“You don’t need to say anything.” Cade maneuvered me away from him a little. His face was level with mine as he swiped away the trailing tears. “All I asked was that you came to me, and you did.” He moved his face closer, the green flecks in his blue eyes shining bright. “That was all I asked of you.”
“You don’t want to shout at me?” I asked, feeling so much like the insecure girl I knew I was deep down.
“No, baby.” His lips curved into a grin. “I don’t want to shout at you.” He flicked his gaze down to my lips and then whispered his against mine in a gentle caress. My breath caught in my throat, and I pressed down harder. It had been too long since his last touch.
My cell rang out from my bag, but I ignored it as I pushed my hand through his hair and held him in place. I needed this. I needed him. More than he would ever know.
His gruff laugh cut us off. “You might wanna get that.”
I groaned and reached over for my bag, seeing my mom’s name on the screen of my cell. “Crap.” I climbed off his lap and swung open the door, realizing where we were. “It’s my mom.”
Cade raised a brow at me, and slowly maneuvered himself out of his car, exuding a calm I could only dream of feeling. How the hell did he do that? “Come on,” Cade said with a grin on his face. “I’ll walk you inside.”
He held his hand out to me, but I didn’t take it. This wasn’t the time or place, and when I shook my head at it, he looked down and frowned. “I keep forgetting.” He blew out a breath, and we both started to walk across the lot. “I hate that I can’t do the things with you that I really want to do.”
I stared up at him. “And what would that be?”
He blinked down at me. “Dates…Movies, dinner, long walks on the beach.”
“We don’t live by a beach.” I pursed my lips to hold in my laugh.
“You know what I mean.” Cade pulled open the door to the diner. “All that romantic shit.”
“Ahhh.” I placed my hand on my chest. “Be still my beating heart.”
Cade laughed, and I smiled wide at him. Only he could pull that smile out of me.
“Finally!” Mom shouted, and both of us whipped our heads around to face her as she practically ran across the diner to us. “We’ve been waiting forever. What took so long?”
I swallowed and opened my mouth, preparing to lie to her for the thousandth time, but Cade beat me to it. “My fault. I had some paperwork to finish off.”
“Oh.” Mom waved her hand in the air. “Never mind, you’re here now.” She twirled around and headed toward the right side of the diner where the booths were. “You joining us today, Cade?”
“Erm…I actually need to—”
“Good. Come sit.”
I snickered at the way Mom cut him off. “You won’t win with her. You should already know that.”
Cade raised a brow and dipped down to whisper, “Why does this feel like I’m meeting your parents for the first time?” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hold in my snort. “Should I have brought flowers?”
“Shut up.” I walked ahead of him and slid into the booth, but I wasn’t expecting Cade to sit next to me.
“I’ll go get you kids some drinks,” Mom said, and spun back toward the main counter.
“Kids,” Cade mumbled. “I haven’t been a kid for nearly a decade.”
I raised a brow and turned to face him. “You’ll always be a kid to her.”
“Yeah.” His lips slowly spread into a smile. “I spent so much time here growing up.” He glanced around the diner and then stopped on my face. “Lola tutored me here when I was failing my classes. We’d always have a shake and fries after.”
“Lola tutored you?” I asked, surprised by this tidbit of information.
Cade laughed and swiped his hand through his hair, making it stick up. “Yeah. I was failing English and math, and Lola was already working here and looking to tutor, so my mom hired her.” He shook his head. “I never thought she’d end up with my dad.”
“That’s not how they met, though, is it?”
“Nah.” Cade looked away from me as Mom walked across the diner. “They met when he was undercover.”
I’d heard the stories of how they met, and couldn’t help but wonder how Cade felt about it all. He was only a teenager at the time when his whole life was turned upside down.
“So…” Mom trailed off as she placed our drinks in front of us and slid in the booth opposite us. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” I told her, the same thing I always said. There was never much to tell her about my day, mainly because I didn’t want her to know. If I gave her a rundown of every little thing that happened at school, she’d never stop asking.
Mom nodded like she’d expected me to say that. “Cade?”
“Same.” I jumped when his hand landed on my knee, his fingers trailing up to my thigh and landing over my scars. I wondered if he knew where he was touching. “Aria got her personal best time on the track today.”
“You did?” Mom asked, jumping in her seat and clapping her hands. “That’s freaking awesome.”
“What’s awesome?” Sal’s gruff voice asked. “Why’s Cade here?”
“He dropped Aria off. I told him he had to stay.”
“Gotcha,” Sal said and slid into the booth next to Mom. “So what’s awesome?”
“Aria got her personal best on the track,” Mom told him, her eyes beaming, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was a disappointment.
“Proud of you, Ri,” Sal said. “You’ll be off to the Olympics soon.”
I ducked my head as my cheeks burned. It wasn’t that they’d never said it before, I just…had never believed them. But one squeeze of Cade’s hand on my leg told me he felt the same. Maybe this was when everything would change. Maybe being me would be enough and I wouldn’t need the relief anymore.
Maybe…maybe I could start over and forget about the past.
If only it were easy.
