by Willow Aster
I need space. I need to find my own way.
She shakes her head. “Fine. But that’s far from Jeremy as well.”
My jaw drops.
“Not this again. Maman, I came back here after school and I gave it a shot, I truly did. Jeremy and I will always be friends. He’s part of the family. But we are long done. It’s been months. And besides, we’re in Brooklyn right now!” I laugh. Sometimes she amazes me with her snobbery.
She makes a face. “I tried to talk your father out of this location.” She sighs. “But Jeremy is your soul mate…”
“He is not.” I can’t help but laugh. Jeremy is a lot of things, but a soul mate … no. He’s a complete narcissist, so the only person he’d be a soul mate for is himself. “He wasn’t even faithful when we were together. How does that not bother you?”
“Boys will be boys, darling. It’s very French of him. He’ll outgrow it. He’s a Toussaint,” she says the word like the name is royalty. “Our families go way back, you two were meant to be together.”
“We’re over. You all need to get on board with that.”
“Get on board with what?” Jeremy’s voice startles me as he comes up behind me and wraps his hands around my waist. I don’t miss the way the hostess watches us when I look up to find her staring. I’m quite certain they were sleeping together when we were still dating. “Are we getting on board with a possible engagement?”
Yes. He has the nerve to speak of an engagement when we aren’t even together. And the man is not grieving our breakup. He has a weird obsession with my family and keeping me as his side piece works to his favor. My father is a well-known restaurateur and he brought Jeremy in as a partner to Dussaint Cafe. Yes, they merged our two last names, Dubois and Toussaint, to create a unique one. Just like Jeremy wants to do with our two families. Apparently old money joined with old money makes for lots of new money.
His words, not mine.
But much like our merging, the name means nothing. It’s a pretty word with no substance behind it. I think the name is ridiculous and have told Jeremy and my parents so. And like everything else, they have ignored my feelings and gone ahead with it like we’re all in this together. Another reason I most likely don’t feel any connection to the place. The most hurtful part of this entire situation is my father’s reaction. I feel like he’s completely pulled away from me. He’s always had my back and I never thought he would react this way to me ending things with my boyfriend.
“Engagement? You have lost your mind. Both of you. I-I don’t know how to even say this. I’ve tried gently and I’ve tried yelling it. We are over. And in fact … Jeremy...” I take a deep breath and go for it. “I am seeing someone. He won’t appreciate the fact that you aren’t letting this go.”
Jeremy looks stunned for a moment and then his head falls back in laughter. “Please, Cosette. We both know that’s not true. Where would you have met someone? All you do is work these days.”
“We’ve been broken up for three months. And we weren’t happy the few months that we were together. You’ve certainly moved on with more than I can count. Why wouldn’t I?” I’ve shaken him off me and turned to face him. My hands are on my hips. I don’t want to be cruel, but I’m done being walked on by both him and my mother. And I’m hoping my father will realize how he’s hurt me most of all. I expected Jeremy and my mother to react this way. They are completely predictable. But my father—never in a million years would I have thought he’d be so distant.
“Who are you dating then?” Jeremy smirks, and Louie lunges from my mother’s purse and catches his forearm with his snaggletooth. Jeremy jolts away and my mother gasps as if this is shocking. Louie has hated my ex-boyfriend since the first time they met. This is not new.
I look up to see the front door swing open, and Caden Taylor steps inside with more swagger than should be allowed for one man. Tall, with light brown hair and dark eyes that are impossible to look away from. His gaze locks with mine and he smiles. He has a smile that reaches his eyes, and my breath catches at the sight of him.
“Hello? Earth to Cosette. Why are you staring at him? Is he the guy? Isn’t he a construction worker from the Bronx?” Jeremy says with such disdain, I can’t help but roll my eyes.
The man is so snobby I can barely stand to be in his presence any longer. If it weren’t for the love I have for his family, I’d have walked away and never looked back.
