by Elena Aitken
After consulting with Grant, she’d changed her original vision to include only white flowers and cascading ribbons of fondant that made the base of the cake look like snow with the little couple on top. She’d never done anything like it before. Sure, she loved to bake, but she was definitely no cake artist. Or was she?
With a rush of pride, she wished Kade could be there to see what she’d done. But there would be pictures and he’d be back soon. She believed that. She had to.
Gabriella pushed the thoughts of Kade from her head. She needed to focus on the happy couple. It was their day. She’d have hers too. Just not today. With a smile on her face she didn’t feel in her heart, Gabriella picked up the cake and headed for the dining room, where everyone was waiting.
“You’re going to love this,” she called out. “In fact, Sandy, since I know you love cake so much, I’d like you to have the first piece.” She made her way around the table, carefully walking in such a way that no one would be able to see the cake until it was time. Just as they’d discussed, Grant met Gabriella and took the cake from her hands. She stepped back to watch as Grant turned carefully and placed the cake in front of his love.
“It’s so—”
“Sandy?”
The woman held her hand to her mouth as she realized what was happening and turned to her boyfriend, who was now next to her on one knee.
“Sandy,” he started again. “From our first date, I knew there was something special about you and it was our fourth date when I knew without a doubt that I never wanted to spend another day without you.” There was a collective sigh from the women around the table. “You make me want to be a better man,” Grant continued. “The best version of myself that I can be, for you and with you. We’ve had some adventures together, but I know it’s only just beginning. Sandy…” He reached up and took the ring from the chocolate groom on top of the cake and held it out to her. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world by agreeing to marry me?”
She didn’t answer right away, but nodded her head. Slightly at first, and then harder. “Yes,” she whispered through her tears. “Yes. Yes. Yes. I will absolutely marry you.”
The room erupted in cheers and calls to celebrate. Luke and Chloe appeared with bottles of champagne, which were passed around in a toast to the happy couple. It was the first marriage proposal for Grizzly Ridge, but something told Gabriella, it wouldn’t be the last.
Jacksonville looked the same as it had the last time Kade had driven through, little more than a year ago. He wasn’t sure why it should have changed in such a short time, but he expected it to look different considering he felt so different. If anything, the shops looked smaller, more run-down than they used to. The streets he’d run around in as a teenager now seemed too small to contain him.
Funny how things could change so quickly.
He contemplated stopping in for a pint at the Growl, but thought better of it. With the mood he was in, one pint could easily turn into two, which could roll into three. And if his grandfather smelled even a whiff of beer on him, the conversation might be over before it began. Considering he didn’t even know what he was going to say, nothing good could come out of that.
Instead, he drove past the same regular trucks and rusted-out cars parked out front that had always been there. He shook his head, and steered off the main road to the gravel trail that would lead him up to Jackson Valley.
The valley was only about fifteen minutes out of town, but it might as well have been a world away. It was both considered a part of town, and yet a little village of its own. Besides the main house where Kade and his brothers grew up, there were a number of trailers scattered around the property that had been hauled up over the years and housed mostly single bears who worked in town at the mill. There were a few families, but after the Jackson cubs had grown up, there were less and less children around. When they were young, it had been the perfect place to grow up. After school, they’d run off the bus and spend the rest of the afternoon climbing trees, running with their bears and just generally getting into trouble. It had been great. But then everything changed.
He pulled up in front of the house, next to his grandfather’s truck. He hadn’t doubted that he would find him at home. He still owned the Jackson mill, but he hadn’t spent a day working there for years. All three brothers had been given jobs when they graduated from high school, and Axel had been in line to take over and run it. No doubt one of their cousins was now in place to do just that. There was a time that would have bothered Kade, but the mill business had never been his dream. And now that they had Grizzly Ridge, he was even more sure of that.
That’s what he wanted—a life at the Ridge.
No.
A life at the Ridge with Ella.
That’s what he wanted.
And with that thought in his head, he slammed the door of his truck and made his way up the steps of his childhood home. He knocked, but there was no doubt his grandfather already knew he was there.
He waited. And waited. But he wasn’t in a hurry.
He’d wait.
At least five minutes went by before he finally heard the steps inside, followed by the turning of the handle. When the heavy wooden door swung open, Kade stepped to the side.
The man who stood in front of him was still the same strong force of a man he’d known, but this version of his grandfather was old. He had an edge about him that radiated. The anger and unhappiness that flowed from him had never been there before and it assaulted Kade’s instincts. Sure, their grandfather had been tough, but he’d always been a fair man. Despite their mother and father leaving them, none of the Jackson kids had ever felt unloved.
The man who stood before him now was different. If Kade hadn’t been so angry with him, he might have felt some sympathy. As it was, Kade closed his heart to that instinct. He needed to stay focused.
“Kade.”
“Grandfather.”
