by Laura Kaye
Her father rushed into the doorway that led to the kitchen. “There’s my peanut.”
Makenna laughed. “Dad,” she said as they hugged. She didn’t mind the ancient nickname. Not really. And, oh, it was good to see him. She stood back from the hug and took him in—his brown hair had a bit more gray in it since she’d last seen him over the summer, but otherwise he looked exactly the same. Bright blue eyes. Laugh lines from a lifetime of good humor. And wearing the old apron with a picture of a turkey breast and the words I’m a breast man! her brothers had thought was a hilarious gift at least ten years before. “I want you to meet Caden,” she said, stepping aside to let the men shake.
“Caden Grayson, sir,” he said as he shook her father’s hand. She could hear the nerves in his voice, but she had absolutely no doubt about her father’s ability to put Caden at ease. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“You, too. Call me Mike.” Her dad clasped Caden’s shoulder and guided him into the kitchen. “What can I get you to drink?” he asked, then rattled off a long list of choices.
“A Coke would be fine,” Caden said, standing beside the big island in the center of the open, airy kitchen.
Makenna brought her contributions to dinner in and sat them on the counter. The rustic white cabinets, honey-colored granite counters, and warm wooden floors had always made this her favorite room in the house. But man, if she didn’t like the room even better with Caden there. “I’ll get it,” Makenna said, grinning to herself as she leaned into the fridge. Everything was better with Caden.
Her dad engaged them in small talk about the traffic and the nice weather they were having and how much longer the turkey still had to cook, and Makenna could see the tension draining out of Caden’s shoulder. She covered his hand with hers where it rested against the countertop.
Her dad took casual notice of the gesture but otherwise didn’t react. Though she’d told her father all about Caden, she’d never brought a man home before, so it was new ground for both of them. “So, Caden, Makenna tells me you’re a paramedic. What’s that like?”
“It’s…” Caden’s brow furrowed for a long moment. “It’s different every day depending on the calls we get. Sometimes it’s long hours of hanging out at the station, but most days you can hardly catch your breath for running between calls. Depending on how critical the situation is, it can be hard and stressful, but mostly it’s an amazing privilege to be there to help someone in a moment when they desperately need it.”
Makenna’s heart swelled at the passion in his voice. Despite all he’d been through—not just the accident and the loss of his mom and brother, but the life-long PTSD and having a father who hadn’t been there for him, too—Caden was such a sweet, good man. Two months ago, he’d held the elevator door for her when nothing else in her day had gone right, and she’d called him her Good Samaritan. Then, she hadn’t known the half of it.
Her father nodded as he pulled a big dish down from a cabinet, and Makenna could see that the thoughtfulness of Caden’s response had impressed him. “I have a lot of respect for first responders. You’re out there on the front lines.”
“When you’ve had a stranger show up to help you during your darkest hour, the least you can do is be there for someone else during theirs,” Caden said in a quiet voice. “I’ve always felt that I had to pay it forward.”
Makenna slipped her arm around Caden’s waist. Part of her couldn’t believe he’d offered that up, because she knew he didn’t like to talk about himself. And it made her so proud of him that it took everything she had not to pull his face down for a kiss. But maybe it was better not to freak her father out fifteen minutes after arriving.
“Makenna told me about the accident,” her dad said, taking a drink from a bottle of beer. “I was sorry to hear it. That’s a lot for a kid to go through. But I’d say you’re doing your family proud.”
Caden gave a tight nod and looked down, suddenly very interested in his can of Coke.
She squeezed him tighter, because her dad was right. But Makenna changed the topic because she knew the attention—and the compliment—probably made him uncomfortable. “Where are the guys?” she asked, moving to fill a glass with sangria. Full of apples, cinnamon, and spice, it was fall in a cup. Delicious.
“Downstairs in the rec room,” her dad said, peering into the oven to check the turkey. “Watching football, I think.”