Chapter Eleven
ARIA
“Ahoy, matey!” Asher shouted from where he was standing on the sofa. He held up his foam sword and readjusted his eye patch. “You walk the plank!”
“You walk the plank!” Belle shouted back, her own eye patch in place, but she also had a stuffed parrot attached to her shoulder using one of Lola’s scarfs. They always battled for who was the captain of the Easton Ship, and almost always, Belle won the fight, and she made Asher walk the plank.
But today Asher was having none of it.
“I need to count the treasure, Belle!” He huffed and rolled his eyes.
“That’s Captain Belle to you.” She moved her head from side to side and planted her hands on her hips.
“Nu-uh, I’m the captain!” Asher shouted back and lunged across the sofa to where she was standing.
“Guys.” I leaped forward, knowing a full-out war would ensue if I didn’t step in. “You can both be captain.”
“There’s only one captain of this ship!” Belle raised her hands in the air. “And that’s—”
“Me,” a new voice said.
We all froze, our eyes widening, and then both kids launched themselves off the sofa and made a mad dash for the newcomer.
“Cade!” Belle shouted, her parrot wobbling precariously and nearly falling off her shoulder. “Tell Asher that, as the oldest Easton daughter, I get to be captain.”
Cade reached down for Asher and threw him up onto his shoulders. “No can do, PB. I’m the captain.”
“What?” She stomped her foot and twirled around to face me. “Aria, the boys are being mean to me!”
I raised my brows and tried my absolute hardest to keep a straight face. “Boys—”
“Why are boys so mean?” Belle asked, her little face starting to collapse, and I couldn’t take it. Her bottom lip wobbled, and I practically ran toward her.
“Don’t cry, Belle.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and brought her to my chest as I looked up at Cade and
gave him my best death stare. “Apologize, Cade.”
“What?” He pulled Asher off his shoulders and placed him on his hip. “What the hel—heck?”
“You made PB cry,” Asher told him. “Youse mean.”
“What? Me?” Cade pointed at his chest and blew out a big breath. “I’m sorry, PB. You can be the captain, okay?”
Belle sniffled and burrowed into my chest. “I’m not your friend.” She hiccupped, and Cade’s face dropped. If there was one thing that could make him give in, it was a girl crying, especially if said girl was his only sister.
“Ahhh, shit.” He crouched down in front of us with Asher still attached to him. “I’m really sorry, PB. Please stop crying.” Cade wrapped his free arm around Belle and me, and Asher wrapped his small arm around my head.
“Only if you take me somewhere,” Belle said and slowly lifted her head. Her small hands wiped at the tears streaming down her face.
“Anywhere,” Cade said, his large hand cupping the back of her head.
“I want to go to the fair.”
“Okay,” Cade told her, and as soon as the word came out of his mouth, she broke away from us, the tears having vanished. “I’ll go get changed! Come on, Asher!” They both ran out of the room and up the stairs, screaming about all the cotton candy they were going to eat.
“I think…” Cade didn’t move from his crouched position as he looked over at me. “I think I just got played.”
I laughed as I stood, not able to resist moving closer to him and pushing my hand through his soft hair. “You did.”
“Damn.” He dipped his head back and placed his hands on my hips. “Well, guess I’m going to the fair.” His lips quirked on one side. “Want to be my date?”
“Date?” I shook my head, but couldn’t stop my own lips lifting. We hadn’t been on a date, not unless it consisted of being inside his house or out on the track at school.
“Yeah, and we have the perfect cover.” He slowly stood, towering over me with his six-foot-five height. “I promise I’ll win you a stuffed animal.”
I tapped my finger on my chin. “I want a corn dog too.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” He planted a kiss on the tip of my nose as footsteps pounded on the stairs and then Asher and Belle appeared, minus their pirate costumes.
“Ready,” Belle declared, ushering Asher toward the door.
Cade strode across the living room. “Come on,” he said, pulling the front door open. “Let’s get you in the car.”
Belle smiled up at him then ran out the door while Asher stayed close to Cade. I followed them out and locked the door behind me, and by the time I made it to the car on the driveway, Cade had strapped them both in.
I went to open the passenger door, but Cade beat me to it. His hand covered mine, and his front pressed against my back. My breath hitched at his closeness, and I shivered when his breath fanned across my neck. He always managed to make me forget who I was.
“Let me get that for you.”
I closed my eyes at his deep voice and leaned against him. We couldn’t do anything here, not with the kids watching, but I was going to soak in every one of his looks and touches while he was with us.
He pulled open the door and grasped my hip with his other hand, squeezed once, and then let me go. My cheeks burned as he walked around the car, and by the time I was slipping into the passenger seat, he was turning the engine on.
It didn’t take us long to get to the fair, but it took nearly thirty minutes to find a parking spot. Everyone was here for the last weekend, and Friday evening made it even busier. Part of me worried we’d be seen, but hopefully, with the kids as a buffer, no one would question it if we were.
“Before we get out of the car,” I said and twirled around in my seat to look at the kids. My lips flattened into a straight line, and I narrowed my eyes, making sure they knew how serious I was. “Belle, you stay with me at all times. Asher, you stay with Cade. You don’t wander off. You don’t get lost in the crowd. You don’t—”
“Aria,” Cade interrupted, and I flicked my gaze to his. “They’ll stay with us.”
