by Mia Kayla
I took in the two good-looking men sitting at the table that could not contain them. It reminded me of full grown adults trying to fit in a grade school desk, their legs spilling over the chairs.
Jordan Ryder, actor extraordinaire, stood first to greet me. His eyes were a sharp piercing blue. His baseball cap tipped backward, and he was sporting a Dodgers T-shirt and jeans. He reminded me of a frat boy, but with tats that spanned both of his arms. I was used to seeing him in a suit on TV during those award ceremonies or shirtless on the big screen. I was a little starstruck despite myself.
"Angel!" Jordan cooed, which made Cade push me behind him.
"She is off limits,” he growled. “You can say hi from across the room. She's already starstruck stupid when it comes to you." I didn't know if Cade was joking or if he was being possessively serious.
Jordan stuck his hand out, and I peered at him behind Cade. "Hey, Angel. We've heard so much about you." He raised an eyebrow at Cade. "I'm Jordan." His five-star gleaming smile surfaced, the one that won awards, sold movie tickets, and I was sure bedded many women.
It didn't make my heart pitter-patter, but internally I was fan-girling a tiny bit.
"Nice to meet—” As soon as I put my hands in his, he tugged me forward and engulfed me in a big hug. "None of those formalities. We're practically family now. Cade hasn't brought someone home in forever." He tipped his chin, looking thoughtful. "Or ever, actually."
I patted his back. "Well, it's nice to meet you." He smelled terribly good like clean aftershave, but glancing at Cade's tight expression, I doubted that would be a smart move to voice my thoughts.
"All right. Enough manhandling my girl." Cade plucked me from Jordan's arms and kissed me fully on the lips. The girly girl in me gleamed at Cade staking his claim.
Cade gestured to the equally stunning man at the table. "And this is Wyatt."
Wyatt stepped forward, and I took in his over-six-feet lean frame. His dark, reddish brown hair flopped over his chocolate brown eyes. Wyatt rocked a little scruff on his chin, as though he was growing out a beard in a sexy lumberjack style. He took both of my hands in his. "It's great to finally meet you." His voice was evenly calm and sweet, a direct contrast to the other men in my vicinity.
Wyatt extended his hand and gestured to a seat by the table. "I cooked steak and mashed potatoes if you're hungry."
Cade slapped his back, his eyes appraising him. "Wyatt over here is our cook at home, while I'm the cook at the restaurant." When Cade pulled out the seat at the table, I sat down.
Their stature, their tats, their overall persona was overwhelming, overpowering, over-the-top. They looked like thugs in a nice, clean package, a walking contradiction. They weren't blood related, but there was no denying their family bond.
"We heading to Mom's now or going to get our ink?" Jordan asked, dropping his butt on the chair opposite me. "You getting one today, too?" He smiled again, and all I could think of was Tene and how she would die to know who Cade's foster brother was. I made a mental note to tell her all about our meeting later and rub it in.
"No, I'm afraid I'm tat free," I admitted sheepishly.
Cade slapped his brother on his head. "Don't be an idiot. When do you have to leave?"
"Tomorrow night," Jordan sighed. "My agent wants me back in Cali the day after tomorrow."
"How about you, bro?" Cade turned to Wyatt.
"I can stay for a while. I don't have to go back to filming for two weeks."
My stomach grumbled, and I picked up a fork and stabbed the steak and guided it on my plate. "You into making movies, too?"
Wyatt shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His stare went blank before he averted his gaze. "Um. Not really. More like directing documentaries or reality television."
"Don't be modest, bro," Jordan teased, knocking on the table. "This guy owns the BCB Network."
"Shut up, Jordan,” Wyatt muttered, his face turning a light shade of red. “I just work there, I don’t own it."
"Well, you're the only heir to Hendricks, so I'm sure if he keels over, you'll be taking over."
"Bill Hendricks?" My eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Bill Hendricks was the biggest media mogul in all of Hollywood. He owned multiple radio stations, TV stations, and, more importantly, he ran all the biggest cable networks.