After her mother had died of breast cancer when Makenna was three, her dad took over everything her mother used to do—including the cooking. And he was good at it, too. Not that she remembered much of her mother. Of any of them, Patrick had the most memories because he’d been ten when they lost her. But even his memories were mostly faint and indistinct. Which explained why she and her brothers worshipped her dad. He’d been everything to them.
“Oh, and you’re not the only one who brought a date home.” Dad grinned, loving knowing something she didn’t.
“Who else brought someone?” she asked. Patrick was married to the police department, so she knew it wasn’t him, and she hadn’t heard about Ian or Collin dating anyone. What the heck?
“Wanna guess?” her father asked as he pulled two cookie sheets of appetizers out of the second oven. He settled them on the counter.
“No!” Makenna said. “Spill already.”
Her dad smiled and scooped the southwest egg rolls, pigs in a blanket, and spinach-artichoke pockets onto a platter. “Collin.”
Her little brother brought a date? Holy crap. “Someone from grad school?” Makenna asked.
Her dad nodded. “Shima. She’s a real sweetheart. You should go make sure she’s surviving your brothers and introduce Caden.” He took a cautious bite of one of the egg rolls. “And take these down for me?” he asked, tapping the edge of the dish.
Makenna grabbed a stack of paper plates and napkins. “Did you know she was coming?”
“Nope. It was a surprise.” Her dad shrugged. “The more the merrier at the holidays, though.”
Nodding, Makenna reached for the appetizers.
“I got it,” Caden said.
“Great to meet you, Caden,” her dad said. “Mi casa es su casa. So while you’re here, make yourself completely at home.” Makenna gave her dad a grateful smile for welcoming Caden, not that she’d doubted he would.
“Appreciate that, Mike,” Caden said, following Makenna across the room and into a hallway.
At the top of the basement steps, she turned to him, smiling. “Just remember, I am in no way responsible for the cretins you’re about to meet.”
* * *
“Duly noted,” Caden said, giving her a wink. If they were anything like Mike, he might actually make it through this weekend. He followed her down the steps.
The basement family room was a big, comfortable space with overstuffed sofas and chairs grouped in front of a large flat-screen television. At the far end sat an old air hockey table. But he didn’t have time to take much more in before five pair of eyes settled on them.
“Hey,” Makenna said to a big round of greetings. Her brothers—clear from the various shades of red hair—all got up to give her a hug. Which left a fourth guy with blond hair and Ken-doll good looks who Caden didn’t know. Makenna took the tray of appetizers from Caden’s hands as she said, “Uh, guys, this is Caden Grayson.” She introduced her brothers, but seemed suddenly nervous.
“I’m Patrick,” the first brother said, holding out his hand. He was the oldest James brother—seven years older than Makenna if Caden remembered right. Tall with reddish-brown hair and a close-trimmed beard, he wore a friendly smile as they shook.
“Nice to meet you, Patrick. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Caden said.
“I’m Ian,” the next brother said, his expression not as friendly. He stepped back from their handshake fairly quickly and fell into conversation with the mystery blond man—who Makenna was staring at, a frown on her face.
The last brother had the brightest red hair, so red it was almost oran
ge. “Caden, I’m Collin and this is my girlfriend Shima,” he said with a friendly, open smile. Caden shook both of their hands.
Shima pushed her sleek black hair over her shoulder and smiled conspiratorially. “We can stick together today if the James clan decides to gang up on the newcomers.”
Caden chuckled. “You’ve got a deal.”
“Dad made some appetizers,” Makenna said, holding it out to everyone before settling the tray on the coffee table. “So, Cameron, hey. Wow. How long has it been?”
The blond-haired man stepped up to her with a smile Caden didn’t really like. An interested smile. Who was this guy and why did Makenna seem unhappy to see him? “Too long, Makenna. You look great.” He gave her a big, long hug. When the guy finally let her go, he tugged playfully—familiarly—at the end of a strand of her hair. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
With a chuckle, Makenna stepped back. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” She held her hand out to Caden. “Cam, this is Caden Grayson.”