“Yes. We’re together. And he’s an incredible developer, so I’d appreciate it if you’d show him the respect that he deserves.” I raise a brow at both Jeremy and my mother. She’s busy shoving Louie back down in the plush silk lining that he’s grown accustomed to.
“Caden Taylor? You’re dating him?” my mother finally says, as she glances over at him and back to me. “He’s so … American.”
“He sure is.” I curtsy with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’d like to greet him properly.”
My hands are shaking when I storm away, and Caden’s gaze doesn’t leave mine as I close the space between us, ignoring all the people waving and smiling at me as I do so. I know my mother and Jeremy are watching and I need to make a point, once and for all. This madness needs to stop. I’m just hoping Caden is willing to play along.
“Hey,” I say as a wide grin spreads across his face. His brother Gus is beside him, but I don’t have time to greet him just yet. “I need a favor. Will you play along with something?”
“You don’t even have to ask,” his voice is smooth and confident.
I glance over my shoulder to see my mother and Jeremy watching me. Jeremy smirks, as if he doesn’t believe anything about this.
It’s time to up my game.
I push up on my tiptoes and wrap my hands around Caden’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine. I only intend to peck his perfect lips, just enough to get my point across. But when his mouth covers mine and his hands reach up to hold either side of my face, everything changes. I step in closer, enjoying the hard heat of his body, and his tongue slips in, deepening our kiss.
I couldn’t pull away if I wanted to.
And I most definitely don’t want to.
I haven’t been kissed like this … ever.
My first kiss was with Jeremy Toussaint on my fifteenth birthday. It was a bit traumatizing, if I’m being honest. But I assumed all first kisses were bad back then. I had a few boyfriends after I left for school to attend ESMOD International in France. And when I returned to the States, Jeremy had been shoved down my throat. Literally and figuratively, if that says anything about Jeremy and his aggressive tongue kiss.
But Caden’s kiss is sweet. Soft. Yet commanding at the same time. His thumb caresses my jaw. Goose bumps cover my skin, and my heart races. His tongue is exploring and tasting like he’s been dying to do this for as long as I have.
There’s nothing about this that I don’t like. So maybe I’ve been crushing on the guy since the first time we met. But I had a boyfriend, or at least I was supposed to give things with Jeremy a try. I’ve always thought Caden was hotter than hot and now his kiss backs that up even more.
“Holy hellfire. I need to find me a woman or go take a cold shower,” Gus says beside us and I’m brought back to reality.
I’m in a public place.
At the opening of my parents’ restaurant.
And my ex-boyfriend is a partner.
I pull back, my eyes blinking up at Caden.
“That ought to do the trick,” I whisper, as I pat the front of my periwinkle dress in place.
Caden chuckles. “I hope not. I wouldn’t mind doing that again.”
I can feel the heat on my neck and cheeks, and he slowly pulls his hand away from my face. I miss the contact the minute we aren’t touching.
My mother walks up behind me and breaks my trance. “Well, this is such a surprise. Hello, Caden. And is it—Goose?” she says when she looks at Gus, who’s staring at her like she has three heads.
“Goose?�
�
“Your name. I’ve only met you once. It’s Goose Taylor, right?”
His jaw drops, because Gus can’t even fathom that someone would forget his name. I turn to my mother. “Maman, this is Gus Taylor. You’ve met him several times.”
This is a little trick my mother likes to play when she wants to intimidate someone. I know this because I’ve been on the receiving end of her spite many times. Not that she could forget my name, but she has a gift for making her opponents feel small, including her daughter when I’m not on board with her plan. Not my sister, Juliette. She can do no wrong in my mother’s eyes. I look around for Juliette. She probably had a facial that she couldn’t miss.
“Oh, yes. I must be mixing you up with your other brothers, Splinter and Jackal.”
Now Caden’s head falls back in laughter and Gus looks like he’s been slapped.
“Spence and Jesse,” Caden says as he straightens himself, extending his hand. “Hello, Vivienne, thank you for the invite.”