They stared at each other for a moment, each of them waiting for the other to make the first move. Despite his decision not to, Kade couldn’t help but let some emotion sneak in. After all, this was the man who’d raised them.
He’s also the man who banished you.
Kade swallowed hard and held his ground.
“You look well,” Grandfather said after a moment.
“As do you.” Kade nodded and then shook his head. “No. You look—”
“Old?”
He couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Yes. You look old.”
“Life will do that to you.” There was no humor in his voice. “I suppose you would like to come in.”
He didn’t wait for an answer but turned and led the way into the living room. Kade followed. His eyes took in the house as he walked down the hallway. Everything was exactly the same as when they’d left. Nothing had changed.
Nothing.
School portraits of all four kids lined the hallway; a thick layer of dust covered their edges. Kade resisted the urge to wipe his finger along the top of the frames. The living room was musty. The curtains were drawn, allowing only slivers of light in the cracks. Dust motes danced in the dim light. It was a good thing the curtains were closed, Kade thought, or the dust would be even more noticeable. It had been one of their chores, to clean the inside of the house. Surely he must have had someone else come in and clean since they’d been gone?
But it certainly didn’t look like it.
Grandfather gestured to the couch before he sat in his recliner. It was the only part of the room that looked lived in. As Kade sat, dust billowed up and into his nostrils from the cushions. He ignored it.
“I’m surprised it took you so long to come see me.” His grandfather was never one for small talk, but even then, Kade hadn’t been prepared for such a direct approach. “I expected you months ago.”
“I didn’t see any point.”
“And now you do.”
It wasn’t a question, but Kade answered it as one. “I do. I need answers, Gra
ndfather.”
He nodded.
“Will you give them to me?”
“I’ll tell you what you want to know. But it’s not what you’re looking for.”
Chapter Nine
How did he know what Kade was looking for? The idea that the old man could be so presumptuous ignited a rage in him, but he quickly swallowed it down. It wouldn’t do any good to get confrontational with him. Not if he wanted to know the truth.
“What is it you want to know, Kade?”
“Why?” he asked instinctually.
It was such a vague question, it could have meant anything but Gordon knew at once what his grandson meant.
“Because that’s how things are done,” Gordon answered. “What you don’t understand, Kade, is that everything we do, our traditions…everything is done for a reason. To protect the clan.”
“How does casting us out protect us?” He hadn’t meant to fire off with emotion, but if Grandfather noticed, he didn’t say anything.
“It’s the alpha’s job to create and maintain order among the clan. That’s what I did.”
“That’s not what you did!”
“It is, Kade. I gave you an order and you didn’t obey it. I had no other choice.”
Kade could see the pain in the old man’s eyes as he spoke the words. It had cost him to cast out his grandchildren. But he couldn’t spare the sympathy.
“There’s always a choice.” Kade leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. “What you don’t know, Grandfather, is that there’s no way we could have done what you asked. Even if Kira hadn’t been surrounded by another clan who was ready for a fight, we never would have made her come with us. Not if she didn’t want to. And she didn’t. She found her mate.”
“No, Kade. She didn’t.”
The words slammed into him, into the little sliver of doubt he’d held onto since that moment he’d turned his back and walked away from his twin. He dropped his head and looked at his hands clenched between his legs. He couldn’t let his grandfather get to him.
“I know she did, Grandfather.” He was lying, mostly to himself, but he had to continue. “Because Kira looked at him the way I now look at my mate.”
The second the words were out of his mouth, he knew it to be true. Ella was his mate. It had never felt more right. And he’d tell her so as soon as he got home, but first he needed to deal with things. He couldn’t move forward until he’d put the past behind him. That had never been as clear as it was right at that moment. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the couch, giving himself a moment to process the realization. When he opened his eyes again, his grandfather was smiling.
“So, it’s finally happened, has it? You’ve found yourself a mate?”
Kade nodded, not trusting himself to speak for the moment.
“I’d heard that your brothers had found themselves matches as well. I worried about you, though, Kade.”
“You did?”
“Of course. You were the youngest when you lost your mother. Well, you and Kira of course. And then there was everything with your sister.” He took a deep breath as if it pained him to talk about it. Even if it did, Kade was going to make him say everything he needed to. “I was worried it might have damaged you.”
It did. He wanted to scream at his grandfather. He wanted to let him know the hell he’d gone through, was still going through, all because of the decisions he’d made around his mother and sister. “I know why you banished us,” he said instead. “Tell me why you banished my mother. You never talked about it.”
“It’s not something you talk about. As an alpha, it’s—”
“I don’t care.” Kade had had enough. “You can’t cover this with alpha bullshit, Grandfather. She’s your daughter, our mother. That’s what matters. You cast her out. We grew up without a mother and a father because of you. Tell me what happened. I deserve at least that much.”
