“You don’t love that girl if you treat her like she’s a piece of meat to sell at the market, Cade Shaun Frasier. I thought I raised you better than this.”
“I didn’t take her to Aidan,” I argue.
“No, instead you hole up here, get us to lie to your brother on your behalf, and bury your head in the sand.”
“More like her pus—”
“Language, Lucas,” Ma spits then wags her finger at me. “You’re a man now, Cade, and instead, you’re acting like a boy. A foolish boy, at that. You get your arse over to your boss’s office and you tell him what you know.
“If you’ve lost that girl for good, well, I can’t blame her for thinking you’re an eejit, but it’ll be a life lesson for you and it’s one you need to learn. But don’t think you can be eating any breakfast at my table until you make this right, do you hear me?”
With a sniff, she spins on her heel and retreats to her apartment, slamming the door behind her, locking it, and leaving Lucas and me standing outside in the hall as if she can’t stand the sight of us any longer.
“Well, you can’t speak to Aidan looking like that,” he grumbles as he takes in my scuffed jeans. “You need to get changed.”
Blankly, I stare at him. Then, I realize what he’s actually saying. “You’re going to help me with him?”
He sneers. “When don’t I get you out of trouble, Cade?”
19
CADE
I’m not exactlynervous when I head into the elevator and make my way to Aidan and Savannah O’Donnelly’s apartment, but mostly, I’m hoping I don’t fuck this up.
I didn’t need my ma to make me realize that I acted like a fool. No, I only needed to look at the agony in Belle’s eyes.
I did that.Me.
I didn’t mean to. That was the last thing I intended. But fuck if that didn’t happen anyway, and fuck if she ain’t hurting and sobbing and terrified over a situation that I put her in.
Knocking on the door, I wait for someone to answer. Lucas, at my side, is grumbling under his breath as he checks his messages, and I stare at the door blindly, hoping to get this over with so I can go back home and tell Belle that she’s safe.
She’s right—I don’t deserve an apology. Rectifying this mistake is the least I can do as a human goddamn being. As for earning her forgiveness? Right now, I’m at a loss. I just can’t accept that she’ll never—
The door swings open before my brain can start tripping over itself, and Savannah greets me. “Cade? I thought you were in L.A. You missed a great poker game last week. I bled Lucas dry.”
My brother protests, “If you weren’t my boss’s wife, I’d accuse you of cheating.”
Savannah smirks. “Those are the words of a sore loser.”
“Oh, he’s definitely that,” I needle, enjoying the opportunity to say that without earning a punch in the process.
Laughing, Savannah waves us in. “You look like you’ve been fighting, Lucas. Is that a black eye?” Her brows furrow as she takes in the support bandages on his wrist. “You hurt your hand?”
He clears his throat. “It’s nothing.”
She hums her disbelief. “Aidan, Cade and Lucas are here!” she yells, and Aidan, wiping a towel over his face, strolls out from the gym a few minutes later. “Lucas apparently got into a fight with the invisible man.”
“What are you doing back in the city, Cade?” Aidan frowns at Lucas though he takes in my brother’s injuries and shoots me a knowing glance as Savannah tosses him a bottle of water from the kitchen. “Why didn’t you tell me he got the girl? What’s her name again?”
I clear my throat. “Cindy.”
Aidan, still scowling, demands, “Where is she, then?”
Straightening my shoulders and praying that I’m not about to end the day being carved up like a turkey at Thanksgiving, I rasp, “Dr. Davis lied to you.”
I chose those words very carefully.