by BJ Harvey
“Cade?”
I snap out of my fantasy and meet her dancing eyes in the mirror.
“You’re imagining me doing something, aren’t you?” she asks, and my head jerks back.
“I’ve heard of women’s intuition, but that is just freaky.”
She shrugs. “I call it my superpower. Besides, it’s easy when you’re pitching a tent in your pants and you’ve got that same goofy grin on your face that you get when I’m giving you head.”
“See?” I say, standing up and making my way into the bathroom, fitting my body—and hard-on—to her back. “You must be a mind reader.”
“No, I’m just tele-pathetic,” she replies, pushing her ass back into me, causing a groan to rumble in my chest.
“Back to the question at hand . . .” Her eyes dance with amusement as my cock twitches at the mere mention of hands, my man brain taking it as if she’d said she was going to take me in hers. “What can I expect tonight?”
“Same crowd as the fundraiser, but with Christmas decorations, music, and faux holiday joy,” I say dryly.
“Right. The difference this time is I have more parent-buffers.”
“This coming from the original mother-buffer?” I ask with a quirked brow.
“There’s a lot to be said for buffering.” A wicked grin appears on her face, making me want to kiss it away. I reach around and grab hold of her chin, turning her mouth to mine. I lean forward and brush my lips against hers.
“What about if I buff you before we go?” I ask in that low, deep voice I know makes her wet.
“I’m game if you are,” she breathes, her eyes now half-mast and way-the-fuck turned on. Mission accomplished.
“Sorry, haven’t got time. We’ll have to take a rain check,” I announce, stepping back and spinning around on my heels before walking out of the room and to the kitchen, chuckling at her frustrated growl behind my back.
A few moments later, Abi appears in the living room dressed, primed, and ready for whatever the night will bring, Downing my drink, I make my way over to her, kissing her cheek—since she turned her lips away when I went in for the kill—and lacing my fingers with hers before leading her out the door and down to my parked car.
Thirty minutes later, we’re pulling into my ostentatious childhood home, waiting in line behind the queue of cars waiting for the valets.
“Woah,” she says when we pull up outside the front of the house, waving off the hired attendant and stopping my car in front of the four-car garage to the side of the house.
Turning off the engine, I turn in my seat towards her. “What’s whoa?”
“This house. It’s kind of crazy big.”
“And over the top?” I ask.
Her lips twitch. “That too.”
“Very different to mine, that’s for sure.”
“Let me guess—you probably went to an all-boys boarding school.”
I grin. “Co-ed actually.”
“Oh God. Those poor, innocent females.”
“I’ll have you know that there were a lot of them who weren’t so innocent. In fact, I owe those girls for corrupting me.”
She raises her eyebrow and studies me. “Like you could ever be corrupted.”
I burst out laughing. “I was virginal once.”
“Probably for a millisecond,” she mutters. “You are far too skilled not to have years, even decades of experience under your well-notched belt.”
My smirk must say it all because she just shakes her head at me. “Shall we get this party started?”
“Yeah, I think you need a drink and I need to find Cam and Callie to see what the plan of attack is for tonight.”
“Kiss for good luck?” she asks, puckering her lips in my direction.
Like I’m gonna ever say no to that. I lean in and—again—she gives me her cheek. “Abi,” I growl, nipping her ear.
“Think of how hot it’ll be when you finally do get my lips,” she whispers.
“Do not make me walk into this party with a hard-on, Spitfire.”
“I’m just giving you something to think about when your parents piss you right the fuck off. Which you know they will, because they always do.” She reaches over and grabs my hand, giving me a reassuring squeeze as she meets my eyes. “One look, and we’ll leave. No questions asked, and no turning back. I’d rather you do that than something crazy that’ll land you on the front page of the dailies tomorrow.”
“Dad may be a dick, but he’d never let one of his sons get arrested—well, at least not at his prized event. That would take too much attention away from him,” I reply with a chuckle. “
“Right, then let’s go get this sideshow on the road.”