"You're his son?" I asked again.
Years ago, Bill's face had graced the cover of every gossip magazine sold on every grocery aisle. Some titled Bastard Son. Some titled Heir to Hendricks Dynasty. I guessed this woman was paid a hefty sum to get interviewed about their multi-year affair, years back, that revealed that she had conceived a son. There was no way that she could get child support. Wyatt was way over the legal age, but some magazines had said she’d gotten paid over three hundred thousand for being on camera.
Wyatt's downturned eyes told me this conversation was over before it even started.
"Yup, Wyatt over here is a billionaire baby." Jordan playfully ruffled Wyatt's hair.
"Would you shut up already? Seriously. Shut the fuck up," Wyatt’s voice boomed.
When he stood, almost making his chair fly backward, Jordan stood and jerked back. "Dude, that's something to be proud of."
Wyatt glared at his brother. "Like I said, shut up already."
Cade stepped in between them, placing a hand on Jordan's chest. "Quit messing around. We need to figure out what we're doing for Mom."
The boys glared at each other, but in the next beat their faces relaxed, the fight fizzled and over.
"Balloons, cake, and tats? Like every year?" Jordan asked. "It's what Mama wants for her big day, and I've set it all up. We're all ready to go."
"Is today your mom's actual birthday?" I asked, turning to Cade.
"Our mom," Wyatt corrected. There was such joy in Wyatt's tone when he uttered those words.
"Yes, it is, and I can't wait for her to meet you." There was a twinkle of pride in Cade's eyes that made me swoon and blush and want to grab his ears and ram my lips into his.
"You'll love her. Mom is crazy fun." Jordan winked.
I marveled at the change in their moods and the banter between the boys as they talked about where they got the balloons and the kind of cake they ordered. They discussed getting cupcakes and the decorations and they wondered what tattoo they were getting today. Their easy banter and loud booming laughter was amusing.
"How about we get Angie's name this year?" Jordan asked, laughing.
My eyebrow lifted, and I reeled back, crossing my arms over my chest. "My name?"
"That's one name that's only going on my body and no one else's," Cade said, eyes hard and meaning no argument.
"We all got Candice's name." Wyatt stuck out his arm and embedded under the tattoos of Chinese characters was Candice's name, neat and discreet.
The table went silent for a second, and my stomach twisted at the loss of their sister. My thoughts flickered to our conversation in the car, the devastation in Cade's eyes, the destruction in his voice as he briefly relived his past.
"Where's yours?" I asked, turning to Jordan, curious.
For the first time since I had walked in the room, he stiffened, and his facial features dropped. "It's somewhere no one can see." His voice was curt and closed and warranted no more questions.
Candice was a sensitive subject, and I wondered if time would make it easier. I only hoped it would.
"Don't be a dick," Wyatt commented. "It's right next to his heart."
A heaviness spread throughout my chest. I wished I had just shut up.
"Whatever." Jordan stood, seeming vulnerable, and took a cigarette from his back pocket. "You want a smoke?" He offered Wyatt a cig, then me.
"No, I quit," I joked, trying to erase his sullen look, but it didn't work.
"I’m going outside, and when I come back, we can go.” I watched his retreating back walk out the patio door, all the while thinking Jordan Ryder still wasn’t over his dead ex-girlfriend.
Chapter 23
The drive to the nursing home took thirty minutes. We parked outside a resort-like facility with its circular driveway and Bellboys that ushered a couple of ladies in wheelchairs through the doors.
"This place looks nice."
"Yeah, we upgraded Mom as soon as we found out she checked herself into a nursing home," Wyatt said, from the shotgun of the car. "You should have seen that first place she checked herself into. Talk about a dump."
"This new place has its own built-in gym, pool, and spa." Jordan chimed in.
When we pulled to the front of the palatial nursing home, the valet held my door open, before my heels hit the cream marble floors.
Jordan threw his keys to the bellboy, and he caught them on the fly. "Danny, my man." He slapped the teenager on the back. "Take care of her, will ya?"