The old man rubbed his temples, looking every one of his eighty-two years. When they were growing up, Kade had always thought of him as invincible. There was nothing he couldn’t do. Larger than life, in control of every situation. That man was gone. Whatever was left of the grandfather he knew had disappeared with Kade’s demand.
“You’re right,” he said after a moment. “You do deserve to know. But I’m afraid any answer I give you won’t be enough.”
“Try me.”
There was a pause and then a deep sigh. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but the truth was very simple. Like your sister, Tonia fell in love with someone she shouldn’t have.”
“Her mate, you mean.”
Gordon shrugged. “It didn’t matter. She was promised in a very careful arrangement with a clan from Alaska.”
“Alaska?”
He nodded. “You have to understand that it was important to build relations with other clans and create arrangements that would benefit our bloodline.”
“But Mom had other plans.”
“She did.” Gordon’s face took on a faraway look. “She was always a strong-willed girl. She knew what she wanted. Just like her brothers.”
His grandfather didn’t mention Kade’s uncles very often. There’d been an accident at the mill when he was young. Brian, the oldest brother, had been killed; Spencer had lost a leg and hadn’t adapted to his new circumstances well. He’d never married and as far as Kade knew, still lived in a trailer at the edge of the property. Alone. “I told her if she chose Mark, she was choosing his clan and she wouldn’t be welcome back in Jackson Valley.”
“And that’s what she chose.”
The old man nodded slowly. “It was a decision I had to make as the—”
“Alpha,” Kade finished for him with a shake of his head.
“But as a father it broke my heart.” There was a catch in his voice Kade had never heard before. “I had no other choice, Kade. If I’d allowed it, I would have lost the respect of the clan. There would have been mutiny. I couldn’t risk it.”
“But she came back.”
“She did. And I’ll never forget that day. Your father was sick; she asked me for help with you cubs. She didn’t want you to see your father die.” The words hit Kade like a blow. Die. His father was dead? He didn’t know his dad, had been little more than a toddler when they’d gone to live in Jackson Valley, but still the knowledge hurt. He swallowed it down and kept listening. “I’m not proud of what happened that day, Kade. I gave her a choice. I told her I’d take in you cubs, but if she wanted to return to the clan, she’d have to do so with you, and without him.”
“And leave her mate to die alone.” The choice seemed unfathomable.
Gordon nodded and said simply, “She chose him.”
When their guests were done celebrating, they all retreated to their rooms and some to the outdoor hot tub the brothers had recently installed to have another glass of champagne, Luke and Axel offered to clean up in the kitchen. It was an offer all three women happily accepted as they crashed on the couch in front of the fireplace. It was quickly becoming Gabriella’s favorite place to sit and decompress. Especially with the other women. She’d never had friends like Chloe and Harper. These women didn’t know she was the daughter of the alpha and set to be in a position of power in the clan, and they liked her anyway. Maybe they liked her because they didn’t know. Would they think the same of her when they knew the truth?
Gabriella looked at Chloe, who flipped through some sort of notebook and jotted things down occasionally, and Harper, who was knitting what looked to be like a baby blanket. She tried not to giggle, because Harper didn’t seem like the type of woman who would be knitting, but then again, having a baby did strange things to a person. They looked so comfortable and real. She took a deep breath.
Yes. They’d still like her.
And it was long past time to tell them the truth.
She settled herself into the seat closest to the fire, the one she sat in on her first day at the Ridge. The one she’d come to t
hink of as her own.
“It’s about time you sat down, Ella.” Chloe glanced up from her notebook. “If the guys want to clean up, that’s never something I question.” She laughed and tucked her book away. “Besides, you worked so hard in there today. That cake was amazing.”
“It really was. I had no idea you could do that kind of decorating.”
“Neither did I,” Gabriella answered Harper. “I think I’m learning that I’m capable of a lot more than I thought I was.” She took a deep breath. “In fact, I’ve been learning a lot ever since I left Argentina.”
“Argentina?” Chloe caught it the way Gabriella knew she would.
She nodded.
“I thought you said you were from Peru?”
She took another deep breath. “I did. I lied.”
“Why?” Harper put down her knitting. “Why would you lie?”
The hurt in the other woman’s voice stung. “I didn’t think I had a choice,” she started. “But I know now that I do, so I’m hoping I can tell you the truth and you’ll keep an open mind.”
Harper opened her mouth to say something, but it was Chloe who answered. “Of course. I don’t know what you’re hiding, Ella. But from what we know of you, there must have been a reason you did it. Besides, you’re Kade’s mate and that definitely counts for a lot.”
She flinched at the mention of Kade again. She hadn’t heard from him all day and if his brothers knew anything, they weren’t saying. “Well, all that aside, there is a reason I lied. I’m not proud of it, but I think you’ll understand.” She forced a smile. “I hope you’ll understand.”