And with that, I get out of the car and make my way around to open Abi’s door, and we walk hand-in-hand into the party.
The moment Abi and I walk through the front door, Dad’s campaign manager pounces and tries to usher me away from Abi to ‘discuss the night’s schedule.’ Suffice to say, he’s soon put in his place and tightening my grip on Abi, I continue making my way into the party, giving false smiles and handshakes in the face of Mom and Dad’s puffed up ‘happy families’ act. We get away from my parents without saying a word, Annabel still dark at me for not attending Thanksgiving.
“That was worse than last time. I swear your mom has had Botox. Did you see her forehead? It wasn’t moving,” Abi muses quietly.
“It’s her yearly Christmas present to herself. The only reason you didn’t see it last time was because it was probably wearing off.”
“Cade!” she says, giving me a playful shove.
“Spousal abuse,” Thomas says, sounding a little too drunk for a Christmas party, even if it is at Cade Senior and Annabel’s. “I saw that, man. You tell me if you need help escaping her”—he jerks his head towards Abi—”and I’ll be your safe haven.”
Abi bursts out laughing, sending me a wink before hooking her arm around Thomas’s neck and letting him lead her in the direction of a waiter with drinks.
I spot my brother standing in a half circle with Daniel, Noah, Zander, Zach, Sean, and Jonathan in the corner of my parents’ great room—yes, they actually call it that—each of them holding a tumbler of whiskey. My eyes follow their line of sight to find their women standing in a huddle around a sitting Callie.
My mother in all her thoughtfulness, decided to issue an open invite to everyone I know it seems. Although part of me thinks all of my friends are here because they’re hoping that something will happen given that they either know what my parents are like, or know what they’ve done.
I greet the boys with a jerk of my chin. “Hey, you guys look like you’re settled in for the night.”
“The women are being entertained by your niece’s contortion attempts in Callie’s stomach,” Jonathan says with a laugh. “I’m not sure my wife is feeling so shit-hot about it but it is rather entertaining to watch.”
“I bet.” I walk over to Cam, giving him a man-hug before standing beside him.
“It’s uncanny seeing you two together again,” Daniel says, looking between Cam and I.
Noah nods his head. “It definitely doesn’t help that you both chose to wear the same tux.”
I look at my brother, not even realizing that Noah’s right—Cam and I are virtually identical tonight. “Dammit. We need to coordinate this shit,” I reply with a laugh.
“Be a man!” Cam says, in his best Russell Peters voice.
“You be a man,” I retort.
The guys go quiet, and I turn my head to see them all looking at us.
“That’s some weird private twin joke shit,” Zander jibes, Daniel and Noah chuckling while the others just grin and shake their heads at us.
“This party is awesome,” Thomas announces, arriving back from the bar, Abi following behind him giving me a weird eyes-bugging-out-of-her-head look.
I wonder if he pre-loaded at home before arriving because he looks toasted. I don’t really want contemplate what els
e it could be because the only other feasible option is a body-snatcher scenario.
When Abi comes up beside me, she looks at me and—as if hearing my silent question of ‘what the hell is up with him?’—she shrugs and shakes her head.
“Everything okay?” Abi asks Thomas, putting her hand on his forearm and thankfully distracting him long enough for me to steal the drink out of his hand.
“Of course, Abby Cadabby,” he replies, pulling her into his side and wrapping an arm around her waist. “Cade. I’m going to steal your little pocket rocket.”
I shake my head and smirk. “Well, firstly, she’s not exactly small, she’s close to six foot in those heels,” I reply, nodding down to her feet, “and second, she’s mine, and you can’t have her.”
“Told you he wasn’t one to share,” Cam says with a laugh behind me.
“I think Abi is a little different from toys and Playboy mags,” Callie muses, walking—more like shuffling—towards us and cuddling up to Jonathan. “Hey guys,” she says to the group.