"Sure thing. Hey, can I get another picture?" Danny asked, already taking out his phone.
"Yeah, no prob." Jordan threw his arm over Danny and smiled his signature smile that I'd seen many times before on the big screen.
Cade intertwined our fingers, tipping his chin toward Jordan. "That guy. Always the center of attention."
I laughed. "How long has your mom been at a nursing home?"
"Two years or so. At first, it was just me taking care of her. I wanted it to be all me because Jordan and Wyatt, they have lives."
"How old is your mom?" I asked, curious to why she needed 24-hour care.
"Sixty. She's young, but ..." He averted his gaze, where I couldn't read his eyes. "I guess you should know before we walk in there.” He pulled me to the side, right before the doors. “When my parents jumped in the car with Candice that night, my father lost his life. But my mother ..." He swallowed. "Her legs are amputated."
"Oh, Cade."
"It happened so long ago, but the repercussions of that night ... how it changed our family, how it affects us every day ..."
I kissed his lips because I didn't want him to say it out loud, regurgitate his thoughts in his head. I knew that the pain would never go away, but I didn't want him to relive it in this moment.
"She called the nursing home to pick her up when we flat out told her 'no' and we weren't putting her in a home. I know she doesn't want to be a burden, and she's not. I mean, it was a lot on me at first, but when we split the responsibilities amongst the three of us, and we had a caretaker here, it was fine."
"You're such a strong man, so loving, so kind. You know she just doesn't want to put it all on you."
He spoke in an odd, yet gentle tone. "Yeah, I know. It's just hard to have her there. I mean we visit often. It's just ... for someone that lived her life taking care of others, it feels like we just stuck her in a home."
"Don't think of it that way," I reassured him. I loved this man. My man. From the outside he was big and buff and hella intimidating, but from the inside, his love for his family was limitless.
“Serious conversation can continue later.” Jordan tugged at my arm and pulled me through the doors.
“Let go of my girl, Jordan.”
Gleaming, newly-polished floors welcomed us at the lobby, and we passed a sign-in desk that was adorned with two beautiful vases of green and pink orchids, reminding me of a hotel. The scent of bleach that permeated the air, the multiple sanitizer stations and wheelchairs scattered in front, reminded me that this was a swanky nursing home.
A woman with a cute blonde bob with a clipboard greeted us in the front.
"Hi, Cade. Preparations that Jordan called in are all ready. Hey, Wyatt." She raised a hand to Wyatt walking in and spoke super fast, not getting a breath in.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm Bella," she said, finally noticing the stranger amongst the men and extending a hand and friendly smile my way. "I'm kind of the party planner here."
"The best party planner there is," Jordan said. His eyes ate Bella up like she was his favorite candy at the candy store. But she seemed immune to his big, starry Hollywood stare.
Cade cleared his throat and eyed Jordan with a slight shake of his head.
I wasn’t sure if Cade was the eldest brother, but one thing that was certain was that Cade led this family. He took responsibility, and he instructed the other brothers, and they listened. That was blatantly clear since the moment I walked into their house.
Jordan swept his hand in front of him. "By all means, Bella, why don't you lead us toward the party."
The boys were the life of the nursing home, and my smile could not be dimmed as they hugged practically every old woman they passed and high-fived every old man that were in our path. All of the boys knew everyone by first name, and Cade introduced me to each and every person.
Balloons were placed outside the party room, and music played from the inside of the room that was outlined with mirrors. If I were a betting girl, I'd guess this was where they took dance or aerobic classes.
Every inch of the space was decorated in pink and purple. From the balloons strung to each chair to the streamers hanging from the ceiling to the pink and purple décor on the long table against the far wall. A cake that spanned half the table and appetizers and dip were placed in glass dishes were neatly lain around a cake that could feed a hundred people.
The whole area rattled with rowdy cheers. Cade's mom was seated in a wheelchair in the center of the room.
Her hair was the darkest shade of brown to match Cade's. She was beautiful and seemed like the youngest woman in the nursing home, with not a gray hair in sight.