“Well, had I known you were dating my daughter, I would have personally invited you.” She eyes him, flashing her best smile, but I know she’s conspiring.
“I’m sorry. We were waiting for the perfect time to speak to you about it,” Caden says, and he reaches for my hand. I can’t believe he’s willing to cover for me like this.
I lean into him and smile.
“I see. How long have you two been carrying on? I hope not during the time that Cosi was dating our Jeremy?” she says, turning sharply to face Caden. Her purse has now shifted beside Gus who just noticed Louie inside the purse. I want to warn him, but I’m too caught up in the conversation at the moment.
Our Jeremy.
“Well, seeing as your Jeremy was carrying on with other women while he and I were together, it’s tough to know exactly what the timeline really is,” I hiss, surprising both my mother and myself with my hostility.
“Tell the truth, baby.” Caden squeezes my hand, and I swear I melt into a puddle right there. He’s laying it on thick and I am so here for it. “We waited a respectable amount of time, because even though your Jeremy didn’t show my girl the respect she deserves, my Cosette would never stoop that low. We’ve been together for six weeks.”
I bite down on my bottom lip and look up to see Gus reach his hand into the purse as I come out of my Caden-induced daze. No sound leaves my mouth as I shriek for him to stop, just a loud squeak rumbles from my chest. Louie lunges out of the purse like a warrior under attack. My mother gasps, and Louie locks onto Gus Taylor’s pinky finger like it’s a piece of bologna. He squeals and cries out in pain, and Caden moves toward the dog.
“Hey, there, buddy. Let go.” He rubs the top of Louie’s head and the dog is putty in his hands. Louie releases Gus, who rubs his pinky fervently after he yanks it away.
“What the fuck was that? That little bastard gummed me something fierce,” he says, leaning down to investigate Louie’s mouth. “Well, I guess that makes sense now seeing as the little dude doesn’t have a lot of teeth.”
“That is so out of character for Louie François,” my mother says, trying to shove him back into her purse, but he’s licking Caden like his hand is wrapped in beef jerky.
Out of character? Gus isn’t even the first person Louie’s gummed tonight. The dog has bit everyone we know. Even in my own family, he’s bit my mother, my father, and my sister. Our doorman needed two stitches after Louie tried to take his hand off for handing my mother a flower delivery. I’m the only one he’s never attacked, and apparently, Caden Taylor just made the cut.
“So this makes sense why you’ve found a condo for my Cosi. You want to keep her close. How convenient.”
“Not much I wouldn’t do for her,” Caden says, sounding completely genuine, and I shoot him a look of thanks. I don’t know how long he’ll be willing to keep up this escapade, but I’m thankful for the reprieve tonight.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Cosi, I expect some time with you in the morning before you head to the hotel to work.” This is my mother’s way of letting me know we will be discussing this further. This is not the time or the place. The Dubois are all about appearances. “Caden, it’s been a pleasure. Why don’t you and Goose go get a cocktail? They’re free. I’m sure you’ll like that.”
I close my eyes at her words. The woman never misses an opportunity to stick it to someone. Caden just chuckles. Gus doesn’t even attempt to correct her this time. She marches off, and I release a breath that I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.
“I don’t even know what to say. Gus, I’m so sorry about Louie and the whole Goose thing. And Caden, I don’t want you to worry. I’ll get you out of this quickly. You won’t have to keep this charade up after tonight.”
“Do I appear worried?” he asks, and his voice is so sexy that my tongue swipes out to wet my bottom lip because my mouth has gone dry. I glance down at Gus’ hand and don’t see any teeth marks. I think Louie really did just gum him this time. If he catches you with the snaggletooth, it can do some serious damage.
“Listen, you two figure it out. Goose needs a cocktail. I’ll be back.” He moves past us and heads for the bar.
“Your ex keeps staring at us. How about we send the message home?” Caden says, trailing the pad of his thumb along my cheek.
“I like the sound of that,” I whisper, and he wraps his arms around me and holds me against his chest.
“Good. Because I’m just getting started.”