Cameron gave him a quick, assessing look that immediately set Caden’s teeth on edge. They shook in a quick perfunctory greeting, and Caden couldn’t help but wonder why it had just gotten so frosty.
Standing with Ian at his side, Cameron asked, “So what do you do, Caden?”
“I’m a paramedic,” Caden said. “You?”
“I’m a cardiology fellow at Penn,” he said.
“That’s impressive,” Caden said, taking a drink from his can of Coke. A doctor. And not just any doctor, but a specialist. Of course he was.
“Thanks. You have any interest in medical school?” Cameron asked.
“Nope,” Caden said. “Emergency medical services is exactly where I always wanted to be.” Which was the truth. When he was younger, he’d thought about pursuing a medical degree for about five seconds, but what he most wanted was to be there for people in crisis the way someone had once been there for him—out on the streets where things were messy and situations were still evolving and pre-hospital treatment was the difference between life and death. Plus, he hadn’t wanted to spend all those years in school. He didn’t have the patience for it.
“Huh,” Cameron said with a shrug. “Well, good for you.” His response plucked at Caden’s last good nerve. Why did the guy make him feel like there was some competition he didn’t know he was competing in?
Patrick joined their group. “You’re in Arlington, is that right?”
Caden nodded, glad for the break from Cameron. “Yeah.”
“Any chance you know Tony Anselmi? Arlington County police. I went to high school with him,” Patrick said.
“Yeah,” Caden said with a smile. “Our paths cross. I last saw him probably three weeks ago.” As he and Patrick fell into a conversation about Tony and their respective jobs, Caden kept half his attention on the conversation between Makenna, Cameron, and Ian.
“You still crunching numbers?” Cameron asked her, his tone borderline condescending. Or maybe it only sounded patronizing because the guy rubbed Caden the wrong way. Caden frowned, knowing Makenna loved her job as a forensic account.
“Yup,” Makenna said. “You still playing with people’s hearts?”
Cameron burst out laughing.
“Geez, Makenna,” Ian said.
“What? He’s a cardiologist,” she said.
“It’s all good, it’s all good,” Cameron said. He tilted his beer bottle toward her as if in salute. “Touché.”
Smiling, Makenna shook her head and sipped at her sangria.
Soon, they all settled onto the couches and chairs to watch football, which had never really been Caden’s thing, though he didn’t mind watching. Patrick sat in one of the big leather armchairs, and Ian, Collin, and Shima took one of the couches. That left him, Makenna, and Cameron for the other couch. She sat down first, which put him and Cameron on either side of her. Fantastic.
“So, how long have you two been dating?” Ian asked.
Makenna put her hand on Caden’s thigh, and he appreciated the hell out of the claiming gesture. “A little over two months,” she said, giving Caden a smile. Over her shoulder, he saw Cameron and Ian exchange a look. What the hell? Was he imagining this shit? Who was the guy, anyway?
“How about you two?” Makenna said, looking at Collin and Shima. “How long have you been dating?
The couple exchanged smiles, and then Collin said, “Since the end of the summer. We’ve known each other since we both started the Master’s program, but got together at the welcome-back party in August.”
“It’s good when grad students date other grad students,” Shima said. “Because then we don’t bore other people silly with all our foreign policy shop talk.”
Caden smiled. He liked Shima and was really glad she was there. “So, Ian, Makenna told me you’re an engineer. What kinds of things do you work on?” he asked, hoping to get the middle James brother to warm up to him.
“I’m a civil engineer for the city of Philadelphia,” he said. “I focus primarily on road, bridge, and tunnel projects.”
“So it’s all your fault,” Patrick said with a grin.
Ian flipped him the finger as everyone laughed.
“Seriously,” Patrick said, holding a hand out to Caden. “Have you driven around Philly much?” Caden shook his head. As a kid, his family used to roadtrip everywhere, but since the accident, Caden hadn’t traveled much out of the DC area. “Well, trust me, driving in Philly sucks. I would know since I do it every day.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ian said, glaring at his brother. “Same shit, different day.”