“Now the truth comes out,” Noah says with a grin. “Do tell me, Cam, did Cade have an extensive collection?”
“Hardly,” I scoff, grabbing a champagne glass off a passing waiter’s tray. “It was Cam that bypassed magazines and went straight to the pay-per-view chat rooms.”
Callie’s eyes bug out of her head along with everyone else’s, before Cam’s head falls back and he bursts out laughing. “Fuck I’ve missed you,” he says.
“Right back at ya, brother.”
“Does this mean you’re not a fan of pay-per-view chatrooms?” Abi whispers in my ear. “Because I have this fantasy about—”
I cover her mouth with my hand and glare at her. “Oh no, Spitfire. You’re not getting me all worked up again. If you do, I’ll have to deal with it, and I don’t think you’ll want to make a scene when I carried you out of here over my shoulder.” I nod at her, waiting for her to repeat my gesture before I move my hand and fuck, if her eyes aren’t dilated, her breathing a little more labored than before.
“I also have a caveman one . . .”
Kill me now.
Soon, the rest of the women follow Callie’s lead, walking up to their respective men but not before making their way around the half circle and giving the rest of us hugs and kisses.
Unfortunately, it’s then that there’s a loud clinking of silver on glass, everyone’s attention turning toward the front of the room where—in front of the fireplace, like a scene from a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie—stand my parents, a microphone in my father’s hand.
Before I realize what’s happening, Dad’s says our names, and the attention of the room has turned to our corner.
“Please give a round of applause for our three amazing children, Callinda, Cameron, and Cade, as they make their way to the front of the room.”
Fuck. They instigated the sneak attack.
I try to bring Abi with me but she wriggles her hand free, giving me a squeeze and a meaningful look before Cam pushes me forward. “If you were ever gonna stick it to them, this is the time.”
I turn my head toward him. He’s deadly serious and from the look in his eye, whatever I do, I know he’ll have my back.
Just as we reach our parents, Callie gives me the last boost I need. “If you need me, give me a sign and I’ll really give them a show.”
What the hell does that mean?
“First, many of you will know that we’re soon to be blessed with our first Carsen grandchild, unfortunately not a boy . . .” my father says disgracefully. I glance at Callie to find her looking out at the crowd with the well-practiced fake Carsen smile on her face, all of us being used to our farcical happy family for way too long now. “But we’ll soon have a beautiful Carsen princess to dote over.”
“Hawkins,” Callie mutters her married name under her breath. Mom catches it and glares at her before returning to her role as doting wife while my father continues talking.
“And our son Cameron,” Dad says, gesturing towards Cam, “has just returning from serving our country overseas on his second deployment. We’re so very proud of his sacrifice and are so very grateful to have him home safe for the holidays.”
“Considering this is the first time I’ve seen them since I got back Stateside, they must be real proud,” Cam says quietly, turning his head towards me. “If you’re gonna do something, it’s now or never, man.”
I meet his eyes and know that for whatever reason, it seems that I’m gonna have to be the one to take a stand, and having heard the absolute bullshit that’s just come out of my father’s mouth, and remembering everything both of my parents put us through as kids, as well as what they’ve done to Abi and Jonathan, I think I’m just about ready to let rip if Dad says one more thing that rubs me up the wrong way.
Looking out to the crowd, I scan the room and catch Abi’s eyes. Her face beams with pride and I know then and there that whatever happens tonight, tomorrow, or twenty years from now, I’ve got the girl, I’ve got a career I love, I’ve got my brother and sister, and the family of friends that I chose. I don’t need to continue to strive to be the man I was never taught to be by my father because I’m already there.