Chapter Three
Caden
“What’s up, Goose?” I say when Gus walks into the lobby of The Lux Hotel where we spend most of our time.
“Shut the fuck up, you fake-dating dickcracker.”
Laughter breaks out behind him as Spence and Jesse stroll in. “What did we miss?” Jesse asks.
“I believe the lovely Vivienne Dubois thinks your name is Jackass,” he says to Jesse, and Spence’s head falls back in laughter. “Don’t laugh, dude, she called you shit for brains.”
Now I’m laughing, which I don’t have time for because we have a lot going on today. The top floor is almost finished and we’re working our way down. We’ve got guys in the lobby working on the ceiling details, and Cosette has shipments arriving daily. She had a meeting at her office with her mother this morning, so she hasn’t shown up just yet. After that kiss last night, you could say I’m slightly eager to see her again.
“She did not. She called them Splinter and Jackal,” I say over my laughter.
“Is that any better? What the hell does that mean?” Spence grumps before holding his finger up when his phone rings. “Got to take this.”
“Jackal’s kind of a cool name. I’ll take it.” Jesse shrugs.
“You would be agreeable to Jackal.” I wrap my arm around Hot Hair, my youngest brother’s fitting nickname. His hair reaches the heavens and then some. “You’re agreeable to everything.”
“Is that so bad?” he asks, grinning.
“Not one bit.”
My phone vibrates and I grin when I see that it’s Cosette.
I’m dying a bit about last night. I should’ve never asked you to lie for me.
It doesn’t even take me two seconds to start typing back. Lying for you was the most fun I’ve had in a while.
I see the dots and then nothing, dots and then nothing. Finally, another comes through.
Well. :) If you really mean that, how would you feel about ONE dinner at my house? My mom is having a hard time buying into us dating and I would dearly love to get her off of my back about my ex.
I grin at my phone and Spence laughs, nudging me as he walks by. “This girl’s got Caden all twisted up. I like her already.”
I text back. I’d be happy to come to dinner. When? What time?
Tonight at 7.
Damn. She’s not messing around.
Count me in. And my sweet darling?
Yes, lover?
Fuck, I like the sound of her calling me that. You have a wonder
ful day. XO
You’re really good at this.
I aim to please.
I cannot stop smiling. On a whim, I call up one of the florists we’ve used for our lobbies in the buildings we own. She answers on the first ring.
“Whimsy Floral, this is Alice.”
“Hey, it’s Caden. How are ya?”
“Caden, my favorite Taylor! I’m great. What can I do for you?”
“Well, if I didn’t know you said that to all of us Taylors, I’d be feeling on top of the world right about now. Doggone it, Alice.”
She giggles and I realize making a seventy-year-old woman giggle is right up there with cotton candy at a baseball game. Pretty damn sweet.
“If you have time today, I’d love the biggest floral arrangement you can pull off in a short amount of time. Something sophisticated, yet whimsical ... like you’d see a beautiful blonde fairy tucked in the wild blooms on a summer day…”
“Oh wow. Mr. Caden Taylor.” She laughs. “You have me all twitterpated. I love the sound of this. I’m busy this morning, but your description makes me want to drop everything and work on this instead.”
I don’t know what came over me. Those words just sort of dropped out of my mouth. I look around to make sure my brothers aren’t still close. Fortunately for my ass, they’re across the lobby and in conversation.
I chuckle awkwardly, trying to get some semblance of manhood back. Did I really just say fairy tucked in the wild blooms out loud? Fuck me to France, I did.
Alice still sounds swoony when she says, “Don’t you fret, I will have this whipped up for you within the hour. I cannot wait. I am already envisioning the magnificence.”
“It’s why we love you so much, Alice. Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Caden. Now … who is this fairy dream for?”
“Miss Cosette Dubois.”
“Oh, what an elegant name. Can you spell that for me?”
I do and give her the address of Dubois Designs. When she wants to know what should be on the card, I hesitate. What do you say to a fake girlfriend of one day?