“I’m just making sure they know the rules.” I rolled my eyes and pushed out of the car, making out like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. The last time I’d come to a fair I’d been seven years old. The bright lights and rides had lured me in, but not as much as they had to my dad. He’d been fascinated by them and forgotten all about his daughter. He’d left me alone for hours, only finding me when the fair was almost closed. The day was burned into my brain like so many others that involved my dad.
I took Belle’s hand, and we walked side by side with Cade who had Asher on his shoulders. Belle was talking a mile a minute, but the closer we got to the entrance, the less I could hear what she was saying over the buzzing ringing in my ears.
My breathing picked up, almost coming in pants when Cade bought us tickets, and then we were standing in the middle of the fair, the scent of cotton candy and corn dogs surrounding us. The rhythm of laughter mixed in with the loudness of voices and sounds of the rides, but it was the bright lights flashing that had me closing my eyes and wishing I was anywhere else but here.
“Ow, Aria, you’re hurting my hand.”
I flung my eyes open and blinked down at Belle. “Sorry,” I managed to croak out. Her other hand was encased in Cade’s, so I let go and backed away a step. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Cade’s gaze was burning a path on the side of my face, but I couldn’t look up at him. I was afraid of what he’d see. Afraid he’d realize how damaged I was. Afraid he’d find out I was unfixable.
“What ride do you want to go on first?” Cade asked, and they both shouted something different. He spun around and pushed through the crowd, and I followed after them, my stomach sinking at the thought of losing them here.
Everything was too much for me, but I tried my hardest to smile and encourage a different feeling than the one I currently had. I watched Cade put them both on one of the kiddie rides, and stood off to the side, not taking my eyes off them.
“Aria,” Cade said as he halted next to me. There were other kids getting on the ride, but I kept my attention on Belle and Asher who sat up front. “Baby, look at me.”
“I can’t,” I croaked out. “I hate this.”
His hand grasped mine and pulled it toward him, hiding it between his waist and the fence. No one would be able to see we were holding hands if they saw us.
“What happened?” I could hear the hitch in his voice. I could sense the concern.
“I was seven the last time I came to the fair.” I kept my gaze locked on Belle and Asher as the ride started. “Dad brought me. He promised me we’d have fun.” I stuttered a breath. “But then he…he…he forgot I was with him.” My free hand clutched against my chest and rested above my racing heart. “He left me alone for five hours on a fairground just like this one.” A tear streamed down my face, and I finally plucked up the nerve to look over at Cade. “I know he was sick, but I…”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t resent him for it,” Cade finished for me, and I nodded.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me it was going to be okay. I didn’t need Cade to fill me with promises of what would happen from now on, and he never did that. He didn’t make out like everything was unicorns and rainbows. He was just there…always there.
“I think you need to create new fair memories,” Cade declared as the ride came to a stop. He brought my hand up to his mouth, placed a kiss on my knuckles, and then let go. “First stop is corn dogs and winning prizes.” He waited until I nodded then stepped forward to help get the kids off the ride.
The small smile on my face started to get bigger, and by the time Cade turned back around and grinned over at me, it was a real smile. I kept to myself in fear of being judged, but Cade never judged the way I was feeling, and he never talked it to death. He simply found a solution and got right on with it.
“I’m h
ungry,” Belle said as her hand slipped into mine.
I groaned and put my hand to my stomach. “Me too.” I flicked my gaze behind us. Cade was putting Asher back on his shoulders, and I decided right then and there I was going to throw caution to the wind. I was going to enjoy the next few hours and forget about my past. “Race you! Loser buys the corn dogs!”
Belle squealed as I pulled her with me, but in only a couple of paces, she realized what I was doing and helped weave us through the crowd. I turned my head as my feet pounded the ground, spotting Cade only a few paces behind us. He winked, causing butterflies to take flight in my stomach.
And I knew there and then.
I knew, in that very moment, I was in love with Cade Easton.
* * *
ARIA
“I feel like I don’t see you anymore,” Hope whined as I stood from our position under the bleachers. “We never get girl time.”
I collected my trash and raised a brow at her. “That’s because you’re always taking off with your sister. You’ve had more days off school than you’ve been here.”
Hope puffed out a breath and let her head drop back. “I know. I’m so behind in my classes, and I swear, I’m failing like half of them.”
I bit my bottom lip as I stared over at the wall of windows I knew was Cade’s office. I couldn’t see inside because he had the blinds closed, but I knew he was in there. I hadn’t spoken to him properly since he dropped us off after we went to the fair a few days ago. We’d texted a couple of times, but it wasn’t the same as hearing his voice.
There were only thirty minutes left of lunch, and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Cade. We had track practice later today, but Mom was picking me up right after because she wasn’t working, which meant I wouldn’t see Cade again until this weekend at Brody and Lola’s cookout.
“You need to talk to Lisha. She can’t keep taking you out of school like this.”
Defy Fate: Fated Duet: Book One Page 13