“And lastly, there’s our son Cade, who’s now an Emergency Medicine Specialist at NorthWestern thanks in part to our sizeable donation to—”
“I’ll have to stop you there, Dad,” I say, taking a step forward, buoyed by the fact that my brother and sister are at my back, Abi and my friends at my front. “I’d like to think my career was earned by me.” I look out at the crowd, then chance a glance at my parents to see my shell-shocked—or maybe Abi was right about too much Botox—mother and seething father. I continue, “See, the one thing I have learned from my parents is about taking things at face value. Public opinion is a fickle thing, something many of you will be more than aware of given the circles you socialize within. But the one thing I’ll leave you with is this, and I think my parents should pay special attention to what I’m about to say next.”
I turn sideways and look at my mom and dad, the two people swore to myself I would never ever become, before delivering the final nail in the coffin on my relationship with them. “Reputations are like a house of cards. One swift blow and it all comes crashing down.”
The entire room goes deathly quiet. I swear you’d probably hear a squirrel fart if you listened closely enough. Then the air is filled with the sound of reporters muttering then calling out questions, camera shutters clicking and flashes bright enough to blind us.
But before I can say anything else, my sister decides it’s her turn to make a scene.
“Ah, Jonathan, honey,” Callie calls down to the back of the room, her hand darting to her belly and her knees clenching together. “I think you might be getting your Christmas present early,” she explains, drawing her brows together and grimacing.
“Holy shit!” Cam swears but thankfully, I slip straight into doctor mode, moving towards my sister and hooking my arm around her back, Cam flanking her other side just as Jonathan arrives. Throughout all of this, Mom and Dad don’t move a muscle, both standing there frozen as if they can’t believe that a) their son would have the audacity to say what I did to them in front of the city’s most prominent and powerful, and b) their daughter would dare go into early labor and draw the attention of the evening away from them.
But more importantly, my full attention is on my beautiful sister who I’m guessing is soon going to be a mom. “Jon, call ahead to the OB/GYN and let them know we’re on our way to maternity.”
Callie sags against me and starts panting, exactly how she would’ve been taught in Lamaze classes, clutching her stomach and screaming like a banshee.
“I’ll bring the car around. Meet us out front,” Jonathan says, kissing his wife’s forehead and running through the parted crowd, thanks to Daniel, Noah, Zander, Thomas, and Zach using their initiative and making a path for us.
“We’re going to be grandparents!” I hear
my father announce to the crowd behind us, and if I needed proof that I’d just made the right decision in turning my back on my parents, that would’ve been it right there.
Cam and I help Callie out to the lobby, my heart full to bursting for my sister and brother-in-law. Abi and the rest of the gang, follow us out to the driveway just as Jonathan pulls up and rushes out of the car, running around the hood and opening the passenger door.
“Is the front door closed?” Callie says, sounding weirdly calm.
“What, sweetheart?” I reply.
“Is the door closed?” she whispers. Cam looks back to the house then down to our sister.
“Yeah, Cal. It’s shut. It’s just us and Cade and Abi’s friends now.”
“Oh thank fuck for that,” she says, pulling out of our hold and standing up straight, brushing down her dress as if she’d just finished the biggest performance of her life.
“What the fuck?” Thomas stage-whispers behind us.
“That’s what I wanna know,” Jonathan asks, standing in front of us with his hands on his hips, glaring at his wife. “Tell me you didn’t just fake labor to get us out of your parents’ Christmas party.”
Callie at least pretends to look guilty, considering she probably stole ten years off her husband’s life when she announced she was going to have their baby early. “It was getting boring and Cade needed an out,” she says with a shrug. “So I gave him one.”
I gape at her, not sure whether to throttle the woman or kiss her.
Cam butts in before I can say anything. “You’re a fucking genius, Cal. I honestly thought I was about to become an uncle.”
Abi sidles up next to me, and still flabbergasted by the events of the past ten minutes, I wrap my arm around her shoulders, struggling to get my head around it all.
“Oh come on, baby, none of us wanted to be there. We only came to watch Cade get his own back on Cade Senior and Annabel. Now that’s done, we can go get drunk!” Cal proclaims.