Wyatt and Jordan practically jumped their mother, lifting her chair with her in it and getting in her face.
It was endearing and outright adorable seeing them interact like five-year olds with all their boyish charm at the vicinity of their mom.
A mile-wide smile popped on Cade’s face right before he grabbed my hand, and, in the next second, I was in front of Mrs. Ryder.
He must have sensed my unease or maybe it was the feel of my sweaty palm against his because he gave me one reassuring squeeze.
I tried not to focus at her lack of legs or the fact that her knees were stubs. And it didn't take long because her smile was contagious when she motioned me forward. I walked toward her, and when I leaned down, she embraced me in a full-on cherry-topping hug. “Angelica, it's so great to finally meet you. I'm Stacy."
Her words and the way her voice eased out made me realize that Cade had told her a lot about me.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, too," I said, pulling back, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. She was stunning with her cute chin-length bob. She couldn't have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds. She seemed fragile, but I knew that couldn't have been further than the truth because there was strength behind her gray steel eyes that matched Cade's.
"There was a while there that I thought Cade was into men." There was a chuckle from his brothers behind him. "Not like there’s anything wrong with that, but just the fact that he hadn't brought anyone home."
Cade threw one arm over my shoulder. "Just waiting for the perfect girl, to introduce her to the infamous head of the Ryder family."
I shifted with unease as everyone's eyes were on me—Cade’s brothers, the whole room.
"Don't let the Ryder family or this little ole woman in the wheelchair intimidate you."
"Ryder or die." Jordan yelled behind me. "Hm, yeah that sounded bad."
When Wyatt nudged his brother on the shoulder, the room erupted in laughter.
More people began to trickle in. The chatter heightened, and a line formed behind me, waiting to greet the birthday girl.
"So, Angelica, are you in town long? I'd love if we could have breakfast tomorrow, just the family. It's a family after-birthday tradition. Today is going to be a little crazy. Old people like to party."
I didn't know how long I was staying, through the weekend for sure, until I had to face reality. "Yes. I'd love that. Wyatt can cook a killer meal.” I’d experienced it first hand back at the house.
She peered lovingly
over my shoulder at her son. "Cade's ability to cook is taught, but Wyatt, my sweet boy, has a natural ability and a great taste for food."
"What?" Jordan asked, his tone feigning offense. "I'm not your sweet boy?"
She rolled her eyes and chuckles around us answered Jordan's question.
"Mom, you can grill Angel later. Plus, we have breakfast tomorrow. " Cade motioned to the people behind me. "There is a line waiting to give you your gifts."
Cade pulled us to the side, making room for everyone else to wish Stacy a happy birthday.
"I think I need to get you a sweat bucket for your palm."
I tore my hand from his grasp. "You're horrible."
"You're beautiful." A smile ruffled his mouth. "I don't even know why you're nervous because there was no doubt in my mind that she'd love you just like I do."
Is it possible to turn into a puddle of mush every single time he mentioned the “L” word? The butterflies in my stomach took flight. Again. Yep, very possible.
Bella approached us, walking in her cheery, happy pace. There was a natural bounce to her step. "Let's blow out the candles. Some of these people are going to leave early to take their naps." She chuckled, her eyes filling with an inner glow.
"Sure thing." He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I want you to blow one candle tonight, but it's not on top of the cake."
I threw him a dubious look, and his gray eyes smoldered with promises of tonight in response. My cheeks flushed a dark shade of pink at his words. "You better behave, or you're not going to have your cake and eat it, too."
His gaze was as soft as a caress, and he pinched my side playfully while ushering me to the front of the room by his mother and his brothers, right by his side.
The two-tiered cake was beautiful in all purples and pinks and yellows with elaborate flowers etched on the edges. When it came to their mother, these boys knew no limits.
A giddiness stirred within me when they lit her two candles, the six and the zero. After all, birthdays would forever be my thing, and my birthday was what brought Cade and me together. Silver lining and all.
