing here, holding her and I quickly set her on the ground.
We walk to the car and I mull over every encounter we’ve had since last week.
Her mom is alive.
It’s insane to think, but the pieces line up so perfectly that it’s almost comical. Why didn’t she trust me with the truth? Why did she keep such a big secret to herself when I was right there, ready to make it all go away?
And more importantly, what does her mother want to tell me that Cadence can’t hear?
Jinx: Riding On The Royal Coattails.
They say it’s not what you know. It’s who you know. And gaining the favor of royalty is the fastest way to freedom.
Royal networking 101: the powerful can open doors, not just for you, but for all the important people in your life.
A lesson New Girl discovered today.
Someone working the morning shift at the biggest amusement park in the city sent photos of an unusually smiley Prince Charming and the ladies he was trying to impress.
Will this finally be enough to win Cinderella’s hand? Or will Prince Charming have to give up more of his heart and up to half of his kingdom?
Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.
– Jinx