“Cameron,” Shima said, “what’s your connection to the Jameses?” Caden wanted to high five her for asking.
“This knucklehead’s my best friend,” Cameron said, pointing at Ian. “Has been since grade school.” Pause. “And Makenna and I dated for what?” He looked at her with a smile. “Three years?”
Dated? Three years? Caden looked at Cameron, who was wearing a satisfied expression that said he knew Caden hadn’t known about their past. And he was right.
“Uh, yeah,” Makenna said. “Three years.”
Three years. Caden had never dated anyone for three years. Hell, Caden had rarely dated at all before Makenna. He took a long drink of his soda.
“We started dating my senior and her sophomore year of college,” he said. Makenna just nodded. Caden ran the mental calculations. She would’ve been about nineteen when they started dating and twenty-two when they broke things off. Which pretty much meant there was no way in hell they hadn’t slept together. Whiiich explained the way the guy had been looking and smiling at her, and how he’d hugged her longer than necessary. He was still into her.
“God, that seems like a million years ago,” Makenna said with a smile. She took a long drink of her sangria.
“Nah,” Cameron said with a wink. “Hey, do you remember that time when we—”
“Can I get some help setting the table?” came Mike’s voice down the stairs.
“I’ll help,” Makenna called, grasping Caden’s hand. “Wanna join me?”
“Yeah,” he said. She could’ve asked him if he wanted to help her clean toilets with toothbrushes and he would’ve agreed. Anything to take a break from Cameron’s smug face, and from the way the man’s eyes followed Makenna’s body as she rose from the couch.
CHAPTER FOUR
Upstairs, Makenna dragged Caden into the hall bathroom and shut the door. “I didn’t know he was going to be here,” she said. From the moment she’d looked up and seen Cameron Hollander standing there, she’d worried about Caden’s reaction. Why hadn’t Dad warned her? Although, she wasn’t sure what she could’ve done even if she’d known.
“Okay,” he said, and then he shrugged. His expression seemed unconcerned, but she knew he was capable of throwing down a shutter over his true feelings when he didn’t want to confront them. Hell, separating himself from his emotions had been half of how he’d survived the aftermath of losing his family, so
he was damn near an expert at it. “It’s fine.”
She dropped her forehead against his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, and breathed him in. “It’s awkward.”
Caden chuckled as he stroked the back of her hair. “Only because he’s still interested.”
Groaning, Makenna shook her head, totally confused by Cam’s presence and annoyed that it might make Caden uncomfortable. Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet Caden’s. “Well I’m not interested in him, in case that needs to be said.” It had been three years since they parted ways, and she’d been over Cam for a long time. He’d made his choice and she’d made her peace with it.
Caden’s dark gaze studied her for a moment. He gave a small shake. “It doesn’t, Makenna. Don’t worry. Although if he stares at your ass or plays with your hair one more time, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.” The pierced eyebrow arched playfully.
She chuckled, but God, she really didn’t want anything to mess up this visit or make Caden feel any more uncomfortable than she knew he already did. She was going to kill Ian, who knew that Makenna was bringing someone home. What the hell had he been thinking? “Would you like to know the story—”
The door handle jiggled.
“Someone’s in here,” she called.
“Okay,” came Ian’s voice.
“Let’s go help with the table,” Caden said. “We can talk later.”
She nodded, and thrilled when he bent down and gave her a long, slow, wet kiss full of heat and passion and tongue. From the first time they’d kissed in the darkness of that elevator, his kissing skills had totally owned her. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” she asked in a breathy voice when he pulled away.
The smile he gave her brought out his dimples. “I don’t know, but you taste like apples and cinnamon.”
“It’s my sangria. You should try some.”
“I think I will.” His big hand slipped behind her neck as he kissed her again. A deep, exploring kiss. “Mmm, that’s good,” he rasped.
